Are you kids into brushing their teeth? Too many children decide that they don’t like to brush their teeth, and won’t do it. However, with just a few tips and tricks, you can get your child brushing their teeth like a pro.
1. Make Sure You Start Early
Image via Flickr by Ran Yaniv Hartstein
One of the best ways to make sure your children brush their teeth and actually enjoy it is to start early. The problems start when you try to make an older child brush their teeth. If you start when the child is an infant or toddler, by the time they are old enough to protest, it will simply be something they do all the time.
2. Make it Fun
Kids get bored quickly, but if you make sure that you make it fun, they’ll stick with it. There are a ton of ways that you can make tooth care fun, from themed tooth brushes to sticker charts and more. You need to be consistent though; when it’s no longer fun, they may try to fight with you about brushing their teeth.
3. Take Them to an Awesome Dentist
Some children don’t brush because they’re afraid of going to the dentist. It’s obvious to us that this is counterproductive, but to children, that’s not the case. Take them to a fun, cool dentist like Kool Smiles to ensure that they understand that the dentist isn’t someone to be scared of. This will also get them excited about brushing.
4. Get a Delicious Toothpaste
There are a lot of types of toothpaste out there. Many of these are kid-themed. Not only do they have fun pictures on the toothpaste bottle, they also have a different flavor. This makes it more appealing for children to brush. The toothpaste that adults use can be too harsh for children.
5. Practice What You Preach
Make sure you’re doing what you want your kids to do. If you want them to brush their teeth regularly, you need to make sure that you do, as well. Otherwise, they’re going to note that you aren’t, and wonder why they should if you don’t. It’s a good idea to take the time and brush your teeth with your child.
6. Offer Tons of Encouragement
Children thrive on encouragement. Make sure that when you’re trying to get them to brush their teeth, you encourage them. Don’t get frustrated on the days that it simply doesn’t work so well. Instead, offer praise when they do it well. This will help encourage them to want to continue brushing their teeth, so they can continue to get this praise from you. The more you encourage them, and are upbeat about the process, the more they will want to do it.
Sometimes parenthood is difficult; you need to pick your battles. Getting your child to brush their teeth regularly is an important battle, but it can be won with just a few good words and fun steps. Luckily, you can make it easy and fun for you and your child.