It’s a necessary evil. We do it every morning and night and it’s always a struggle. Here are some tricks to help your kids brush their teeth.
Picking The Right Toothbrush
Things are always more fun if you have the right tool for the job. Teeth brushing is no different. Make sure the kiddos have the right size brush for their mouths. Even better, let them pick the toothbrush out. Give them some ownership when it comes to their oral hygiene. Maybe they are into electric toothbrushes or they want the blue one. Whatever their choice they are more likely to be a willing participant in tooth brushing if they are excited about their toothbrush.
Picking The Right Toothpaste
My daughter HATED having her teeth brushed. When I finally got around to asking her why she said that the toothpaste was too hot. Huh? I had no idea that was what the fuss was all about. So we tried a sample tube of the sparkly blue stuff from the dentist office and she was happy as could be. Problem solved.
Listen To A Song
Try tempting your kids with the chance to listen to their favorite song while brushing. Or maybe you have a special song just for teething brushing time. Listening to music can not only be a motivating reason to scrub those pearly whites but it can also help them brush longer by having them brush during the ENTIRE song. Depending on your song that could be some serious teeth brushing.
Move and Brush
Considering having the kids exercise while brushing their teeth. You can do squats or lunges while you brush. Or if they are already listening to music they could bust out some leg and one arm (because the other arm is needed for brushing) dance moves. Maybe even a little hokey pokey action. Whatever will help them be excited to brush their teeth.
Flossing
Don’t forget about flossing! How’s that saying go…”You don’t have to floss all your teeth, just the ones you want to keep”. Flossing is a tough one at our house and what I’ve learned is that if its not convenient they won’t do it. For us convenient means having a flossing tool that can get the job done quickly. Flossing can even be done while watching TV or listening to a story. Here are a couple of flossers that have worked for my family.
Keep Everything In One Place
It’s way more fun to brush when all your supplies are easily accessible. Plus it gives your kids and excuse to be organized and put their oral hygiene stuff back where it belongs once they finish. Whether they have a special spot in a drawer or a container on the counter having things organized is a trick to help your kids get their teeth brushed.
Be The Example
No better way to teach than by example. Be sure the kids are seeing you brush AND floss your own teeth each morning and night. Even better, brush your teeth at the same time as them. You can all jam out to a song together or do your squats together as you brush your teeth. This is the most motivating factor for my daughter. She is most willing to brush her teeth if I am brushing right beside her.
We all want our kids to have clean and sparkly teeth (and good breath). Yet sometimes it’s tricky to get them on board. Try some of these tricks to help your kids brush their teeth and hopefully they will be more willing participants in the future.
