my children are great - but i have to keep reminding them to brush their teeth before sleep etc. any tips?

Answer 1

We are all doing the same thing. The only thing you can do is to make it fun, and show that if they don't, there will be some form of punishment.

Answer 2

I had the same problem...I got this really cool toothbrush that has a flashing light on it; it flashes for an entire minute. Once the toothbrush stops flashing they know they are done. That seems to help my children want to brush their teeth. It really depends on the age of your children, though.

Oh, and by the way...you will struggle with this for a few more years. Kids don't think it's important until their peers tell them their breath really stinks...LOL!

Answer 3

Your children should have a daily routine at night before they sleep and if brushing their teeth is not apart of it it needs to be. If that does not work then let them know how much pain they will be in when they get cavities and their teeth start to decay cause believe me it's not funny.

Answer 4

I think you just need to keep on top of it yourself. Most of my friends experience the same with their kids & i definately do with mine & the eldest is 11 (thought she'd have made a habit of it by now). Wait till you have to remind them to shower as well (& put on some deodorant). My young son has a dinasour electric toothbrush that has a little hour glass. This novelty toothbrush seems to get him a little more motivated & with the hourglass he turns it everytime & now brushes his teeth for 3 whole minutes. If you havent' tried this maybe give it a go. Best of luck.

Answer 5

I have the same problem. My son would "forget", even when I told him to go brush his teeth and go to bed. He solved the problem himself. He put a sticky note on his bedroom door that said to brush teeth when going to bed. He stuck a note on the bottom of the bunk above him reminding himself to brush in the morning. So far, it seems to be working!

Answer 6

How old are your children? I think having to remind kids to brush their teeth and take showers is just a part of daily paenting. At least it is in our house(6 and 3 year old).

Answer 7

children are not good at timing - 5 minutes can seem like forever for example

so you will need to remind them each night to do it - our son who is 8 each night he knows that we like him to be in bed between 8-9pm but i think it is part of the routine to tell him - IE 'its time for teeth and bed now' and he will then go without too much trouble. But the routine of being reminded is there too which is a good thing IMO

Answer 8

A schedule posted on their bedroom wall. I use a pictorial one for my kids because they can't read yet, and actually, since it draws the eye, I reccomend either pictures or pictures AND words for older kids too. Include a picture of pajamas, one of a toothbrush, and any other things they have to do before bed- like getting backpacks ready for the morning, or saying prayers or doing nightly reading.

Does it work? My 3yo and 5yo come to ME and say, Mom, we haven't done ____ yet, and it's next on the schedule.

Incidentally I have described only a simple bedtime one for your purposes- ours is one of those 'daily planner' types that you can print with most printshop-type programs. I just deleted the date at the top and typed in my own heading, then added pictures in each hour's space.

Answer 9

I had that prob before, then I bought this tartar thing from Listerine. It stains their teeth blue and they have to brush it all away. They make a game with it now. When I say it's bedtime, they race to see who's blue disappears first, lol

Answer 10

make a little sign with toothpaste and a toothbrush on it and palce it where they will see it a lot. Then when they brush their teeth without you telling them you could give rewards. You decide the reward system.