Toddler teeth brushing!!

[hm4912]

Hi! My little girl is 17 month old and we have a real problem with brushing teeth. Have tried everything I can think of, songs about brushing teeth, YouTube videos, brushing our teeth together, even resorted to lying her down and holding her while husband brushes teeth but this ends in actual tears and I don’t want her to become scared of it. She will happily hold her toothbrush and suck the toothpaste off but definitely doesn’t clean them.

1. can I try anything else?
2. is it really going to harm her if I’m not brushing twice a day for 2 minutes! We are lucky to get 20 secs per day at the moment!!

thanks

No tips only to add that we still struggle at 3yo!! It's gone through phases of being better but always comes back to being a struggle

Just want to say my 19 mo is exactly the same! I can just about manage 5-10 seconds per day, forget 2 minutes each time - I have no idea if he will end up with tooth decay - am avoiding giving him any sugary foods apart from fruit. I don't know what to suggest but hope it gets better 🤷‍♀️

I do the pin down and brush technique too. Somethings just have to be done and brushing teeth is non-negotiable. He is 2 and a half now and have to pin down about 50% of the time. So he has improved but still got a long way to go!

On the other hand, my daughter who is 10 months loves having her teeth brushed! Bizarre!

You have to just pin down I'm afraid

We had the same with mu DD, noe 23m. Pin down is the only way. She tolerates it now

Please don't pin them down. Dentists don't recommend this. It will put them off even more. Turn it into a game if poss, otherwise just trying to get the surfaces smeared with some paste even in 10 seconds is ok for now

Could you take a trip and let her pick out a toothbrush and character toothpaste? Might make it a bit more exciting!?

Pinned down here. He grew out of it fairly quickly and has been absolutely fine with brushing his teeth ever since.

I did have a chewy baby toothbrush which he really liked chewing when he was teething - I used to put the tiniest smear of toothpaste on that and it worked well too. He used to have it in the bath.

Just keep persevering. Mine were ardent refusers, but learned over time that I would try every day regardless. I was able to persist for longer. I also squeezed the toothpaste down into the bristles to stop them just eating it straight off the top. You can try different flavours, different brushes or even toothpaste on a flannel. Once they were old enormous for the "no sugar tomorrow then" threat, things got much easier!

I regularly get my 6 & 3 year olds in a head lock or pin them down & sit on them in order to brush their teeth. Sometimes it's the only approach that works

At that age it was pin down and get on with it. Otherwise they will inevitably get cavities, plaque or discoloured teeth (as warned by our dentist). A few months later YouTube started working and he'll now sit and watch videos while I brush his teeth.

@SillyNavySnail
You are talking complete rubbish.
Dentists, particularly paediatric dentists doing extractions under General Anaesthetic several times a week, do not say this. Tooth brushing is non-negotiable if all attempts at making it a game fail.

It is a last resort but dentists absolutely do recommend this if all attempts at distraction or incentive fail. Far too many children are having teeth extracted under GA for decay, and whilst there are a myriad of reasons for this such as lack of access to NHS dentists, a common reason stated by parents are that they refuse to have their teeth brushed.

Thankyou all! Of course I will keep persevering but it’s a relief to know it’s not just me who’s struggling 😂

The health visitor said to forget about two minutes, you’re aiming to get in there and wipe along each tooth quickly. Accepting that was a big relief for me.

At 17 months it’s really tough. DS is past 2 now and it’s easier. What’s worked for him is making a big game out of the noises he needs to make to open his mouth in the right way. He’s still difficult but will also remind me if I miss a tooth so he accepts the routine now.

Had a same problem with my 17 months old DD. One evening I grabbed my spinning head electric toothbrush and washed with that one. She loved it! So I bought one for her considering her age (soft brush, waterproof, small head, flashing etc) and now she is eager to wash her teeth twice in a day!

My DCs put up a fight daily.
What works best for me is making it funny. They choose a stuffed toy to be the dentist. I show the toy how to do it properly, then let the toy “take control”. It all goes wrong and they brush DCs nose etc, whilst I shout “no no! Not like that!” DCs find it hilarious.
The other one is the toothbrush that believes it’s a nose brush. I have a chat with the toothbrush saying “we’ve talked about this. Stop this nonsense about wanting to be a nose brush. Now clean these teeth properly and no messing around.” Toothbrush behaves for a while and then goes rogue. DCs in fits of laughter.
Not full proof but it’s the best I’ve got. Good luck!