Get your child to brush their teeth every time with these 3 tricks
Introduction
I have three children a 20-year-old, 3-year-old, and 1 year old, when it comes to brushing our 3-year-olds teeth it was a nightmare, struggling as a parent to find a solution I tried to put myself in the mind of my daughter, what was going through her head when it came to brushing her teeth?
She was probably overtired, did not like the taste of the toothpaste, and certainly did not want to be told what to do, after all, she was a big girl now.
Looking for suggestions
Speaking to other parents they each had their own ideas, one told me that she simply held her child down and forced them to brush their teeth, I passed on that one, it is not something I would have felt comfortable with.
Another said he just brushed them twice in the morning, again, I felt this would not be right for my daughter and rather a waste of time, this was almost giving in, this was very important to look after my daughter’s oral health and brushing before bed was the most important time.
A third suggestion was to punish her with the naughty spot, however I felt this would have a negative impact and I just did not want to make teeth brushing a poor experience, with shouting or tears.
What I was looking for
I really wanted teeth brushing time to be a positive experience, and did not want to punish my daughter for refusing to do it, however I know with children they need routine and if I did not sort this dilemma out soon it would only get worse.
I wanted to dangle a carrot and not use a stick, as the saying goes, ideally, I wanted my daughter to have lots of fun and enjoyment, yes even when brushing her teeth, I want to make everything fun, as I am still a kid at heart.
Being very conscious that my one-year-old will pick up very quickly on the situation, for a short while we brushed their teeth at separate times, this worked out fine, however as the days turned into weeks, both my wife and I were getting very frustrated.
Some failed processes we tried
We tried to use a phone; my daughter loves a character called “Blippi” despite his annoying voice, this did help for a few days, however she would just end up watch the video rather than actually brushing, at least the toothbrush was in her mouth. Result…well kind of!
I brushed my teeth at the same time, however this resulting in her trying to “beat me” so the time spent brushing got shorter and shorter, so it ended up being pointless even starting the exercise.
We tried brushing each other’s teeth, this proved to be quite funny, however the toothpaste ended up all over of faces and not on our teeth. Progress was being made through and also starting to become fun, maybe this was a step forward.
My 3 ticks you should try
I will start by saying I still use all three of the tricks, my daughter gets to choose which option she would like to do each night, so this also give her decision-making powers and a thought process.
My first trick was to use and egg timer.
My daughter found this fascinating, not only did she brush her teeth whilst watching it, but very often she asked for another two minutes of brushing so she could continue to watch the sand drop down through to the other side. This almost became a reward and something she looked forward too, this cost me pennies to buy and it was so worth it for the results it has produced.
My second trick was Duggee
One of her favourite TV shows is Duggee on Cbeebies, he has a tooth brushing song, I simply put it on my phone and she copies his actions every time. This is again something she finds fun and never argues, however sometimes she also dances and this can lead to a messy face at times.
My third and probably best trick — A chart
My daughter gets to put a sticker on her wall chart for every two-minute brush she completes with no phone and no egg timer, I feel this gives her less distraction and more focused brushing.
What is the catch I guess you’re wondering, because this seems very boring, so why would she choose this option?
Well for every 14 stickers she collects, we give her a trip to the shops where she can buy a present costing £5 or less, on a few occasions, she has simply asked for a new toothbrush, what a result that is.
I hope you found these tricks useful, please let me know how you get on with them.
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Written by Robert Ralph
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