Brushing teeth

[~Amy~]

I don't know if this is posted in the right spot but anyway......

I was just after some advice on brushing my 16months teeth.
It is the biggest drama, she just clenches her little lips & wont let me put the brush in. Or she will just suck all the toothpaste off & clench her lips. I'm sure their not getting brushed as well as they should be.

So anyone who has any advice on how i could get her to let me brush them would be greatly appriceated

[Olive]

Amy you can try just giving her the tooth brush to simply chew on for a while, this will get her used to having the brush in her mouth and the bristle sensation, just chewing will help clean her teeth, when shes used to it, you can then try and help her brush, just make sure you only use childrens tooth paste and not adults, and only a very small amount, hope this helps

[nikbrad]

Try giving her the toothbrush in the bath and see how she goes. Also let her do it and don't make a big fuss over it. Miss M has times when she brushes like crazy and then just wants to eat/suck the toothpaste the next. A doctor friend of my mums has a 2 year old who hated brushing her teeth and she was so worried but after speaking to another professional they said just let it be and eventually she would come around. 3 weeks later she was jumping for joy as it just happened. We have also had a trip to the dentist (chipped tooth in the bath) just recently so I also remind her that the dentist said she had to brush her teeth. The other game we play is that one of her imaginery friends (Buzz, Woody, Maisy who ever is the flavour of the day) sits on the side of the bath to see how she brushes her teeth. Probably not much help now but when your 16 month old is a bit older it may be easier to communicate what is happening. I also stand behind Mackenzie when I do give them a brush and ususlly it is only an option for about 10-15 seconds before she pulls away.

[~Amy~]

Thanks heaps for the tips guys She loves just chewing on the brush herself so hopefully she gets used to it

[Angel]

I had problems getting Kynan to let me brush his teeth a while ago too. A couple of suggestions from other BB members that really helped us were to let him see me brushing my teeth and to let him brush my teeth too. He loves brushing my teeth. He has 2 toothbrushes, one that I use to brush his teeth and one that he munches on or tries to brush my teeth with LOL. I also sing to him when I'm brushing his teeth and try and make it fun.

[~Amy~]

I never thought to let Mya try brush my teeth.....i will def try that, as she always watches me brush my teeth & looks quite interested in what i'm doing.
Thanks heaps!

[deancey]

hope that letting her brush her wn teeth has helped.
I bougth a toothbrush for Jordan and he wont have a bar of it. he only has 6 teeth
I might try give it to him in the bath and see how he goes.

[~Amy~]

Mya has a full set except the very very back molars,so she really needs to brush them.
She is just chewing the bristles off the toothbrush haha. So i have a bought a few spares.
I don't know how i'm going to get them brushed. We don't have a bath so maybe i'll try in shower

[{sarah}]

I think chewing on the bristles does the job!! Zander lets me do it first then he has a brush himself, more like a chew & a play LOL, but he enjoys it!

[Janie]

All those suggestions are great. Alot of kids like it if it's something you do 'together', both of you brushing your teeth at the same time. Just let her chew it (without toothpaste). Singing is a great idea, I have a great teethbrushing song (I know, how sad LOL!), just make something up about brushing, I'm sure she'll love it! Make it a fun thing, but don't get too worried about it, she'll let you in when she's ready. It's more important to worry about diet than brushing at this young age.

Hope one of the ideas helps!