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Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

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Original poster

How do i get him to actully BRUSH his teeth - rather than just suck the toothbrush??

31 replies

kitsandbits · 21/09/2007 13:02

Hes got tiny teeth - especially at the front and i try to do it a bit for him but he struggles really bad - he will happily suck on it and bite a bit but he needs to brush as he smiled at me yesterday and his teeth looked a bit yellow right at the top

We brush morning and night and he loves to do it!! But doesnt do it right - and i feel bad forcing his mouth whilst i do it IYKWIM

Any advice??

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Original poster

kitsandbits · 21/09/2007 13:04

Hes 2.9 BTW

His brother 15 months lets me brush his so thats ok for now!

OP posts:

ZoeC · 21/09/2007 13:05

I used to do it myself if either dd didn't do it properly, and it then became something I'd threaten and wouldn't actually have to carry out since 'I'll have to do it for you' proved to be quite a motivating factor once they got a bit bigger!

They always hated me doing it, but I reasoned they didn't understand the consequences of not taking care of your teeth and wouldn't thank me for letting it go if they then had to have fillings before they started school.

bubblagirl · 21/09/2007 13:11

i give my ds my toothbrush he does mine while i do his and then when i think brished enough i get him to do his and just give loads of praise

ingles2 · 21/09/2007 13:11

I used to ds2 brush my teeth while I brushed his!

ingles2 · 21/09/2007 13:12

Hey bubblagirl...snap!

neolara · 21/09/2007 13:50

I saw this as a tip on another MN thread - ask them who or what is in their mouth today."Oh a dinosaur, let's have a look. Yes, he's just jumping up to your top teeth. Let me chase him out" etc. Worked a treat for my DD who had previously only let me brush her teeth when threatened with dire punishments!

biglips · 21/09/2007 13:52

i always say "Ill brush your teeth first and then you can do it".......

fingerwoman · 21/09/2007 13:52

we try and do games. SOmetimes ds pretends to be asleep while I do it, or pretends he is samson the dog etc etc
he also likes to sit by the sink and run the water over his hands while I do it.
He knows that after I do it it is his turn to have a go.

We do insist on brushing them ourselves though. I have awful teeth and no way in this world am I letting ds get skanky teeth lol. In the past this has meant holding him down and making him have them brushed, but I can't remember the last time we had to do that. He's figured out it's easiest and nicest if he just lets me do it

brimfull · 21/09/2007 13:54

I think he's still too young to reliably brush his own teeth actually.
I would let him do his best but you do the main brushing.

I didn't trust dd to brush hers by herself until she was about 6-7 iirc.

I still brush ds' and he is 5.

Tommy · 21/09/2007 13:54

we got electric toothbrushes for the DSs and that had really helped - they still just hold them in there but the toothbrushes are doing all the work!

maisym · 21/09/2007 13:55

I just let them do this - at least the brush was in the mouth with toothpaste. Soon they caught on to actually cleaning the teeth. They've always done their own. Took them for a check up & the dentist asked if I'd given their teth a special clean as they were so well brushed - no I replied they clean their own teeth. Dentist was very impressed. I'd say let your ds just go at his own spedwith this.

Original poster

kitsandbits · 21/09/2007 16:42

Hmmm thanks

like the idea of the dinosaur in his mouth - i might try this tomorrow.

and also the electric toothbrush too.

OP posts:

HarrietTheSpy · 21/09/2007 21:55

I let her have a go and then I have a turn. she's 2.7. She also tends to suck and bite the brush too, even now. She actually tells people I'm a dentist, so I guess she's used ot me doing it!!

mumeeee · 22/09/2007 12:13

My dentist once told me that a child does not have the co-ordination to brush theeir teeth until the age of 7. so until our children were that age DH or would either brush thier teeth and let them finish off or let them do it then we would finish off. DD3 who is now 15 still had trouble at 11 so she had an electric tooth brush for a while.

PippiLangstrump · 22/09/2007 12:22

got the electric one too (with mickey mouse) as she loved using her dad's. It works a treat, although you still need to check and finish it a bit.

DaddyJ · 22/09/2007 23:39

So, is it not enough for them just to chew on the toothbrush?
dd does only that, no brushing.

Should we be doing the brushing for her?

tori32 · 22/09/2007 23:52

I get my dd, who does the same BTW, to open her mouth and let me 'tickle her teeth' as a game. I then ask her to tickle them so she moves the brush. This works. Also try the 'what a good job, can I just get the little bit you missed.'

brendar75 · 23/09/2007 00:16

We do the 'let me see all that dirt on your teeth' and brush all over, chasing bits of 'dirt' where necessary, then DH and I have to shriek and hold our hands over our eyes, shrieking 'no my eyes, aaagghh, too sparkly' etc, while DS blinds us with his sparkling teeth .... gets a bit monotonous for us, but he loves it! (DS is 2.6) Dinosaur idea sounds great, too.

lemonaid · 23/09/2007 00:31

I say "brush them round in circles, so that I can hear the noise". And then, if he doesn't, "Are you going to brush your teeth properly yourself or would you like me to do it for you?". Sometimes he does opt to let me do it, but more usually he has a pretty good go himself (with additional prompting along the lines of "and the ones at the back... that's right, now the other side..." etc.)

UCM · 23/09/2007 00:36

You lot are such good mothers, if DS says no, his head goes under one of my legs and I brush his teeth since whilst he cries, he opens his mouth

Sometimes he will do it, but very often when we are in a hurry he buggers about. He likes using DH electric toothbrush but plays with it before actually sticking it in his gob IYKWIM.

I am starting to sound like a bloody horrible mum on all of these threads.

Malaleche · 23/09/2007 00:37

It helps if you sit in front of them and brush yours at the same time.

DaddyJ · 23/09/2007 00:37

I will give that a try tomorrow morning.

She prefers to hold on to her toothbrush
the whole time which will make any intervention
on our part slightly challenging.

Malaleche · 23/09/2007 00:39

also get them used to brushing without toothpaste as they just suck it off anyway and then put a little on when theyve got the idea or half-way through brushing.

lemonaid · 23/09/2007 00:39

That's what happens if he doesn't cooperate, UCM, but since he's now adjusted to the idea that that's what will happen if he doesn't cooperate he normally does, IYSWIM (come to think of it, that is a bit odd, as he doesn't apply the same logic to any other area of life. I guess he must just like brushing his teeth, deep down...)

kualalump · 23/09/2007 00:47

Anyone had any luck with getting them to spit the toothpaste out, rather than swallowing it?

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