Beat the toddler toothbrushing battles with this simple trick
“How do you get your little one to brush their teeth without a fight?” and “How do you make toothbrushing fun for your toddler?” are questions I get asked by parents ALL the time.
All you want is two minutes of peaceful toothbrushing. But there is screaming and crying, arms flailing, feet kicking, heads frantically shaking, fingers being bitten, and just all-out chaos.
You’re trying soo hard to take care of your little one’s teeth, help them create lasting healthy habits, and set them up with a healthy smile for life.
But, you’ve just lost another tooth brushing battle with your toddler that ended in tears… theirs and yours. You feel like you’re failing as a parent. And you’re wondering:
“How on earth do I brush my toddler’s teeth?”
“Is this even worth it?”
“How many more of these battles can I handle?”
“Am I traumatizing my child?”
“How do I stop this madness??”
“Is there a better way?”
YES! There is. It doesn’t have to be this way forever… or even for much longer. You can end these bi-daily toddler toothbrush battles and ditch the anxiety that comes along with it.
Flip the script on toddler toothbrush power struggles and turn it into a time for connection. You can actually enjoy it too! And you can rest assured that you are doing a job well done.
I’m a dental mama and I struggled with brushing my little one’s teeth for a lot longer than I would like to admit. I totally get the guilt of not feeling like you’re brushing well enough and the anxiety that comes with knowing you are walking into another toothbrushing drama with your toddler.
But my story doesn’t end there! And yours doesn’t have to either.
There are so many things you can do before, during, and after brushing your toddler’s teeth to prevent the power struggle from happening altogether and beat these toothbrushing battles for good!
Let’s focus on the one thing you can do TODAY, starting with the next toothbrushing session, to diffuse the situation and become the dental hygiene hero in your home that you were born to be.
That one thing is… drum roll…
How to make toothbrushing fun for your toddler… AND for you.
We use three simple strategies in our home to make toothbrushing fun and turn it into an opportunity to connect with our toddler instead of getting into a power struggle. These 3 strategies create endless possibilities and combinations for fun.
1. Turn Dental Tools into Toys
Have you looked at what tools you’re working with? Is it time to switch it up? There are so many options available now when it comes to the tools we use to clean our children’s teeth. And they are not only effective but can help make toothbrushing fun for your toddler too!
Toothbrush:
Take advantage of the fact that toothbrushes are essentially toys with a purpose. Try a toothbrush that is odd-shaped, has your little one’s favorite color or character, lights up, or even plays music. Some toothbrushes even sync up with an exclusive toothbrushing video like this Cocomelon children’s toothbrush from Burst.
Pro Tip: I recommend having a few different options available at home for your little one to choose from at toothbrushing time. This will help them feel a little more independent and in control of a situation that makes them feel vulnerable. They’ll feel like the whole toothbrushing session was their idea in the first place!
Toothpaste:
Pick toothpaste flavors that are so good your child will want to eat them. Toothpaste has come a long way! It doesn’t have to taste like medicine. You can make toothbrushing your toddler’s teeth seem like a treat.
I recommend having a couple of flavor options at home that your tiny can choose from. Never underestimate the power of letting them be a part of the process! It builds up anticipation and creates ownership.
Here are the children’s toothpaste my little one loves and uses in our home. Not only are they tasty and non-toxic, but they more effectively remineralize the teeth using hydroxyapatite instead of fluoride. So they come highly recommended by me!
- Risewell Cake Batter Kid’s Toothpaste
- Boka Orange Creamsicle Kid’s Toothpaste
- Burst Strawberry Superstar Kid’s Toothpaste
Flossers:
Floss holders come in so many different colors and shapes. Floss can be another functional toy.
I love that most packs come with multiple colors creating built-in options without having to buy multiples! I have my toddler choose one for him to hold and one for me to hold… giving him that sense of control that I keep mentioning, and a “toy” for him to play with.
We use these fun animal and dinosaur flossers and I have to practically pry them out of my toddler’s hand when we are done brushing and flossing. They come with about a year’s supply and lots of other fun activities to help make flossing fun and educational for your little one.
Timer:
As a kid, my siblings and I would flip a sand timer and make it a contest to see who could brush the whole time without stopping… or drooling. Sometimes we would just keep brushing until someone’s arm got too tired!
Timers can be a tool, distraction, and game!
My toddler sees it as a toy and loves to be the one to flip it in the first place. It gives him something to focus on as it can be a bit hypnotizing or it will turn into a maraca and the mood instantly changes from tedious toothbrushing to silly salsa dance party.
This is another tool that you can provide options for! We use this toothbrushing sand timer, but you could also use your phone’s timer, a favorite 2-minute song/video, or even an electric toothbrush that has a built-in timer.
Mirror:
Mirrors are a great way to take some of the vulnerability out of toothbrushing for our tiny’s! It allows them to see what is happening. And guess what! They are a great source of entertainment too.
Depending on how old and stable your little one is, you may or may not have graduated to brushing their teeth at the sink. That’s okay! Our little one isn’t there yet, so we use a handheld mirror instead, but both types of mirrors would work great for this game.
We use window chalk to turn our toddler’s reflection into an animal and have him pretend to be that animal while we brush. We strategically draw an animal that makes an “aww” or an “eee” sound to make it super easy for us to brush!
Pro Tip: When our tiny says “aww” he is opening his mouth wide so we can brush all of the chewing and tongue surfaces of the teeth. And when he says “eee” it helps to relax his cheeks and lips so we can brush the outside of his teeth.
Here are some examples of animals that say “aww” or “eee”:
- Sheep says “Baaa”
- Bird says “Caw Caw”
- Donkey says “EEE-AWW”
- Lion says “ROAWWR”
- Monkey says “OO OO AWW AWW”
2. Turn Toothbrushing into a Silly Game
Games are a great way to make toothbrushing fun for toddlers and help them look forward to this time with you. It’s all about connection!
- Little Dentist
You will need two toothbrushes for this game and any toy that has a mouth like a stuffed animal or doll. Let your toddler brush the stuffed animal’s teeth while you brush theirs.
Talk about what the toy is doing that is making it so your child can successfully brush their teeth. Like, “Wow, your doll is opening so wide and holding so still!” Your child will subconsciously start to do the same.
- I spy
As you are brushing point out random things that you “see” on your tiny’s teeth… of course, these things aren’t actually there. Hopefully.
For example, I’ll say “Oh! Your tooth is blue! Let’s brush it off!” or “I see a tiger hiding behind that tooth! Let’s tickle him away!… oh no! He ran behind this tooth! Better try again.”
You get the idea. The key is to be as random as possible to keep your little one guessing and giggling so you can keep brushing.
- What’s that Animal sound
We use this game a lot when we don’t have a mirror handy. It’s similar to the mirror game above, but without the mirror.
With the toothbrush at the ready, I’ll get really quiet and look around surprised like I just heard something. Then I’ll say, “Did you hear that? I think I heard a [fill in with animal of choice]”. Then my little one will make that animal sound. Be sure to pick animals that say “awww” or “eee”!
3. Sing the Ultimate Toothbrushing Song
Songs are an easy way to make toothbrushing fun for your toddler and the options are endless.
“Old McDonald had a farm” is our go-to song for diffusing a toddler toothbrushing meltdown. We have our toddler chime in when it’s time to say the animal sounds and specifically choose animals that say “aww” or “eee” to make it easier for us to brush.
I’m sure you’ve noticed a theme with our little one… he LOVES animals, so that gets incorporated into a lot of our strategies for making toothbrushing fun.
You’ve got this! I promise.
You can make toothbrushing fun for your toddler!
Remember, this is only two minutes. You can do anything for two minutes, including holding your breath. Although I don’t recommend doing that!
So take a deep breath, dig deep, bring positive energy, be silly, and use this as a time to connect with your little one and fill their cup. Because after all, connection breeds cooperation.
