My daughter has always been encouraged to brush her teeth from a very early age. Its a battle to get her to actually brush her teeth. She eats the childrens paste and sometimes brushes her teeth a bit. But never very well. If we try to do it for her it turns into a huge battle with her screaming and fighting the whole way. Is there tricks out there to get this done easier?
I always gave my son a chance to brush independantly and then I did a follow up job to do the real brushing. I would ask if he wanted to brush first or if I should brush first. There was no question of if I was going to brush, just when. (This technique works well at this age.) Good luck.
The best thing I’ve found is the mouthwash that changes their teeth color. It makes toothbrushing fun (they can make crazy faces in the mirror) and helps you keep tabs on any plaque or any food buildup. The stuff is similar to the tablets that the dentist gives you to take home.
I know your daughter is a bit young, so you really want to supervise her and make sure that she spits it all out but it is worth it. My son is 7 ½ and has no cavities and great brushing habits.
When I brush my son's teeth (22 months), I say, "Gotta brush the candy out, gotta brush the chicken out...got get the green beans out..." (I list all the food he ate all day. He just sits there and listens, and thinks of names of food he can add.
giving her only the choice of who gets to brush first is excellent advice. and YOU need to brush her also!! She does not have the dexterity to do a good job until she can tie her own shoes.. make sure you use non/flouridated paste!! (Oral B or Tom's of Maine) and only put a smudge of it on. Eating too much flouride can give her brown spots on her permanent teeth.
Sometimes it takes two adults to do this--one gets her to lie down with her head in your lap while you see into her mouth, you brush, and the other holds her hands down. Brush for the whole ABC song, or some other song she likes. It's a battle, but one you must win, unless you want lots of trips to the dentist. By the way, she should have her first dentist appointment already. If she doesn't really brush well, she could have cavities already.
We took our daughter to the dentist and now have the power of the professional to use. We remind our 2 yr old that the dentist said we need to brush well everyday or you'll get cavities--boo boos in your teeth. I brush with the flouride toothpaste, which the dentist said after 18mo you should be using-only a pea size and then my daughter uses nonflouride to brush herself. She usually spits after I am done brushing with the flouride tooth paste.
My daughter will be 2 in Feb........we have one brush that she mostly dips in water and chews on and another that I use to brush her teeth. I let her go for a minute or so then I say it's mommies turn and I brush her teeth then let her go again. When they are starting to get independent I found that this works great giving them a chance to try it.
I found these great toothbrushes at Target called Firefly. They light up and blink for one or two minutes to encourage children to brush long enough. My daughter is fascinated by the light. She never wants me to stop brushing! They are really inexpensive too!
Good luck!
