Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Parenting

For free parenting resources please check out the Early Years Alliance's Family Corner.

Flip

1 2 3

Original poster

Getting a toddler to brush/let their teeth be brushed

74 replies

Poppyred85 · 20/07/2015 19:35

Looking for advice or tips please! Ds is 2.5 and has been pretty good at letting me brush his teeth but over the last couple of months or so has become increasingly difficult. We have always let him brush his teeth (he chews on the toothbrush) and then we brush them but now he will say "William brush his teeth" but when he is given the toothbrush might chew on it for a second and then throw it on the floor/in the sink/use it as a drumstick. If me or dh then try to do it he refuses to open his mouth, blows raspberries, makes bubbles/spits the toothpaste, throws his head around, tries to grab the brush...essentially anything to avoid having his teeth brushed. We have tried singing a song (this is the way we brush our teeth...), doing it on his beloved dumper truck first, brushing our teeth with him and trying an electronic toothbrush. None of it has helped! We normally take away toys/don't let him watch Peppa Pig if he's naughty but I don't think this will work if I do it before bed.
Any suggestions please?!

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

snowgirl1 · 22/07/2015 13:13

We've tried various things which have usually worked for a while, then try the next thing when it wears off:

electric toothbrush
choice of toothpaste
new toothbrush
timer
having an older friend who she really adores 'teaching' her to clean her teeth
no teeth cleaned = no bedtime story
cleaning teddy's teeth
telling her she needs to clean her teeth if she wants teeth like a princess/Elsa/whoever she's into
pinning her down (hated that)

purplemurple1 · 22/07/2015 13:54

Becasue my dentist has advised provided we are getting the toothpaste in and around a bit which DS does it is better they learn to do it themselves, and want to do it than you force them into it. Its a short time until you can explain and help them do it.
They said its more important to look at diet snacking and drinks, bottles and dummies and to develope good habits.

I'm not in the UK and I understand from the amount of you pining your kids down the advice must be very different for you.

Gottagetmoving · 22/07/2015 14:42

There has been many many children under 7 years old in the UK who have had to have extractions, purplemurple1
I would agree that diet is the main issue but even children whose parents swear their diet is supposedlygood have been reported as having bad decay.

The advice from some dentists has been to get the teeth brushed even if it means holding them firmly and getting on with it.

I suspect that some parents are in denial about the amount of sugar based foods their children eat.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

2 year olds Families General parenting

CityDweller · 22/07/2015 15:21

When 2 yo DD has gone through phases of refusing, I have 'forced' her (put fingers between teeth to open her mouth). She hates it, and quickly realises that opening her mouth and saying 'aaaahhh' and letting me look for aliens/ monkeys/ tiny giraffes is far more pleasant.

But yes, toothbrushing is one of the few completely non-negotiable things in our house!

And to whoever said they're not worried about milk teeth - say that again when your DC are having to have rotten teeth removed under general anaesthetic (much more common than you'd think)

twixxy · 22/07/2015 15:23

Got DD an egg timer thing - and she gets to turn it over before we start which she likes (hurrah). We brush til it runs out

Coffeemarkone · 22/07/2015 15:28

you have to get him in a headlock with your left arm, hand under his chin, and brush them for him with your right.
Does that sound too savage?
What really worked for us was me brushing my teeth at the same time, so they just wanted to copy me.

mrsmortis · 22/07/2015 15:35

Does he watch 'In the night garden'. DD2 and I pretend to be tombliboos, including dancing around and humming the tune.

Does he see you brush your teeth? We have a deal she brushes her teeth while I brush mine and then I 'check' hers.

Another option might be to get hold of some disclosing tablets and showing him how much needs cleaning.

mrsmortis · 22/07/2015 15:36

There is also a Topsy and Tim book about going to the dentist that might help.

HotFudge87 · 22/07/2015 15:44

I know its recommended to brush your DC teeth til they are around 6. I personally think that's a tad ridiculous, so dd brushes hers in the morning with no toothpaste (as she just sucks on brush) and I do it in the evening and do a good scrub. She's always been cooperative but Peppa pig going to the dentist has helped Lol. X

isittheholidaysyet · 22/07/2015 16:11

I'm the evil mum holding down my child and forcing the mouth open (sometimes takes two adults)
I give a choice first. 'Your teeth have to be cleaned and we are doing it now, Are you doing it it, or is mummy doing it gently and carefully, or is mummy going to hold you down and do it?'
Sometimes one of the first two is chosen, sometimes it's the full body hold!
(if she does it I always 'check' and give them a sneaky quick clean)

MaccaPaccaismyNemesis · 22/07/2015 17:51

We had to pin DS for a while but he's much better now. This may sound strange but the best way to restrain is to pin the elbows to their sides. Past career in mental health has been surprisingly helpful here! The motto is 'cover the elbow and the wrist.' All safe and non painful.

fishybits · 22/07/2015 18:31

Rolling DD up in a duvet is another thing that works for us, that or a straightforward pin.

Teeth cleaning and car seats are none negotiable and if I need to physically restrain DD in order to brush her teeth or get her into her car seat then so be it.

yumscrumfatbum · 22/07/2015 18:53

We went for the two brushes approach when ours were little. One for them and one for you. Between us we'd do a reasonable job!

Addictedtocustardcreams · 22/07/2015 19:59

I let DD watch a Disney song video on my phone. If she co-operates she can watch the song. If she stops then video goes off.

SaltySeaBird · 22/07/2015 20:01

Hmm I think I'm quite lucky reading some of this.

Three year old DD just knows she has to brush her teeth and has never refused. We do it together and say Ahhhhh very loudly and she has to brush as long as I do.

I've had to physically pin / restrain and generally trap her under much sufferance into the car seat so I'm not without my battles. Luckily teeth isn't one (yet).

flaviagray · 22/07/2015 20:24

I love this thread! I'm guessing the ones that are saying to pin them down have got boys? My daughter was as good as gold, but my little boy is now 22 months and I have to pin him down, wait for him to yell and then brush them while he does so. I have definitely had to take a different approach with him.

littlehouseinthebigwoods · 22/07/2015 20:38

I have to pin my dd. She screams and wails which gives a lovely view of her teeth!

Samesse · 22/07/2015 20:40

My techniques for my DD who's about to turn two:

I brush yours, you brush mine (usually a favourite, of course she doesn't do a reliable job with mine...)
I brush yours, you brush your doll's teeth
let's do 50-50: you do two minutes while I brush mine, then I brush your teeth
last resort is distraction: a book if I'm lucky, a video on my phone when I'm really tired and desperate. She's a very strong-willed, independent child and doesn't seem right to pin her down and force a toothbrush into her mouth.

katienana · 22/07/2015 21:13

Ds has always been a nightmare over the toothbrush, what's working now is going aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh really loud with him, he finds it funny and happily gets his teeth done. He is 2 y 9m. Also showed him pics of tooth decay and told him sugar bugs do wees and poos in his mouth so we have to clean off. It's all helped but I also had to pin down for ages! He's been great the last few weeks though.

Randomcafe · 22/07/2015 21:23

One that worked for us when all else had been tried and failed - pretend to phone the dentist and report him. Never seen mine move so quick :-)

EmGee · 22/07/2015 21:30

Purple - where do you live?
I'm in France and I know people who are quite cavalier about toothbrushing under the age of 5...i.e., don't really do it.
I did the pinning down when I had to. It was non-negotiable as far as I was concerned. My kids are good at brushing now but I still brush their teeth at night - or at least, they start and I finish the job.
Also agree with poster who said parents are in denial about how much sugar their kids have. I think mine have too much but I try and at least be aware of how much they are having and maintain a good twice-daily brushing routine and annual trips to the dentist.

EasilyDistracted77 · 22/07/2015 21:36

Putting on a silly voice for the toothbrush and saying silly things along the lines of "I'm so hungry, let me guess if I can see what you have eaten for tea" and then lots of guesses including some right ones as you're brushing the teeth. Like everything, it works sometimes: definitely need a repertoire!

My son used to be reluctant to do everything, what worked with him was donning lots if different characters. So, Mrs DryUm would come in at bath time to get him out if the bath and dry him, then she would go and fetch Mrs BrushEm for teeth cleaning duties etc. Got a lot of mileage out of that!

My 3.5 yr old cooperates well with letting her brush her own teeth in the morning, but 'mummy has to help' at bedtime.

We've also done aah-scales whilst brushing: aah-aah-aah-aah-ahh-ahh (obviously only I can hear the notes going up and down the scales right now!).

purplemurple1 · 22/07/2015 22:05

I'm in Sweden and my kid is almost two and a little cooperative.
I'm not critical at all I just find the different advice fascinating.

Hero1callylost · 22/07/2015 22:57

26 month old boy here.... I get a lot of 'me do it!' too. I try to compromise and let him have a play around first, but he generally just sucks the toothpaste off!

If I can get giggles going he's more co-operative, but if not I pin him down. I don't dare put my fingers in his mouth, he has an extremely hard and sharp bite! I sit on the floor and sort of cradle him with his right arm wedged under my left arm, and I hold his right wrist with my left hand, then use my right hand to brush... he doesn't always open up but usually he yells and I nip in quick! The dentist seems happy anyway, he's been with me since he had his first tooth.

I've always got him to say 'ahhh' to open his mouth since he was tiny. This morning I asked him if he can sing a high pitched 'ahh' then low pitched then growly etc which made him giggle and cooperate.

Love the idea about singing scales Easily, will try that one tomorrow!

Purple it's interesting hearing about the advice in different countries. I read that it's just as important to care for milk teeth as they hold the space for adult teeth later. If milk teeth have to be extracted it can cause other baby teeth to move into the space, leading to adult teeth being knocked off course and coming in wonky = braces.

moomoomummy · 23/07/2015 05:18

I am a dentist and mother of two children. Have read the thread with great interest and amusement too! This is what I tell my patients:
Hold them firmly, over your lap or lying on the floor and let your child know that brushing is going to take place every day, no matter how much they fight. Unless they have special needs they will soon accept that this is what happens and it will become easier. Electric toothbrushes can really help as they add interest for the kids. I advise that Mum or Dad needs to supervise brushing or do one of the two brushes for them until the age of eight. This is supported by studies which show they wont do a proper job themselves. Good diet is by far the most important factor so if you have a very wiggly child, keeping sugar as low as possible is key.

Flip

1 2 3

Swipe left for the next trending thread