how much should i expect from a19mo in terms of teeth cleaning ?

[janmk]

just that really. my lo might suck the toothpaste off and kicks up a stink if i try to clean them.....?

20 mo dd is the same. She only has 9 teeth but 4 of them are back ones, which I never get to. It does worry me so I hope someone will be along with a magic technique soon!

another day of sucking toothpaste here ! she has had icing earlier on a small bit of cake......still worrying her teeth will rot !

ds 20m is the same. sucks toothbrush, chews it a bit. wriggles and screams if i brush them. i normally hold his arms and give them a very quick (5 second) brush

You can get silicone chewy toothbrush thingies. Basically if mine is in a non compliant mood, I give her that with toothpaste and she chomps away on it for ages getting her teeth clean!

I feel so much better thank you! My 19 month old won't let me near her teeth.... Just chews the toothbrush herself.

Mine is pretty much the same and I was starting to worry. Putting Peppa on in front of her tonight though distracted her enough for me to have a decent go. I think I'll do the same tomorrow night. In the morning I'm less fussed about her chewing her toothbrush, probably because we're in a rush. Bad mother.

my lo's breath always seems to smell kind of sweet too....that makes me worry more...

sorry, dont mean to sound harsh but you really need to be cleaning them twice a day rather than relying on your LO to do it - and I'm saying that as a mother of 2 children who always hated having their teeth cleaned and me having to practically pin them down on occasions! You need to get them into the expectation that it is something that has to be done and non negotiable and build it into their routine, e.g. bath, milk, teeth, story, bed or whatever.

The dentist my children see also said that while we should encourage children to brush their own teeth they will still need help and assistance until they are about 7-8 years old and i still always brush my childrens teeth after they have had a go themselves (they are 5 and 7)
Sorry, i know its hard but needs to be done and will set them into good practice for future.

Having seen dd1 have 5 teeth taken out last year, I would say, just get in there and brush them, 2 or 3 times a day.

Agree with previous two posters. This is really something you have to find a awy to do. You can't just leave it. One of my DD hated tooth brushing and with her it was usually done under duress. It didn't last forever and it's now easier. DS is more biddable and can be bribed ;)

Very little, it's your job as the grown up to actually do it and then let them have a play at brushing
I am still brushing dd (11.5) & ds1(9.5) teeth for them every night, after they've done it themselves (& timed themselves brushing for 2 minutes). This means they can't get away with not brushing.
DS2 (9months) thinks me brushing his teeth is hilarious & then is allowed a go himself. (TINY smear of toothpaste at that age though)
Wincing at memories of it taking dh & I to hold down 2.5 year old ds1 to brush his teeth when he refused to cooperate, but he has no decay.
Baby teeth are not "practice teeth" they are important in keeping space for adult teeth, for eating and for speech.
Not cleaning them can lead to toothache, infection, and the need for a general anaesthetic to take out teeth.
Apologies if this has a ranty tone, have you ever come accross a toddler with raging toothache? It's unpleasant for all involved and totally preventable.
There. Rant over

I spent a long time holding DS down to do them - not ideal but it has to be done. I recently found the Aquafresh app which has a dancing singing toothpaste on it. The song lasts tqo minutes and if they brushed for the right amount of time they get stars you can use to buy clothes and things for the character. DS (2.5) loves it!

I'm in the having to hold arms down camp with my 20 month old. I let her have a little chew/suck but then it's a complete non negotiable that I give them an actual brush afterwards. I then give her the rinsed brush to suck/chew on after. We go through a new brush every month due to the chewing