Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get a 1 year old comfortable with a toothbrush? Mine just closes her mouth or pushes it out with her tongue.
I would suggest getting an extra one and letting her chew on it so she gets used to it - it will probably also help with her teething.
I usually had one handy for my kids whenever I was brushing my teeth. Also we have the spin brushes now and all my kids love them, especially my 2 year old!
Try using a battery-powered toothbrush. Even if she clamps down on it the bristles still turn and scrub her teeth. You can turn it on and tickle her lips or nose with it to make it fun.
I keep my son's toothbrush in the drawer with mine. When I am brushing my teeth, I hand him his toothbrush. He just kind of chews on it and rubs it around a bit. It's probably not the most thorough brushing, but it's better than nothing, and it gets him used to the toothbrush so that later I can help him brush and he won't fuss. I did this with my other two kids, too, and no dental problems!
I live alone with my son so he likes to watch me get ready in the morning. When I'm doing my hair or brushing my teeth he'll sit and watch me. I bought an extra adult toothbrush to travel with and instead he takes it and uses it while i brush mine. If she doesn't like her toothbrush get an adult soft one so she feels like shes a big girl like her mommy. It shouldn't be a chore. Try to make her feel like she's being such a big girl and doing the right thing by mimicing you. My son is an avid toothbrush fan now. And I never had to force it! Good luck!
Try handing her the toothbrush when you or your husband are brushing your own teeth. That's what we started doing with my little girl and now every time she sees one of us brushing, she runs to get hers so she can be like mommy and daddy.
We just gave both of our kids a toothbrush to chew on for a bit while we were brushing our teeth. At first our son just threw his down and moved on. Now he is 21 months and he tries to brush like we do and he lets me brush for him too. He also likes to pretend to spit. He thinks that is very funny. I'd say slow and steady wins the race. Just get your daughter chew on one or hold one or whatever while you brush your teeth. Don't be disappointed if she rejects it at first - she'll warm up to it if it isn't a pressure thing. that is what I have learned. And, she will be wanting to assert herself here soon, so pick your battles. This is not one you want to lose :) Let her think she has won and you both win. Good luck! This is very normal.
You may just want to try some gauze wrapped around your finger and just gently rub her teeth and clean her mouth.
My 1 year old used (one of several) her toothbrush to teethe with. We still let her carry it around whenever she wants it. She loves it and doesnt mind getting her teeth brushed.
I started toothbrushing with my daughter when she was a newborn. I bought the gum cleansers you put on your finger. My daughter was used to toothbrushing by the age of 1, so I never had any problems with it. She loved brushing her teeth, and she also loved going to the dentist and the doctor! lol!
I'd suggest making brushing teeth time a family affair...get mom, dad, and siblings in there and brush all your teeth at the same time. Make it fun! Also, let her pick out her toothbrush. Let her pick out her toothpaste. Also, what toothpaste are you using with her? If you are trying to use a "grown up" toothpaste with her, she may not like the taste (plus you aren't supposed to use any adult toothpastes on her til the age of 2).
My 11 month old (almost one in August) has been doing the same thing. He liked it the first few weeks and now he screams when I try and do it. I can't wait to read some of the responses. Keep me posted.
L., I let my kids hold the toothbrush for awhile. It helped them get use to it. Then once they were more comfortable withi it. I'd brush there teeth first and then let them do it.
My kids now love brushing there teeth. They are constantly asking to do it now,
We just gave one to them in the bathtub and let them chew on it. Don't stress too much, you don't have to get real official until they are older. Have fun!
Let her have the toothbrush and do it herself. Once she gets used to the feel in her mouth then ask her if you can help. Don't make an issue of it or she will fight brushing her teeth forever. If she doesn't get those teeth scrubbed everyday, it really is not such a bad thing at this point. Right now you just need to get her comfortable with the idea and eventually it won't be a battle.
this is tipical for this age. until they are almost two they may not let you brush there teeth what i did is i cleaned my babies teeth with a gum tooth brush that fit on my finger and did it that way these come with the gerber toddler/baby tooth cleaner. i would not push it or they will not like it or let you do it. my girls are 19 months and 17 months old and i let them brush by themselves with a little assistances and they love doing it.
What helped with our daughter was getting 2 toothbrushes, one for her to brush daddy's teeth with while he brushed hers. After a few weeks she got bored with that and now helps him brush hers.
I have a 14 month old. We started several months ago by letting him watch us and then we would brush his. Now when he's almost done with his bath I'll get his brush and tell him it's mommy's turn to brush his teeth and then he gets to take a turn. He chews on the brush for the remainder of the bath and comes out clean...including his teeth!
We bought our boys toothbrushes when they were around 6-8 months old. At first we just let them chew on them. We have since bought some "baby toothpaste" (which smells yummy) and started putting it on the brush. For the most part, the boys still just chew on the toothbrush, but my husband and I brush their teeth. We also let them watch us brush our teeth and they think that's funny. Make it into a little game or something fun. Or have them brush their teeth in the bathtub at night. That seems to work for us.
My daughter is 21 months old now and I sit her on the sink in the bathroom and she plays in the water while I brush her teeth and we alternate turns. Even now she usually just eats the toothpaste but the running water distracts her while I get them clean.
Over the last 16+ years of being a mom I learned that brusing a 1 yo teeth DOSN"T WORK!!!! Here is the suggestion that my pediatric dentist told me YEARS ago and it works!!!: What I do is a couple times a day, I take my little one (all 5 of my girls) into the bathroom and we sit (me on the toilet, her on a potty chair to get comfortable with a potty even if they don't use it yet) and I just let my child chew on a toothbrush until they are bored or done. Believe it or not, they DON"T need toothpaste. Just the act of chewing on the bristles will clean their teeth just fine!!! Another thing that worked (with my only son) is to sit on the couch and let im chew on the toothbrush while we read a couple stories. You really don't have to activly TEACH them to brush their teeth with toothpaste until about 3.
What I did with my son was get a ladder and let him see himself in the mirror and had him wash his hands while I brushed his teeth.
You can stand there and brush yours and give her the toothbrush and let her see you doing it, they learn by watching, it will take a while for them to learn how to use the toothbrush the proper way.
