Brushing teeth & trimming nails????

[poshBecks]

Hi, my ds is 17 months old & i'm wondering if anyone has any tips for me on how i might be able to get him to let me trim his nails?!? When he was little i used to do while he slept, but now it'll wake him up. They're getting so long & he keeps scratching himself!
My other ?? is brushing his teeth has always been a struggle, but lately i can't even get near his teeth!! I give him a brush aswell as me but it doesn't seem to help. What should i do, he's got a full mouth of teeth!!!

Becky
_________________
Mum of ...
Connor, 17 mths
Bump, due Dec '05

[peterpan]

Hi Becky
I wait till peter is in the bath and trim his nails
as for the teeth i can't help you there peter
is only 16 weeks and has'nt got any yet :)

Angela (ME)
David (DH)
Peter (DS)

[DustyPeach]

DD is nearly 19 months she didn’t have problems letting me cut her nails until she was 13 mnts. My MIL gave me some great advice. Weather she needs it or not I “pretend” to cut her nails after every bath when we do ears and teeth. We have also stated to have some problems with teeth. I try to keep her as involved as possible and make it a game. Let her hold her brush while the paste goes on etc. This seems to have her more interested. The family also cleans teeth at the same time this too seems to help as my big girl is doing the same as mum and dad. Hope this helps.

[Chickadee]

When all else fails I pop a favorite DVD on. DD (21 months) sits on my lap and is generally so distracted by the TV that she'll let me cut at least a few of the longest nails. Also good for when trying to brush her hair or trim her bangs. :p

As for teeth brushing, all i can suggest is patience. Our routine is that I brush her teeth for her first, and then she gets to have a go. Sometimes she refuses to let me, but then she doesn't get her turn with the brush either. It seems like I end up standing there forever with my mouth open going "aaaaah" (like an idiot :rolleyes: ) to encourage her to do the same. Sometimes she's good, sometimes not. She really likes the taste of toothpaste, which helps but also mean she frequently shuts her mouth to suck on the brush while I'm trying to do it. She has definitely gotten better over the last 4 or 5 months though, so hang in there.

[TwoBlue]

Hi Becky

I totally understand what you are going through ! My Ds is also 17 months and teeth and nails.... what a drama ! :eek:

With nails my Dh does them when they are in a bath together, mind you toe nails are still our biggest problem as Ds just goes crazy when you try to do them !!

We found the best thing we did for teeth was to buy a small stool, Ds is only allowed on the stool when he is brushing and he thinks it is very special... i brush my teeth while Ds hold his brush and "brushes" by himself, then when i have finished mummy helps....its still not perfect but we are getting there. Also we let him rinse his mouth out under the running tap... he LOVES that :p

Good luck (to both of us !!) hehehe

[ladybug]

Hi Becky,

I put my DD in her stroller, and take her for a walk. Then we yake a break mostly at a uncrowded bus stop :lol: . While she is looking around, I cut her nails. There is no way she'll let me do this at home.

Sorry no suggestion about brushing teehth. We don't have any tooth yet :lol:


Cheers
May

[poshBecks]

Thanks, will try all the suggestions to see what helps!!!

[Baby Girl]

My DD1 has always loved having her nails painted but the condition is that she lets me cut them before she gets to have (clear) nail polish on! Having said that, your DS might not be so into that, LOL.

She also went through a stage were she hated having her teeth cleaned so I bought her a battery powered Tigger toothbrush and showed her that it vibrated etc and she let me use that to clean her teeth (I used to turn the vibration off before I used it on her teeth as I am not sure if it would be okay for their little teeth or not). It only took about 6 weeks before she was over the teeth issue (and back to a normal toothbrush) and found something else to stress Mum out!! We haven't had any troubles since, at least not with teeth!!

[Ky]

For teeth, I can't go past the battery powered toothbrush ... even if all they are doing is biting on it, it is cleaning thier teeth more than a struggle does! We also all go into the bathroom and do our teeth together and my kids love to copy what we are doing and we make it into a silly game ... all standing in front of the mirror pulling faces as we brush! The kids have got into a really good brushing routine now and pay attention to all of thier teeth!

Nails... well, my dd would never sit still so I found what tv program or dvd really kept her interested and then did them. My ds is a different story ... I basically have to tell him that they have to be done and if he wants to play with other kids they are going to be done before then! He will now sit relatively still (under mild protest) and let me cut them. I find that I still have to hold his hand pretty firmly and sometimes we don't get them all done in one session, but it is better to get a couple done and then go back ½ an hour later and try again than have an "it hurts, owwwww" performance! I do his nails twice a week whether they need it or not and he is getting used to this as part of the routine. I always do it the morning that we are going to playgroup so he has a reward to look forward to.

Sorry, waffled a bit there ;)

[bb]

Thus far I have the nails thing under control - but it only happened once I tried using scissors instead of the clipper thingies. I thought the clippers would be easier, but I was so scared that I would snip off the end of a finger, that I couldn't actually cut anything. My mum gave me some scissors that were hers when she was a baby (ie ... very old) and they are great. I wait until Hamish has just been fed, and I settle him on my lap with something for him to focus on (a view out a window, tv, anything) and then I hold his hand firmly in my left hand, and snip away. He seems to be used to it now ... who knows ... it might all change.

Now ... to the teeth ... I have not walked this road yet, but I did have one thing you could try. Perhaps you could let Connor brush your teeth ... then tell him that you are going to have a "turn" with his teeth. I am not sure if it will work but it might be worth trying.

Hope this helps ! Good luck !

BB

[Chickadee]

Perhaps you could let Connor brush your teeth ... then tell him that you are going to have a "turn" with his teeth. I am not sure if it will work but it might be worth trying.

Lol, give it a try by all means and if it works for anyone please let me know! I'm a bit nervous of having DD poking a toothbrush into my mouth. She knows how to be gentle but her aim isn't all that good! We actually tried this tactic with hairbrushing. She likes brushing mine but still screams when my turn comes to comb hers.

[our little treasures]

my dd is giving me the same prob with her nails I also paint a few after I tear them off or cut them as this is the only way. I use fun colours but she will only let me do a few. As for the teeth I bought a great material book and it had interactive things on it a bout germs etc. Dd loved it and wanted the brush!!!!

[Peaceangels]

I'm with MarthaM on the nail cutting thing - distraction works best and a DVD that they love will keep them interested for long enough to get the longest nails done (when they were babies though, I used to trim the edge of their nail, then peel the rest off - purely because I was scared of cutting their skin).
With the brushing of teeth, we all do it together (me and the boys) and what better way to get them to do than model it yourself. They watch me with great intent and copy what I do!