Hi everyone. I recently posted about help in weaning my DD from her bedtime bottle and I followed the advice I found on this board and it worked great, no more bottle for the last 3 nights. thanks! but now I am encountering a new problem. We have always brushed my DD's teeth since she first got a couple at 6 months old. She always gets so excited when we ask her if she wants to brush her teeth. We have worked it in to our routine and we have been brushing them twice a day. She has 12 teeth now and working on more. well a couple of days ago she decided she no longer liked it at ALL. she closes her mouth and hits the tooth brush away and hits at us. it took my DH and I both tonight, he held her and kept her arms down so I could do it and she screamed he entire time. I hope this is just a phase of independence because I find it in other areas too not just brushing her teeth but I know brushing them is important. however, several nights a week I have her by myself and am not sure how I am going to handle this without my DH's help. Any advice that has worked for anyone? My DH brushed his teeth too to try to entice her to do it but it didn't work. I appreciate your thoughts...

We went to one of the motorized tooth brushes that spins when you press a button. My son loves it. We haved a deal, he goes over his teeth then I check afterward. We do it morning and night.

Other than that.. I know what it is like to have to open their mouth a horse and work it under protest.

Sincerely,
MG

Oh my goodness, I was JUST thinking I needed to post this exact same question as I was opening the Healthboards and right there it was. Too funny.

I'm having the exact same issue with my 14 month old son. He's better with his daddy doing it, but he's rarely here to do so. I got him a brand new Elmo toothbrush and that worked a little, but now he won't even let me do that. Tonight I wet a washcloth a little and thought he'd at least let me go over them with it and he refused that as well. I don't know what to do either. I'm thinking the forcing and screaming isn't worth it. He's my third and maybe with my first I would have fought the battle. But when I'm alone trying to get three kids to bed...I'm not up for the fight. I know it's important and I'm hoping it's just a phase for right now. I'll keep trying though. I could try the motorized one, but I think he's too small for that.

Do you use the baby toothpaste? That might work for your daughter. My son won't allow it even with that. I try to give it to him and at least he will sometimes put it in there and chew on it a bit. Thought that was a least something, but now he just throws it. I don't know what to do either, so I'll be interested in the responses as well.

I can't help feeling that leaving the toothbrushing at this age is a lesser evil than holding down a screaming child and teaching her to loathe and fear the toothbrush for ever. JMHO. The risk of permanent tooth decay is pretty much minimal if the child eats cleaning foods like carrot and apple.

If it's an independence thing, maybe you can try letting her brush her own teeth. I know they don't clean them like you do, but maybe that will help a little with getting her to back down and relax a bit. With DD2, she started out letting me brush them but then decided she wanted to do it herself. So, now I've compromised and got her to agree to let mama do it then she could do it herself (or vice versa). Otherwise, a new toothbrush, new toothpaste, rewards and positive reinforcement might help.

Try this, my son doesn't scream so much as he just clamps down and doesn't let me in.

Have your husband hold the child facing him on his lap. You sit in front of them. lean your child back in to your lap so that her head is resting in your lap. It gives you a bit more access to their mouth. Pry open and brush. I have to do this with my 2 year old. he has always wanted to brush himself, but doesn't really "do it" if you know what I mean. All he does is chew on the brush. This is how the dentist does it if they don't want to open for them. If she is really giving you a hard time, cut back on the things she likes, like sweets or juices or even milk. Tell her she can't have them if she isn't going to brush her teeth. You can't have them because they will cause cavities. She's still a bi too young to understand that, but as she gets older, she'll get it. Good luck!

If it's an independence thing, maybe you can try letting her brush her own teeth. I know they don't clean them like you do, but maybe that will help a little with getting her to back down and relax a bit. With DD2, she started out letting me brush them but then decided she wanted to do it herself. So, now I've compromised and got her to agree to let mama do it then she could do it herself (or vice versa). Otherwise, a new toothbrush, new toothpaste, rewards and positive reinforcement might help.


We're talking about 13 and 14 month olds. Rewards and compromise are not really going to work here.

Good luck to all of you. My DS has never let me in his mouth with anything. As soon as he started getting teeth he would not let us near him. DH made the mistake of forcing DS mouth open when he was like 8 months and DS bit DH so bad, DH was bleeding. And my DH has really tough skin on his hands. DS freaks out when we wash around his mouth with a wash cloth. So we have completely given up on us brushing his teeth and on occasion DS will do it himself. But basically he sucks the toothpaste off the brush.

Thank you all for your feedback, you have given me a lot to think about. We do use the training toothpaste with her and I don't know that we have ever been brushing her teeth really well but at least she was excited to have us put the toothbrush in her mouth. I don't want her to be scared of the toothbrush but at the same time I know she needs to brush them. I will think about the cleansing foods too that can at least help. she does have a bedtime snack before we brush so maybe apples would be good. Again,thank you. I always find so much info on this board that is helpful :)

If she's really freaking, then just stay away. Just also keep her away from chewy snacks like fruit snacks and gummy things, along with sugary juices and such. carrots and apples, like the previous poster stated, are good things for her to snack on. Also, stay away from anything but water before bedtime so that the sugar doesn't sit on her teeth all night (that includes milk!). Growing up with a father for a dentist has it's benefits! Ha Ha Good luck!

If she's really freaking, then just stay away. Just also keep her away from chewy snacks like fruit snacks and gummy things, along with sugary juices and such. carrots and apples, like the previous poster stated, are good things for her to snack on. Also, stay away from anything but water before bedtime so that the sugar doesn't sit on her teeth all night (that includes milk!). Growing up with a father for a dentist has it's benefits! Ha Ha Good luck!

so is teeth brushing really that crucial at this age? my youngest is 19 months and she's only just really getting into the routine, but SHE wants to do it (chewing on the brush and such). my kids don't eat fruit snacks very often and NEVER get candy (sugar makes my oldest a hyperactive psychopath!), and they get milk before bedtime, but then we "brush teeth" afterward. My oldest does well, but my youngest is hit or miss. i always figured as long as we were trying and at least starting the habit, she'd get the hang of doing it right eventually... also, do raisins and craisins count as chewy snacks???

I think it depends on who you talk to as far as how crucial it is at her age, I have heard it's very important to avoid cavities so I am paranoid about it. Then again, we've been brushing her teeth for several months but she really has just chewed on the toothbrush and sucked the toothpaste off so I am not sure how much good we're doing. I don't give her any sugar at all, no juice even but I worry because she has so many teeth and we aren't getting them brushed, right now it's a battle every night, i can get the front sometimes but not the back teeth.. I am just going to keep trying in hopes this phase will pass and she'll let us get the brush on her back teeth at least a little :)