Keeping Kids from Getting Toothpaste Everywhere

No, not forever, just for now. My daughter is good with the toothpaste, but does overdo it with other things (see my previous post about the Band-Aids!) and I have taken to just allowing her 2 Band-Aids a day - after that she is done. Explain to her that we only need to brush our teeth twice a day - morning and night. Show her how much toothpaste goes on the brush. Eventually they all grow up and they get there.

Or look at it this way: what you spend on toothpaste you are saving on dental work. ;)

Keep hiding the toothpaste and putting it on her toothbrush. At some point when you think she has the amount right allow her to put it on, then hide it. As she gets older and "gets it' you can leave it accessible for her, but not yet ; )

My kid is almost six and I still load her toothbrush and brush her teeth twice a day because an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. She has never had a cavity and I've never had to wipe up blorbs of toothpaste all over the counter.

I load her toothbrush, let her bush her teeth for 2 minutes on the timer, then I take the toothbrush from her and follow up with an experienced cleaning a-la mom. She's pretty dang good already herself, but we can't afford to pay to fix any cavities, (not to mention the fact that cavities are just inherently bad), so even though it's annoying, it's worth it.

Oral health is very important to me so I make it a priority to make sure it's done well, even though it means I have to stop whatever I'm doing to supervise.

I do hate the toothpaste mess! I bought one of those toothpaste dispensers that I saw on an infomercial, but bought it at a local store for $5. It works pretty good, not great, but for us it is better than the alternative. It suction cups to the mirror and the kids insert the toothbrush at the bottom and it squirts some out on the brush. I like how easy it comes apart for cleaning (because it too gets caked with toothpaste) and it has controlled the mess to a degree, definitely worth the $5 for us. Of course depending on where you put it she would still have access and if that is an issue it may not be the right solution for you. Hope you find something that works.

Start giving her small amounts of pocket money and tell her when she does choures or cleans up she can have some once a week/fortnight.
Next time the toothpaste runs out ask if she's used any, if she says yes tell her if she does it again then she will have to pay for it. If she says no she will have to pay for it this time and she also needs to pay extra for lying(only if she lied) Also when she makes a mess SHE needs to clean it up.

Get a little container and put baking soda and a few drops of mint essential oil (or whatever flavor she may prefer) and let her have at it! Totally safe and cheap (:

We just taught our son that some things aren't toys, like the toothpaste. We showed him the first few times how much to put on, put the lid back on and leave it alone until its time to brush again.

By not disciplining her about this, you are teaching her its ok to waste things, imo. She is 4...she is old enough to start learning responsibility and ownership of her things.