To stop brushing 18 month olds teeth

Because fruit ones are even more vile.
The only toothpaste my kid will tolerate is sensodyne kids, it has less of the foam stuff in it than others.

Its not always the flavour that puts kids off the sensation and the foam can be a massive issue too.

OP, my youngest refused at that age so I would sit on the floor with him lying down in front of me, head between my thighs so he couldn't move his head side to side, and my legs over his arms so he couldn't move them. Finger in the corner of his mouth to keep it open and then brushed. Eventually he allowed me to brush while I sang him a song I made up about brushing teeth (one verse went 'brush your teeth night and day, little little DS, so you don't get tooth decay, little little DS) which he loved and that became our routine for years - I still sometimes sing it to him while brushing his teeth now at 8!

He's not traumatised at all by the pinning down, and has zero issues with brushing teeth or having his teeth examined by dentists so the pinning down did no harm but possibly prevented plenty of harm from rotten teeth.

I put my finger in the corner of his jaw when he opened his mouth to protest, that was enough to keep his mouth open enough to get the toothbrush in but didn't hurt at all.

When they open their mouth to yell or cry you wedge something in their mouth to hold it open, like the end of an old toothbrush. It should give enough room to brush their teeth.

DH and I would have to team up to get DD brushed. One would hold her still and the other would do the brushing. It was better with an electric toothbrush because she liked the vibrations. Also an electric toothbrush will clean so much better than a manual toothbrush so brushing can be a shorter time.

Teeth brushing was absolutely non-negotiable for DH. He had terrible teeth as a child and received very little dental treatment. The dentists he had were rough and uncaring. He wanted different for DD. She’s a teenager now and has lovely healthy teeth. Only one filling and that was because of an autoimmune issue where her body was attacking and dissolving a tooth. It was weird. For that filling she had gas sedation and a lovely gentle dentist.

There was a really nice Disney (I think) tooth brushing App game thing that mine liked when they were little, that may work?

I knew somebody whose father enforced twice daily tooth brushing with toddlers held firm in place if they were not willing. They didn't seem to resent their father, or have a dental phobia and they all did have great teeth. Their dad was built like a Viking though (and he was part Scandinavian.)

One of my children couldn't stand the mint taste. We ended up getting something that was fruit flavoured with sparkles I think. They were a lot happier with that than a mint flavour. Have you tried a character toothbrush? And encouraging them to finish off the brushing themselves. Keep the toothpaste to a minimum as well as the foam may be part of the problem.

One of my children had to have teeth extracted for orthodontic work. He sat in the chair and a single tear rolled down his cheek. The dentist refused to carry on and I had to find another dentist. Anyway, talking to my son it turned out that it was the taste of the numbing gel and the feeling that he was choking that was the problem. I arranged with the other dentist to use another numbing gel and that if my son felt he was choking he was to put up his hand and the dentist would stop to enable him to catch his breath. He was also heavily bribed. He only stopped the dentist once and it all went very smoothly and he couldn't want to go home to get his hand on the promised video games. I don't know if some variation of this might work for toothbrushing.

You can also use tooth mousse on a 18 months old - the no fluoride version. It has to be the no fluoride version because a child under 6 can't be trusted to spit out rather than swallowing. It's not toothpaste but strengthens enamel and you just rub it round the teeth. My children used it and it did seem to work.

We did most of this.

Try a different tooth paste, do you have mint or fruit? My DC couldn't stand mint as the flavour was much to strong.

It the brush too big or harsh.

Start with only cleaning the front ones you can see until they relax a bit more.

Then get them doing the front.

Lots of praise, stickers, etc. It takes time. It's about good habits at the minute. Does he go the dentist yet? And with you when you go?

My sister has had great difficulty getting my nephew to brush his teeth. She ended up creating an AI video of his favourite character (Peter Rabbit) brushing his teeth, worked a treat!

YouTube has great tooth brushing videos which helped distract mine - the Bingo one particularly. And watching a video on my phone in the bathroom is a big treat.

We also got an electric toothbrush around 2 years old which she likes. Just one of the non rechargeable ones from Tesco which has a normal toothbrush head rather than a spinning one.

Also to reassure you I wrestled my screaming kids to brush their teeth every night for at least a year and they're fine with teeth brushing now (5 and 3 years). I still occasionally have to threaten the younger one with "easy way or hard way".

This is exactly what we had to do for 2 years! I would straddle him on the floor and hold his arms down while DH brushed his teeth. Wasn’t traumatised at all and let me brush them normally as he got older. We all laugh about it now!

I had to pin down my autistic son to brush his teeth and he’s not traumatised.I felt like a really bad parent at the time.

As the others said the alternative is getting teeth pulled under GA. Adult teeth are above milk ones so can become infected before they show up.

Persevere,it won’t last forever. Eventually they will cooperate 🙂

Both of mine were like this. You just need to toughen up I’m afraid. Teeth are non negotiable twice a day and the best method is to lie him on the floor with his head between you legs and use your legs to pin his arms down. Embrace the screams for when they open their mouth and just get it done. I promise he won’t be traumatised. Mine are 5 and 3 now and willingly brush their teeth and it doesn’t seem to have had any impact on them whatsoever.

My DD was the same at that age and tbh I would occasionally have to force her. The idea of her baby teeth developing cavities is horrifying and sometimes we have to make hard decisions now for an easier life later. As others have said, find a kids toothpaste that tastes sweet rather than minty because the mint of an adult toothpaste can be super overwhelming for a child.

I didn’t force her every night, many nights she did it willingly. Now she’s almost 3 and still sometimes refuses but I find it I wait a little while and let things settle then try again 5 minutes later, she’s totally fine. Sometimes you get so caught up in the struggle on both sides it’s not about the toothbrushing anymore!

Next time he refuses, take a break and a breath (if it’s bedtime 5 minutes won’t matter), do something else like a story or play. Then try again but try to make it playful and fun. If it’s still not then I would force the issue. I know that isn’t popular but I’d rather she squeal for a bit than have her baby teeth rot out of her head. Also it reinforces that tooth brushing isn’t optional and making a fuss and having a tantrum won’t change anything. Good luck!

Can you try doing it outside the bathroom, or in the bath not sure why it worked for one of mine but it did. Also try doing it at other times of the day, he moght tolerate better if he's not tired

he may be extra sensory and doesn't like the taste?
could be worth letting him try different flavour let him do his teeth and you finish them off
good luck

Unless the child also ste nothing but sweets and had a genetic disorder, this is not a true story.
Cavities maybe but not all teeth pulled by.4.

OP 18 months is peak teethbrushinh refusal time. Don't worry too much.

We went through it with both of ours.

Try finding a non mint toothpaste as mint is really a strong flavour and not nice forever many children. I don't understand why chuld toothpastes still have mint, it's vile.

We tried literally everything with the first snd in the end we had to ride it out. It didn't last too long ss a phase.

If you have to force them so be it. He'll be far more traumatized having his teeth pulled out as a toddler. I know someone who let thier child refuse. At 4 she had to be put under all teeth pulled. Teased like crazy once she went to school.

The biggest cause of hospital admissions for children is due to dental issues.

brushing teeth should not be an option

I just feel like everyone saying pin their arms down doesn’t get the issue… it’s the clamping the teeth down - if you get the brush in at all they bite down on it and you can’t move it around. What are you supposed to do about that? It takes some real force to jab your fingers into their jaw to unclench it - enough to genuinely bruise and hurt them. And as if you could get 2 minutes of actual brushing in! Am I missing something with the ‘pin them down and do it’ brigade??

This is absolutely fine and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. As long as you're removing plaque it will be okay. Lots of praise. He's a big boy, he's 8. Big boys brush their teeth so they become big strong men. Coconut oil and a drop of peppermint might be better? No foam at all then. Cut down on sugar if you can, as that's the absolute main culprit.

Give him his own brush and you take your own brush and both of you brush your teeth together. Sing a wee song to the tune of a recognised tune like row row row your boat. Sing 'brush brush brush your teeth, brush them nice and clean. Make them shine and make them nice, so we can go to sleep/play' Then when he makes ANY attempt to put the brush in his mouth or move it back and forth, clap and praise him. Tell him yay that's it! You can do it! Babies absolutely love to do things themselves at this age and adore to be praised and encourage. They just want to please you.
In time, you'll be able to do it after he does. Let him brush your teeth as well and give lots of praise. Smile and make noises that your teeth are lovely and fresh and you're happy once they're brushed. With little kids it's all about play and making everything fun and interesting. God bless you both ❤️

Talk to his doctor or a paediatric dentist. This will not be a new issue to either of them.

Give im the brush
Leave him to do it infront of a mirror so he can see himself.
Make it fun not forced.

The Pajanimals tooth brushing song worked very well for us. Also sometimes still use one of those baby rubber brushes you wear over your finger (for the youngest who is 2 years old).