DD is 20 months old and absolutely refuses to brush her teeth. We have tried various things like a special brush/ toothpaste, having her sister model, different times of day other than bedtime and making it into a game. She essentially clenches her jaw and doesn't allow the brush in. The only way I get her to brush is to force it when she's hysterical crying and screaming "yucky yucky yucky!" I don't know what to do 
it's the worst part of my day
You might also enjoy...
-
LO never refused to brush his teeth, but at just over 2 reading Peppa goes to the dentist made a huge difference in his willingness to open his mouth wide. Would a special book or video help? There's a Daniel Tiger app where you can brush his teeth. Or does she have a special baby doll or something that she could pretend to brush teeth with?
-
@autumn865 ugh same. Following to see if anyone has ideas. My son is almost 13 months and he is hysterical and flipping like a fish to get away. I feel so horrible torturing him. It's the last thing before bed because he just keeps crying hysterically until he falls asleep. I so hate having every day end that way! Our ped suggested "just let him chew on the toothbrush to get used to it". LOLZ.
-
DD is 21 months, the only way she lets me brush her teeth is to let her brush mine at the same time. I get both brushes ready,then I sit on the floor, and then we brush each other's teeth at the same time. It's a pain to always do it this way but previously I was having to hold her down while she cried the whole time. So it's better than that.
-
We sing a song through tooth brushing. Any time he escapes the toothbrush or bites down on it we stop singing until he cooperates again. It only took a few days before he got much more compliant.
-
Lay him on the changing pad and I headlock him and brush while DH holds his arms down. Seriously. It is terrible!!!! He refuses to open his mouth and i can't see his teeth any other way. I do it as gently as possible, but it's ridiculous.
DD is 4 and she stands on the potty and i brush her teeth so I don't have to bend over
-
My LO was exactly the same way. We started counting to five. Five seconds each on the top and bottom in the front and then the molars. That way she knew exactly how long it was going to last. If she closed her mouth we just stopped counting and picked up where we left off when she opened again. In the beginning sometimes we could only do one second at a time, but now she's really good about it and we can go longer. Good luck I know it's so frustrating!
-
No advice, but I have the same problem! Sometimes if I put her on my lap and dangle her head over (so she's upside down) I can get it in there for a few seconds. Truthfully though we're probably lucky if we manage to clean one tooth well a day
-
We went through this a while ago. So I started letting him go first then I would do it. Now he just happily stands on the toilet and I just do the brushing.
I hope this is a short phase for you.
-
What has worked really well for my daughter is giving her the choice of mama or papa brushing. I tell her: we have to brush your teeth, do you want mama to do it or papa? If she doesn't respond I'll start trying and then she'll usually say papa. And halfway through ask for me. In her case I think it was a power struggle rather than fear of the tooth brush. So letting her choose who does it makes it feel like her choice rather than forced on her.
-
@autumn865: We do 2 things. First I will count to 10 really slowly (or how ever many teeth she has) to distract her while I brush. I also give her the tube of toothpaste to hold. I sit her on the bathroom counter while brushing. Second I tell her that after I brush she can do it. Her favourite part is swirling the tooth brush in her cup of water and the sucking on it once I am done. She does tend to fight it more when she is getting new teeth but it is a non negotiable in our house so if necessary I hold her down and get it done.
Will she let her sister brush her teeth?
-
@autumn865: My DD was weirdly picky about the flavor of her toothpaste. This is a child that will eat a two week old Cheerio from her car seat.
The winner after spending like $40 on toothpaste was the regular Kids Crest (the sparkly kind). But I know people who've had good luck with Tom's fruit flavors or Banilla Bling (apparently tastes like vanilla ice cream!).
-
We had this issue when we started brushing my LO's teeth, tantrum every morning and night, headlock, the whole thing. Our pediatrician recommended the counting method so that the kid knows that there is an end to it and they can expect it. So first we did 5 on each side, then 10, then eventually 20. This was without toothpaste... when we started adding toothpaste we had to start with the counting all over again. It definitely worked for us!
-
So initially, toothpaste was enough to get her to brush it and allow us to follow up with a 2nd brushing. When that didn't work, we got her an electric toothbrush (since we both have), and that entertained her for a good while (that + toothpaste). Now (21 mo), she does the electric toothbrush by herself, then when she's busy re-applying toothpaste by herself, that's when DH goes in and takes another brush and quickly brush where she wasn't brushing.
ETA: I ordered this Jack & Jill toothpaste off Amazon that's blueberry flavored and DD loves it.
-
I started "brushing" my daughters teeth at 10 months old hen she got her first tooth. i started by putting toothpaste on the brush and just letting her chew on it a couple times a day. I slowly started moving the brush a little every once in awhile.
I started putting her in her high chair to brush her teeth otherwise she insists on running around the house with the toothbrush in her mouth. What really helped was me sitting next to her and brushing my teeth at the same time. She started to mimic my movements and is now pretty good at it for only being 16 months old. She does just chew on it half the time, but at least she lets me help her. She also loves the jack and jill toothpaste. She would brush her teetn 20 times a day just for the toothpaste if I let her.
-
@yellowbird: THIS. OMG my son is 22 months and it's a nightmare. I dread it every single day. You would think I'm poisoning him!
-
Xander used to resist getting his teeth brushed. He'd do the same thing - clench his teeth and try to resist, but I just forced it. Half the time I was pinning him to the ground so I could pry his mouth open and get the toothbrush in there! Crying actually made it easier!
After a while, they get used to it though. They realize it's part of the routine, can't be avoided, and that if they cooperate, it goes much more smoothly and quickly! Now neither of my kids have any problems getting their teeth brushed!
-
Some Days it is no.issues others dad holds her upside down or I force it
-
My son is the same age and went through a HORRIBLE phase of this. We tried everything and it was the worst. One day I just put him in his crib and let him roll around, said I'm going to get the toothbrush, and started singing silly songs and jumping around which made him laugh. I used his stuffed puppy to tickle his stomach while I did it and he was contained to the crib. After about a week went by of over the top singing and being silly, he doesn't cry at all now and lays pretty still most days. Then I reward him with his blankie and loveys at the end, which he LOVES.
-
We had to make it fun for our kiddo - we did the counting, singing, and now that he's a bit older (just over two years old), he still resists so we give him the option of brushing himself or us doing it. He will then typically do it himself and we'll get to say 'ooh, you missed a spot' and hit it again. I found it got much easier in the last two months as he is beginning to understand things - like when we say, "we brush our teeth so they don't get dirty."
Oddly enough, he LOVES to floss because he says my partner or me doing it often (we tend to floss in the car, or after dinner (or heck, while watching TV!), so at times when he sees us. I think seeing US do it helps him realize EVERYONE does it.
Also, maybe just give it a week or two off and try again. It's about building a good habit and not necessarily getting all the teeth perfectly clean.
And a bit of solidarity and love - dang kids!
Reply
Subscribe to our newsletter
- Google Plus
- Stumbleupon
- Twitter
- Facebook
- Pinterest
- Favorite0
19 comments