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Original poster

How do you get your toddler to brush their teeth?

28 replies

Wozzitt · 16/04/2021 20:51

DD is 3.5 and has always hated having her teeth brushed. She's very, very stubborn and independent, but we manage to get through most things with some negotiation , just not the teeth.

I've tried everything. Sticker charts, rewards, letting her squeeze the toothbrush (which she demands), letting her brush them first, different things to try and make it relatively fun (singing songs etc). Nothing works and she will blank out refuse to open her mouth or will run away. There's the (very) odd occasion that she'll let me do them (after endlessly fussing about) , but if not I have to hold her down, which she absolutely hates. As she's getting older it's hard for me to do this, she's very strong and will kick, turn her whole body round and scream at the top of her lungs. If I remain holding her, she will say I'm hurting her and I end up feeling terrible.

How on earth can I get her to let me clean them?

OP posts:

GreenSlide · 16/04/2021 20:56

Mine was like this, I got one of those battery powered oral b toothbrushes and strawberry toothpaste and it helped. He went through a phase of liking the hey Duggee toothbrushing song, then he went off that and back and me having to sit on him and prise his jaws open. Then I made the toothbrush 'talk' to him and say ' I want to brush your teeeth' etc and then when brushing I would tell him everything that was there 'I see broccoli, let's get that out, oh my goodness there's a chicken nugget what's that doing in there!'

Basically all of those things together, plus being a bit stern, eventually got us to the stage where he will open his mouth and let me give him a quick brush without a tantrum.

StevieG55 · 16/04/2021 20:57

I tell her there will be no more sweets if I'm not allowed to brush them properly. It's like magic 😂 she opens her mouth right away!

We've also got an electric one. Current one is trolls, we've had Barbie and others they are about £3-£4 in supermarkets. We had one with a light too that went out after 2mins.

Stormblessed · 16/04/2021 21:07

We sometimes play a game with 2yr old where we find different things in his teeth (dragons, fire engines, sugar bugs etc) and dramatically chase them down with the brush and fling them away. He's also nicely distracted looking at himself in a magnifying mirror.

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runningpink · 16/04/2021 21:07

Could you get one of those crocodile games, where you take turns to push in his teeth until it bites you. Sorry can’t remember the name.

But use it instead for her to brush the crocodiles teeth whilst you do hers? Make it into a bit of a fun game? Could add some play dough or something to the teeth so she has something to scrub off

Cheesypea · 16/04/2021 21:16

There are some cartoons on YouTube with instructions for toothbrushing- also find some fun designs for toothpaste and toothbrush.

postitnot · 16/04/2021 21:22

Try watching the lovely Dr Ranj with her!

Or the Hey Dugee toothbrushing song

BigGreen · 16/04/2021 22:11

+1 for the Hey Duggee song!

Merename · 16/04/2021 22:15

I tell her she’ll get yellow teeth like the highway rat and she doesn’t want that so opens them! Or sometimes just distraction, starting a conversation just as I go in. Sounds like you’ve got a tough one in relation to this issue - both of mine the refusal on teeth was just a phase and it’s other things they are more stubborn on.

mayblossominapril · 16/04/2021 22:15

I threaten no nice food tomorrow if you don’t open your mouth for teeth brushing.
Sometimes if the mint flavour of the toothpaste is too much that can put them off. DS who is 3, won’t have 3-5 year toothpaste because the mint burny, in his words. 0-2 years toothpaste fine.
On the biccypegs website you can get tooth brushes that do all three sides of the teeth in one pass, speeds the process up

Shmithecat2 · 16/04/2021 22:17

What toothbrush and toothpaste do you use? Ds was similar at that age, but it really was non negotiable for me - I wrapped him in a towel and held him in a head lock. A buzzy brush helps. He's 5yo now and I still brush his teeth for him, but there's no resistance any more.

AnnaSW1 · 16/04/2021 22:25

We got a battery operated oral b Frozen one that she chose. She now loves brushing her teeth.

bellsbuss · 16/04/2021 22:28

I used to have to sit on the loo with DS2 wrapped in a towel and clamp him between my legs to clean his teeth. He hated it but his teeth had to be cleaned, once he knew I wasn't giving in i was able to clean them in a normal way

BirdyBee · 16/04/2021 22:35

Mine has a rhyming book about brushing teeth that she loves, a timer and a selection of toothbrushes and toothpaste so she can pick what one she uses its a battle but we get there eventually.

Spottysausagedogs · 16/04/2021 22:59

I started with telling her there was a little monkey at the back of her mouth, I'd spotted it earlier. Let's have a look see if I can see it, oh, there he is swinging at the back! Then a zebra, then a lion chasing the zebra and biting him on the bum Got to get in there and get rid of the naughty lion and help the zebra etc etc. She loved a funny little story, anything to make her giggle. This still works with her now actually when she's having a temper tantrum at nearly 8. Making her laugh is always too easy and breaks the tension enough to get her past the stubbornness.

Kaydogsdinner · 16/04/2021 23:01

I have regular lengthy phone calls with the tooth fairy updating her on how good DD is at brushing. If she ever protests I just say I'll have to call the tooth fairy and let her know ....she the legs it to the sink to brush them!

Original poster

Wozzitt · 16/04/2021 23:13

I've tried lots of the imagination things, fairies in her mouth, games etc which work for a night then were back to square one. I've let her choose the toothpaste and toothbrush which she likes, but she'll then demand that only she cleans them. I've told her she'll lose her treats and she'll say she doesn't care because she doesn't want xyz but the following day there will be a meltdown when i remind her why she hasn't got them (she still resists the teeth after this). She's stubborn with many things as I say but my god the teeth is something else. I dread the evening coming because it's such drama over such a silly thing.

But thank you for the suggestions. She likes YouTube so I'm going to try that video out. I haven't tried an electric toothbrush either so I'll give that a go too

OP posts:

nervousFTM · 16/04/2021 23:19

I made the toothbrush 'talk' to him and say ' I want to brush your teeeth' etc and then when brushing I would tell him everything that was there 'I see broccoli, let's get that out, oh my goodness there's a chicken nugget what's that doing in there!'

These are exactly the tactics I use and it works better than anything else

scrivette · 16/04/2021 23:32

Sometimes DD is like this and so I had to wrap her in a towel and wait until she screams to do them.

She quite likes having her own toothbrush to do one side whilst I have another toothbrush to do the other and then we swap sides.

Solasum · 17/04/2021 06:39

Show her pictures of rotten teeth and tell her that is what will happen if she doesn’t clean hers properly. Because it is. She is old enough to understand. Then headlock if necessary.

BloodyHellAudrey · 17/04/2021 08:03

@Shmithecat2

This! The burrito method 😂 and threats of "do you want teeth like grandad?" (grandads teeth are removable and don't look pretty!)

ds is 4 and now brushes his teeth well, I'll still give then a once over after he's done.

RoseWineandCake · 17/04/2021 08:44

I tell mine that there will be no more treats if they don't let me brush their teeth. I explain that treats have sugar and sugar rots teeth, if they want treats they need to brush.
I always follow through with any threats i make so they know I mean it.

GreenSlide · 17/04/2021 09:19

@Wozzitt

But thank you for the suggestions. She likes YouTube so I'm going to try that video out. I haven't tried an electric toothbrush either so I'll give that a go too

They showed my wee boys class a video on YouTube at nursery, if you google 'superwings brushes teeth' it's about a minute long and it really captured his imagination and he watched and rewatched it and talked about it for a while.

The electric toothbrush is good because it's better at getting the crap off their teeth, important if you have a brush refuser!

fuckyouRW · 17/04/2021 09:21

@BloodyHellAudrey

Pretty sure my neighbour was a bit and the goings on. Every night after bath time, all my son would do is shout 'Halp! Halp! I stuck!!' 😂😂😳

Splashingincuddles · 17/04/2021 09:22

Blippi. Probably the single most irritating human on YouTube but miraculous when it comes to brushing teeth.

fuckyouRW · 17/04/2021 09:25

I also get pretty graphic about the consequences of not cleaning your teeth - big holes in them, pain, they will fall out etc. The Peppa Pig at the dentist episode is pretty good. And I've NEVER given up, even if there are tears, tantrums and physical 'struggles'. Those teeth are getting cleaned, mummy will not capitulate!

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