A Smile a Day…

Keeps the doctor away!  If only it were that easy, right?  As parents to young children, we often find that brushing our toddler’s teeth can be quite challenging (images of me sitting on the toilet with my toddler draped over my knee attempting to get the tooth brush in his wildly moving target come to mind)!  With my son not yet two, I often wonder if it is worth the struggle.  I don’t want this daily battle to become ingrained in his head so that this hopefully temporary toddler behavior becomes a learned reaction that lasts for months, rather than days or weeks.  However, I also don’t want him to dictate what he does or doesn’t have to do based on throwing a minor (okay, major) tantrum!

Luckily, our resident dentist, Molly L., has come to my rescue with a number of great ideas to make brushing his teeth a lot more enjoyable.  I have even found that these tips work great with washing his face after eating, changing his diaper and more! 

Here is what Molly has to say:

Brushing an infant or toddler's teeth can be a very challenging and frustrating job for the child and parent. Here are some tips and tricks that I have used with my own daughter. First off, you don't want to make it a negative experience. If the child is putting up a huge fight,  do the best you can at that moment and try again at the next tooth brushing opportunity.

 

1) Children love to copy their parents, so be sure that the child sees you brushing your teeth. Get at eye level with the child, let the child hold your brush and let them brush your teeth. While he is occupied brushing your teeth, you brush his teeth. This worked well with my daughter, distraction works very well with children! 

2) Let your child pick out their own toothbrush, there are so many options out there today. The battery operated brushes are great (try to buy the one with the smallest head size), and come with characters such as Dora, Diego, and Sesame Street characters. You can also let them pick out their own toothpaste, just be sure to keep the toothpaste in a safe place.

3) Use a footstool and a mirror so the child can see themselves. Count your child's teeth using a toothbrush. Give them a cup of water to use also. Make it a fun experience, not a negative one!

You can sing, make funny faces, count in a foreign language...anything that distracts your child and makes them look forward to brushing time (ok, maybe "look forward" is going to far) but at least make it an experience that doesn't leave baby and Mom/Dad in tears! No matter what you do to brush your child's teeth, know that young children lack the manual dexterity to brush their own teeth. So after they are done brushing, be sure you do a thorough brushing for them! Who knows - they might even let you floss eventually...ok that's definitely pushing it!

Happy brushing!