Daughter Insists on Brushing Own Teeth...

I am going through this exact same thing! Isn't it frustrating?! My son is 2 1/2. I am just hoping that the brushing my son does manage to do will help.

It's fine if she brushes her teeth herself. My daughter has been brushing her own teeth also and she has never had cavities. Just have her drink lots of water and don't give her any candies. Also, you can teach her how to swish and spit. They have those flossers at the store that taste like bubblegum also.

I'm having the same thing now - my 2 yr old wants to do it herself too.

First off I have an electric kids toothbrush for her. I'll get it ready for her and I'll just go as fast as I possibly can before she grabs it to give her a good brushing - just quick and around the entire mouth. Gotta do it real fast because then she will take it after a few seconds and I'll just let her finish it up.

I figure since it's electric and keeps going, even if she doesn't reach all areas, so long as she's got it in there, it's doing some of the work, and I always start it off and just get in as many places as I can before she takes over and then I just let her do her own thing with it for a minute or so. Seems to work out well.

C.

My son was the same way for a while. We worked out a compromise by telling him that we had to bruch his teeth too so he wouldn't get cavities and then giving him the choice of starting out brushing or finishing up brushing.

At our house, "we let mommy brush first" then the kids have their turn. I usually do the ABC's while it's my turn, to give myself enough of a chance to get those molars of theirs ;)

Best of luck!

HI L.,
It's ok to let your little one brush her teeth on her own because she needs the practice so that she will become an expert on it. However, yes I understand that you need to get those back teeth. My son is two, and he likes to brush his teeth on his own. I make it a game out of it, (the simplist things entertain kids), and I allow him to brush his teeth and then I say, "Let Mommy try", and so he does and while I'm brushing and asking him to open his mouth, I say "Brush brush brush....brush brush brush". He smiles and gets a kick out of that. That's how I get his back teeth. The brushing chant I do, I make it sound like the Mickey Mouse Club House cartoon when they do things, they kind of do it in a chant. He likes that. I hope this helps some. Independance is great for children. And since your daughter is quite adament about this, I think you've done, and are doing a fabulous job in raising her!! :-) Not a lot of parents have such luck. HA. Best wishes, G.

Hi L.!
I worked as a dental assistant in a pediatric dental office and heard this problem all the time! My own son refuses to brush his own teeth or let me do it even though it has been something we have done twice a day since he had teeth! Whenever anyone asked the dentist I worked for what to do he would tell them to let the kids brush on their own first so they learn how but then you have to get in there after and do it as well because they don't do a good enough job. He said when his daughter was two she hated it so much that he actually had to sit on her just long enough to get them brushed. He said eventually they will realize that it is something they have to do and they do better but its better to make them cry when you brush their teeth than have them cry to get a shot and filling or crown. Trust me when you have seen the things I saw working there you would to whatever it takes to keep your little girl from having to get work done on cavitites. Good luck!

My 5 year old has been brushing her own teeth for 3 years....at first I had her stand beside me and mimic me and she did a REALLY good job at that....then when I found that she was doing really good I got the "blue" mouth wash made for kids that makes the plaque blue in the mouth and now she brushes her own teeth and uses the blue mouth wash and I check her teeth every day to make sure there is no more "blue". If there is she has to re-do her teeth. Then she uses the flossers and flosses really good. Hope this is another idea for you. Good Luck
~AJ

My four year old is the same way and has been since she was around 2. I made a deal with her. . . If she lets me brush her teeth really well, then when I'm done she can brush them herself for a minute. It worked well for us.
Hope this helps:)

My 3 yr old wants to do it himself too. I tell him I get a turn too. And ask him if he wants to go first or mommy go first? It ususally works.

On the other hand I can't get my 5 year old to do it at all by himself- unless I convince him that it is backwards day. LOL

I have a 3yr old and i told her that she gets to brush in the morning and i get to brush at night. it may be a struggle the first few time but he'll get it down and know that you make the rules. this way he still gets his chance and you get yours. when my daughter asks at night i say no, you get to do it in the morning and i do it at night now open up! another thing that works with me when we have our power struggles is to say "i understand you want to do it yourself but you dont have a choice." set those boundries so he knows he cant make the rules all the time!
good luck

Hi L., I am sure you feel better just knowing your daughter is like most kids and wants to brush her teeth by herself. The one thing I haven't seen in the responses is a reminder to floss your daughter's teeth as well. My son (3 1/2) lets us brush and floss if we let him watch a movie while we do it ... he is totally distracted and we get a good brush and floss in. We are still using toddler toothpaste which the dentist said was o.k. When he does brush his teeth, he takes forever so I set the timer and after the timer goes off it is Mom's turn. Good luck! S.

When I took my kids to the dentist, he noticed that they weren't brushing the back well enough. He suggested a small electric toothbrush that would not only reach the area better but would also keep the right "rhythm" going.

Hi L.,
Have you tried a battery powered toothbrush? That way even if she bites down on it, the brush will still be spinning? Plus they come in different characters. My step-son loves his Sponge Bob one and does a great job on his teeth.
Good luck!

Hi L., I have a 2 yr and 4 yr old. My 4 yr old never cared if I brushed, but the 2 yr old wants to do it all herself. I got them character electric toothbrushes for Christmas, and the way I get her to let me get in there is I have her lie down (our counter works great) and I cradle her head kind of upside down and she opens wide and I can really see and get the back. The floor works, too. The girls think it is so funny and it is like going to the dentist, so we can pretend sometimes that is what we are doing. I also got them the fun flossers and that is their treat (don't tell them, they think it is a prize! They pick out their favorite colors.) Hope this helps!

Try getting her a spinbrush type toothbrush. It does all the work for them, as long as they move it aroung there month. Good Luck.

Here are a couple of things that worked with my OVERLY independent daughter!

1) Brush your teeth when she is brushing hers to show her how to do it.

2) By a timer to time how long she brushes her teeth reminding her to get the ones in the back

3) Take her to the dentist on your next visit. Sometimes it just takes watching you get your teeth cleaned and someone else telling her to brush the teeth in the back.

4) Make up a silly song about brushing your back teeth. My daughter often responds well to me making a fool of myself.

Good luck!

I always let my son brush his own teeth first and then he knows that it's mommy's turn. Depending on how well he does, I may have to do alot or just a little. While I'm doing it we also have an "Ahh" competition. We both open our mouths really wide and see who can say "Ahh" for the longest. It lets me get those molars while he's having a great time. I've never tried this but I've heard that you can let your child brush your teeth too. That might make your daughter more amenable to you brushing her molars.

Good luck!

Hello. So my son is 20 months old and he loves to brush his teeth himself. but before he does i made it clear to him to let momma brush them first before he got the tooth brush and he lets me then i give him the brush and he chews on it or whatever. haha but Maybe if you tell her to let you brush them first if not she doesnt get to brush her teeth herself. good luck.

My daughter is two aswell and what I do with her is let her brush her own teeth while I brush her hair which she has tons of hair so that takes a while, but anyway when I am done with her hair I set her up on my lap and finish brushing her teeth. She fights me a little because she wants to do it all on her own too but I just hold her head and brush them myself. Hope this helps.