Are toothbrushing struggles making you crazy? Learn how to get your children to brush their teeth with some gentle solutions that make toothbrushing fun.
If toothbrushing has become a battle, relax. You want your child’s teeth to be clean; they wants autonomy and physical comfort. A win-win solution is possible if you and your child approach toothbrushing from a flexible and lighthearted perspective.
Toothbrushing Tools
First, take a look at your tools. Do they help you flow with different day-to-day preferences? Encourage your child to select a variety of interesting toothbrushes. You can find toothbrushes with favourite characters, ones that play music, ones with specially designed handles for little hands, and even ones that light up, Viggo is very loyal to his light up one that times him for 2 minutes and has a traffic light countdown system so he knows how long is left.
Now that the boys are older they can have ‘big boy toothpaste’ we have found the one that they like best is Colgate as it is minty but not too strong and they like the way it makes their teeth shine!
Fun and Games
Let the toothbrushing games begin! If your child is younger and unable to understand fully the importance of toothbrushing, ask your toddler to help you brush your teeth. Offer your brush to them and let them get to work, and then gently introduce their own toothbrush into the mouth.
Screaming is a viable toothbrushing solution. Let your toddler know that you’d like to clean their teeth, but you can only do it if she screams. Oh, no. You need them to scream much louder. There you go – a wide open mouth and a kid having a blast. Encourage them as you brush by asking them to scream like a monster, a baby, or whatever crazy idea comes to mind.
Brush along with characters in books and movies. Chances are that you have several storybooks and videos around the house that feature a character brushing his teeth. Load up a toothbrush and present it when the toothbrushing scene occurs, inviting your child to brush like the character.
Get in touch with your goofy side as you make funny faces and sounds. Different sounds will encourage your child to form his/her mouth in a way that makes it easier for you to brush. Demonstrate a sound along with a funny face, and ask your child to imitate you: “Can you do this? EEEEeee! How about this? AAAAaaaw! And this? Blaaaaah!”
Take advantage of possessiveness and love of the word “no.” If your child is focused on ownership and loves to say no, ask if you can use his toothbrush. You may get a reminder of just whose toothbrush it is along with a very easy toothbrushing session.
If the children are older they may like to look at some teeth brushing apps, there are different ones that encourage good brushing, ours love Pokemon Smile, which earns you more Pokemon the more you brush!
Relax Your Toothbrushing Protocol
Toothbrushing can take place anytime and anyplace. If you have been insisting upon very routine toothbrushing, try loosening up and considering different options.
Remember that you never have to brush your child’s teeth right this minute. Keep it all in perspective to avoid battles that will only increase resistance later.
Are you getting a firm no in response to your attempts? Back off and say that you know you’ll be able to find a good time for toothbrushing soon. You may be surprised at how quickly another opportunity appears.
When looking for toothbrushing solutions, keep your focus on creativity and fun. With a positive attitude and a hefty dose of flexibility, you’ll see resistance to toothbrushing melt and willingness gradually take its place.
If you put a peaceful relationship with your child first, clean teeth will follow naturally from that.
So in short i’m saying, don’t stress about the tooth brushing, if you have a good toothbrush and toothpaste, then your teeth will be looked after.
This product was gifted by Colgate, but all views are my own