I have a 18 mth old who all of a sudden refuses to clean his teeth, any solutions?

My son is generally a very good boy, except all of a sudden he refuses to clean is teeth. I was given some advice which was to not let him off the seat until he has let me clean them. I have tried this everyday since I was told this (which still doesn't result in his teeth getting clean any only resulting in him crying and screaming and it has now become an event which we both do not look forward to. I am putting his behaviour down to the terrible twos as I am pretty sure he is not teething.

I have a 18 mth old who all of a sudden refuses to clean his teeth, any solutions?
Dont push the issue: if he doesnt want them cleaned wait until later on maybe when you are changing his diaper or getting him ready for bed. Making him stay in his chair will only get you both mad and upset. Its not worth it. Maybe you can try to make it a game. Sing songs, do a little dance whatever makes him giggle and then go in for his teeth. Good Luck.





PS: My 19mo son hates when I clean his teeth but he loves to do it himself. I put a little baby toothpaste on his tooth brush and he sits in the bathroom while Im getting ready for work or for bed. When he is done he knows I have to do a once over with the toothbrush. Maybe you can try letting him do it himself.
Reply:does he give you any hints as to why?





is it the flavour of the toothpaste? is it the time? does he want to do it himself?
Reply:I got my daughter this weird finger brush thing..i would put the weird brush over my finger and brush them that way...but when she decided that was no fun i let her pick her own toothbrush from the store..and got some baby gel toothpaste..it is made for babies and young toddlers. I let her look in the mirror while we did it...i let her try it by herself then would just help a little. Also if i would sit her up on the counter and we would brush our teeth together it would help. OOOH we also got her a little kid spin brush that she thought was really neat...plus it helps clean the teeth even if she wasn't good at brushing hard enough...





Hope this helps
Reply:Look behind his teeth (like the roof of his mouth) -- are there any little white blisters? My grandson refused to let us brush his teeth about that same age and he had thrush. PAINFUL!! If you see anything out of the ordinary, take him to the Dr.
Reply:well you just simply need to lay down the law and let him know whos boss.....discipline him now while you can...cuz if you think this is bad just wait tils he older:/
Reply:Buy a cartoon toothbrush that he will get excited about and get some fun toothpaste appropriate for his age. Explain that big boys get to use these and throw a "Yaaayyy!" Party when he lets you brush. Give him some control and let him put the paste on. Toddlers love to be involved.
Reply:I gotta tell you i dont think its all that important to clean the teeth of a kid this age....he is so young....But if its important to you....offer him a reward like stickers or a favorite new toy kind of thing if he can clean his teeeth every day for a week ...(or three days ...whatever)
Reply:This may sound kind of extreme, but I told my oldest daughter that if she doesn't brush her teeth every day that they will fall out. We only make them brush their teeth once a day right before bed, and sometimes they ask to brush them at other times on their own. But getting speical toothpaste and toothbrushes at the dentist every 6 months does help encourage them.
Reply:My daughter was like that for a period of time. We let her pick out her own toothbrush and paste and then I printed a Blue's Clue's brush chart off of the Nick Jr. Website and got stickers to put on them so she would want to earn them. It worked really well with her and she loves to brush her teeth now. Also, I let her brush my teeth while I brushed hers, it was a bit difficult but it made it fun for her.
Reply:my son did that too about that age. I figured out he wanted to brush his own teeth. try letting him hold it and help guide him, showing him how to brush. show him in front of a mirror too. it might help. also brush your teeth at the same time. worked for me and my son. good luck
Reply:Let him pick out his own toothbrush at the store, and get some flavorful kid tooth paste. I understand he is only 18 months. I have a granddaughter the same age, who picked out the toothbrush she wanted!



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