My son used to let me brush his teeth when he was only 10 months old without a problem but now that he's older (2yo) he won't let me get near his teeth. He wants to brush his own teeth and won't let me guide him on how to properly brush.. I'm concern because he is not brushing his teeth the right way. What do I need to do? Any suggestion is greatly appreciated. Thanks.
2007-03-24 16:39:04 · 14 answers · asked by FlyingHi007 3 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Toddler & Preschooler
I had this problem too. My son only wants to brush the front teeth (horizontal strokes across) and won't do his molars.
I ended up setting a teeth brushing time - the same time every night, usually a half hour before his bed time - and we'd *both* go upstairs and brush together. I sit on the floor facing him and brush with my mouth open so he can see what I'm doing. I explain "now I'm brushing the bottoms, now I'm brushing the tops" (top and bottom molars), and encourage him to mimic me.
He tries, but he's not good at it yet, so when I'm done brushing, I ask him if he'd like to brush his tops and bottoms himself, and if he says no, then I ask him to give me his toothbrush and let me do his tops and bottoms.
If he balks, I either explain that we can't leave the food in there to get all yucky in his mouth and we need to get it out (which works for him, usually) or that we can't go back and play blocks/cars/playdoh/whatever before bedtime unless it gets done. I don't let him leave the bathroom til we've done his tops and bottoms...when we do, I praise him so he's proud his teeth are all clean and brushed.
Good luck! It's hard, but you'll get there.
2007-03-24 16:53:26 · answer #1 · answered by michxenafan 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
same thing for me. i tell him he can brush after im done. he always screams and i just try to do the best i can in l5 or 20 seconds. I know its not perfect but its better than nothing. then he usually sucks on the toothpaste and brushes a little more. sometimes him yelling is the only thing that gets his mouth open. but i figure that 20 seconds out of the day isnt bad. if it isnt that he'll be screaming about something else. haha.
2007-03-25 08:50:24 · answer #2 · answered by tcb 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I encourage my child to be independent and brush his teeth, but I do it as well. He also screams, but not for his father. So when dad is around, he gets to brush his teeth. We just discovered a song he likes that I now sing when I brush his teeth. "This little train goes up the track, it says "toot, toot", and it comes right back". With one hand, I squeeze his foot on the "toot, toot" part. He cracks up laughing, which makes it easier to get into his mouth. I sing it over and over and over again while we brush. Most two year olds go through this phase, but it is no fun! We use to call it "baby torture", because my son screamed so loudly and fought us.
2007-03-25 00:05:00 · answer #3 · answered by JLecochildsplay 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Make a game out of brushing, at two they mimic you, brush your teeth and make sure he is watching your every move, he will get the point, and also, if you don't think he is getting it all........let him brush his teeth 5 times a day, at some point he will hit every part lol!
2007-03-24 23:43:28 · answer #4 · answered by Christina S 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
let him do it at first and watch him
brush your teeth at the same time and make sure he sees you
he'll try to copy
show step by step what you are doing and say now you try
if he's not doing a complete job tell him it's your turn now and finish the job quickly
then say ty for letting you help and tell him good job
he'll figure it out soon enough
at this age a child is learning how to do things on their own and becoming more indepent but getting frustrated easy because they are still learning
2007-03-25 00:00:19 · answer #5 · answered by squeaker 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm no mom but there is a toothbrush that just came out that plays music when brushing. A 2 year old might enjoy that.
2007-03-24 23:48:49 · answer #6 · answered by dajackson 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Let him brush them him self for as long as he wants and when hes done say " let me see - Oh you did a good job they are shinning , Oh wait you missed one little spot let me get it for you" Or " let me just make sure they're all clean. Then go over all the teeth real quick. Let him feel like a big boy and then go over it yourself.
2007-03-24 23:49:38 · answer #7 · answered by Chargers Chick 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
my son is the same way. I have to let him brush alone first and then take a seperate brush when he is done and help him brush. I hope this works for you.
2007-03-24 23:46:04 · answer #8 · answered by momof3 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
We used to play "dentist!" we had these little kid sized plastic chairs that the kids would sit in. Then we would sit on the floor behind them and tip the chair back into our lap and brush and floss their teeth "upside down." We pretended to be a silly dentist the whole time...they loved it!
2007-03-24 23:47:24 · answer #9 · answered by western b 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Make a game of it. Tell him you need to get Oscar the Grouch, Elmo or any other cartoon characters that he knows out of his mouth (especially in the back) and that he needs to open wide so you can rid him of these pesty people...it works with my daughter who is nearly 5. Although she is older it did work wonderfully when she was younger. Hope this helps!
2007-03-24 23:48:16 · answer #10 · answered by D 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋