Toddler tooth brushing

[luvmybundle]

Anyone else have a hard time being able to brush baby's teeth? DD will let me brush the top for just a split second before it becomes a fight. I'm lucky if I can get the bottoms at all! I've tried letting her hold the toothbrush while I brush but that doesn't work either. I don't want her to end up with cavities and she nurses at night still.

[lakecountrygal]

I brush my teeth and let him hold his toothbrush then we make a game of brushing his. I have to "find" his teeth and then we brush, I do the top first and then the bottom. Because he loves to copy what DH and I do by having him watch I think it eliminates half the battle.

Also welcome!

[bsouls]

We only have 3.5 teeth, so I'm not too worried about brushing them. T actually thinks it's funny when we stick the brush in her mouth.

I keep the tooth brush on her changing table, because she's always trying to grab stuff. So, sometimes she plays with the toothbrush on her own and I just help ensure she has the right end in her mouth.

[Deleted]

Welcome!

It is a huge battle for me. She will play with her toothbrush and chew on it. Then when I try to brush her teeth she clamps shut. I have tried making it a game but she just refuses so I have to get in there and do what I gotta do while she protests.

[luvmybundle]

Thanks! There was a point in time where she had a fit when tooth brushing time was over. Now I'm not sure if she hates the taste or what. Maybe I'll try a vibrating brush.

[babycaps]

We sing a song. The same song every night. He knows how long it is going to take and done! But he has had tooth brushing every day since he was 5mo old and had 4 teeth.

[northernlghts]

For us it's just been persistence. She fought it for awhile but now she knows it's a pretty quick ordeal. She still fights but there's not so much screaming anymore and I can get all of her teeth done. She'll see the toothbrush, open her mouth for about 30 seconds before clamping down again. Rinse and repeat until I get them all :-)

[Deleted]

Levi loves to brush his own teeth, so I let him while I brush mine. Then I take over to ensure the teeth are actually being brushed and not just the brush getting sucked on.

[kimberpoo]

I've just been wiping front/back/top/bottom clean with a damp washcloth. I turned it into a game, he will clamp down and I will growl and gently pull it back and forth like I'm playing with the dogs. he thinks it's hilarious! it helps that he likes chewing on washcloths already. I'll get my finger in there and wipe them clean and he doesn't mind much. He has almost 6 teeth now (I say almost because one is not quite in, lol) and we need to switch to a real tooth brush.

[zandeela]

DD is up to 8 teeth now, we just started using toothpaste last night, it was a fruity flavor, she was not very excited about the taste but lets me brush all of them

[angelsnight]

I guess this is an FFFC but I haven't brushed LOs teeth in um, a while. I need to get back into the habit. But I let her hold and chew on her toothbrush for a few and then I put a little toothpaste on a damp cloth and rub her teeth as best I can

[kbmac613]

It use to be a battle but LO has gotten better with it recently. I just kept trying and some nights are still better than others. I don't worry too much if one night goes by where she fights it. I also let LO hold the toothpaste while I brush. It seems to help. And I also let her "help" brush. She now reaches for the toothbrush as part of her nighttime routine.