21 Dec When a toddler refuses to brush his teeth
Brushing your teeth at least twice a day, even when your child is young, is a very important habit. Care should be taken to develop it from an early age.
One of the biggest contributors to tooth decay in children is the amount of sugar they consume. Even if your child has a healthy diet, they still need to brush their teeth to prevent caries.
When a Toddler refuses to brush their teeth, my first tip is to make it fun. As soon as you are stressed and upset about brushing their teeth, your children will feel it and it will become a struggle which will make it even worse. Instead, take a deep breath and try to find a fun and light-hearted way to brush their teeth.
Tips to help your little one brush their teeth:
- Brush together. There is nothing better for your child than to be like her mum or dad. When she sees me brushing my teeth in the morning, she runs over, picks up her toothbrush and joins in. Try to get your little one to see you brushing your teeth often yourself.
- Brush twice a day. After breakfast and after dinner. Observe that after brushing your teeth there should be no snacking before bed. Use mineral water (tasteless) for drinking.
- Let them try. Fiercely independent and wants to do everything himself? Let him! Just make arrangements for you to correct after him to make sure his teeth are actually clean.
- Sing a song. Sing 'Brush, paste, cup, warm water' or any other song. Singing is a great way to add a bit of fun to your tooth brushing routine.
- Vehicles. My son loves cars and planes. He will only open his mouth when a toothbrush flies in.
- Playing on 'ignorance'. Pretend you don't know where their mouths are and wash their nose or ears instead. This always makes my children laugh.
- Play with teddies and dolls. Practising tooth brushing can really help. You can let your child brush their teeth with a doll or just let them brush their teeth. Expressing their fears with dolls and teddy bears (repeatedly) can really help them deal with reality.
- Funny voices. Use a funny voice while brushing your teeth. You can be a "tooth brushing fairy" or a "tooth brushing super hero"
- Make it a routine. Routines are great because they tell children what's coming next. Get out of the bath, brush their teeth, put on their pyjamas. They know what to expect.
- Toothpaste. Use age-appropriate toothpaste. Toothpaste for young children should contain fluoride, even though young children tend to swallow it instead of spitting it out. Make sure you have a flavour of toothpaste that your child likes.
- Toothbrush. It is important that the toothbrush is fun and the right size. The range of toothbrushes on the market today is so extensive that there really is a lot to choose from: flashing lights while brushing, various fairy tale characters to enhance the look of the toothbrush, beautiful colours. But most importantly, many electric toothbrushes allow you to measure the amount of time you spend brushing in different ways. Usually it is 2 minutes.
- Think about brushing your teeth earlier in the evening. Treating tooth brushing as fun is certainly one of the most important principles when learning to brush teeth. However, for this to happen, timing is also extremely important. If bedtime is approaching, we run the risk that our child will already be grouchy and fussy and we will be too tired to play creatively with our toddler while brushing his teeth. Therefore, starting earlier in the evening helps to maintain positive excitement and desire on both your child's and your part. Keep this in mind!
- Toothbrushing with word games. A very interesting option is to incorporate a little word game while brushing his teeth, during which your toddler has to repeat extended words after you, e.g. Baaanaaaany, wóóóóóz straaaażaaacki, hiiiipoooopoootaaam! Ideally, these are words that your child knows from a story he has heard, a game he has played or a film you have watched together. What he or she is referring to, such as a game we recently played or a film we watched, works well. This makes him open wide and proud, showing all the words he knows. Anything that hits the 4-year-old works wonders!
- Use a short film while brushing your teeth. If your toddler really refuses to brush his teeth regularly, try using brushing while watching TV or a short film on your phone. It's not an ideal solution, but if we are able to combine pleasure with utility and in this way you can take the next step in getting your child used to brushing their teeth, such a temporary solution is worth considering.
- Praise them. When they open wide and enthusiastically brush their teeth, remember to praise them and tell them how great they are.
We as parents need to know that brushing teeth is of great importance in the prevention of tooth decay. We need to support our kids by brushing together until they are 8 years old. Let us remember that 80% of brushing is brushing technique and only 20% goes into toothpaste. What we teach our children in their youth or childhood will pay off in their future lives.
