Getting 20 month old to brush teeth???

Hi all,

I have a 20 month old little boy who won't let me brush his teeth. He likes the idea of tooth brushing but wont let me do it for him. He will just eat the toothpaste.
Any idea's on how to get him to let me brush his teeth?

Not sure if this works with all kids, or just my strong willed little little munchkin. :lol: I told her one day that she wasn't allowed to brush her teeth, just mum and Dad were because they were bigger. She really wanted a turn but i said no, when she was bigger. Then a bit later on, i said "Are you big enough to brush your teeth now?" She was so excited. I told her i would have a turn first then she could have a go. I also let her have a turn at brushing my teeth. It's 50/50 as to how effective the molar brushing is, but it is certainly an improvement on what it was. Prior to that she just sucked the toothpaste off too. :rolleyes: So now i always have a turn first or she's not allowed. Seems to work for her, but pretty sure it has a bit to do with her personality too.

I do the same as Falungi. It's mummy's turn first, then her's. I also make a game of counting how many teeth she has. She loves it. I count to 20 (don't really count her teeth, but :shhh: she doesn't know that ;) ) Once I counted to 20, I let her brush.

As well as the tips above I find that my youngest brushes really well when he "copies Mummy". If he is in the bath I give him his brush (cos this is messy) and kneel down beside him and brush my teeth... he copies me. If I do down one side he does the same... if I do my tongue he does it too. This has been the best way at getting him to focus on doing his whole mouth... otherwise he just tends to do his front top teeth. Oh and he can only spit when Mummy spits because otherwise he will spit the toothpaste out before he has brushed it properly and wastes it.... same with rinsing.

We have a toothbrush each :rolleyes:

...And here was me literally pinning DD1 between my knees with her arms behind her back and one hand squeezing her cheeks to make her open her mouth while I jammed a toothbrush in there once a day!!

Will have to try these tips, girls - thanks :D DD1 loves brushing her teeth, but she's *useless* at it and just sucks all the toothpaste off, then asks for more. Oh, she brushes her tongue just fine, but doesn't seem to understand yet that it's the *teeth* that are going to fall out of her head if she doesn't look after them :D

DD and i brush our teeth together at the same time. I tell her to do "aaaaaaaaaaaaa" and get her to brush her back teeth and then do "eeeeeeeeeeee" and get her to brush her front teeth. i turn it into a game. Sometimes, i brush her teeth and she brushes mine.

Thanks for all the great ideas. I'll have a try tomorrow, he is sooooooo stubborn though, so we'll see. I'll let you know how it goes....

We did a lot of brushing with just water to begin with - and he upgraded to toothpaste at age 2.

He brushes his teeth, then he lets me do his once over ... then we rinse and spit (that's fun to teach!)

I was going to suggest soem role playing! it worked really well for one of my friends and now her kids all ask if its time to go to the 'dentist' yet.
She is a real dag- but has a mask and she puts it on and plays dentist! So funny!

thanks guys, I've tried letting him brush my teeth then seeing if he'll let me brush his - no go. Will, try to brush his while he does mine next....