I'd really love some advice. I go through toddler tantrums every day twice a day with Master R when it comes to brushing his teeth. I feel ready to just give up! I've tried different toothbrushes, mine, Mr Mr's, electric and handheld, different flavours and brands of toothpaste and nothing helps. He'll gladly eat off the toothpaste or turn on and off the brush but he just won't give the teeth a brush. I try to demonstrate and get him to copy me but nothing. I then have to hold him down and gently attempt to brush them while he thrashes about and screams as if I'm administering torture.
Any suggestions or experiences welcomed!
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Master D's affection for tooth brushing waxes and wains. Recently he is not cooperative. Mister T and I are pretty chill about it for now. With his personality we can see that if pushed he will rebel and therefor are trying to avoid years of fighting. I am not so sure how effective 2 year olds tooth brushing is anyway. I have an electric toothbrush, the best paste out there and am religious 2-3 times per day and they still tell me I have plaque. Although on second thought I do not have cavities and should definitely floss more. I have read that as long as your child is not eating too much sugar not to worry. I would love to hear others thoughts on this as well. Has anyone taken their Masters to the Dentist yet?
ReplyDeleteMiss L likes to brush her teeth a couple of times a day. We made toothbrushing a routine after the nightly bath and then she usually asks to brush them at another point during the day. She started brushing early because she wanted to imitate us so we would place her on the bathroom counter beside the sink and give her an adult toothbrush which she would just place in her mouth and bite down on. At the beginning she didn't do much brushing, just playing pretend.
ReplyDeleteAfter about a month I bought her a small toothbrush at WF made with natural bristles and Weleda toothpaste (I really like this brand).
Maybe you could let Ralfi play with a lot of different bathroom items while you and Mister M get ready in the morning. You could give him a hair brush and other items along with a toothbrush so he could choose to play with it. I remember Miss L liked to try to brush her hair and then would pick up a toothbrush for a little while and then she would want to put lotion on. She liked bouncing from one item to the next before she started actually brushing her teeth and asking to do so.
She now puts the toothbrush under the water, waits for me to apply the toothpaste and then brushes back and forth and even tries to spit in the sink at the end.
We have always been relaxed about brushing and always let her do it herself. I've spoken to a couple of pediatricians who said it is more important to get them used to brushing and making it routine than the actual act of brushing and getting the teeth really clean. As Mama LS mentioned they emphasized not giving too much sugared foods or juice, and not too many raisins which can get stuck between the teeth and cause decay.
I have been told that first visits to the dentist are usually around age 3.
And just to add to Mama LS's comment, I also need to floss more!
Thank you for your suggestions. Master R does enjoy eating the toothpaste off the brush and imitate us a little but Mr M and I don't think it's effective enough and are forcing him to really brush. After reading your comments I think I'll relax about it. I did go out and buy every toddler toothbrush I could find and Master R has now become a little obsessed. He even sleeps with one at night. He munches away on it for hours during the day. At least his teeth are getting a clean!
ReplyDeleteThe Cookie article basically said it IS very important that they brush...all sorts of horrible things can happen when little teeth rot. They recommended the electric ones for little tikes to increase the effectiveness and also like the Waleda gel. I have recently changed back to the electric and it seems to be more appealing to him. Oh also, drinking water after drinking milk, juice or breast milk before bed is very important if not brushing right before, avoid too much juice and raisins that get stuck between the teeth.
ReplyDeleteGood Luck Mamas!