Mumsnet users share with Aquafresh how they get their children to brush their teeth

[EllieMumsnet]

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Regular tooth brushing can be a particular pain point for many parents, as often trying to persuade a wriggling, protesting child to open their mouth for this twice daily ritual is no small task. However there are lots ways to make it easier, and Aquafresh would love to know how you get your children to brush their teeth.

Aquafresh has this to say: “Here at Aquafresh, we know that brush time can be a challenge. That’s why we have Captain Aquafresh, the Nurdles and our brush time app to make your tooth brushing routines more fun! But we’d love to know, what are your brush time tips?”

So how can it be made easier? Do you employ a softly softly approach, waiting to spring with a ready-loaded toothbrush? Perhaps you bribe with an extra story at bedtime, or does your child actually listen to a logical, fact-based explanation of why it's good to brush? Maybe you’ve found that letting them pick out their favourite toothbrush and toothpaste help get them excited about brushing their teeth?

However you do it, share with Aquafresh how you get your children to brush their teeth and you could be in with the chance of winning a voucher worth £300 for the store of your choice (from a list).*

Thanks and good luck
MNHQ

If you need to contact GSK to report a product quality issue, adverse event, have a question, request or complaint about a product, please email GSK at [email protected], call on 0800 783 8881 or contact GSK via the form located [https://www.gsk.com/en-gb/contact-us/ here]].

*All UK Mumsnet users aged 18+. Open 5/11/18 to 19/11/18. To enter please post on the thread below. One entry per person. One prize to be won: £300 voucher of winner’s choice (from a list). Winner chosen by random draw performed by computer process. Further Insight T&Cs at this link.

We used to have to pin down DS1 to get his teeth brushed when he was little. No amount of cajoling, persuasion or distractions would work. That’s despite starting a teeth brushing routine since the first teeth came through.

When he got a bit older - about 3 or 4 - it got easier as he got old enough to understand our explanations of why it was important.

DS2 and DS3, on the other hand, have been fine. We also started them with a teeth brushing routine as soon as they had their first teeth, and they’ve always accepted it as a normal part of the daily routine. The worst trouble we’ve had with those two is DS2 complaining about not being allowed fruit juice after he’s brushed his teeth at bedtime

with great difficulty....... and they are 10yo now. They forget every single day unless I remind them.

As they grew up, they could be persuaded by using a flashing toothbrush with Hello Kitty on. We now have a rechargeable Braun toothbrush with Frozen on it.

They hate mint toothpaste and like strawberry, but because the Flouride is too low, they have to have a flavourless paste to mix in with it.

Perhaps Aquafresh would like to make a strawberry flavoured paste with grownup levels of flouride in it? I have got no idea how I am ever going to get her onto mint toothpaste!

DS is 7 and he chooses his own toothbrush. He particularly likes the ones that flash or sound when it's time to stop.

It's just a routine that they have to follow, after breakfast and before bed. We have tried small character electric toothbrushes, which helped, but it is just something they know that they have to do.

We use a traffic light toothbrush system -green brush amber nearly time to finish and finish is red ; however the lights go off in a minute could aqua fresh please invent one that lasts 2 minutes please 

My stubborn three year old rarely lets me get near his mouth but he does a pretty good job of brushing them - I just tell him they will go black and fall out if he doesn't and then he won't be able to eat anything any more let alone sweets and treats!

Character tooth brush and an egg timer!

Now my DDs are 6 & 8 they respond well to having a timer on my phone and they get the reward of a cool tune at the end. It definitely makes sure they brush for long enough, and they enjoy the extra responsibility of setting the timer up for each other. Simple yet effective!

I have two kids. Both try to avoid teeth-brushing when tired after a long day. When they are reluctant I ask them to show me their white pearls, to see which are whiter, his or hers. This motivates them! If my wee one is still reluctant I sit him on my knees and we brush them with him sitting down.

I threaten them with the prospect of false teeth like Gramps if they don't brush!!!

At first i used to sing a few songs while she andi brushed her teeth, now I sing if I don't hear brushing (must be a "punishment" but has me in laughter!)

Think we've had to force kids to do it more often than not, don't think we've figured how to get them to do it without prompting them. However the younger siblings want to copy the older sibling so once we get him to do it the other two tend to follow suit with little effort.

With all my kids, its Jimmy the Germ!

It started with my eldest son, he hated doing his teeth before bed, doing the old running the brush under the tap trick and pretending he had done them, so, I looked closely at his teeth, and then gasped in mock horror!

"What!" He said, clearly alarmed.
"Jimmy the Germ! He;s on your teeth! and if you don;t get him now, he'll get bigger and bigger, jump out of your mouth and pinch your toys!"

I had no idea Jimmy the Germ would stay part of our family for nearly 20 years lol. My youngest now begs me to spot 'Jimmy' and then proudly comes to show me and her dad her sparkly teeth, to see if Jimmy has gone! Its a bit of fun, and if it makes a chore something enjoyable, why not! x

My 15 month old is not a great fan of having his teeth brushed but I let him have ago himself once I've cleaned them to try and get him in the habit of it early

It's never been an issue in our house, just normalise it from the get go! Even before they have teeth, let them play with toothbrushes, make sure they're in the room when you brush your teeth so they can see you doing it. Let them do their own teeth from the get go too, obviously you do it too, to make sure they're clean, but letting them do it works wonders.

We do teeth while we read to them, then we always do a 'check'. We have a little phrase- inside, outside inside outside, round the back (of the teeth), scrub the front and show of your shiners...!

Its all about establishing a routine and maintaining it, come hell or high water. Started from 1.5 yrs old by pinning them down. By two, they're standing on their stool on the sink and ready to spit (spitting is the highlight) and spot 'germs' in the spat out mixture!

My 2 year old has two toothbrushes! One for all her dolls' teeth and one for her own. She begins by brushing their 'teeth' and then moves onto her own with real enthusiasm.

Her toothbrush and toothpaste of choice and brush for 2 minutes. It’s a habit we get into and we have used the 2 minute timer app, a countdown and music to encourage over the years.

For my children, cleaning their teeth has always been quite a chore (apparently it is boring!), so we try to change our routine a little each day to keep it fresh ;)

We all have electric toothbrushes which time our cleaning for two minutes, so in the morning we clean our teeth after breakfast but put on a different song each day (at first it was the "clean your teeth songs on youtube" but now it is any song of our choice) and we try to guess which bit of the song our toothbrushes stop at.

The kiddies didn't want to use their electric toothbrushes at night so I agreed that as long as they still cleaned for two minutes, they could clean with a manual brush. Every month or two I get them a new manual brush with a different or design or feature (eg: light up) and I clean my teeth with my electric brush at the same time so they know from my brush, when two minutes is up. This has the added bonus of stopping me snacking after I have put them to bed :)

We offer 2 options when it comes to teeth brushing: toothbrush or tickles. Toothbrush wins... eventually

I always sing 'Goosey, goosey Gander' whilst they brush their teeth. It's what my mum used to do with me so I've carried on the family tradition.

I’ve shown them pictures of bad inflamed teeth and explained what could happen to our teeth if they are not brushing them well. This is reinforced by trips to the dentist and a good diet.
My son is a visual learner so I take this into account. My stepdaughter is allowed to pick out her own toothbrush and toothpaste too. I’ve also found that my daughter is a auditory learner so I try and answer her questions and explain as much as possible.

I've let my 4yr old and 1yr old chew on children's toothbrushes from about 9months old, so they were accustomed to them.
From a year old, we have been brushing our teeth together, in a mirror, as children love to look at themselves.

I've also always kept a variety of children's toothbrushes of different colours, characters or features, such as music or lights, so they can choose a new brush regularly to keep brushing fun.

Since Halloween I threaten them that i’ll remove 5 sweets from every missed teeth brushing session. So far DS has lost 5 and DD has lost 10. I’ve told them they can’t eat sweets if they are not going to look after their teeth. All the confiscated sweets are going to the school PTFA Xmas stall.