We all know getting kids to brush their teeth can be a pain in the butt. I know the first few times we tried to introduce it to Cameron she wanted nothing to do with it. I needed to figure out a way to make it fun for her and make her excited about it.
Here’s a few tips and tricks that have helped us make brushing teeth a fun activity rather than a bore chore.
Sing a song– Cameron loves music, so any chance I can to turn something into a song I do. I may make it different every time since I make it up as I go, but I realized that she associates my singing with certain things, brushing her teeth being one, so she understands when I sing it’s time to brush her teeth.
Make it electric– Our pediatrician gave me the tip to try an electric tooth brush if you are having a hard time getting your child to be excited and brush their teeth. He was not wrong, the first time we gave her an electric toothbrush, she was so excited about the noise and motion it made that she thoroughly enjoyed brushing her teeth. I sometimes even have a hard time getting the tooth brush away from her once she’s done. And the best part is that they make children’s size and character brushes so it’s perfect for her little mouth.
Flavor it up– Of course kids are going to be more likely to enjoy something if they like the flavor of it. We found a green apple training toothpaste that Cameron really enjoys so that’s just another step in making the whole process enjoyable for her.
Show it– Cameron is at the age that she loves looking at herself in the mirror, so when it’s time to brush her teeth I put her in front of the mirror so she can see what she’s doing. As well as she sees me cheering her on and letting her know how good she’s doing. Reinforcing the good behaviors and letting her see how great she looks doing it has made it easier to convince her every day to brush her teeth.
Practice what you preach– One major thing I’ve learned about toddlers is they like to do what their parents do. So we make teeth brushing a joint event, so she sees mommy and daddy doing it, therefore she wants to do it too. Now based on schedules this doesn’t always work, but we try to make it work as often as possible.
These few tips have made getting Cameron’s teeth brushed much less of a headache. And hopefully we will have a good report when we take her to the dentist.
