Help with Brushing Teeth for My 14 Month Old

I bought my daughter a small toothbrush when she she got her 1st tooth (about 7mos old) hoping to bank on the idea that she does what mommy does. I hold her while I brush my teeth and try to get her into it. I have an electric one so it makes a noise she likes. She copies me & puts her toothbrush in her mouth, sometimes even moving it around. Sometimes she joins in on the noise also. She doesn't do the best job but she gets the idea of it. When I'm done, I use her toothbrush to try to go over her 4 teeth (she doesn't always like it but is less resistant than before) and then I have her rinse her mouth "just like mommy does". It seems to help & I hope it aides in good habits as she grows and more teeth sprout out. I hope this helps some.

I used to let my daughter brush my teeth at the same time, it actually worked, then she wanted to brush her own. We would also get really crazy over it and go through what she ate and say "I see carrots, get those carrots, I see beans, get those beans," it would be more like a game. She is three now and when she brushes she does it herself and says "get the beans out, get the juice off,"

Get an electric toothbrush! It works wonders with my boys....you can get one with a character that she likes and put that floride free bubble gum toothpaste that she can swollow and she will love it (probably)! The brush does the work for you (most of it anyway) and she will want to brush herself!

Sometimes young babes don't like the texture of the toothbrush... it's a new tactile experience etc. What my doctor and dentist suggested is that the point is to clean the teeth/gums... they suggested using a soft moistened wash cloth and using that to "rub" clean the teeth and gums. I did that with both my children... until they got used to a "toothbrush." Try it yourself, use a damp washcloth and rub it over your teeth.. it does do a good job and you can feel the plaque come off. Or, they have those finger-tip toothbrushes for infants too. A child will often clamp down making it hard to finish brushing. But, well, don't force it... or in my case, I start to sing a silly rhyming song as I brush and they think it's funny and then when the song is over, I'd have finished brushing their teeth. I also read books to my kids about going to the dentist or how to brush their teeth, and this makes it more fun for them.

Some people also suggest taking a child to a Pediatric Dentist as soon as they get teeth... this is more to get them used to the routine and not freak them out later when they do need to have things done in their mouth. At this age, the Dentist (in our case) just makes it "fun" for them and quickly looks in the mouth and shows them the instruments in a non-threatening way so that the child gets "acquainted" with the Dentist and the tools etc. Then when the child is older, like 4 or 5 yrs., then the "exams" are more thorough etc. and by then the child will be used to going to the dentist. That is the hope at least. :)

Good luck and I hope this helps.
~Susan
www.cafepress.com/littlegoogoo

My daughter was the same way they have some great toothbrushes these days that play music for two min. and some that light up for two min. or you can revert to the good old way and sing your a.b.c's twice and that is also about two min. good luck, and have fun.

I like to make brushing teeth a fun activity. I let my daughter pick out her own tooth brush which in turn made her very excited to brush her teeth, then we have out nightly rutine where we take a bath dry off, get our pj's on then she has her own little step stool up to the sink, she gets up and I give her the tooth brush, I get mine as well and we brush together, I've made up a little song I sing with her, Up and Down, Front and Back, side to side, lets brush our teeth. I have been doing this with her since she was 12 months old and she is now 4 years old and loves to brush her teeth. Some nights she even reminds me to go get my toothbrush. Good luck! I hope my advice will help!

From a Grandma of 8, my suggestion is that you let her do it herself. Take her to Wal-Mart or Target, let her pick her own toothbrush and get her some of the good tasting "first" toothpaste for toddlers. Then, when you brush your teeth, have her do hers with you.

My almost 3 year old Granddaughter loves brushing her teeth and washing her hands because she has her own stuff and we've made a big deal out of her being a big girl. She's gotten to the point where she wants to brush her teeth 4 or 5 times a day which is fine with me! The only time I'v eever said no was when it was actually time to eat, not brush. LOL

Good luck!

When I was little, of course, I was taught to brush my teeth. But the toothpaste was so strong- it burned my mouth. Have you tried different toothpastes that are mild and don't burn? Maybe that will help. and just use a tiny bit.

I had this problem too. This seemed to work for me. Take her to the store and let her pick out the toothbrush she likes so she feels like she has some control. I really like the firefly toothbrush, you push the bottom on the toothbrush and it lights up to give the children an incentive to brush for 1 minute. Also let her brush her teeth herself and then you go over it. I hope this helps, hang in there and don't give up.

D. W.

Hi I.,
I'm a dental hygienist with a 2.5 yr old and a 7 month old. I applaud you for being concerned and knowing the importance of brushing now, even if there are only 4 teeth! We went through stages with my daughter--I remember when we could only get the brush in there for a few seconds, too! The important thing is to try to make brushing fun so that it doesn't become a power struggle, and to be consistant. If you find that you can only get the brush in there for a few seconds, then do that 3 or 4 times a day instead of once. Always start with brushing your own teeth and let your daughter see how much FUN it is (haha). Let her try to brush your teeth, then her own, when she's at that age. Set the rule that Mommy always brushes baby's teeth first, then it's baby's turn. If she does nothing but chew on the toothbrush, she's still removing plaque. Try singing a song to go along with it, be silly and fun (even if you feel dumb!) and eventually she'll start getting into it. Also, you need to work on her saying AH. You can make the brush a train, or whatever, just like the tricks you use to get food in her mouth! She might like sitting on the bathroom counter and watching herself as you brush.
Also, don't be discouraged if you hear that you're supposed to brush her teeth for 2 minutes--that's the standard for adults with 32 teeth! Just brush as long as she'll let you and work on it every day. Even 10 seconds (or 2-3 if that's all you can get now!) is better than nothing. Brushing before bed is the most important time, since the bacteria will be brewing in her closed mouth all night.
Remember, the key to preventing decay is not just brushing 1-2 times a day--you need to limit juice or other sweet drinks, sticky sweet foods like rasins or candy as snacks, and definitely don't let her fall asleep with a bottle (or sippy cup!) of milk or juice--this is the number one cause of the front teeth decaying out in babies.
I went from a baby who resisted brushing, to a toddler who brushes and FLOSSES every night with me! And she loves it! It's part of her bedtime routine, and it's fun for her. If you want to start flossing (if her teeth are tight together), get one of those kids floss holders so she won't bite your fingers. Probably a little young to start now, since brushing is still a struggle, but consider it in the future. The younger you start, the easier it will be later.
I hope this has helped. Good luck, and don't give up! It will get better!

B.

Face it, we can only do so much. I have three that learned how to brush with me. I always tried to make it fun. I always started with having them say "cheese" which for whatever reason, the kids always loved. I think maybe because they were all hams, and love taking pictures and that is what people say when they take pictures. That word made it so I could brush the outside of all of their teeth. Then to open wide, we would say "Ahh" and make it a song. Different pitches going up and down- with the same word so I could get to all of the tooth surfaces. Ultimately, it is a matter of will with yours it seems. If you make it less of a struggle, you will win her over without her knowing. If at first she still doesn't want to, then you brush yours in fron of her - be the comedian - using these play techniques. She will (hopefully) want to do them after then (or during for that matter). Kids always love a clown. Eventually, she will just say and do all of these things wihtout you having to ask. Then it will be a struggle for her to brush all over again as she ages. Isn't raising children fun? God Bless You and Good Luck!

Hi!
I had the same issue with my almost 2 year old boy. He finally loves brushing his teeth now because we use one of those children's vibrating toothbrushes. I ended up getting him one after using my sonicare on his teeth just to get him interested. He always wants to use the same thing as his parents. My husband and I both use the adult Sonicare brushes. He loves it because he says it "splish splashes" and tickles. You can give it a try. You get them at the store in the toothbrush section. The kid kind do not vibrate that much so I think it is okay for their gums.

I sing the ABC song - A-O for the bottom teeth and P-Z for the top. It seems to work.

I've learned that you always had to have two of everything, one for baby to hold and one for parent. And sing the famous song "this is the way we brush our teeth, hair, wash, et...."

Maybe it is time to start teaching her to brush her teeth independetly, start with letting her hold the tooth brush, help put the toothpaste on, and with either gestural prompts, or even hand over hand, let her try it herself!!!!

I.- My dentist always told me to give my kids a tooth brush to chew on when they are sitting down watching TV or something. It works. I have three kids and we gave them tooth brushes to chew on from the time they could start holding them. I think that my kids had their first dentist appt. at 18 months old. Try this. It is not worth the fight. The last thing you want is for her to fight it now. Good luck.

S.

Let your daughter hold the tooth brush and "brush" her own teeth. They feel a sense of independence when they get to "do it themselves". She will love it. You can also get a finger brush and brush her teeth that way. I did both with my kids. They got to "brush" and I got to finish with the finger brush. Baby toothpaste is yummy too. It doesn't hurt them if they accidently swallow it and they love the sweet flavors. It took my daughter a long time to use regular toothpaste because she always said it was "hot" because of the mint flavor.

I have no idea if this will work but this is what I did - I've always let my son have "his turn" and then I get "my turn". At that age I didn't pressure him to do it a very specific way - I just let him do what he wanted with the brush but as he got older I let him know how to get rid of the plaque but using the brush a certain way - all depended on his level of interest and ability.

During the times when he didn't want to give me my turn I'd let him know that it was expected of him to let me brush his teeth just as he was expected to eat the food I give him, go to sleep when I say, taking his bath when I say, etc. That is was my responsibility to make sure he is healthy. Of course every child is different - he is 5 and he still let's me have "my turn". Good Luck.

I also have a 14 month old girl and I just let her brush her own teeth in the beginning. I'll brush my teeth at the same time and she'll copy. Then when I am done, I praise her and ask to see her pretty white teeth. Then I ask if Mommy can try. Most of the time she'll let me get in a couple of brushes. Other times, I just have to pry her mouth open for a few seconds to just get in a couple of brushes. She likes to hold her toothbrush and bite on it and copy mommy and daddy. Hope ths helps.

My sister gave me some great advice on getting my toddler to cooperatate with teeth brushing.

She gets to brush them (or amke some sort of attempt) for one round of the ABCs and then I lift her onto my lap and get my turn for another round. For the littel verse at the end wee sing, "Now ____ knows how to brush her teeth, now it's mommy's turn to get them all clean," after the first round and "Now _____'s teeth are sparkly clean, now it's time for me to kiss her fresh mouth," at the end.

This has worked amazingly well for us. Hope it helps for you, too.

I'm a silly mom so I tried to make it fun by brushing with them and making silly noises....when your mouth is open is a loud "ahhhhh"...with teeth together it's "eeeee"...just whatever comes to mind as you open your mouth and brush. My kids would imitate and we'd get it all done and laugh about it as well....some other things that really help is to get them to drink water after beverages and meals (rinses off their teeth to help prevent cavities)....In this day and age, all of the flouride drops they got as babies really helps.

My boys really enjoyed when I used those finger tip tooth rubbers. They slip over your finger and have soft rubber bristles. They are great for massaging teething gums and brushing 4 teeth. It kind of tickles, so it can be something fun while you are taking care of her oral hygiene. She will eventually stop biting down on her toothbrush.

Offer her a reward for brushing her teeth and for the time. Like a special story or something that she is really interested in. I gave my kids pennies and they put it in there piggy bank whne they were done. They loved that and they got a silver one if they brushed for a certain amount of time. I hope that this helps.

I had the exact same problem with my daughter. She is now 19 mo. I do a couple of things, and most of the time it works great. We always have a routine of brushing her teeth while I am doing her hair in the morning right after her bath. I usually tell her she can brush her teeth first and then it's mommy's turn. When that doesn't work, I had bought 2 toothbrushes, and when she is brushing her teeth I take the other toothbrush and brush her teeth at the same time she is brushing hers. It seems silly but it works great for us. She eventually got the idea that mommy was going to brush her teeth no matter what, and she tends not to fight me anymore.

hope this helps
K.

When it was time for my daughter to start brushing her teeth, we took her to the store and had her pick out her tooth brush. Then when we got home I opened it up, put some water on it and handed the brush to her. She chewed on it. I let her "play" with it in her mouth to get the concept down that it goes in her mouth. A couple days later, I took her in the bathroom with me and brushed my teeth in front of her...ever since then she wants to constantly brush her teeth. Good luck and just let her pick out her own character!...My daughter has 4 toothbrushes, and every day she picks out someone different to brush with. It makes it fun, and SHE gets to decide...makes her feel like a big girl to pick out her brush.

My son had the same problem. He hated having his teeth brushed, we tried everything. Holding him down and tickling him just to get the toothbrush in his mouth. Then we decided to give him a toothbrush to just chew on in the bathtub. That did wonders! We made it a game... First there was the Choo-Choo Train, then we sang the alphabet while he was brushing. Now we have moved on to the battery powered toothbrush, we still help him but it works great. Fast and easy. Plus, if you let them chose their own toothbrush that gives their own selection. So many out there to chose from.

Good luck.

my daughter is 22 months and when we started we had the same prob. What I did was just let her brush her own teeth at the same time I did mine. Showing her and encouraging her to do the same. Now that we have all our teeth in, mommy does it first then we finish with us both brushing our own teeth. Also sometimes when times were not so fun i would let her brush my teeth while I brushed hers. Good luck and don't worry she will get the hang of it.
Liz

We bought our little guy a toothbrush of his own that he gets to use when Mommy and Daddy brush their teeth - mostly he chews on it, but he's grown to like having his own toothbrush, so I can take it and help him brush. We also sing a song that goes "brush, brush, brush your teeth after every meal... isn't it amazing how good gum massage can feel." Kinda lame, but we sing it to the tune of "row, row, row your boat" and he seems to like it.

My daughter does the same thing, and unfortunately, the only way around it may be to hold down her arms and force the issue. I just paid $5000 to fix 8 cavities in my oldest son, and that was after insurance paid some of the bill. We did not take tooth brushing as seriously as we should have, and we all paid the price. My son's cavities were so bad that he had to be put under for the dentist to fix them all, and we were a nervous wreck for the three hours he was out. So now when my daughter resists, I tell her too bad. I know what can happen without proper brushing, and it is a safety issue where the parent needs to be the parent and override the resistance of the child. She will get better, I sing the brusha brusha song from the movie Grease and my daughter thinks that is hilarious and opens her mouth to laugh and then I sneak the brush in.

let her watch you brush your teeth and have her do as you do...sometimes babies find it fun to do what their parents do... if you make it a routine for you guys to brush your teeth togeather shes more likely to wanna learn...sit her up on the counter so she can watch you brush her teeth in the mirror then try to let her do it herself so shell feel like a big girl and that also makes it fun

Find a tooth paste that wont hurt her if swallowed.
Then when you brush your teeth give her own brush.
And have her copy what you do while your bushing your teeth.
This is a fun way to get her to want to brush her teeth.
She'll feel like a big girl.
I used this method with my 2 daughters.

I had the same problem with my son but then I bought him an electric toothbrush, that I let him pick out. You can find them at Target and they have Dora, Elmo, etc and he started liking it more because his toothbrush was more like mommy's and daddy's. He likes that he can turn it on and I feel more comfortable letting him do it himself because I know the brush is actually brushing his teeth. If I feel he is not doing a good job, I offer him to trade and let him brush my teeth so that I can help make sure he gets all his teeth brushed. I realized the best way to get them into brushing is letting them try it themselves. I think keeping it in the same routine works. For example, I give him is bath, change him, brush his hair and then brush his teeth so now he is used to that routine and just goes through with it. Hope this helps!