Help with teethbrushing & stubborn 18mo.

[DonnaL]

Does anyone have any advice or tips on how to successfully clean the teeth of a very uncooperative toddler? I just can't ever give them a thorough clean as she just fights, and wants to grab the toothbrush and chew on it, and I can't get her to open her mouth. I've tried wiping them with a washer, but even this isn't very successful and I don't feel like this is cleaning them properly either.

What can I do? I don't want her teeth to suffer long-term damage because of this.

[Roseythorn]

Sorry, I've got no tips for you. My DS is 3.5years and does the same thing. At the moment I have to bribe him to brush his teeth.

I hope someone can give us some tips.

Goodluck

[lochiebearsmum]

I'm the same... Ive tried songs to bribes nothing works! so now i just lie him on the couch and as he cries i pop the brush in i know its terrible but id rather a minute of crying than a mouthful of fillings! i heard about a toothbrush that plays music while you brush your teeth so im going to pick one of these up tomorrow.... will let you know how we go!

[RmumR]

I don't know if this will work for anyone else but thought i'd share. I brush my DD's teeth twice a day.
In the morning when i brush my teeth after breakfast i take her in the bathroom with me and i have a chair in front of the basin. she stands and watches me brush my teeth whilst playing with the water in the sink with her hands and then i say its her turn and get her brush and stand behind her and do my best to brush her teeth. Its not always a great success but it works fairly well most of the time.
In the evening i give her the toothbrush in the bath and she brushes her teeth herself whilst i stand there making the hand movements and brushing noises. ....very entertaining for her apparently! lol.

[confusd]

I don't know if this will work for anyone else but thought i'd share. I brush my DD's teeth twice a day.
In the morning when i brush my teeth after breakfast i take her in the bathroom with me and i have a chair in front of the basin. she stands and watches me brush my teeth

:yes: my DD watches me brush my teeth then we brush hers, some days she will just stand there and let me do it, other times she holds the toothbrush and i hold her hand and help make the movements.
to get the back teeth i have to hold her mouth open (kinda like "pinch" her cheeks so if she tries to shut her mouth she would bite her cheek.......ok that sound mean and odd:o but yeah the way i do i doesnt hurt and i can brush her back teeth)

[Seacretsquirrel]

I had the same trouble a few months ago (when DD was around the same age) I ended up having to lay her in my lap so the top of her head was against my tummy and pretty muc prise her mouth open to brush - it worked she opened and got clean teeth but she cried and wriggled too but after a few goes like this she caved and now she usually lets me "check" her teeth. We do the twice a day thing too she "brushes" (she actually does a pretty good job) while DH or I do the same then we check. This usually works for us although sometimes she refuses the check but 99% of the time they get checked! I have also let her brush my teeth (and wash hair but that is another battle:hair:) you just have to watch the toothbrush heading down your throat...:rolleyes:
Good luck hope I helped or at least comiserated with you.

[zenifa]

You won't want to hear this but its recommended that parents help their kids brush their teeth til they are 7 yrs old.

My girls (18mths and 3.5yrs) both brush their teeth twice per day. We always let them start by helping to put the toothpaste on the brush and they have a turn first of brushing. Then we take over and give their brush and tongue a once over before the rinsing.

With the little one (same age as OP's DD), we sing songs, let her see either DH or I do it first (we use electric toothbrushes for Dh and I and DD2 loves to help us with our teeth). So we try to turn it into a game and some fun, so we don't get frustrated.
Yes sometimes she doesn't want to have her teeth brushed or she takes off running around the house, but we try not to stress about it too much.

If the brushing isn't working, try doing it when you bath or shower the child and use a clean damp cloth if she is rejecting the toothbrush.

Kids don't usually have their 1st dental check up til they are at least 2yo, remember their diet is most important - don't give juices, cordial, soft drinks and limit any sweet foods including lollies, chocolate etc

Good luck, try to gently persist, as with practice even the most stubborn toddler will get used to it.

[sahm]

Do you use toothpaste? My DS who is 22 months had begun fighting us all the time (and I persisted, no matter how angry he got) but once we started putting a tiny bit of toothpaste on his brush, he cooperated completely. He loves the taste!

[little_fish]

I read a thread on this a month or so ago, and with a mouth full of sore teeth my favourite tip is to sit on the floor, lie the unco-operative one down between your legs, put one arm under each of your legs and then go for it. At least then you can get in there and clean properly whether they are willing or not. DS now comes and says lie down and lies there happily while we do his not-sore teeth (he's not so co-operative with the rest, but I really want him to have clean teeth, so I just deal with it.) He also has a play toothbrush to chew on while he watches us brush.

[mum2peanut]

You won't want to hear this but its recommended that parents help their kids brush their teeth til they are 7 yrs old.

My girls (18mths and 3.5yrs) both brush their teeth twice per day. We always let them start by helping to put the toothpaste on the brush and they have a turn first of brushing. Then we take over and give their brush and tongue a once over before the rinsing.



Same, I never let DD just do it herself without having ago myself


Do you use toothpaste? My DS who is 22 months had begun fighting us all the time (and I persisted, no matter how angry he got) but once we started putting a tiny bit of toothpaste on his brush, he cooperated completely. He loves the taste!

I use Colgate or Macleans junior as it's not bad for them to swollow.

DD1 went thru a phase where she didn't like having her teeth brushed and i used to hold her down and make her, and after a while I think she figured it was just easier to sit and do it....just like getting her hair done. If you move it hurts.

[NeonPink]

phew! i no longer feel bad about having to restrain my 15 mo to brush his teeth!!

I do let him have a good chomp on the toothbrush afterwards thou ..

[SuperGranny]

hi, I might get stomped on for this, but really the second teeth are important, the baby teeth will still fall out regardless of how well cared for they are. I understand that getting healthy habits established is important, but why make a big battle out of cleaning baby teeth. I think leading by example is better, encouraging the child to clean his/her teeth, and having some sort of routine twice a day, but really it is not something that I would battle over. More important to have a healthy diet and not too much sugar, and just to have plenty of practise when they are young. By school age they should be able to do a pretty good job with cleaning their teeth on their own. Marie.

[guerin]

There are baby toothbrushes that you can get that work by the baby chewing on them. Since your 18 month old is trying to chew on the toothbrush this may be the thing for you. They are also good when teething since you can put the teething gel on them and the baby will put them directly at the sore spot and through chewing massage the gel into his/her gums. Saves you sticking your fingers in babies mouth with teeth when molars are coming through.

I use one and she looks forward to brushing her teeth just make sure she chews in different spots.

This link should show you a picture

http://content.onestepahead.com/assets/images/product/detail/11279_2.jpg

[m_jelly]

I've always let DD have her turn at it first, then its mummy's turn. A few times I've had to hold her down, but given her a tickle afterwards and made it a game.
These days she will lie back on my lap willingly while I check to see if her dinosaur teeth are still sharp.
Sometimes I ask if maybe they look more like crocodile teeth etc, she seems to enjoy being different bitey animals.