Thanks to Dr. Brown’s for sponsoring this post.
Elouise is at the stage where she loves to brush her teeth, in fact she asks do it several times a day. To be more specific she will proudly declare “Mama, brusha brush teeth” in her sweet little toddler voice. Gosh, I should probably record that one of these days. Anyway, her enthusiasm is greatly appreciated but when it’s time to actually brush, things get a little tricky. You see, we have two very different opinions about what brushing teeth looks like. Her’s looks a lot like sucking out the toothpaste and biting the bristles on the toothbrush in random parts of her mouth. Clearly, her method is not ideal for clean teeth, so we are working on setting up some tricks to help create healthy teeth brushing habits. That’s why I was so excited to get my hands on Dr. Brown’s Infant-to-Toddler Toothbrush.
I think the main reason that the Dr. Brown’s toothbrush is such a hit in our house, for both me and my kiddo, is that it looks like an elephant. No, I don’t have an obsession with elephants, but I do have a slight obsession with keeping germs at bay. The incredible design uses the ears of the elephant to prop up the toothbrush so the brush head doesn’t rest on the counter when you set it down. The reason Elouise likes it is in fact because she loves elephants, although she has recently forgotten how to make an elephant sound and the results are hilarious. It’s also great because the bristles are super soft so they are safe for those teeny tiny new baby teeth. We all know how sensitive their sweet little mouths are thanks to the constant teething they endure for the first year or two. One year molars are currently my arch nemesis. Dr. Browns even sells a natural baby toothpaste, that means no fluoride or artificial colors or flavors, just a perfectly sweet combo of real apple and pear flavors.
To be honest I wasn’t really concerned about oral hygiene before Elouise turned one, but it turns out that it’s never too early to start. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics more than 40% of children will have tooth decay by the time they enter Kindergarten, and a child who has tooth decay in their baby teeth is at a greater risk for the same thing to happen to their adult teeth. Yikes! I don’t know about you, but I do not want my girl to have to deal with cavities. I had one cavity in my baby teeth, which occurred from drinking apple juice out of my bottle frequently. It turns out that this is actually a big no-no. After that I have luckily only gotten one small cavity, but I still remember getting that filled. It was definitely no fun and not something I want Elouise to have to go through.That’s why I really wanted to set her up for success.
I was really excited to find out about AAP’s initiative to help promote oral health with their Brush, Book, Bed campaign. I knew that was something easy that we could adopt in our home. It is no nonsense and easy to remember with the three B’s. So that’s exactly what we’ve been doing, with a few more steps thrown in the mix depending on the night. We are really trying to keep teeth brushing fun in our home, so I have come up with a list of ways to get your child excited to brush their teeth.
5 Ways to Make Teeth Brushing FUN!
- Let your child brush their own teeth (You will obviously need to aid them in the process at some point, we try to brush Elouise’s teeth first, so the toothpaste is still present on the brush, and then let her have some fun doing it herself)
- Allow your child to brush the teeth of their favorite doll or toy
- Use a “teeth care chart” with stickers or rewards for brushing regularly (I found some free downloads here)
- Give lots of high fives and fist bumps when they do it well all by themselves
- Sing a “teeth brushing song”. This could be a song that’s silly and fun about brushing or a song that helps you remember how long to brush for. It probably just depends on your child’s age and what they prefer. We like Brush Your Teeth by the infamous Raffi.
What are some of your favorite teeth brushing tricks and tips?
