How to brush toddlers teeth?

My daughter is 2 and she has recently got caps on her front teeth due to tooth decay because she was on a bottle too long. I got her off the bottle. Reduced the amount of milk and sugary drinks (juice) I just need tips on how to get her to brush her teeth more. I try to help her and she fights me, she screams and throws her head back, she spits the toothpaste out. She HATES brushing . I have tried brushing my own teeth with her to show her how to do it, but she still won’t brush her teeth. It’s really frustrating. I need help. How do you mom’s get your kids (specifically toddlers) to brush their teeth correctly ? Thank you

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Honestly at that age… I held my kids down to brush their teeth and tickled them…
my kids are 9&7 no cavities ever

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I use the ‘hello’ brand without fluoride and it’s watermelon flavored. my toddler who is almost 2 loves it. It is kind of a struggle and sometimes I have to hold him down to do it but sometimes he loves it. I also let him take the brush and do it himself afterwards :blush:

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Having very similar issues. Have you tried training toothpaste with a favorite character on it? It some times helps me. My older 3 where never this hard.

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Buy tooth brushes that play music.

I ordered a 3 sided tooth brush and i have to hold my 3 year old down to brush his teeth sometimes.

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My daughter had caps on her front teeth she hated brushing. The dentist told me to sit on her if I had to to get them brushed. She is almost 8 and not 1 cavity since then

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I got bubble gum flavored tooth paste. I also practically held them down. If you get into a schedule and do it the same time every day it helps.

My daughter likes to sing songs while we do stuff like teeth brushing & hand washing . Keep letting her do it with you & then going over it and “letting mamma help” while singing lol. & Also the force if they’re unwilling. But the nice fun approaches first you know?

It’s a learned behavior. We did it before her teeth even came in and she used to just chew on toothbrushes while teething. At this point you might have to just pin her and do it until she gets it. It has to be done

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My husband and I have told hold our daughter down to brush. It’s hard. My son has caps too. We had the toughest time brushing his teeth. Held him down as well.

My daughter was like that until I got one of those singing light up ones, she loved it. Make sure you’re also buying toothpaste that isn’t minty.

Whatever you do, don’t let people tell you not to use fluoride toothpaste. The AAP and dentists recommend using a rice-sized bit of children’s toothpaste WITH fluoride. The stuff without fluoride isn’t doing much good, it’s pointless.

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I had to buy tooth brushes that had characters on it to help my boy to want to brush his teeth.

When did u start brushing her teeth? I literally started when mine got her first tooth and she loves brushing her teeth espscially with me in the mormings. Maybe make it a fun activity, add music to the morning routine or something.

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I give her the toothbrush and let her do it herself while I brush mine. Then I say mommy’s turn and brush them. Use non floride flavored toothpaste. Mine really likes her electric brush. Cheap kid ones at Walmart

Both of my daughters had to get caps and, honestly, at that age it’s a trip getting them to brush their teeth. I used to just let them kinda chew on the brush to get used to it. Try the training toothpaste with their favorite character and just be persistent. It’s gonna be tough but she’ll get used to it.

I just has to hold my kids down. It’s not fun, but brushing their teeth is important. Once they finally figured out it was going to be done no matter what, it did get a bit easier

We started brushing my daughters gums at 6 months (recommended by her dentist, insurance made us go at 6 months, now every 6 months or they kick us off). But now she’s almost 2 and she thinks its awesome to brush her teeth. Whenever she started getting teeth I made a game out of it and now she knows when she wakes up she gets her teeth brushed, and then when she takes a bath right before bed she gets her teeth brushed. Also we use fluoride free and organic toothpaste because fluoride is pointless at this age and it seems everytime she had fluoride (at the dentist) she gets puky afterward. Picture is a few days ago I gave her a Batman cookie that had colored icing :joy:

I make dinosaur growls and monster faces when I brush my daughters teeth

I got mine an electric toothbrush! They love it and brush well with it.

Make it a game, sing a song with it, Elmo and other characters have videos about brushing your teeth on you tube kids. That’s what I’ve done with my son and he’s 3 1/2 with no cavities or decay.

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I bought my youngest 2 battery operated toothbrushes with their favorite characters on them. They actually will brush now. I let them play brush their teeth for about 5 min. then I take the toothbrush and go over them and they let me. They like the vibration of it and as long as it’s in their mouth it’s actually brushing something.

We started with a headlock until he was compliant :joy::joy::joy:

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Sorry but not one time did I go through this with my two oldest son’s I started brushing their teeth at a young age so they got used to their teeth being brushed.

We use a special toothbrushing song on youtube, he absolutely loves the song and only gets to watch that video when its time to brush. Most times we get it done without issues

I brush my sons teeth for him. We got a little electric one and he thinks the vibration feels super cool, then when we are done I give it to him and let him
Do it himself. But if your kid is having teeth problems it sounds like you definitely need to do it for her and make sure it’s done properly until she can do it herself. Just keep teaching.

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I always let them do it first and than do it after. My youngest was awful and we had to hold him down to do it.

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Bubble gum flavor tooth past

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I let my kids pick their own toothbrushes. Got bubble gum flavored kids toothpaste, and got flossers instead of floss… oh and bubblegum mouthwash, lol. . A sticker on their chart every time they brush. . Every week of brushing, they get to pick a special treat. .

Normally blue berries or something. .

After a few months, no more need for stickers, now they just know Fridays means a treat. . And they do it. .

But what sucks is my 5 yr old and 10.5 yr old daughters have had extensive dental work. My older daughter, with brushing and flossing daily got cavities between her teeth (which is what caused the switch to flossers, with regular floss she wasn’t getting it good enough) and my 5 yr old has an extra tooth. . So it destroyed other teeth coming in. . But had a tooth removed and others are being watched

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What kind of toothpaste are you using … try getting a different flavor and let her pick her toothbrush

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At this point it’s probably too late to make it fun. I recommend sitting on the floor, her head in your lap, your legs holding her down. Itll get easier over time. Make sure your using the right amount of childrens fluoride toothpaste. It is recommended by dentists. And that her toothbrush is soft. This is the age we got recommended to start flossing, and we just buy kids floss sticks, they are easiest.

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musical tooth brush, brush with her show her how it is done my kids also had a sand glass that the dentist gave them that the brushed until the sand ran out.

Bed time bottles, by lazy mothers…good luck my oldest had all his teeth silver because of this and his mother was told ahead of time… congratulations you got you asked for. Better luck next time… As for teeth brushing you actually have to make it fun and be right there and help…

They have pretty cool toothbrushes these days. Some that sing. Some that light up. Give that a try?

You do it for them. No matter how much they kick and scream…who s in charge at your house?

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literally i look up a song on youtube about brushing your teeth and shes like jammin in the mirror standing on the countertops!!:joy::heart:

Try a different toothpaste my son hates mint flavored because its “too spicy” :joy:

Sometimes electric toothbrushes help. Take her to pick out one they’ll like, and to choose the toothpaste sometimes that works.

Let her pick out her own tooth brush, make a song about it. I always sing the same song with my daughter while brushing and she eventually loved it. She hated brushing and still has bouts where she will scream that she hates the toothpaste but we push through. She’s three.

Our song “you gotta brush, brush, gotta scrub-a-dub-dub all the sugar bugs! Sugar bugs!”

Children should have their teeth brushed for them until at least age 6. My son is 8 and still has me come behind him to make sure he got everywhere. But how to get them to let you do it? So hard!!! Had to hold my son down at first (not fun) and had to scare my daughter with cavity stories. Neither is a great solution and I’m not proud, but now both are very willing brushers at 8 and 5.

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I found it’s easier with my 2 year old to lay him down on the bed or couch and brush with his head on blankets. Sometimes with a snuggle with a struggle but he gets used to it. Also went through 5 toothpastes before I found one hes ok with

My daughter was on a bottle until she was 3 and never had any tooth decay problems. We started brushing her “teeth” well before she even had any teeth.

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I think it’s Colgate that has it but one of the big tooth companies has an app for kids with videos and games for brushing. We also got tooth brushes that light up and change colors as you go in fave character.

We do it in the bath everynight. My two yr fights me too. But shes gonna get her teeth brushed regardless lol.

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I know this isnt helpful now, but could be in the future. Start brushing their teeth when they are small. As soon as they get teeth. I’ll brush my sons, then let him sit and “play brushing” his own for a moment or two. Start the dentist trips as soon as 6months old. I took him at 1 year. If they grow up liking and knowing to do it, they are less likely to fight you later because they grew up with it being a daily part of their life

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Never had an issue with my little not wanting to brush, she just doesn’t want to stop once shes started. But we started brushing when she started teething cause it felt good on her gums.

You just have to do it for them. I know it’s frustrating. They won’t do a good job if they hate it.

My yougest are 4 I brush their teeth they like to though. So I let them brush after

My nephews had that problem when they were 2 Until I told them that if they dont brush there teeth, then the aunts will crawl in there mouth because there hungry for the left over food in there teeth. They started brushing there teeth. It worked like a charm there 5 now and havnt had a problem sence

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Get her to pick her own toothbrush and make a big fuss when she lets you do it, I used to have to sit on my toddler to do her teeth but now she lets us do it in the mirror

Your toddler also shouldn’t be the one doing it you should be doing it for her, they are too young

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You hold her down & brush them. She may not want u to bit u do it anyways.

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My son had like 7 different toothbrushes and all the different flavors of toothpaste and hated it. I seriously had to hold him down at bedtime to scrub them. But you just have to talk it up he still fights it sometimes but I talk nicely about it not like demand he has to do it.

My daughter used to hate to brush her teeth I found a lot of teeth brushing videos on the internet for her :slightly_smiling_face: and kept at it every day and now she loves it

Do it in the middle of the day, and reward them if they do it, not with candy or treats, but if there is something they want to play with, or do, have them brush their teeth first, and hen they get the reward

It is more of getting them in the habit of brushing their teeth at that age. If they don’t do a well enough job them it’s good to brush their teeth for them after they do it. For this let her hold a handheld mirror while you brush them. Makes it more fun for her!

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Shes 2… You brush her teeth for her

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My Son had Sencetive Teeth and it hurt his gums and teeth fry using some kind of numbing tooth paste.

I let him brush his own teeth and go over them once he’s done. Then again, I started brushing his teeth at 4 months so it’s never been an issue.

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You could try this. I used it with my girls they can walk around with it

Honestly I used a washcloth for the first 2 years :woman_shrugging: letting them play with a toothbrush in the tub helps. That late is hard, you do have to start young and show them the habit.

The mouth wash that turns their teeth blue and they have to brush to get it all of, musical/light up toothbrush, the decorate your own toothbrush. Let her pick out her own stuff with her favorite character on it. Play her favorite song while she brushes until it’s over or let her watch a video or cartoon. Start a sticker chart. With my kids if they don’t brush at night for their grandma (I’m at work) they loose all electronics the next day. You could take her favorite toy til she brushes. Or just hold her down and let her scream befits something that needs to be done regardless of her liking it

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Wrap a towel around her arms if she starts to fight. I did that with my 2 year old and now brushing his teeth is as peaceful as it is playful. If he gets fussy I hold the towel and he calms down and lets me finish :blush::blush::blush::blush::blush:

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Barney has a teeth brushing song. You can look it up on you tube. Sing along with the song while brushing your child’s teeth, and let them watch the video. :slight_smile:

Just keep at it maybe let her pick out her own brush n toothpaste on YouTube they have the Elmo brush your teeth song or daniel tiger goes to the dentist but dont stress mama at this age it more about getting them in the habit it doesn’t have to be perfect once she hets used to it you can let her do it then go in after n touch it up yourself

Get the bubble gum tooth paste and let her try it then put it on her tooth brush

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Honestly, if she willingly eats fruits I’d cut juice out completely. If she loves juice, dilute it and maybe say she can’t have it unless she brushes her teeth like she needs to.

Take her to the store and let her pick out her own toothpaste and toothbrush and tell her now you can use them on your teeth tonight and cheer and be happy about it!

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Brush, brush, brush your teeth each and every day, up and down, all around brush decay away!!! (sing it)

My sons pretty good about his teeth being brushed but have you tried the finger glove toothbrushes?

Have her brush your teeth while you brush hers?

I still sit and hold my four years arms to get it done doesn’t matter if a sing play a game nothing but it’s gotta get done

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My sons sensory therapist said to use or have one for them to play with is a electric tooth brush. She may hate the sensory of the brush so maybe vibration will help

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I’m a dental hygienist!
Children do not have the dexterity to properly brush until they can tie their own shoes. I have to sit on my 2 year old and brush his teeth, he’ll scream but at least I can see.
Any flavor toothpaste is fine but it needs to have fluoride.

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I have my girls (1 1/2 and 2 1/2) brush at the same time as me and they copy me…I also say let mommy tickle your teeth and they laugh which makes it easier to brush and then I tell them show me how sparkly they are and then I make a big deal about it and show them in the mirror.

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Following. Dealing with the exact same thing with my 2 year old. She hates having her teeth brushed and flips shit. Her front teeth are awful and when she’s mad she bites anything she can so that adds to it😭

I make a game out of it but he loves toothbrushes lol

We used coconut oil to brush our little ones teeth, they hated minty and bubblegum toothpaste.

Make it fun let her pick out her tooth brush. My son loves the ones that light up like a stop light, which doubles as a timer.

Take her shopping for both a new tooth brush and tooth paste and let her look at all the cartoon ones and make a big deal out of it m

Try just brushing them with water. Then after a few days put a small amount of toddler toothpaste on his brush. If he fusses you might have to just restrain him. I’m sure you’ve tried making it fun and that’s not working? I know it’s a struggle. I’ve been battling it with my 3yr old.

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Cute kids Electric toothbrush from coles $8 saves alot of tantrums :slight_smile: and bubblegum toothpaste. Pop some music on for her and brush together

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No brush. Then no sugar, no treats, no snacks because she refuses to brush. She’s smart enough to give in and brush when all that is taken away. You can not give in, in any way or form.

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Get the bubble gum non fluoride toothpaste. It tastes like candy to them and it won’t harm them if it’s swallowed.

https://youtu.be/JyeqhJqHQlA this song has been a LIFE saver! However it’s in Korean (were attempting to get her to learn Korean along side English) but I’m pretty sure pink fong has a version in English

I never thought this would be such a hassle but i’m struggling with that too. Mine just wants to suck the training toothpaste off so I got kid electric toothbrush its pj mask. I let him brush them and then after I encourage him to brush while I’m brushing and show him what I do I pick him up put him on changing table and use kid toothpaste with flouride hold jaw while do quick brush with electric toothbrush. Afterwards I say see not that bad. If you would just let mommy help some I wouldn’t have to hold you still. Eventually it worked with my older one. He does great and let’s mommy do a quick brush at the end with no fuss. Just dont let it stress you out too much a quick brush is better than nothing.

Try one of those tooth brushes that has the flashing lights or an electric one. My 2 yo granddaughter loves using her electric toothbrush

I just let my daughter play with her toothbrush and from then on she loves to brush her teeth

I let my son brush my teeth while I brushed his, It was messy but it worked well

My son was the same it was like hog tien him town in my lap to brush. He turn 3 went to school then he started brushing them. He had to have the timer like they used at school but that wasnt a big deal to buy. Dr said as long as i try not to force him to get them brush as that will just make it worse

I have to hold my daughter down and brush her teeth. She will be 3 tomorrow. She has always hated it. She has zero cavities though :woman_shrugging:t3:

My 2yr old doesn’t mind it and usually lets me brush & floss his teeth, but I got him a fun lightsaber tooth brush that makes noises and counts down for 2 minutes so enjoys it. And once a week I dip his tooth brush in kids mouth wash and brush, and scrub the back of his teeth. It really helps to get in there and our dentist told us to. On days when they arent having it you just have to lay them down and try to distract their hands and brush

I have her brush her teeth first (usually while I brush mine and she try’s to copy) and then I brush them after. I’m lucky because she loves to brush her teeth. She doesn’t like when I do it but has learn to except it. The hard part is brushing her tongue.

Start from a young age and its not a fight or need caps

I started brushing my daughter when she was one and let her brush them too. I brush first, then it’s her turn, or if she’s fighting me, she goes first and I do a quick brush to get her molars. She likes to brush, she thinks she helping mommy because I say it every time I brush her teeth then give her the toothbrush to brush. I’ve heard of ppl pretending there are cartoon characters hiding behind each tooth and they were brushing them away, like a game, or a song and dance. A cool toothbrush might help, let your kid pick the one they want, or an electric toothbrush. Also, they make kids mouthwash that turns colors of the teeth aren’t brushed well enough, that might encourage your child to brush.

I know it sounds awful but I lay my 2yo with his head in my lap and his feet away from me and I just let him scream while I brush. Funny thing is he will let me floss his teeth though. But he is gonna have to have caps put on his front teeth as well due to nursing to go to sleep. :disappointed::disappointed: My older 2 who are now 9 and 11 used to be the same way and I done them the same way and now they are fine and brush and floss like they are supposed to and so far have really good teeth. :heart:

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Organic strawberry toothpaste. :wink:

I have been letting my kids experiment with toothbrushes since they got their first tooth. As long as i watched them to make sure they never hurt themselves i was ok with them learning about it. They grew up with them so its not a big deal. There are specialty toothbrushes that do some odd things that might appeal to a small child. Maybe try different flavors of toothpaste to figure out what is ok with them? My kids arent that picky so I’m not sure what is out there.

I have a 2 year old granddaughter who thinks she is supposed to brush her teeth Everytime she goes to pee she also washes her hand. Bout drive me crazy last weekend

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From the time she was able to hold things I made “be responsible” a game. So every night I brush her teeth then let her do it “the 'sponsible” way herself. She feels like a big girl and gets to brush good and rinse and put away her own brush. She gets a kick out of it. She also loves to clean and organize and “help” with cooking and laundry (aka make a big mess but feel like she’s helping lol) she’s 17months old… Try that?