My son is 2 and has bad breath! He will not let me brush his teeth (I have tried very hard) and he cant do it right. He just sucks on the toothbrush. He is very strong willed. What should I do?
I have the same problem with my daughter. I let her pick out an electric tooth brush for the days that she wont let me help. It gets more coverage than a regular brush that she tends to just suck on.
I had this problem when I was a child. I know this question will sound funny, but does your 2YO stick soft things in their nose? I did this when I was young, I would stick the foam from my car seat in my nose. My mother could not figure out why my breath was really bad all the time, finally a year later, she took me to the doctor's office and they discovered a massive amount of foam in my sinus cavities and that I had a severe sinus infection! So my advice, take your 2YO to the doctor!
A strep infection can also cause terrible breath. My daughter recently had strep (we think for over 2 weeks) and one sign was a whitish coating on the tongue that would not brush off completely and awful bad breath.
If it's just the brushing habits, try a reward chart or sticker chart like you might for potty training. Also, make sure you're using a kid's toothpaste, nothing minty. Most kids will say mint toothpaste "burns". Get a character he likes, let him pick the toothpaste from two or three choices...same for the toothbrush.
Kids generally can't brush their own teeth well until they are over 7, so you'll be helping him a while. If you need to, go back to one of the baby toothbrushes you slip on your finger.
You can also try singing a song while brushing. Something that talks about brushing his teeth. I know "Bear in the Big Blue House" has a toothbrushing song, as well as Raffi.
Probably "Dragon Breath" once I was introduced to this smell I have to control the urge to tell people go to the Dr. it's not just bad breath it's a sinus infection. Brushing your teeth doesn't help this. Although alot of good ovc stuff for brushing your teeth is out there, on of them is a prerinse that discolors the teeth, my daughter loved trying to get all the stain off her teeth, we used a sticker chart to reward her for getting it done the first time.
Good Luck, S.
Breath issues seem to have been covered already. As far as being very strong willed, a book called Raising your Spirited Child by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka helped me not loose my mind (as often) with my son. It's full of practical advice and knowledge that you are not alone! I checked it out of the library and would assume they still have it.
You may also want to make sure your child is having proper bowel movements daily. Not using the restroom can cause buildup of gas.
As far as brushing his teeth, tell him it is mommies turn or if daddy is around have him do it. Use a sticker chart for him to earn stickers each time he lets you do this. Once he has ten, he can pick out a new tootbrush or some other small trinket. You could also try lying him on the bed or floor and brush his teeth there.
If none of this works, try contacting a pediatric dentist for advice.
There are so many new tooth brushes out there...some that light up, play music, and the vibrating ones are awesome. It could also be a medical condition. When my son gets a virus or some sort of inner infection, the nurses always tell me that they can smell it on his breath and that is does cause the breath to smell. Besides that, there are childrens chewing gum that clean the teeth. No, that probably wont do the job that brushing your teeth would do, but its better than nothing.
You may want to check out other causes if it is really bad. My oldest has sinus and allergy problems. It can cause "dragon breath"!
