Hellobee Boards

Ugh, we've tried everything. Recently the best tactic is to let him use an adult toothbrush and brush our teeth alongside him. We do have a kids electric toothbrush and he liked it for a while, but not anymore. Our pediatrician said once they hit this age, you just have to hold them down and brush them forcibly because they can really start to have tooth problems now!

I've read electric toothbrushes aren't recommended for young kids BUT we do have one that DS loves. It's a Thomas the Train one and he just holds it while we brush. We also sing a toothbrushing song, but it's in German and that's my husband's domain. My son likes to stand up when he's brushing his teeth, maybe you can try that too?

We have problems with this, so I am not really one to offer advice. Sometimes I have to pin down his arms and hold his head to get the brush in. But when he's in a good mood, he enjoys a nice rendition of "brush your teeth-y" sung to the tune of "shake your booty."

I don't know if it would work for you, but once we taught DD to brush her own teeth, she became much more enthusiastic about it. She brushes her teeth all by herself and then we "spot check" (usually getting the back molars for her) once she's done.

We also sing a tooth brushing song to the tune of "Row, Row, Row Your Boat." And sometimes if she's still resistant, we'll have brush her teddy bear's teeth first; he gets lots of compliments on how clean and sparkly his teeth are, which encourages her to do her own.

I love these ideas. It beats the hold them down and cry method.