Cleaning teeth.

[~Faye~]

Not quite sure where to put this but I am really struggling to get Shay to clean his teeth. Well, he loves doing it himself but just sort of wobbles it in his mouth, he doesn't really get it yet. But the problem is he won't let me brush them, he just won't let me have the toothbrush. If I put it near his mouth he takes it and there is no way of getting it back after that!

Anyone got any suggestions?

Faye

[esthere]

Harry is a little older but heres what we do.
Firstly we have a step so he can step up to the sink, help turn on tap and get his brush ready.
Then we have two brushes, He brushes his teeth, then I sing the cleaning song and "check them" , (its just a funny song about everyone who loves him and how they check their teeth  )
Another thing we used to when he was younger was to give him my brush to check mine and then I would check his.

[lilmonkey]

Hi Faye,

Here are some tricks I've tried to get into dd's mouth.  She's usually good about me letting me brush hers but there are days ...   

1.  Let him brush yours (or a doll/toy) and then you do his.
2.  We have 3 toothbrushes - one for each of her hands and one for me.
3.  I usually stand behind her and let her see me brush her teeth in the mirror.
4.  At the end of it all, we have a gurggling/spitting contest - dd loves doing so its a good incentive to get all her teeth clean.

Some nights it is impossible to brush her teeth but I'm ok with.  Hope you get more tips.

[Fife_Mum]

I agree you need more than one tooth brush 

Try everything - when you find something that works one day, it won't the next  . Just be clear that brushing is not optional, and most days it should be possible to avoid tears  with a bit of inventiveness  .

I have used all the previous suggestions, and here are some more:

give a choice of toothpaste,
take turns - it is my turn if the toothpaste is minty (adult) - if it they want a turn I keep reminding about brushing not sucking... and I always have to get a turn too
run the tap and let them hold the brush under, or put the toothpaste on,
count teeth,
'find' bits of all the things they ate today,
give the teeth names,
ask them to make faces - e.g. cheesy grin, lion roaring,
brush them somewhere different e.g. in the bath, or while looking at a book,
try again in 5 mins,

if all else fails I'm afraid I resort to pinning them down across my lap and just doing the best I can as quickly as possible  .

[*Nicola*]

We sing twinkle twinkle when teethbrushing and no finishing before song is done.

Battery operated toothbrush - which Ciara thinks is great fun.

When she was younger I let her do my teeth at the same time I was doing hers