Brushing Teeth - Chicago, IL

My daughter is like that with me too...so we switched up the bath bedtime routine, and it seems to help us/her when Daddy does it instead of me. Honestly, I never could get my older one to let me do it well until sometime in his third year. It will all work out :)

Hi A., Both of my sons were the same way. What helped us was having the dentist tell my sons that they can brush first, but Mommy or Daddy ALWAYS have to brush a 2nd time in the evening. Whenever the boys would give me a hard time, I would remind them what the dentist said. For some reason they really respected their dentist and would let me help brush. Good luck!

I told our son that if he doesn't brush his teeth that I will take him to the dentist and ask him to take out his teeth because he isn't taking care of them. I didn't want the dentist to be the bad guy by saying the dentist would yell at him or anything.

I would also say quit the battle. It has to be done or the next time she wants candy or sweets it is a no!

Hi A.,
We have a combo agreement. They brush first & then I brush them a 2nd time. If they argue, then I tell them that I won't let them have their turn. It worked like a charm.

My youngest liked to have me brush his teeth while he was laying on the floor (!?). He giggled the whole time. He'd then finish himself at the sink.

I like the idea of NO SWEETS until her brushing habits improve. That would certainly work wonders on my dessert-loving kids.

I count with my 3 year old son. He knows that when I reach 10 it's over. I let him "finish it off" too. Also he just went to the Dentist for the first time ...and I remind him how the Dentist told him he needs to brush every time after he eats. We have read dentist books also. Hope that helps.

You may want to check out some of the newer types of flouride/mouth wash that are used after brushing. Some of them will leave a color, such as blue or pink on the teeth so that the child can see where they missed. My kids find it funny and they know they need to keep going. You do however need to keep it out of reach as with anything of that nature, because they may tend to overdo it if they can. I am still reminding my 2 older boys 8 & 10 to brush every morning, as if it's the first time they ever heard it, eventhough they have heard it from the dentist and have seen the results of not brushing. Good Luck!

Brush REALLY gently. You can try to increase pressure once she gets over the fear. Try starting a tickle attack then whip out the brush when she has her mouth open.

Brushing your teeth with your daughter & letting your daughter use your toothbrush to brush your teeth while you use hers to brush hers works for me. I also let my daughter pick out her toothbrushes at the store.

A. - have you taken your daughter to the dentist yet? The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry www.aapd.org and the American Academy of Pediatrics www.aap.org both recommend a visit by age 1 (even though a lot of pedatricitians will still tell you 3). A good pediatric dentist will be able to help and give you good tips. Plus, if she hasn't been brushing properly for a while, a good cleaning wouldn't hurt. You can find a dentist at www.aapd.org on their doctor finder section. They also have a great parent FAQ section too.

Good luck!

Let her brush her teeth by herself first and then you get the spots she may have missed after. My three year old brushes her own teeth, she does it everytime I ask her and she feels all grown up doing it next to her bigger sister. She actually does a great job. The two of you can brush your teeth together and you can use this to teach her how to do it properly. It is also time to bring her to the dentist. I brought all my kids to the dentist with me since they were very little and although they didn't get their first cleaning until 3 they sat on my stomach as the dentist cleaned mine and they also watched their siblings doing it so i've never had a problem with it.

I found it easier when all of us brushed our teeth together. Kids like to imitate adults, and it plants the seeds for good hygiene when they see mom & dad brush and floss every night. If bedtime is too late, and she's too tired and cranky, it's fine to brush right after dinner, as long as she's not snacking again before bedtime.
You can try counting the strokes on each side-five seconds on each side, inside and out, left and right, front ones in and out, top and bottom, and there's a minute of brushing which should be enough to clean every surface. If you can find an egg timer so she can watch the sand run through or if you can find a song to play on a tape player, it may help keep her interest. Keep in mind that children don't have the dexterity to do a thorough job until they are about 10, but I can't imagine any child allowing a parent to help at that age. Good Luck!

Just a thought, she may be teething and it might hurt for you to brush her teeth. Good luck!!!!