Brushing teeth is one of the most important and healthy habits that parents can instill in their children. It sometimes is a struggle and sometimes seems just impossible to make your child brush without any tantrums. But we can make it fun and exciting for them so that they voluntarily ask you to brush their teeth leaving behind all the drama.
So let’s look into 10 ways you can help your toddler get in the habit of brushing their teeth regularly.
1. Start Early
Brushing of babies’ teeth, according to the American Dental Association should start as soon as the baby’s first tooth erupts in the mouth. Cleaning of the baby’s gum pads and tongue should start after birth after the baby takes the feed. This helps in developing a habit and the baby gets used to it the way we carry out the other routine activities like taking a bath or combing our hair. So, the earlier we start the better it is. A silicone finger brush can be used initially and later can be shifted to a normal kid’s age-appropriate toothbrush.
2. Make brushing a game
Kids do not understand the importance of brushing, so they will find it boring and something they will not want to do. Make it a game. Make a story about the sugar monsters that might come and attack the teeth if we do not brush them away using our sword i.e. our toothbrush and toothpaste and drive them away and not let them eat off our tooth which is a prince or the princess. Let them get involved in the story and make it more interesting, by making some “dishum dishum” sounds. they will love it, laugh along with you, and will be ready to brush twice a day as you want.
3. Let them brush your teeth
Let them brush your teeth. It might get a little messy, but they will enjoy it and then at least let you brush their teeth in return. They will understand that brushing is important not only for them, but even for you, and might not take it as a punishment or something that they have been forced to do. It will give them a sense of satisfaction.
4. Make it a family time
A family that brushes together stays together. Make it family time. It will help in spending more time together, along with forming a good habit for your child and also letting your child know how important it is to brush his or her teeth to stay healthy. They might be looking forward to this time of the day.
5. Let them choose their own toothbrush
The tools should be right. Let them choose their brush. Take them shopping and show them all the colors and designs of the brush they can choose from. But make sure the size of the brush is age appropriate to provide a proper cleaning of the teeth and other parts of the oral cavity.
6. Sing to your baby while brushing
You can sing to your baby while brushing to make the experience more interesting and playful. You can sing any song your child likes, or any brushing song, or for that matter just make up a song and sing and keep it for just the brushing time. This will make the baby again more interested in brushing. I just sang “zum zum zum, zum zum zum” to my baby when she was a year old and she was caught up in that alone.
7. Set a good example infront of your child
Parents should set a good example of brushing their teeth twice a day daily, in front of their children so that they understand it is something they should never miss. Make it a point that your child is aware that you are following the routine without skipping a day.
8. Pretend play Dentist
Pretend to play dentist with your child. This will first let them know who dentists are and secondly, they will understand why we need to go to a dentist. Tell them besides the routine dental visit a dentist will help fill any cavities that there might be in the teeth. Also, make them understand that cavities will occur in case we do not brush our teeth properly.
9. Toothpaste is important
The toothpaste you are using is important. Maybe the child is not liking the taste of the toothpaste you are using, so, try changing the toothpaste, but make sure it is a kid’s age-appropriate toothpaste.
Another reason can be that you are using the wrong amount of toothpaste and your child is finding it difficult to brush with it. The right amount of toothpaste to be used is a grain size for a kid younger than the age of 3 years and a pea size for a kid above the age of 3 years.
10. Give them rewards
Let them enjoy some incentives. This will make it more fun for them. Make a chart week wise and you can put a surprise sticker on it whenever they brush. and once the chart is full, you can give them a bigger gift like a toy at the end of the month. Remember not to give rewards like candies or chocolates as they are cariogenic and should be avoided.
Making your child agree to something that he or she doesn’t like is a trick. We as parents need to find out which technique works the best for our kids. According to my personal experience, the best thing that works for developing habits like brushing, potty training, or anything for that matter is starting early. The earlier we start the better the kid accepts it, that it is a routine and nothing that is forced on them. It is taken as something very normal like drinking milk when hungry. But as a parent, it is you who needs to decide how to get your child into the habit.
Frequently Asked Questions FAQ’s
Q1: What the best time for brushing teeth for children’s?
You can brush the teeth of your children in the morning and at the night. If possible you can do brushing of your kid’s teeth even after meals. This will protect the teeth of your kid.
Q2: My 2 year old son doesn’t like to brush. How do I keep his teeth clean?
You can try all the above-mentioned techniques to get your kid to like to do the brushing. As brushing is the main way to keep your teeth clean, especially for kids.
Happy Parenting!
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10 Exiting ways…. very excited to know , how we can trained a child to know the art of brushing.. It becomes a fun and a good habit.
Keep guiding
All the best 👍
An extensive and highly informative write-up on brushing.It will go a long way to teach young parents how they should take care of brushing of teeth by their kids.