How should we approach this and help her brush teeth? she keeps resisting the brush and refuses to open her mouth. we use special baby brushes and non-flouride tooth paste for babies. we show her how we brush with her but nothing seems to work...thanks for any good advice.
2006-07-06 12:22:43 · 53 answers · asked by ibi 1 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Toddler & Preschooler
My mum would sing the abc's while brushing my teeth. Then she would sometimes let me have a turn brushing hers. It was like a game.
2006-07-06 12:27:12 · answer #1 · answered by Quiet Amusement 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Buy a whole bunch of tooth brushes!( we have bought about 20 or 30 of them) That's what we did. Our daughter is not a very good tooth cleaner, but she does brush 10 or 20 times a day( she's almost 2, and has been doing it since she was 15 months) Leave tooth brushes laying around within her reach, let her watch you, and tell her ' oh mommys got to go brush her teeth' and sit her on the toilet while you do it, and give her a tooth brush, and before you know it she'll be like mine ' dat my teete, bush teete'
Good luck!
2006-07-13 18:13:23 · answer #2 · answered by noahsmom 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have 6 children from 16 months to twelve years old. I took them to the dentist last week and between the 6 of them we had 3 cavities. Now for the kinda gross part and something I never tell their dentist, my kids hardly ever brush their teeth. Maybe two times a week. These are the first cavities any of them have had in over 2 years. I truly believe it is because they only have junk food on rare occasions. I don't buy pop, candy, cookies, chips or anything else that sticks to their teeth on a regular basis. If your daughter eats a healthy toddler diet without too much junk food and doesn't have a bottle or sippy cup of milk or juice all day long, I wouldn't sweat it. Try to brush her teeth and then let her do it herself. She'll get plenty off just by chewing on the toothbrush.
2006-07-13 10:28:19 · answer #3 · answered by Mommy of 6 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
So brushing teeth is unpleasant for her. Let her know there is an end to the "torture". I made up a rhyme for my daughter to show her how long I would brush. I brushed her doll's teeth and said,
Where are the sugar bugs
Where are the sugar bugs
In _____'s mouth
In_____'s mouth
Mom will brush the sugar bugs
Mom will brush the sugar bugs
'Till they're all OUT !
Then I would let the doll spit (big fun) ask her to smile and then give her a big hug. Next I'd ask my daughter if she wanted to try? No? No big deal at all. Keep it up each day. Show daddy the dolls clean teeth and get a big reaction out of him. She'll come around.
2006-07-20 03:34:00 · answer #4 · answered by HD 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Why not take her shopping to buy a toothbrush that she likes; they come in many colors and even characters. Once she has found something she likes, pick out a children's toothpaste, like bubblegum flavor and then take her home right away to try out her new items. Teach her how to brush her teeth since she is only 1.5 yrs of age and sing your ABC's as you should take about 70 seconds to brush. Make it a habit and do it twice a day, morning and evening. Praise her on how shiny and clean her teeth are and you can even go as far as making a reward chart with stickers or allow her to work towards something after brushing her teeth for 2 weeks straight.
Try new things and make it fun! Good luck!
2006-07-18 04:42:54 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Make a game out of it. It's clear you have a power struggle going on and guess what, keep it up and she'll keep winning.
So you can try making it fun, or just hand her the brush and let her brush it herself. They can be mighty stubborn at that age.
Yeah, she's not going to do a great job, but in time she'll be more likely to let you do it once and awhile. As long as she's getting flouride (either in your water or via drops from the doctor), her teeth will be fine. (unless you are giving her bad stuff like soda or anything at bedtime in her bottle other than water).
You can always go in every day or so and wipe it clean with gauze or a clothe like you did when she is younger.
At this age it is more about establishing the habit than anything else.
When she get a bit older you can try rewards. At that age, reasoning is nearly impossible.
2006-07-06 12:31:34 · answer #6 · answered by Lori A 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If it's really that difficult and you can't take control of the situation you could try doing it when she sleeps with one of those baby brushes that fits over your finger and just water, at least you'll be getting most of it.
The best thing to do would be to let her know you're the parent and you're in charge, not her and tell her she will brush her teeth or take a time out. She's 1 year old and you've already let her take control,you're looking at a very rough road ahead and a child that no one can stand to be around. Do your family a huge favor and get back control or suffer the consequences.
2006-07-06 12:29:57 · answer #7 · answered by Does not play well with others 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Letting her see both of you brushing your teeth every day is a good idea. It may take a while but she will come around. Try finding a way to make it fun. For example, fill up the sink before you brush your teeth, and after every few strokes (on your teeth), stick your mouth under water and blow bubbles. She may laugh and think that it is funny. Do it a few times and then try to get her to do it (but make sure she only does it after brushing her teeth a few strokes. It then becomes a game...
2006-07-06 12:25:15 · answer #8 · answered by klygen 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Will your daughter play with a wash cloth in the tub? Chew on it? Most children do, and the wash cloth is actually rubbing against their little teeth, and doing the same thing you do, washing them. At this age, don't worry if they don't "brush" per say.
Your child doesn't need to go to the dentist until they are at least 3, unless you visibly see problems. Don't stress over it. By 3, I'm sure she'll allow the brush to be used, even if she is the one brushing.
2006-07-11 02:41:58 · answer #9 · answered by colleend01 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Give her a toddler-sized brush and let her brush with you and make funny faces in the mirror. After she does that a while tell her you need to "finish up" and do a good brushing for her, getting the back teeth and tongue, etc. She might also like a battery-operated brush.
2006-07-06 15:34:58 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
We had the same issue with our daughter around that age. I searched the internet and found the "angel brush", developed by a pediatric dentist. You can find it on E-bay. It has the same principle behind it as those nylabones/toys with nodules for dogs. The child chews on the silicone brush like a teether and it removes plaque. We could give it to her while she watched a favorite show and she would chew on it the whole time. She also liked the flavored toothpastes on it too. I asked our dentist about it and he thought it was a great idea and should serve its purpose well. I would definitely check it out.
2006-07-06 16:43:42 · answer #11 · answered by atlangel 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋