As a parent, you have to pick your battles.
Blue socks or red. TV or no TV. Homework now or later.
But when it comes to caring for your children’s teeth, there is only one answer. You have to win the war.
If getting your toddler or preschooler to brush their teeth is a nightly struggle and mere persuasion fails, you have to get creative. It’s often trial and error, but here are some tips to get some arsenal in your corner:
1. Recruit Dora
Or Disney, or Pixar or Spongebob. Find a toothbrush (or let them pick it out) with a character your child gets excited about and build up the hype. And I mean LOTS of ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’.
Or what about a brush that plays music? I am sure Justin Bieber or Selena Gomez would love to help your kids improve their oral hygiene!
Better yet, a childs’ electric toothbrush. If mommy and daddy use one, your kid’s not going to want to be left out.
(Remember, if you let your child brush first make sure you get a turn to brush right after them to ensure a thorough brushing)
2. There’s an App for that!
As we all know too well there is no shortage on Apps that help with everything from grocery lists to finding the cheapest gas stations. So don’t be surprised that there are Apps available to help you and your child not just remember to brush but also helps make it fun!
My favorite so far:
BrushDJ, available for idevices & androids this App uses music already stored in your device and times brushing for 2 minutes. It also allows you to set reminders to change your toothbrush, or make an appointment with your dental hygienist. Best of all it’s FREE.
3.Go to YouTube
There are a plethora of videos out that that are both educational and entertaining. Just go to youtube and type in “toothbrush songs for children” you will be surprised the options available. To get you started I have selected a few that I find especially catchy:
So far my all-time fave brushing PSA on youtube that I have come across is:
These are just a few tips to get you started. Every child is different and will respond to different things. It may take many attempts and you will probably have to get very creative, until you succeed. All your efforts will be worth the end result – a good habit built early one that serves your children for a lifetime. That’s a victory for both sides.
Let us know of any tricks that you have found works for you.
Recent Comments