to start 'cracking down' on toothbrushing at the age of 2?

[Bellyrub1980]

For my daughter's 2nd birthday I'm going to try and make brushing her teeth more of a routine morning/evening thing, rather than waving a toothbrush in her face when she's in the bath.

Obviously she's really young so I've bought her a second hand Barbie vanity mirror and will create a toothbrushing station with lots of different brushes and an egg timer and maybe a reward chart. Maybe even find a you tube video of peppa pig brushing her teeth or something.

Anyhoo, my head this seems like a really good idea. The kind of 'enthusiastic mum' stuff you see on Pinterest. But after yet ANOTHER failed attempt at brushing her teeth tonight I'm wondering, is she too young to start cracking down on this? We've let her chew and suck on a toothbrush ever since her first tooth, but she won't let me brush them for her (unless I sedate her/restrain her!!) and whilst she will make a cursory attempt to brush them herself, she is far more interested in doing the exact opposite of what I ask her to do.

So.... when did you start really working on a morn/eve toothbrushing rountine? And do reward charts work for just turned 2 year olds??

I swaddled both my children after bath time every night in a towel and cleaned their teeth (they moaned most times bit I got the job done). Stopped swaddling not many months after their 2nd birthdays and they then just lay there and let me do it - I sit on the loo lid and they're in front of me (do have cushiony Lino so comfy enough for them). Its negotiable. Mornings are a bit more relaxed standing at the sink, but my view is as long as one of the cleans is really thorough.....

DD (4) now has an electric toothbrush which is fab and has built in timer (advertised for ages 3 plus) and it cleans really well. I can pretty much leave her to it and just observe. I still do DS (2) and do the lying down thing.

So worth being strict with as my DM never was and I have a mouthful of fillings, and have done since childhood.

Oh, and I sing or count down as a distraction.

And it's NOT negotiable it meant to say!

Tooth brushing has been non negotiable, morning and night since first tooth in our house too. They had the option of the easy way or hard way. The hard way meant being pinned down. We had very few occasions where they picked the hard way.

Exactly the same as edwinbear
I give DS (2.5) the option of opening up and letting me brush his teeth, or I tell him I'll do it anyway and pin him down. It's harsh but they get the message pretty quick. It's much less cruel than having dental treatment at 3/4 years old!

Most parents I know had to do a little spell of pinning down and brushing.

The alternative is pin down for a general anaesthetic aged 4 to remove teeth.

I don't think two years old is "early" at all. Brushing and regular visits to the dentist are recommended as soon as their first tooth makes an appearance. DD has been through phases of hating having her teeth brushed (during which we just held her down and did it anyway) but never for long and she is completely used to the routine now. In fact, she will usually remind me after breakfast and before bed that it's time to brush her teeth. She likes to do it herself but I insist on doing it properly and then I let her have a little go afterwards.

I wouldn't be fannying about with reward charts, toothbrushing 'stations' etc as I think this is just one of those things that should be a completely normal, non negotiable part of their day but different strokes for different folks I suppose.

OP here....

Now feeling quite stupid and neglectful that I've left it till now to crack down on it. But also reassured that other parents need to pin their child down to thoroughly brush their teeth.

Toothbrushing occurred with military precision when I was growing up. I can remember my mum pinning me down. Thanks to her I've never had a filling or needed any dental procedures at all.

The pp who said 'why are you pandering to her?' .... It's more a case of picking out battles at the moment. But I agree, toothbrushing is a battle you have to pick morning and night regardless. So it shall start in the morning.

Better warn the neighbours!!!

Good luck op. 😉

"I think you're being too nice. I used to pin mine down and refuse to let them go until I got a brush in. They would scream but they had to open their mouths to do it.
I know I sound horrible but it didn't take them long to realise that it would be over quicker if they let me do it. "

Agree with this.

I think a 2yo is capable of making the connection between being pinned down or not. I do not think they are capable of making the leap from "I had chocolate today therefore I'll just have to brush my teeth". No way.

I tell my DS he has sugar bugs on his teeth that we need to brush off. He has a go and then I check he's got them all out. Inevitably every morning/ night I can find some sugar bugs hiding that I need to brush off for him. I get to brush his teeth that way and he sees it as a game. Maybe doing a similar game type thing after they've chewed the brush a bit will work for you too?
Good luck for tomorrow OP.

Better warn the neighbours!!! We had a memorable weekend when we thought we need to get the neighbours for assistance.

Ok, thank you.

Ultimately it the overwhelming Have agreed that yes I do need to crack on with it, I need to be the one doing it and it should happen whether she screams the house down or not.

My dsis got her spectacularly tantrumming 2 year old to play along by telling her 2 monsters called caries and bactus are eating her teeth.

That's the spirit OP

Actually if they scream it's easier to get at the back teeth.

I only really need to pin mine for about three weeks, they soon got the message I meant business.

You just have to grit your teeth.

You are aware you'll get another 200 YABUs of people not reading your update, OP ?

It amazes me that teeth cleaning isn't part of every parents every day routine. Clean teeth is good personal hygiene. Why wouldn't it be part of routine??

OP .... Update:

First day done. We shut all the windows, had a towel ready for swaddling. Braces ourselves and even had ear plugs to hand just incase. ...... BUT........ There were absolutely no issues at all. She sat on my lap on the loo and let me brush them for her like a little angel.

DP was literally stood open mouthed at her compliance. We praised her lots and lots afterwards and she kept grinning in the mirror at her 'sparkly white teeth'. She even asked for more.

Now feel like an utter twat for not trying to brush them for her sooner. My fear of her having yet another tantrum meant we were spending forever each night trying to get her to brush her own teeth. It was a bit hit or miss whether it worked.

So yay! An actual parenting victory!!!

Braces = Braced

Non negotiable here too, and there has been pinning down on occasion. I brush their teeth now still, my dentist said that children can't do it properly themselves until they're 7. My sister had hideous problems with decay so I would do anything to avoid it.

Nice work OP! Long may it last. my kid has only just started letting me brush her teeth quietly after about a year of being pinned down

Super, OP! Maybe she has a sense for "mummy really means business".

Well done OPi have such shit teeth brushing has been non negotiable here

The kids here all do their own teeth at nursery after lunch. I let ds do morning too himself as he's not terrible at it. Then Dh or I do it for him at bathtime.

The whole topic has been weighing on my mind for ages. Weird really! Just been burying my head in the sand!