two days. Enjoy.The reason I bring it up is that we are struggling with tooth brushing around here...well, The Dear Sweet Husband and I are doing just fine, but Abner is fighting it every step of the way. Between the two of us, we've tried just about every trick in the book:
Bribing her with TV
This one worked for a little bit. She would sit, mouth wide open and stare at the TV and we'd just brush away. Now she just sits and stares at the TV while sucking on her toothbrush.
Taking turns
This one kind of worked until one day every turn became Abner's turn..."My turn. MY TURN. MYYY TUUUURRRNNN!
Pinning her down
Yes, I will confess, I have pretty much pinned my daughter down just to get at her teeth. Not surprisingly, this idea doesn't work.
Naming her teeth
Her back teeth are named Tee-tee and they want to be brushed. Still didn't get her to do any brushing.
Letting her help brush our teeth
This one shows promise, though may result in some sore gums for us as we let a one-year-old brush our teeth.
Good brushing stickers
I've taped up a piece of paper on the mirror. Every time she does a good job brushing, she gets to choose a sticker and where to put it on the paper. I think this one also shows promise. If not, at least our mirror might look a little flashier!
All I can say is that I am grateful they also do brushing at daycare. At least she has the extra opportunity to clean her teeth. Three crappy brushings in a day must add up to at least one good brushing - don't they?
I'd like to contribute to your list:
ReplyDeleteNo story straight to bed threat
Self explanatory. It rarely, no, never works and is usually followed by holding their bedroom door shut for a bit.
Jam the Jaw
Possibly dangerous for the one doing the brushing
Very successful in combination with Pinning her down. Once she's pinned place a finger behind her teeth so she can't close her mouth or bite your finger. Now that the mouth is open brush away. After 10-15 seconds you can you usually pull out your finger as the mouth stays open to release cries of despair and surrender.
same here - not much works unless the mood is brush-friendly...
ReplyDeletesometimes we do "zoo teeth" - tiger teeth (roar), elephant teeth (appropriate elephant noise) etc, section by section and on occasion the novelty seems to help.
we also tried flashy toothbrushes - the exciting fire truck toothbrush, for one. they work for a bit too, as does interesting toothpaste, for the first day (the next day he just wants to suck it off the toothbrush and ask for more).
good luck! glad to know we're not in the plaque boat alone. ;-)
Yup, a struggle here too. For a while we would sing the "All the Single Babies" (to the tune of Beyonce's All the Single Ladies) and Lexi would sing and open for me to brush but that was short lived. I've tried pinning down and funny faces. Maybe I'll try the stickers too. If you find the magic solution let me know!
ReplyDelete