Toddler Teeth Brushing Tips

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Aquafresh through their partnership with POPSUGAR. While I was compensated by POPSUGAR to write a post about Aquafresh, all opinions are my own. Please see my disclosure policy.

Toddler Teeth Care for a Better Dental Start

I have to painfully admit that dental health has been neglected in my house.  My older kids (ages 5 and 7) are only in the habit of brushing once per day.  And rush through it at that.  So far so good on the cavity front, but I fear it will catch up with them if I don’t get better tooth brushing habits in place now.  It’s hard to get them – with their habits already ingrained – to improve.  I haven’t given up hope on them, but I know it will be easier to get those habits in place NOW with my toddler, J.C.  And I recently learning from Aquafresh, The little mouth experts™, that “compared to your tooth enamel, your baby’s is 50% thinner. That’s why you need expert protection.”  YIKES!  Looks like baby and toddler teeth brushing is far more important that I realized!  Here’s my plan to get J.C. off on a better dental health start…

My Toddler Teeth Brushing Game Plan

• Make it Routine – We have our bedtime teeth brushing routine pretty well established, but we always seem to forget about morning.  We need to link morning brushing with another morning routine, like right after breakfast, to get it in place.  
• Let Him Do It Himself – He’s in the “I want to do everything MYSELF!” (with an exclamation point) phase.  So I hope that allowing him to help put the toothpaste on and giving him a chance to do it himself before finishing up will help.  

• Make it a Family Affair – I’ve always joked that my little J.C. thinks – in his mind – that he’s the same age and size as his older siblings.  He wants to do everything they do.  I need to use that to my advantage and get the kids (and myself!) all brushing together.  
• Make it Fun – I know I can make tooth brushing more fun for my kids with a silly song or dance during brushing.  Aquafresh makes this easy with a cute new iPhone app for kids, a learning to brush video, and fun dental health themed games!  

• Use Stickers – We are a big sticker chart family.  My older kids earn stickers for various chores and good deeds toward physical rewards.  But J.C. just LOVES putting the stickers on the chart like his siblings.  
• Use the Right Tools – We were recently sent some Training Toothpaste and a Training Toothbrush from Aquafresh to try.  The toothbrush has super soft bristles and is multi-angled for little baby and toddler teeth.  And the Flouride-Free Training Toothpaste is free of artificial colors or preservatives, so is safe for baby and toddler to swallow.  I hadn’t realized that I was using the wrong stuff before!  (*Please use product as directed on label.)

 

What are your best toddler teeth brushing tips for me?  Share in the comments below! 

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Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Aquafresh through their partnership with POPSUGAR. While I was compensated by POPSUGAR to write a post about Aquafresh, all opinions are my own. Please see my disclosure policy.