How To Encourage Your Toddler To Brush Their Teeth and When To Start
Oral care is important in the overall health of toddlers. From regular dental visits to proper diet, several factors will contribute to ensuring healthy teeth and mouth. Among others, however, one of the most important is proper brushing.
As most parents would find relatable, asking toddlers to brush their teeth is often a struggle. Many times, it is an exercise in futility. Patience is a virtue. Read on and learn from some of the tips that we’ll share in this article. Here are 8 ways to encourage toddlers to brush…
Set an Example
As parents, we serve as role models to our children, even when it comes to teeth brushing. If you do it regularly, they will understand why they should be brushing their teeth as well. Practice what you preach, and there is a high likelihood that toddlers will pick up your habit and bring it with them as they grow older.
Do It With Them
Speaking of setting an example, it’s also best if you brush your teeth with them. This is not only a form of encouragement but also an opportunity for you to teach them the right way of brushing their teeth. Toddlers do not have the fine motor skills to brush their teeth, so you must be there with them to do it.
Use an Electric Toothbrush
When they’re young, a manual toothbrush is the best option. However, when toddlers reach three years old, an electric toothbrush will be beneficial to children. Many children are too lazy to brush their teeth, so introducing an electric tool to make the task easier might convince reluctant brushers to engage in a regular oral care routine.
Give Them the Right Toothbrush
The right toothbrush is also a must-have. Choose one with kid-friendly colours and characters, preferably something that they can easily recognize from books they are reading or videos they are watching. Pay attention as well to the size of the head, which should be small enough to fit their small mouths while being comfortable. If they’re starting to brush on their own, a small handle and good grip are also essential, so they can hold the toothbrush properly. You can also use a toothbrush that lights up to make it entertaining.
Use the Right Toothpaste
Aside from the right toothbrush, the right toothpaste is equally important. As soon as they turn two years old, they can already start using toothpaste with fluoride, which will help in strengthening the enamel of their tooth. Nonetheless, be careful as too much fluoride can also be bad for their oral health. Having kid-friendly flavours won’t hurt as well, but make sure that there are no chemicals used for giving the toothpaste a pleasant taste. If they like the flavour, they will often look forward to the time to brush their teeth.
Play Music
Make brushing more interesting by adding music to the routine. One of the best ways to do this is to play your child’s favourite music when it is time to brush. The tune can make them energetic instead of bored. Playing toothbrushing songs will make toddlers look forward to the time to brush their teeth. Alternatively, you can also use a musical toothbrush, which will add fun to the activity.
Use incentives
Using praise and rewards will help in encouraging good behaviour among children, including brushing. Make a rewards chart indicating things that children will get for doing something in the house. You can also use a points system. Rewards don’t always have to be tangible. It can also be as simple as words of praise.
Practise Through Play
Most toddlers hate brushing because they see it as a tedious task. They also consider it boring. With such, one of the best ways to make it fun is to practise brushing through play. During pretend play, have toys that look like a toothbrush and teach them how to use them properly. However, unless it is clean, they should never put the toy in their mouth. You can also make a model mouth and use it to show toddlers the right way to brush. Another thing that you can do is to use their favourite stuffed toys and let them brush their teeth.
When to Start Brushing
While there is no official definition of toddlerhood, it is often from one to four years old. However, you should not wait for a kid to turn one before the introduction of brushing. The general recommendation is to start brushing as soon as the first tooth erupts, which often happens in the sixth month. At age two to three years old, you can start encouraging toddlers to brush their teeth by themselves. Teach them the right way of brushing so they can pick the habit growing up. Meanwhile, at six to eight years old, most children will already have fine motor skills and they can fully brush their teeth without help from parents.
Written by Dentaly