How does your toddler do with teeth brushing?
My LO is 18 months. She is OBSESSED with brushing her teeth, I think mainly because she watches her older sister. We also use an electric toothbrush (I feel like it gets them cleaner than she'd let me). However, she insists on doing it herself. My husband and I try to quickly get in there but she is extremely stubborn..and strong. Ha.
What's the situation at your house? How long do you brush for?
persimmon / 1270 posts
Lo is 17 months and won't let me anywhere near his mouth. He loves to brush his teeth which mostly means sucking on the toothbrush... It's not great, but a start.
grapefruit / 4903 posts
Mine wants to do it herself, and I let her in the morning. In the evening I make her let me do it first, and then she can have a turn. Sometimes that means forcing the issue, for better or worse. She has an egg timer from her dentist and knows to brush as long as it takes for the sand to run out.
eggplant / 11861 posts
DD is 19 months she will "chewchew/suck" her brush all day but for me to get good swipes in I try in the morning, but at night before bed DH holds her upside down and I can get in there....hahah not ideal but better than cavaties!
hostess / wonderful grape / 20803 posts
He loves it but wants to do it himself and freaks out when I brush him. He also loves toothpaste and splashing the water around! He's 20m.
nectarine / 2987 posts
DD loves to carry around the toothbrush, but she has like 5 teeth so I think the actual brushing is definitely under 15 seconds.
pomegranate / 3658 posts
She is 16 months and lets us brush her teeth every evening and doesn't mind it at all. We brush for maybe 30-45 seconds. She had her first dentist visit about a month ago and did great!
cantaloupe / 6131 posts
I lay my son down with his head between my thighs and his arms pinned under my legs and I brush his teeth for him. He did the chew suck thing himself until he was 1, but he got so many teeth all of the sudden and they were all pretty close together that I started doing it myself. He has beautiful teeth and DH and I both have really bad teeth (genetics) so we are pretty adamant about it. DS lays down on his own so he's not traumatized or anything. He's 23 months.
persimmon / 1445 posts
DD is 2.5 and she has always insisted on brushing her own teeth. I let her start the process with a very teeny amount of toothpaste and she does it until she gets bored, then a parent gets a turn to "shine them up". If she is particularly resistant, I let her brush my teeth while I brush her teeth, which she finds hilarious. We also make funny noises (BLAAAAAAAAHHHHHH for doing her molars, GRRRRRRRRR for doing her front teeth, etc). Her teeth have been fantastic every time we go to the dentist.
wonderful kiwi / 23653 posts
Ever since we got her an electric toothbrush (since we have too), she loves it too! We brush twice a day. She doesn't like it when we have to help her at the end to make sure everything gets brushed; but we sing tons of teeth brushing songs to make it fun.
coconut / 8854 posts
We just had DD first dentist appt on Monday! DD is 14 months, and loves brushing (getting her teeth brushed)! I do the teeth brushing, maybe for a minute or so (she only has 3 teeth, so it's not too hard hahaha) and then i let her suck on the toothbrush and wiggle it around.
What I had no idea about that I just learned from the dentist, is that it's recommended to brush your childrens teeth until they are 10! I was told that children don't have the dexterity for that until that age. News to me!
nectarine / 2243 posts
My LO (16 months) HATES having her teeth brushed but will happily chew on the toothbrush. I have no idea what to do, as she has lots of teeth (14 and counting). My next step is pinning her down, which doesn't sound like fun right before bedtime. And i don't want a negative association created with teeth brushing. Any tips?
coconut / 8854 posts
@Littlebit7: Does you r LO watch you brush your teeth? That's what peaked the interest of my LO, and she loves it now. I will normally brush her teeth when I brush mine in the morning and at night.
nectarine / 2243 posts
@MrsBrewer: I've given her a toothbrush when I brush in the mornings for the past few months. She'll chew and suck and sort of make brushing motions for a few seconds. But at night when I try in earnest to actually get her teeth brushed, she fights. I'll even jam a toothbrush in my own mouth while I'm wrestling with hers to no avail.
honeydew / 7303 posts
My son HATES brushing his teeth. It takes two of us and we literally have to hold him down while he screams bloody murder everyday. It is ridiculous.
hostess / watermelon / 14932 posts
@yellowbird: and with you of all people lol! "Like it, damnit, I'm a dentist!"
persimmon / 1467 posts
@Littlebit7: we went through a period where we had to pin our kid down to brush his teeth. But now he'll open his mouth because he doesn't like the alternative. We also have him take a turn and then sing songs to get him to open his mouth on our turn.
pomegranate / 3355 posts
DD is 2.5 and is 50/50 about brushing her teeth. Some nights are easy peasy and other nights are a fight. I let her brush first. Some times she does a pretty good job but other times she just sucks on the toothbrush. I always try to get in and do a quick scrub once she's done. There have been a few nights where she's absolutely refused to brush or refused to let me in so I just move on. We have not been to the dentist yet. Our ped said to do it at 3 yo.
We also bought her an electric tooth brush bc she liked ours but she ended up being afraid to use it 
honeydew / 7303 posts
@sorrycharlie: seriously!!! Unfortunately for him it's non negotiable so he gets head locked every night
| Today | Monthly Record | |
|---|---|---|
| Topics | 0 | 0 |
| Posts | 1 | 0 |
Ask for Help
Make a Suggestion
Frequently Asked Questions
Bee Levels
Acronyms
Most Viewed Posts
Hellobee Gold
Hellobee Recipes
Hellobee Features
Hellobee Contests
Baby-led Weaning
Bento Boxes
Breastfeeding
Newborn Essentials
Parties
Postpartum Care Essentials
Sensory Play Activities
Sleep Training
Starting Solids Gear
Transitioning to Toddler Bed
All Series
Who We Are
About the Bloggers
About the Hostesses
Contributing Bloggers
Apply to Blog
Apply to Hostess
Submit a Guest Blog
Hellobee Buttons
How We Make Money
Community Policies
- Google Plus
- Stumbleupon
- Twitter
- Facebook
- Pinterest
- Favorite0
18 comments