1 year old refuses to let me brush his teeth. What now?

allthingsblue

Wed, Nov 04 2015, 7:42 pm

my 1 and a half year old son refuses to let me brush his teeth. He doesn't mind doing it on his own (without any toothpaste- he doesn't like the taste of toothpaste) but of course he does a very poor job. What should I do???

justforfun87

Wed, Nov 04 2015, 7:50 pm

You hold him down and brush them. Get your husband to help. My first son is about to go under general anesthesia at 3.5 because we barely brushed his teeth. Thousands of dollars in dental care. You better believe I now hold both the 1yr and 3yr old down to get the job done.

The Happy Wife

Wed, Nov 04 2015, 7:53 pm

allthingsblue wrote:

Try different toothpaste. Hold him down if you have to. Let him have a turn brushing if he wants, but make sure you do it as well.

perquacky

Wed, Nov 04 2015, 8:01 pm

Get your child a chewable toothbrush like the brushbaby. Use non-fluoride toothpaste at that age. No need to hold him down! All four of my kids used it, and they all graduated to regular brushes when they were older.

morah

Wed, Nov 04 2015, 8:54 pm

Take turns. Let him "brush" but tell him that mommy also gets a turn. If he lets you do everything in one turn, great, if not, give him another turn and take another turn however many times till you feel you got a decent brushing in.

allthingsblue

Wed, Nov 04 2015, 9:11 pm

morah wrote:

He doesn't understand that.

busydev

Wed, Nov 04 2015, 9:27 pm

do you brush your teeth in front of him? I find kids LOVE to do what they see their parents do. maybe even let him take a turn brushing your teeth. Now its mommy's turn, now its DS's turn, now its mommys turn again" to get him used to the words and the concept. then try with his.

I would slowly work up to fully brushing his teeth, first let him chew it or whatever and then give yo a turn for literally 5 seconds and then back to him. each day stretch it and slowly try to get more time and more teeth into the process. can also pass turns back and forth a few times. teach him about turns. when he knows he will get a turn again after and tomorrow he may get better about letting you have a turn.

hatzlocha

morah

Wed, Nov 04 2015, 9:37 pm

allthingsblue wrote:

He doesn't understand that.

Teach him the concept of taking turns. This is about the age they learn. You can do that with other things too- eating, playing etc.

amother

Gray

Wed, Nov 04 2015, 10:14 pm

Thanks for the ideas.I have been having the same issue. I let my DS brush my teeth at the same time and it worked for a little bit! Then I held DS down but that was not working. He can hold his mouth closed REALLY well.
I tried to teach turn taking but he doesn't let me get anywhere close to his mouth with a toothbrush... At least when he was "brushing" my teeth he giggled so I got it in there!

justforfun87

Wed, Nov 04 2015, 11:11 pm

I know that they can hold their mouth tight. The dentist told me I could use back of one toothbrush to pry mouth open and then brush. Again, you probably need two people for this.

June

Thu, Nov 05 2015, 3:51 am

Seriously? Hold your kid down to brush his teeth? I feel that is so extreme... and what kind of attitude will he have towards brushing his teeth when he's older?

Before dd's bedtime I brush my teeth and she "brushes" hers, and then I let her "brush" my teeth and I try to brush hers. She often doesn't let, and I don't make a huge deal out of it. She only has 8 teeth and doesn't really eat sugar. She drinks water before bed. I'm not about to turn tooth brushing into a huge fight (see my thread about power struggles) when she's only 16 months.

momaleh

Thu, Nov 05 2015, 5:36 am

My general tactic when this comes up is to explain very calmly that if we don't brush, the teeth will get black and have holes and fall out, and he won't have teeth anymore, but it's his choice if he wants that. we go through it thoroughly, and sometimes it takes a few minutes of going back to bed and then changing his mind and going back to brush. It works 95% of the time, so once in a while they'll go without brushing, but no power struggles and mostly successes.

justforfun87

Thu, Nov 05 2015, 6:03 am

June wrote:

While I agree with you that it is not enjoyable to hold down a child what other options do we have? He has 6 cavities and needs a crown. I elected to have it all done under GA in one shot as oppose to "holding him down" for hours at the dentist. He doesn't cry when we hold him down more giggling while protesting. We don't always need to hold him down as bribing usually works.

FranticFrummie

Thu, Nov 05 2015, 6:07 am

June wrote:

THANK YOU! I would hold down and force for medicine, but never for brushing. You need to get creative and find ways to make it a game, do social stories, get books for toddlers about brushing, etc.

Try Tom's of Maine toothpastes for kids. The flavors are great, and it's OK if he swallows some. Right now, the important thing is to get SOME toothpaste in there, and to help him get used to the oral/motor control thing. He may have sensory problems with the toothbrush, and he needs to be able to stay in control of the feeling in his mouth.

imasinger

Thu, Nov 05 2015, 9:07 am

At one end of the spectrum, we have a child whose teeth have not been brushed at all in 3.5 years. At the other end might be forcible holding down and brushing of a 1 year old, which I find both psychologically problematic/bordering on abuse, and impractical.

In the middle lies sanity. Most of the time, for under 2.5 or 3, wiping teeth with a soft cloth or letting a child chew on a toothbrush, and then you take a few swipes is plenty. Ask your local pediatric dentist, but here is some sensible advice:

http://www.whattoexpect.com/to......aspx

Use songs, games, prizes for cooperation. Force is never the way to go. Not only does it create nightmares for the kid, it isn't very effective.