2 year old teeth brushing

[helpwithhols]

Any tips for getting a 2 year old to brush her teeth without getting her in a head lock. She is a very well behaved girl normally and this is the only thing we have a problem with. I know forcing her is wrong but I feel very strongly that her teeth should be brushed . Is she too young for star charts? any ideas?

[colditz]

tell her there are little people running around on her teeth and you want to squash them with a toothbrush.

Or let her brush your teeth at the same time.
It is actually a horrible sensation having your teeth brush by someone else.

[PrettyCandles]

I got my stroppy madam to co-operate by doing an opera-singing act (though she was much younger) and it has developed into a sort-of ritual: she chooses a song and I sing it while brushing, but if she is unco-operative I warn her that she must stand still and open wide or else I will stop singing. Usually works, especially when I make up silly songs about eating colours (don't ask, cos I don't know! ).

[helpwithhols]

thanks she does brush them a bit but I am not sure she is doing a good enought job..I will try singing although usually when i sing she tells me to shut up!

[Babyblue2]

I tell my dd that her teeth are dirty and that she has breakfast all over them. I let her clean her teeth and she shows me them after. Sometimes I tell her what a great job she's done, other times I tell her she's missed a little bit and I get to work gently. She's quite good at it now.

[heavenis]

Try letting her brush your teeth, and then you do hers.
I don't think she is to young for a star chart, if you think she'll respond to one.
What about her choosing her own tooth brush and tooth past and letting her have a miror to look in.

[cece]

ds 'brushes' his in the bath and then I finish them off once he is out of the bath.


I wrap him in a towel and sit him on my lap. Keeps his hands trapped so they can't interfere.

I think she could cope with sticker chart. ds understood his one for eating veg (sort of) it was a bit complex as the target was really his older sister but he wanted one too...

[Elibean]

We used a smiley chart with DD (who is just 2) and it helped quite a bit - when she'd filled up the row of smileys, she got to go to her favourite soft play place. It also works well to brush them in front of the mirror, with me saying 'wow, look, you've got sooo many teeth now' or whatever comes to mind. Including 'oops, bit of toast over there to get' or 'look how many bubbles the toothpaste can make' etc etc.
She also likes watching me brush, and brushing at same time.
This for a girl who HATED tooth brushing a few months ago - though probably its mostly just age and luck

[Elibean]

ps she got the smileys for opening her mouth well so I could brush - not for chewing the brush, which she was doing anyway. Sometimes she didn't cooperate much, and those times I didn't criticize but just said 'ah well, no smiley this time'. It worked over time, but not instant.

[natmeistergeneral]

Ive had the same problem with my dd 16months and I also appealed to mners!I have recently had a break-through though. I give her an empty toothpaste tube(always the same one)and her toothbrush and let her get on with it,when she has had enough she usually lets me in to have a go and finish off!

[tangerinecath]

I have two toothbrushes for dd (18 months) - she uses one to "brush" her teeth and I use one to do it properly. She sometimes brushes my teeth with her brush while I brush hers with mine.

[GRC]

Resurrecting this old thread here. My little 2yo DS has deteriorated in his brushing. Used to be that we could sing things like, this is the way we brush our teeth and get it done without too much fuss, but now it's terrible. He won't even come in the bathroom, and the screams when we brush his teeth are terrible, it's so stressful and just before bed.

I don't know if he'll respond to a star chart. I don't think he'd really understand it yet. I'm at my wits end with this, I've read the suggestions in this thread, but does anyone have any more pearls of wisdom?!

Cheers folks

[gemmamc]

I'm in a similar situation so I'm curious to hear advice. My son is 22 months. He's always been quite difficult with teeth but recently it has become nearly impossible to brush his teeth. The childminder manages - she got all the other kids to bring in their toothbrushes so they all do it at the same time, but he is still difficult with us at home.

[mooki]

I borrowed a MN suggestion on asking my DD what she had to eat today and brushing the cereal, sandwich, apple, pasta etc off her teeth one at a time. She's been really, really loads better since we did this.