Independent, crazy and cute are all adjectives that could be used to describe my two-year-old. He’s a stereotypical wild man who loves saying, “no, I don’t want tooooo” and “I do it”. This translated to terrible times when we tried to brush his teeth every night.
A couple months ago, he would NOT let me bring a toothbrush near his mouth. Shaking his head no, mouth closed like a steel trap. And honestly, after a long day of fighting him on just about everything, the last thing I had was patience – not the best way to end the day.
I finally called in the big guns and got some toddler teeth brushing advice from real moms – here’s what they said: GIVE THEM CHOICES I let my kid choose just about whatever they want, as long as the end goal is getting accomplished. firefighter pjs? Cool. Choosing which flavor of toothpaste they want to use that night? Which sink to brush at? I totally don’t care but they feel in control and everyone wins. ASK A WIN/WIN QUESTION Instead of asking”are you ready to brush your teeth?” try “would you like to brush your teeth before or after we read a book?” or “do you want to use the raspberry or bubblegum toothpaste tonight?”. MAKE IT A JOKE Talk about the things they ate that day and “chase” the food around their mouths. “Oooh, I see pizza! Let me get that pizza. Oh, no! Pizza jumped to the top teeth!” TEAM UP Brush at the same time, right next to your kid, in the mirror. That way they’re more focused on what you’re doing and want to mimic you. MAKE IT FUN Try a song or a stopwatch. Play the same song (one your child loves!) on your phone every night during brushing. Or try to “race” against the stopwatch on your phone so your kid can watch the time fly by.
HAVE A CONTEST Parent rivalry doesn’t have to be a bad thing 😉 – have a contest to see who can brush their teeth longest, most tiny circles around their teeth, etc. STICK TO YOUR ROUTINE Kids like to know what to expect and if they know that every.single.night. after story, it’s time for teeth brushing, they can feel better prepared and in control. CALL IN THE TOOTH FAIRY If you have a child who’s resisting trying a real toothbrush / toothpaste (versus their training toothpaste with no fluoride), get the Tooth Fairy involved. Have him drop off the new toothpaste and a new fun toothbrush for your big kid! TRY A REWARD Not every night, but a sticker chart can work wonders on older stubborn kids. At the end of X days, they get to choose a reward from the dollar store or whatever will motivate them.
THE GAME CHANGER WooBamboo sent us some of their toothbrushes and it was a HUGE hit! I really love WooBamboo Products because they are made from real bamboo. Woobamboo Products are also biodegradable and package is made with recycled materials, so that’s pretty cool as well. The only downside is that my kid like their brushes so much that he always ask me for more after they’re done brushing. Seriously!!.
Thanks for stoping by! Hope this tips help you in the future :)
Denisse