https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Mon, 01 Jun 2026 03:07:55 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/toddler-toothbrushing-help#post-2199011 Thu, 04 Jun 2015 12:27:24 +0000 sorrycharlie 2199011@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>we had to start letting my daughter "brush" her own teeth (aka chew) while I brushed around her at the same time. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/toddler-toothbrushing-help#post-2198996 Thu, 04 Jun 2015 12:19:36 +0000 Grace 2198996@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>What worked for me this morning was for both of us to hold her toothbrush and brush her teeth at the same time, while explaining what we were doing. "Ok, lets brush the top teeth, now we'll do the side",etc. We'll see if it still works tomorrow. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/toddler-toothbrushing-help#post-2198740 Thu, 04 Jun 2015 09:40:11 +0000 danda 2198740@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mediagirl: she's almost 2. I actually had success last night using @hotchildinthecity: s approach - we significantly limit screen time but she loves Elmo and anytime she tried to get the toothbrush out of her mouth I paused the video, saying that she only gets toothbrushing video if she lets Mommy brush her teeth. By the end she was giggling and had no problems with me scrubbing away. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/toddler-toothbrushing-help#post-2198703 Thu, 04 Jun 2015 09:16:10 +0000 mediagirl 2198703@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@danda: how old is she? We went through this stage, as well and just suffered through until she started letting us brush her teeth for her. We make sure she gets a chance and then she lets us in there to really clean them. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/toddler-toothbrushing-help#post-2198679 Thu, 04 Jun 2015 09:05:05 +0000 jh524 2198679@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@hotchildinthecity: this is exactly what we do!! :) he loves brushing at the same time. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/toddler-toothbrushing-help#post-2197910 Wed, 03 Jun 2015 12:52:50 +0000 danda 2197910@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@hotchildinthecity: @looch: @MamaCate: @MrsRoo: @Mrs Green Grass: Thanks for the suggestions! Definitely some great ideas! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/toddler-toothbrushing-help#post-2197894 Wed, 03 Jun 2015 12:39:39 +0000 2littlepumpkins 2197894@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Sometimes I have to force it too but I think it has mostly been while molars were coming out. Honestly we have tried a lot of things but it's hit or miss. Sometimes she just has to do it unhappily. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/toddler-toothbrushing-help#post-2197745 Wed, 03 Jun 2015 10:38:06 +0000 bunnylove08 2197745@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>DD and I brush each other's teeth. Seems to work and she loves it </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/toddler-toothbrushing-help#post-2197734 Wed, 03 Jun 2015 10:23:03 +0000 jhd 2197734@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@looch: @buffalove: love the idea of two toothbrushes! I'm definitely going to try that! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/toddler-toothbrushing-help#post-2197621 Wed, 03 Jun 2015 09:24:20 +0000 buffalove 2197621@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Like @looch: I use 2 toothbrushes, one for him and one for me. I let him help put the toothpaste on, and we take turns brushing. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/toddler-toothbrushing-help#post-2197600 Wed, 03 Jun 2015 09:12:56 +0000 Mrs Green Grass 2197600@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>What worked for us is counting and taking turns. Okay Mommy's turn...count to ten, etc. He's recently gotten very excited about spitting... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/toddler-toothbrushing-help#post-2197578 Wed, 03 Jun 2015 09:03:07 +0000 MrsRoo 2197578@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My toddler goes through these phases,too. She's an "I do it myself" kind of girl, so me trying to force it makes it worse. While she's chewing her brush, I point to the teeth she missed and make a game out of her getting the toothbrush on all of them. So far this works really well for us when shes resistant to letting me help her brush. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/toddler-toothbrushing-help#post-2197550 Wed, 03 Jun 2015 08:50:14 +0000 Mamasig 2197550@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>DS1 goes through phases like this where he doesn't want me to help and really is only chewing the brush. I just let it go. He's getting some cleaning done - just not as much as I would like. The phases don't last long and then he's back to brushing well. But that matches his personality - if I push, he won't do it. If I act like it's not a big deal, he's more likely to want to do it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/toddler-toothbrushing-help#post-2197524 Wed, 03 Jun 2015 08:32:47 +0000 MamaCate 2197524@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We went through the forcing stage snd I hated it! What worked for us is doing a behavior chart with rewards like a new cup she got to pick out at target etc. it took a while to see a change. The other thing that helped was a firefly toothbrush from target that lights up for 1 minute and then turns off so that the time is not a fight. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/toddler-toothbrushing-help#post-2197500 Wed, 03 Jun 2015 08:21:34 +0000 looch 2197500@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We went through the forcing stage, it was torture for us. I finally decided that enough was enough with that, and I implemented some things:</p> <p>I got my son a special toothbrush holder, he can pick out whatever brush he wants, he currently has 4! I also found a toothpaste that he likes, part of the issue was that he really hated the colors and flavors of the kids pastes, so I found a white, mint flavored one for kids.</p> <p>Then as far as the actual brushing goes, I let him squeeze the toothpaste onto two brushes, one for him and one for me. I usually brush my teeth while he is doing his brushing, which still at age 4 is mostly chewing. Then, when we're both done, I get a turn and I brush his teeth with the second toothbrush. I worked my way up, first time I think I brushed for a few seconds, now I go a full minute. We're working on increasing that by using one of those sand timer things, to go to 2 minutes. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/toddler-toothbrushing-help#post-2197494 Wed, 03 Jun 2015 08:16:26 +0000 hotchildinthecity 2197494@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Our son still fights it but things improved after the Elmo brushy brush video. We would show it to him every night before brushing and now we sing the brushy brush song before we brush. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/toddler-toothbrushing-help#post-2197486 Wed, 03 Jun 2015 08:10:20 +0000 danda 2197486@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Toothbrushing has evolved into a major fight in our house...I have to pin down my daughter and force the toothbrush in her mouth. She's perfectly happy to put the toothbrush in her mouth and chew on it, and she occasionally sees me brushing my teeth and I let her "help." But within a few seconds of me grabbing the toothbrush in her mouth she is screaming. We get the same reaction from either an electric or a regular toddler toothbrush...distraction with books or short YouTube videos doesn't help. She doesn't watch TV yet. Any tips??? </p>