Tips for teaching a child how to brush teeth?
Any suggestions for how to teach a young child to brush teeth properly? We have been introducing brushing teeth as a part of the night time routine, and it's mostly fun. But she likes to chew on the brush more than brush. I try to show her how Mommy brushes her teeth, but that leads mostly to her grabbing my brush and me trying to grab hers. So I worry that proper brushing is not happening... Any other thoughts? The child is 14 months.
Further comment: I did not mention properly that the challenge here is a kid who refuses to let me brush her teeth. So far I have not insisted on it, for fear of turning brushing teeth into some kind of battle of wills. So I get to sneak in a bit of brushing, but it is not a comprehensive clean. So far she still likes to play with the toothbrush and enjoys the activity. Any ideas for improving this would be very helpful.
3 Answers
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Our son was the same when he was younger in that he refused to let us help him brush. So, we gave him a choice - the easy way or the hard way. Easy way is he opens his mouth for us while we gently brush. Hard way is we forcibly hold his mouth open, pinning his head in a vice grip and brush. He only asked for the hard way once. Since then (and he's now almost 4 years old), he happily chooses the easy way. It may sound cruel, but of course we never truly hurt him, and his teeth are clean.
Or you can try a reward system. If she lets you brush, give her a sticker? And when she acquires say 5 stickers, she gets a prize or treat?
Hmm, I think he was somewhere between 18-24 months old. So your 14 mo might be too young to truly understand right now. Not sure if the reward system would work better?
- aknitter, Mar 31, 2010
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Here is how the tooth brushing got resolved: At the 15 month pediatrician visit, we got chided for not brushing her teeth well enough. We resolved to do a better job. In the end, her Daddy put her on her back on the changing pad on the bathroom counter, and brushed her teeth despite her protest. She howled for a long time after that, and both were shaken by the experience. Then, the next time, she was allowed to brush Mommy's teeth at the same time that Mommy was brushing hers, and there was some help in holding her down. She protested and cried, but stopped once we were done. Now she lets us brush a little at a time with only minimal fussing and protests, but the key to success is to let her hold a tooth brush at the same time (but not the same one). There was no way to explain it to her, but she seems to be getting used to it now. And she still wants to play with the tooth brush, so that's good. :)
What age did this "easy way or hard way" happen? I feel that although our child understands much, she has no concept for such a choice, and as such, can't make one. Am I wrong? This is a 14-month old.
- katja, Mar 29, 2010