Any tips for toddler tooth brushing please - at my wits end.

[BambinoBoo]

This has probably been done to death, sorry! How do you get a 2.5 year old to brush their teeth or let you brush them? DS clamps down on the toothbrush as soon as you put it near him so I can barely get a go on the front teeth, never mind the back.

We've tried all brushing together so he can copy (he just brushes his lips), light up brushes, electric cartoony ones, him holding a brush whilst I brush his teeth, strawberry toothpaste, games and songs, brushing in the bath, brushing in front of favourite TV programme (recommended by dentist as last resort). We end up having to hold his hands so he can't push the brush away which makes him squeal but at least we can get the brush in - obviously, we hate doing this. I don't want him to see this as something to fear, but equally, I am worried that his teeth will be ruined if he will never let us get to them.

Any advice gratefully received. Many thanks.

We get DD to go "ah ah ah, eee ee eee" to the tune of whatever song she likes at the time, and do the back ones on ah, front ones on eee. Sometimes she shouts it loud, sometimes she does it quiet but usually she'll let us do at least a bit of it. Also asking her to show us how good she is at brushing her teeth, so she does the first bit then we do the singing bit afterwards.

Letting ds choose his new toothbrush (hideous magenta cat-shaped one with clip-on evil kitty head...) worked wonders. He now runs upstairs to Kitty Toothbrush. New problem: how to get child to stop brushing his teeth...

If he's really over tired, though, I just insist on a token effort.

At that age it was a battle, some screaming, the occasional head lock. Other days she'd be fine.

One thing that worked wonders was letting her play with her toothbrush while I was doing mine. She'd chew on it, then take it off and play with it somewhere so we had to have a stock of spare toothbrushes.
Then we got her singing, and we see who can hold the note longest. Ahhhhh for the back teeth and Eeee for the front ones. Then she would let us brush them hand over hand.

She's nearly 4 now so she does them herself (still with the singing) and I "finish them off". I also make sure the toothpaste and toothbrush are still in easy reach and sometimes she'll do them in the middle of the day too.