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Parenting

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Original poster

Help with toddler tooth brushing!!

28 replies

Blueberryraspberri · 27/09/2023 21:06

DS is 22mo and the past few weeks teeth brushing has been a STRUGGLE. That’s putting it lightly.

So now he runs away or rolls away if he’s laying down, refuses to open his mouth , will put the toothbrush in for 5 seconds then launch it

Weve tried all sorts. We have a baby electric one, he’s had a non electric. I have a silicone finger brush which he lets me do a bit but I really just need some tips how to get the full 4 min a day done? (2x min morning 2x min night)

OP posts:

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Set a reminder

Mummyboy1 · 27/09/2023 21:12

No tips unfortunately! Just following as my son is the same. Around the same age. He used to love having his teeth brushed and now he just cries . It's a struggle.

NancyMaloni · 27/09/2023 21:14

Sesame Street brush your teeth song on YouTube on repeat worked wonders

Amonthinthecountry · 27/09/2023 21:14

My daughter’s three and I still haven’t cracked this.

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Cazaletto · 27/09/2023 21:15

YouTube, applied at approx 10cm from face

Danikm151 · 27/09/2023 21:15

Brush your teeth song. Let him pick a toothbrush.
have 2- one for you to use one for him

CharAStar · 27/09/2023 21:18

What toothpaste are you using?
Maybe try a berry one - worked a treat with my little one

WeWereInParis · 27/09/2023 21:19

Get him a second toothbrush and let him do yours at the same time, or let him brush a toy's teeth, or let him brush his own teeth first with his toothbrush before you do it?

nrrf · 27/09/2023 21:20

Someone gave me a tip to try recently and it’s worked with my 21 month old.

Pretend that there’s a little animal in their mouth, be super enthusiastic with a running commentary of how you are chasing the animal round their mouth with a toothbrush e.g.

‘Oh WOW!! Open your mouth a little more, I think I can see a little tiger (or other animal) in your mouth! I’m going to try and tickle it with the toothbrush, keep your mouth open, oh look now it’s run behind this tooth… etc etc’

Not sure whether my daughter enjoyed it or whether she was just absolutely baffled but it did work!

QuiltedHippo · 27/09/2023 21:20

Pin them down, 2nd parent to hold legs if necessary. I'm a total fluffy gentle parent but I don't dick about with teeth

Spin4Gin · 27/09/2023 21:22

One brush for you, one for him. Singing a song to distract. Getting them to brush their teddies teeth while you do theirs. You do them and then let them take over. My dd is 24 months and goes through phases very regularly where teeth brushing is the worst thing in the world. I keep trying different things but at the moment, this is what is working for us.

sofapaddling · 27/09/2023 21:23

Got a 20 month old and same issue. Sitting her in a Bean bag, with YouTube and doing it quickly from behind is the only way we can get it done. She screams blue murder every day and thrashes about but actually the screaming helps get a brush in!! So stressful though, worst part of the day for sure

sofapaddling · 27/09/2023 21:24

QuiltedHippo · 27/09/2023 21:20

Pin them down, 2nd parent to hold legs if necessary. I'm a total fluffy gentle parent but I don't dick about with teeth

I agree, this seems to be the only way!! We do it on a bean bag as it's easier to hold them still and right angle to get in when they shout out!

SensitiveB · 27/09/2023 21:25

4 minutes ? I no way do this, I keep it positive with a few seconds each time and a silicone toothbrush with a fruity toothpaste and DS aged 17 months asks for his to be done .
i really don’t think doing it longer would achieve much and saving that for when he’s older!

BonneMamanIsMyJam · 27/09/2023 21:26

nrrf · 27/09/2023 21:20

Someone gave me a tip to try recently and it’s worked with my 21 month old.

Pretend that there’s a little animal in their mouth, be super enthusiastic with a running commentary of how you are chasing the animal round their mouth with a toothbrush e.g.

Not sure whether my daughter enjoyed it or whether she was just absolutely baffled but it did work!

This one worked for me too

HiCandles · 27/09/2023 21:30

QuiltedHippo · 27/09/2023 21:20

Pin them down, 2nd parent to hold legs if necessary. I'm a total fluffy gentle parent but I don't dick about with teeth

This is what we do for 16mo but I'm getting concerned he's so traumatised by it that he'll never cooperate. I always attempt to do it nicely first but it's impossible. I'll try the little story tomorrow!

Bigoldmachine · 27/09/2023 21:40

A few ideas but you’ve prob already tried them or been suggested upthread:

hey duggee toothbrush song
Kid brushes parents teeth while parent brushes kids teeth
do it in front of a mirror so they can see their teeth as you brush them
running commentary on which food you’re cleaning off - eg ooh I can see a bit of porridge! Cheeky porridge let’s brush it off
let them “finish off” after you’ve given them all a good brush once
at night we do them in the bath so he’s busy with bath toys

but if all else fails, hold them down to do it. Toothbrushing is non negotiable in our family… morning and evening it has never not happened, so now it would not even occur to either of mine to protest…. I know it feels horrible to force them to do something they don’t want to do but it can be done in a respectful way. So after a few attempts at convincing him to let me do it I would just say to DS “OK, I know you don’t want to, but we do have to brush your teeth to keep them healthy and strong. So if you’re not going to let me do them I’m going to hold you still while I brush your teeth.”

and then sit on the floor (toothbrush prepped), sit kid in front of you wrapped in a towel if poss, wrap your legs over their legs and with your arms pin their arms from the back as you brush. Talking calmly to them all the time “I’m just holding you still so I can brush your teeth, oh lovely they’re getting nice and shiny… I’m nearly done it’ll only take a minute” etc.

you can’t let them decide on this. They’re too little to understand the implications of not brushing properly.

110APiccadilly · 27/09/2023 21:40

At 22 months, he might not be ready to get this yet, but my older daughter went through a phase somewhere around 2 years where she really wanted to do it herself and the deal was that she could if she co-operated with me doing it first. Worth offering "If you let Mummy do it, then you can do it after," if you think he'll understand that.

OneLittleFinger · 27/09/2023 21:47

Two different dentists have been horrified by the 'pin them down and brush' method. Both have said, independently, it's better to let them not do it than force them. My dd was really good til the age of three, then basically stopped for about 6 months. The Yoto timer got her brushing again. I keep sugar to a minimum anyway and just kept encouraging her to brush, but I never forced it.

Ripleysgameface · 27/09/2023 22:17

Hard facts with mine.
If you don't brush them they'll turn brown and fall out.
Then I brush them while going through all the food they've had that day saying I can see it in there and I'm getting it out with the brush (in a comedic fashion).

professionalnomad · 28/09/2023 17:09

Toddler electric toothbrush and the hey duggee toothbrush song on my phone too watch while brushing. Only thing that works

BertieBotts · 28/09/2023 17:22

You don't need to do the full 2 mins. Anything is the goal. More than 10 seconds is a bonus. It's still mostly about forming the habit at this age, although yes partially about disturbing plaque so that it does not harden on the teeth.

Tinkyrinkyrinky · 28/09/2023 17:39

Mine DD is 2 and half. Took a while but now she's is accepting of us doing her teeth and has even started doing her front ones herself afterwards. So we did a bit of ' dentist' role play, playing dentists with toys etc. Seemed to work! But there is no way she let's me brush her teeth for 2 minutes. Maybe 30 seconds!!

EdithGrantham · 28/09/2023 19:24

Definitely the Hey Duggee Toothbrushing badge episode, I sing the song wrong to my DD which makes her laugh so easier to quickly get the brush round.
No way we do 2 minutes with each brushing though, but my reasoning is that I do my own teeth for two minutes and have way more than her so surely she doesn't need two minutes 😆

orande · 28/09/2023 19:46

One thing that works for us is getting dc favourite teddy/soft toy to brush their teeth!

Bustmybuffer · 28/09/2023 23:11

I always put mine in his high chair until he was just over 2.

Now, he lies down and giggles as I pretend it's spraying me (he's almost 3) it's so much easier with him lying down, I can see everything!

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