Brushing Tips for Babies and Toddler

Growing up with a mother of a dentist, I have learned some things from her work. She has imparted a lot of knowledge on dental care as well as many other ways. One of which is how to brush the teeth of babies or toddler most especially if they are reluctant to do so or would not want to cooperate.

Find a good time to start this. It should be built into the daily routine and always occur at the same point (such as after getting dressed and/or right before bed), but you don't want to be rushed. Give yourself extra time to get ready for awhile, so you're not trying to hurry when you're late for something. That's a recipe for disaster.

Determine whether you need a toothbrush or a washcloth. If there is only a few teeth starting to peep out, you need a damp baby washcloth.(You can use a dry one if that seems to work better. For me, a damp one did.) You will gently rub it over the teeth. Otherwise, you should choose a baby toothbrush

For those just starting out into the new world of toothbrushing, you don't need toothpaste. A little water on the brush or washcloth will be fine. So, it follows that you don't really need to brush over a sink either, just make a quick trip over there prior to the brushing. Go ahead and get your brush or washcloth wet.

Sit down in the chair with the baby. Ideally it should be your nursing, feeding, or reading chair. Somewhere your baby feels very comfortable and good things happen.

Say "We're going to brush our teeth today!" Playfully hold the toothbrush orwashcloth towards the mouth and sing "tickle the teeth!" Open your mouth wide so he will mimic. you.

At this point he may try to bite it. Gently say no and demonstrate on yourself. Hopefully he will let you in at least a little. "I have to count your teeth and I need to do every one!" Then count out loud as you go. Even with a pre speech toddler he may be intrigued enough by your tone and what you are doing to let you do it.

Do a very quick brush the first time. Eventually, you want to use a circular motion with the brush, and get the back, front and bottoms of the teeth. You may not be able to do all this right now, but each time the teeth are brushed you can try a little more until you're there.

For those of you who use gentler methods, you may want to try gradually introducing your baby to brushing day by day. In other words, start brushing and when the crying starts, stop. Attempt each day where it falls in the routine. Never give up, and be firm. Try to go longer and longer before the start of the crying; and incorporate more of the brushing experience each time until one day you have done the whole thing without a single protest. This may work for you. There is a major drawback however. Babies are fairly smart and this may ALSO result in protests that come very quickly once your little one realizes that this strange ritual stops when he starts to cry. So after modest initial success, you may find yourself going backwards. If this method isn't working, and you're getting horrible tantrums everytime your baby spots the toothbrush, it's time to forget the chair; you don't have enough leverage. You need to move to the mat.

Place your baby on the changing mat. It should be on a counter or changing table. Lean over the baby, and use your body to keep her legs and arms down. Stabilize the head with the other arm. The opposite hand should be free to brush. Sing "Wheels on the bus" or some other song she really likes while you brush her teeth. Always keep your movements nurturing and loving and be very calm. Switch songs if she doesn't respond to that one. Recite a nursery rhyme. Tell a story. At some point she should stop crying and pay attention to her very interesting mommy or daddy.

The next day, start in the chair again; singing, tickling, having fun, then out comes the brush or washcloth. If she starts to fuss, ask her if she would like the mat, or would she rather stay in the chair? Point to each and repeat the words. Let her choose, then if she chooses the tantrum, back on the mat. Even babies will get the idea pretty quickly.

Repeat the next day, and the next, and always start out in the preferred place. You should soon see an improvement. After the first few times, I only had to do this on an occasional bad morning. Mine are old enough for the stool, (see tips) and when my girl is running away from me and yelling "No brush!" I ask her "Okay, is it the stool or the mat today? Because if we can't get on the stool, we'll have to do the mat." she always changes her mind and gets on the stool.