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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to wonder how the hell you are supposed to brush a 12 month olds teeth?!

33 replies

Elsiejane · 02/01/2018 19:57

My DS is 12 months old. He is very happy, sociable. Honestly the perfect baby. However when it comes to brushing teeth I struggle. He has 6 (4 at top, 2 on bottom).
He can take the toothbrush, place it in his mouth and more or less just chew the bristles but obviously this isnt him brushing his teeth properly.
AIBU to almost make him cry by brushing his teeth? I sit him on my lap and let him explore the toothbrush, when i feel he is getting bored of it (or usually after around two minutes) i take the brush off him and brush his teeth but he has started refusing to open his mouth/ turning away. Is there anyway i can brush his teeth without having to do it while hes crying?

OP posts:
Ummmmgogo · 02/01/2018 19:59

yanbu when he cries you can get right in there! 95% of all childhood tooth decay is due to poor hygiene so he's lucky to have a mum who cares enough to keep brushing his teeth. he'll get bored of crying about it soon xxxx

Louiselouie0890 · 02/01/2018 20:08

He'll probably be like that for a while. Sometimes I have to pin m two year old down. Its a "necessary evil" so to say

KindergartenKop · 02/01/2018 20:09

Get him to be a lion. ROOOAR.

tinygirlsmum · 02/01/2018 20:10

15 month old with 12 teeth here! I just try and brush them as quickly as I can! She grabs the brush and tries to do it herself so I hold her up to the mirror and brush. When I'm happy I've covered every tooth, she's allowed the brush and I kind of jiggle it about while she chews/learns to do it herself

CriticalMass · 02/01/2018 20:10

Get one of these soft finger brushes and just explore his teeth while he uses the brush. At least that way they;re getting done.

Alpacaandgo · 02/01/2018 20:11

You shouldn't need to brush a 12 months olds teeth for 2 minutes, especially if he only has 6 teeth. As long as you're getting a bit of toothpaste on there and a quick brush he will be fine. It isn't worth, at this stage, making them anxious and upset about it.

Unless of course you're feeding him high sugar foods and tons of sugary drinks.

OuchBollocks · 02/01/2018 20:12

Two toothbrushes, so you clean his teeth properly while he has his mouth open for the brush he holds.

Justgivemesomepeace · 02/01/2018 20:13

I hold mine from behind. When they were little I'd sit on the loo, turn them to face away, trap them between my knees, hold the forehead and brush. It's a really good position to get in and give them a good brush rather than poking about from the front.

glow1984 · 02/01/2018 20:13

We have an 18 month old with most of, if not all, his teeth. He will put the toothbrush in his mouth but once we try to actually brush them, all hell breaks loose. We have to hold him down every time :(

Slightlyperturbedowlagain · 02/01/2018 20:14

I used to tickle and joke (peekaboo, that sort of thing) with my DCs to make them laugh and open their mouths to clean their teeth when they were little. Might be worth a try.

Silverthorn · 02/01/2018 20:17

Mine usually refuses when he has new teeth coming through so I try to brush very gently whilst holding him down. He likes to do it himself but just chews the toothpaste really and shakes his head about.Smile

pinkpantsrock · 02/01/2018 20:17

my ds1 was fine with tooth brushing but ds2 is nightmare, now 18 months full set of knashers and i have to pin him down and brush his teeth whilst he goes mental. i'd rather pay for therapy later in life to get over tooth brushing fear then have him get rotten teeth or gum disease!!

Neverender · 02/01/2018 20:17

The dentist told me it's more about getting the flouride in them than the actual brushing at this stage?

readysetcake · 02/01/2018 20:18

My DD was a nightmare for teeth brushing until she approached two. DH came up with a ten second count so she knew there was an end point (a long ten count!) and that seemed to help. Obviously only after she grasped the whole concept of counting to ten I.e. that one is the start and ten is the finish. But otherwise it was brush while pinning her arms and she cries. Not nice but I’d rather that than not do them. Just keep trying different ways to make it fun or let him know that it’s not going to last long. It will get better eventually!

Jaffacakesinmypocket · 02/01/2018 20:18

I pin my 14mo down every time and do it. Not pleasant for anyone and she generally cries through the whole thing but it's over quickly. It's a non negotiable thing in this household, she has nearly a full set, it's better that than having dental work on baby teeth

RadioGaGoo · 02/01/2018 20:19

I brush my teeth whilst my DH brushes our 8 months teeth. Watching me do it seems to work!

pinkpantsrock · 02/01/2018 20:20

i have tired every trick in the book, even trying kiddie electric toothbrush, those finger brushes, he brush mine whilst i do his vs vesrs, bribes, song singing, in the mirror, silly games, chasing germs out, you name it, but he still goes mental so it's either the easy way or hard way but it's getting done!

Phalarope · 02/01/2018 20:20

Peppa Pig on the phone, held about two inches from their face. Shove brush in as they goggle slack-jawed.

Or pin down and shove brush in while they scream. Much rather a short daily scream than decay.

I let them just chew the brush themselves in the morning.

villainousbroodmare · 02/01/2018 20:21
kaytee87 · 02/01/2018 20:21

Thankfully my 17mo (16 teeth) just lets me do it, we started brushing at 6mo so he doesn't remember a time without it happening.
If he's being resistant I pretend to brush my teeth first, open my mouth wide and go 'ahhhh'
Could you turn it into a game? If all else fails I agree with the pinning down and just doing it approach.

DontCallMeBaby · 02/01/2018 20:22

We pinned DD down. Not fun, but she really was bloody stubborn. Now 13, no fillings, and recently admitted that at about 9 she thought it was illegal not to clean your teeth twice a day.

museumum · 02/01/2018 20:22

I had success by doing mine while he did his copying me. Then swap and let him “help” me and I help him for a bit.

bookworm14 · 02/01/2018 20:23

Sometimes you do have to pin them down - not pleasant, I know. Not many things are completely non-negotiable but tooth brushing is one of them.

RemainOptimistic · 02/01/2018 20:27

Pin him down. You can sing a quick round of the grand old duke of York. Just the first lines are enough for only 6 teeth. Extend song as more teeth appear Grin

Crying is helpful, gets the mouth open. It's not pain crying, it's angry crying. As in, I protest most strongly to this turn of events!

Ds is 11 months and sometimes yells, sometimes clamps his mouth shut so I have to stick my finger in to open it, and sometimes just doesn't give a shit and sits there quite happily letting me do it. I'm hoping soon he'll understand it happens at the same point in the routine every day and only ever for a short time. I do feel guilty clamping his head to my chest but I'd rather that than tooth decay.

Original poster
Elsiejane · 02/01/2018 20:27

Thank you all for your replies. Honestly i feel so relieved that i am not the only one who has to do the 'restrain, cry and brush quickly' method. Obviously without hurting.
It really is a necessary evil, as you say. I feel so much better now and will definitely try some of the other methods people have suggested. I dont scrub them for 2 minutes, tend to just let him chew it for that long then scrub for 20 seconds. I wasnt sure if this was enough. Especially with in laws and my OH (his dad) giving him chocolate over christmas. My teeth arent brilliant and really want his to be so lovely.

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