HOW can I brush 17m DS's teeth???

[fasterthanthewind]

This is DC3, and so you'd have thought I'd got it worked out by now. Turns out first 2 were just v compliant and easy.

DS is making up for it.

I've tried:

• giving him 1 or 2 brushes, while I brush w 2nd/3rd (he loves his brushes, but isn't distracted)
• playing games
• making him laugh
• letting him watch all the rest of us brushing our teeth
• pinning him down (this does work, just, but it's horrible for everyone, and feels counterproductive
• rubbing his teeth with a cloth to get them clean (fine for outer surfaces, but not for inner/grinding surfaces (he bites)

What can i do? His teeth NEED cleaning - he doesn't have the squeaky clean diet PFB did at this stage...

[Sleepyandiknowit]

Could have written this myself! Ds2 is 23 months insists on cleaning them himself. Tried all of the above plus letting him do it first and I'llgo over them, even letting him brush mine. He WILL NOT let me brush them without screaming, twisting closing mouth tight shut.

Really hoping someone can help as I know he's not able to do it well enough on his own.

Thanks for posting faster!

[roweeena]

We took to pinning DS down to do it - only took a couple of weeks but now he does them himself because he realised that it is preferable to being pinned down - IYsWIM. Sometimes he does mess around (like this evening refusing to do it but then we just revert to the forced brushing again)

[georgedawes]

We had to do the pinning down approach, she stopped struggling after a week or so as think realized it was going to happen. Felt bad initially but actually it was the only thing that worked.

[stinkingbishop]

Mine got really into it when they watched the Zingzillas do it! Go to Songs on the CBeebies website and scroll down.

I also get them to do it in the bath...maybe that helps?

And I've got a natural, mandarin toothpaste ie not minty.

Having said all that, it's still pretty cursory. But then MIL blew me away the other day by saying 'they brush their teeth? I don't think I ever brushed DP's...they only fall out anyway!' .

[BrianTheMole]

Try an electric toothbrush? My ds loves using that.

[notwoo]

I'm afraid I resort to pinning down if my friendly tactics (singing, watching his sister have hers done, saying 'knock knock' and tapping his nose with the tooth brush, roaring like a lion etc) don't work.

My justification is that I'd rather pin him down at home rather than in a dentist's chair when he needs fillings.

I think by the time my dd was 2 we'd managed to make a game of it by me pretending to see what she'd eaten in the day and brushing those things off her teeth but ds isn't at that stage yet.

[notwoo]

Oh yes and peppa pig strawberry toothpaste has the same flouride content as the family toothpaste we're recommended to use

[georgedawes]

Just remembered one tip..try your kids toothpaste..ours tasted disgusting and I had no idea. It helped to switch to another less foul one.

[ThisIsMeNow]

I use an electric toothbrush so it's faster and wrap dd in a towel, get her positioned so she can't move her head (sounds cruel but no babies were hurt whilst cleaning happened) and get in and out fast!

[Sleepyandiknowit]

I do pin my ds2 down ( didn't say earlier as feel awful about it and feared a world of abuse)

My issue isn't he won't, he loves it!!! It's he won't let me do it properly. No amount of pinning seems to help. He is RIDICULOUSLY independent. ( wouldn't let me give him his bottle, feed him, he reads books to me etc ) luckily everything else worked in that as long as he did it first then he'd let me do it after (hunger is a powerful motivator) never became a battle as he was never going to let himself go hungry, so didn't stress. And now of course he feeds himself. He will let his teeth be dirty though :(

[Sleepyandiknowit]

Sorry didn't mean to hijack your post faster

Sorry.

[sharond101]

DS can be variable, some days he likes it some days not. On the not days we use one of these, www.boots.com/en/Brush-Baby-Soft-Chewable-Toothbrush-10-36-Months-_1305081/.

[kiki22]

If it helps the dentist told me as long as the paste is on the tooth try not to worry to much about the actual brushing so i just keep refilling DS tooth brush with a little paste until I think all his teeth are covered then give him a quick rub.

He also likes to use daddys tooth brush not that daddy knows that which is actually good because it covers his teeth quicker so i've taken to buying daddy soft brushes.

[payhisdebt]

when he is sleeping

[BarberryRicePud]

Electric toothbrush that talks to him. Pirate one and obviously its me doing the fake pirate voice about finding treasure in his teeth and describing the various food remnants but he loves it.

[Beachcombergirl]

My 16 month old loves brushing her teeth (well sucking the toothpaste). How on earth do you get them to spit out though? Is this important?

[DeathMetalMum]

Singing? We did a brushing teeth song which worked occasionally. Though mostly we have had to do pinning down not great but teeth need to be brushed after a fee days/week dd would stop refusing until the next time.

[cannaethink]

I always try to start brushing at a different part of the mouth so all the teeth get cleaned over a day or two...

[KatAndKit]

I found a chewable toothbrush in jojomamanbebe, this is working well for us at the moment, as it was proving impossible to get anything more than front teeth clean otherwise.

[fasterthanthewind]

Hello again!

Reviving this thread, because DH took DS to see the Dental Educator today, and she said:

• nobody ever died of tooth decay
• he needs to learn about tooth brushing, and if we force him, he'll hate it forever (hmm)
• let him do it in the morn, we do it in the eve
• pencil grip for toothbrush, so we're more gentle
• start at back, work to front (so he knows the brush will soon be out)
• DISTRACTION
• Motivational Books

So - I'm after motivational books! DH can't remember what she recommended (he thought Snappy Charlie, but we can't find that one).

Does anyone have any reccs for tooth brushing books suitable for an 18m child? He LOVES books, so this seems like a good idea.

[DeathMetalMum]

There is an usbourne 'Brush you teeth max and millie' though I havn't read it so can't properly reccomend it.

[ActualAl]

The usbourne book was good, I used it for my 3 year old. Not sure my 17 month old would sit still to listen to it though, no flaps or touchy pages!

[littlegem12]

I pin mine too, just try to get it done fast.
My friends dentist told her off like a child, her son needed 3 teeth out she said he hates having them cleaned and screams, he told her he just has to force hes own daughter to have her teeth cleaned its not a negotiable its basic care. She came home and cried.