Teeth cleaning battles

[millingtonsmummy]

DD is 18 mo and every morning and evening I have a battle to brush her 3(!) teeth. She pushes her tongue, and clamps her lips over her teeth so I can't reach them easily with a brush. What should be a quick 20 second job takes forever with her often thrashing around and crying.

I praise her like crazy when she's allowing me to clean them and when she's not I'm firm with her but not cross. I've tried bribery in the form of 'clean your teeth nicely for mummy and then we'll have a nice bedtime story' but that ended up with me getting a smack in the face, no bedtime story, so I was sad as I love reading to her.

Any thought or tips?

xx

Get this You're life will be changed forever

I second nappy's reccommendation. We have one for our nearly 2 yr old and it is great. Instead of tears I now say do you want to brush your teeth and she bounds accross the room saying yeah,yeah,yeah.

I lie my 18mth old DS across my lap on his back and then tickle him, as his mouth opens to laugh I quickly get the brush in and scrub a few teeth, repeat until finished.

I often let him just play with the toothbrush too, and brush my teeth.