Any adult is well aware of the purpose for which we brush our teeth and why we do it daily. The children of our arguments do not understand, the whole process seems to them a heavy duty that adults impose on them out of harm. How to convince a child of the need for brushing your teeth? This task is perhaps the most difficult, but experienced mothers have found a way out of this situation. Today we will share the main recommendations for accustoming crumbs to oral hygiene.
First skills
When trying to get a child to brush his teeth, many mothers are faced with protest and the angry look of the latter. Be more tolerant of this, because the baby is not yet fully aware of the importance of this process, and your stories are perceived by him as tedious notations. In the best case, he will simply pretend that he is brushing his teeth diligently, in fact, having just done it a couple of times.
In order to teach the child the basic principles of oral care, the educational process must begin at a very early age. With the appearance of the first tooth, start wiping it with wet gauze or special napkins. If several teeth have already “settled” in the mouth of the crumbs, then we pay attention to the gaps between the teeth. Thus, oral hygiene will become a daily routine for the baby, which is still being carried out by the mother.
Attention! Related article: at what age should a child start brushing their teeth and how to brush them correctly – https://kid.htgetrid.com/en/uhod-za-rebenkom/kogda-nachinat-chistit-zubki-detyam.html
By the age of two years, teach the baby to rinse his mouth with water, especially after eating. Explain that this procedure is also hygienic, but he can already do it on his own, without the help of seniors.
Any kid wants to have “adult” things, so at the same age you can solemnly hand the child his first toothbrush (so far without paste). Choose a brush meticulously. Pay attention that the handle is thick, otherwise the child will be uncomfortable to keep it in his hand. Choose soft bristles so that the baby does not hurt the delicate gums. Of course, at this age, the baby will not be able to fully brush his teeth, but will begin to get used to his instrument.
But not everything is as easy as we would like. Children begin to act up, resist and express their discontent. And in this case, parents should be smart and unobtrusively instill in the child the basic rules for dental care.
12 tips for parents
- Lack of pressure
As a familiar character said, "Calm, only calm". Stock them, and also patience and valerian :). This does not mean at all that you need to silently and patiently allow the baby to scoff at themselves and not fulfill the requirements of the elders. On the contrary, perseverance must be exercised, but within reasonable limits.
The sequence of actions is also important. It is impossible today to allow what was forbidden yesterday and vice versa. Allowing the child not to brush his teeth - for some reason, such a measure of encouragement is considered normal.Reward him for his merits with something else, and the issue of hygiene should be a constant companion of life.
At the same time, you cannot force a child to brush his teeth while standing next to a belt. This method will only work at a young age. As soon as a child reaches adolescence, he can completely stop caring for himself solely from a feeling of protest.
No need to rush and scold the child, if he does not succeed.
- We clean together
A personal example is more effective than any explanation and persuasion. Take your baby with you to the bathroom for morning treatments. Give the brush to him too, let him try to repeat your movements.
Gradually, the game will become a habit, and then the child will catch up with you on his way to the bathroom.
- “Fantastic” Toothbrush
Buy your child a bright / beautiful toothbrush and fruit-flavored pasta. It is advisable to buy a brush together, let the little one choose the one he likes best. Now they are so diverse: with cartoon characters, and in different colors, and even with “tasty” smells. But when buying, study the other characteristics of the brush. For example, the bristles should be synthetic, because natural bristles dry out worse and are more attractive to microbes.
Toothpaste should also attract attention. In addition to the obvious benefits for adults, you need to pay attention to its taste. This factor attracts or repels children in the first place.
All purchases are best done at the pharmacy and after visiting the pediatric dentist. The specialist will tell you what should be the height of the pile of the toothbrush, which components are required for children's toothpaste and what to buy is undesirable.
- We visit the dentist
Indeed, you need to go to the doctor. And not only for the next portion of moralizing, but also for real help.
Dental clinics are now equipped with many different training tools. Children are shown cartoons of the necessary subjects. After the training videos, the children are shown the rules of brushing their teeth on dummies. Such exercises with visual demonstrations cannot “evaporate” from memory.
Watch the cartoon “Good Doctor Dentist”
You can repeat the same thing at home. Now it’s not difficult to get a toy with big teeth and ask the baby to show how to clean his teeth (Child and dentist: how to set up a child and successfully cure a tooth).
- We record success
Success, if it has been noticed and marked, is always an additional incentive to new achievements. Previously, in schools, first-graders hung a large poster on the wall and for each good answer the student was glued in front of him with a star.
Feel free to take this method into service. Not necessarily stars, let it be any figures, stickers that your child likes. But you also need to come up with a reward in advance. A certain number of stickers should bring a certain encouragement to the baby.
- Motivation
And where without her? Forcing, you cause a protest in the child. The kid should not feel that the elders are imposing their point of view on him. With good motivation, the child himself will not even notice how he will begin to implement your recommendations. Carry him through the game or come up with a scary fairy tale with a good ending, in which all the caries escaped from the toothbrush.
- Right to choose
Even here you need to give your child the opportunity to choose. But this is not the choice of a plan to "brush or not brush your teeth." Let him choose his toothbrush and toothpaste. And now we do not mean the time of purchase. Ensure that there are 2-3 different brushes on the shelf in the bathroom for your crumbs and as many types of toothpaste. Variety every day - this can hardly get bored.
- Cartoons
Not all adults know that several cartoons and films for children have already been released on the topic of dental care. Different stories about little kids who refused to brush their teeth will give a certain effect.
Here are some videos of this subject:
- Spirit of competition
This is also a kind of motivation.Well, which child does not want to be a leader? Or win by competing with mom? Think of, for example, a competition in which after brushing your teeth will be whiter 🙂. Be sure to prepare a small prize for the winner. Let it be just an apple, but won by him alone.
- Play
Any process will be much more fun if it takes place in a playful way. In this case, the child performs all the actions easily and naturally and does not perceive them as a heavy burden.
Turn on the imagination and analyze what your baby likes to play the most. It is this game that should become the basis for your invention. Does he like to play spider-man? Then we can say that bad breath will declassify the hero or not allow him to cope with another criminal. It's all up to your imagination ...
- Get an hourglass
What are they needed for? To reassure the baby. To some sweet creatures, it seems that their parents are forcing them to brush their teeth for too long. Arrange with your child in advance that the whole process will take exactly as much time as sand is poured. As a result, the baby will stop whining and will be guided by the clock.
Only purchase those watches that are designed for 2 minutes. This is not a very long period of time for the child, and the paste will have time to “work”.
- Take care of the toys
After all, children like to imitate adults, so give your child such a chance. Let him teach his toys to clean his teeth with his own positive example. After showing the whole process to his toy friends, the child can brush his teeth too.
It is advisable to use toys made of plastic or other solid materials for this purpose. It’s a pity to wet plush friends, and they will dry for a long time.
By the age of eight, a child who is properly accustomed to oral hygiene can already independently and fully brush his teeth. Giving him the first skills is not at all difficult, you just need to show a little patience and turn on your imagination.
How do you teach your kids to brush their teeth? Share your experience in the comments ...
7 useful purchases that teach your baby to brush his teeth - https://kid.htgetrid.com/en/veshhi-dlya-malyisha/7-poleznyih-pokupok-kotoryie-priuchat-malyisha-chistit-zubyi.html
Dr. Hare and Dental Advocates
The Legend of the Dental Kingdom
Since our child liked to repeat everything after us, this period passed unnoticed. Each time, one of the adults brushed his teeth, they also gave him a brush with children's fragrant paste and he repeated after us.
We are now at the very age when it is time to start brushing our teeth ourselves.But there is a problem, my daughter refuses to wash herself, I drag her almost by force .. I hope that our recommendations will help me.
We are already 4 years old but we still have not learned to brush our teeth 2 times a day. It already seemed to me that it was generally unrealistic, but I began to try the methods you proposed. There is already progress.
I would like to thank you for helping my baby brush my teeth. It used to be a real torture for us, but now my baby is happy to run to brush his teeth!