Spiderman Sneakers

Brushing toddler teeth can be very interesting through the toddler years. Depending on your child it can be either hard or easy. If other parents can relate with our son, it was quite a task. He certainly fell on the "hard side", and hated brushing his teeth. I decided to come up with some different ways on making it fun, and so he could learn good habits at the same time.

Here are just some simple tips that worked for our family. As you know your child is different everyday. Toddlers can be moody. For the most part these tips did work and I did not feel like I ran a race after brushing his teeth. So get on your sneakers and let's start brushing!!!

Items you'll need to start:

1. Toddler Toothbrush. Make sure that it is designed for a toddler and has soft bristles. This is very important for their toddler years. You can purchase these in the infant section of a department store. You can also find these brushes in with the adult section as well.
2. Toddler Toothpaste. Very Important that you purchase Toddler toothpaste and not kids. The Toddler toothpaste does not contain fluoride and is safe to swallow. You can purchase this in the infant section or the toothpaste aisle of any department store.
3. Their own cup. I purchase the Dixie cup disposable cups. You can buy cartoon characters, or any kid friendly kind your child will like. These are also great for sanitary reasons. I think these are great!!.

That was the easy part right?. Now we can get into the fun stuff. Are you ready? Great. Here are the tips that my family and I swear by. These toddler years are great fun!

Tips to help make brushing toddler teeth easier.

• Let your toddler pick out a Character Toothbrush. They'll love it. Spiderman or Barbie. It makes it fun. Let them pick it out themselves. It gets them excited about brushing.
• Let your toddler put the toothpaste on the brush. This is a big deal to a child.They want to be independent and do things on their own. It is okay if they make a little mess it can be cleaned up later, with your help of course.
• Let your Toddler brush their own teeth FIRST. Relax moms, it's okay if they don't brush well. I let my son think he did a great job. Encouragement is vital through these toddler years. Don't worry, parents you will re-brush their teeth later.
• Parent and child can brush their teeth together. What I mean by that is you can brush your teeth while your child does. They see that it's not so bad because mom or dad is brushing with them. Toddlers are always observing and learning. With this tip they watch you and learn at the same time. WOW!

Now here comes the fun part...... Parents brushing their child's teeth. I mean there is no possible way a two year old is going to brush their teeth correctly. You do have to intervene and brush them properly, especially through these toddler years.

Helpful Tips for The Parents

1. Lie your toddler across your lap. Literally have their back going across your lap.
2. Start singing a song. Me and my son have a "tooth brushing song". That is a song sung ONLY while we brush his teeth. So you can pick out a song and sing it only during teeth brushing time. They really will look forward to the song. Trust me, it works.
3. If your toddler won't cooperate then just hold their hands so you can brush. At first, I would tuck his hands under my arm and I was able to brush his teeth. Now, it is no problem and I don't even have to hold him. He just holds his hands down and allows me to brush. If they turn their heads just keep singing your "tooth brushing" song. It will calm them. I would also have him say "cheese". Then he would smile so I could brush.
4. When you are done brushing your their teeth correctly,allow your toddler to brush again by themselves. They can give their teeth the final "follow up" clean.

Trust me, after all these methods your toddler will have clean teeth. It teaches them to follow a routine and to practice good hygiene through these toddler years. It doesn't have to be scary for them to get their teeth brushed. Making it fun, helps you and your child.