Brushing Teeth

[Ozstar]

My DS isn't a fan of having his teeth brushed so I wondered if anyone out there knew of any songs about brushing teeth to make it more enjoyable? He loves to sing so I thought a song might help.

Also the kids toothpaste he uses says do not swallow, rinse and spit out. How do I get a 13 month old to spit lol? I give him a drink of water after but he just swallows it all. Why cant it be swallowed?

TIA

[kristy J]

don't worry about eating the tooth paste my son does it all the time.

sorry i cant help with the brushing, Ike loves to brush. do you brush your teeth at the same time? it might help.

good luck

[sneakysparkle]

Not sure about the swallowing toothpaste thing, but something that helped us with getting DD's teeth brushed was for her to hold another toothbrush while I was brushing her teeth, and when I was finished she could have a turn brushing her own teeth or brushing mine!

Good luck, I know it can be tricky!

[boomba]

Katie,
Its hard to get them to brush hey! We always brush our teeth together so Ds will copy! I try to give them a good brush, then let him play with it just so get used to the feeling.
We dont rinse after brushing its too hard. How much paste do you use? They only need a 1/4 of a pea size on there so its not that much for them to swallow!
HTH good luck! xx

[Ozstar]

Thanks ladies. In the morning we brush at the same time but at night I do mine in the shower. I usually brush his as much as he will let me and then give him his toothbrush to do his own. I might let him have a go brushing mine, he sucks on my toothbrush when he in the shower with DH too.

Boomba I dont use much toothpaste. I figure since we dont have fluoride in the water up here it can't hurt him to swallow a little.

[boomba]

Yeah thats my logic too! i mean they eat things off the ground, DS loves to lick the ground so a little toothpaste wont hurt! lol! x

[Saffi]

Going to try some of these suggestions. I've tried singing a brushing song, a finger brush, brushing my teeth in front of him, when he's in the bath, using a face washer etc. You'd think I was trying to pull his teeth out the way he carries on. He loves chewing on the handle but not the bristles.

I actually asked the same question of the MCHN today. She recommended putting DS on my lap in front of the mirror and brush. She also suggested lying DS down with his head in DH's lap while I brush his teeth. Haven't tried either so can't say if either are effective.

Good luck