8 Ways To Help Kids Enjoy Brushing Their Teeth
Brushing one's teeth twice daily is one of the best habits for oral hygiene. As adults, we understand the importance of brushing and kee...
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Brushing one's teeth twice daily is one of the best habits for oral hygiene. As adults, we understand the importance of brushing and keeping our teeth clean. However, when it comes to restless toddlers, it may be quite a task for the parents to make them focus on the brushing activity even for a minute, leave alone the two minutes ideal practice. With time kids will eventually learn to brush, but it is a great habit to inculcate at an early stage so that dental decay can be prevented early on. So what can a parent do to make brushing a daily practice for their kids? To make the task less daunting, here are some ways to help kids enjoy brushing their teeth and make this a part of their daily routine.
1. Practice What You Preach
Children learn best by observing their parents. So begin by doing it yourself. Stand in front of your wash basin and brush for full two minutes brushing the front, back and insides of the teeth. Let your child observe your actions and help him or her to emulate your actions.
2. Stories Help Children Learn Faster
As it is with learning the rhymes or the alphabets, stories help children to learn and enjoy the art of brushing too. Narrate the story of the tooth bugs that attack the tooth when it is not brushed properly. Animate how the bugs or the teeth monsters claw and gnaw at unclean teeth and eat away the enamel. Make it intimidating enough for the kids to understand how important it is to keep the teeth and mouth clean and healthy.
3. Sing Along A Funny Brushing Song
Make a list of your little one's favorite rhymes or songs and pick one every day during the brushing time. With the brush inside the mouth sing the song making a funny sound. It will entertain the kids while they look forward to sing it themselves while brushing.
4. Kids Are Sensitive To Taste
A child's palate is very sensitive to sharp tastes like that of mint. If you use strong toothpaste with an intense mint taste, your child may be very uncomfortable and refuse to brush properly. Instead, opt for kid's toothpaste that are specially made to cater to their taste buds and clean the teeth at the same time.
5. Use Pea-Sized Dollop Of Toothpaste
Irrespective of the flavor, do not squeeze out too much paste onto the child's brush. Often kids end up swallowing a part of it. Therefore, ensure that you put only a pea-sized amount on their toothbrush. This will help your child brush their teeth properly without concentrating much on eating the toothpaste.
6. Kids Like Soft Bristles
Your toddler's mouth and gums are very soft and it should always be brushed with a soft bristle toothbrush. Buy special toothbrushes meant for toddlers only. They will surely enjoy brushing with those soft bristles.
7. Personalize Your Kid's Toothbrush
Give a name to your child's toothbrush as if it is a person. This will help your child to relate to the brushing habit. You could get creative and tie a pink and blue ribbon on the brush handle to distinguish the gender. The more creative you get, the more enjoyable brushing will become for your child.
8. Show Pictures
Print pictures or maybe get pictures from a dentist friend and show the human teeth to your child. Show them a set of pearly white teeth and tell them that this is how the teeth look when they are brushed regularly. Then show them tooth cavities and broken teeth and explain what happens when you don't brush. A little fear balanced with a positive outcome well help them brush their teeth daily.
As a mother, you may be able to come up with more ways to help your child enjoy brushing. But always remember to be patient with the difficult ones, because all kids do not learn to brush properly at the same time. If nothing works, it's okay, give them time and they will learn. Happy parenting!
Image Source: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Contributed By: Kriti Mazumdar
1. Practice What You Preach
Children learn best by observing their parents. So begin by doing it yourself. Stand in front of your wash basin and brush for full two minutes brushing the front, back and insides of the teeth. Let your child observe your actions and help him or her to emulate your actions.
2. Stories Help Children Learn Faster
As it is with learning the rhymes or the alphabets, stories help children to learn and enjoy the art of brushing too. Narrate the story of the tooth bugs that attack the tooth when it is not brushed properly. Animate how the bugs or the teeth monsters claw and gnaw at unclean teeth and eat away the enamel. Make it intimidating enough for the kids to understand how important it is to keep the teeth and mouth clean and healthy.
3. Sing Along A Funny Brushing Song
Make a list of your little one's favorite rhymes or songs and pick one every day during the brushing time. With the brush inside the mouth sing the song making a funny sound. It will entertain the kids while they look forward to sing it themselves while brushing.
4. Kids Are Sensitive To Taste
A child's palate is very sensitive to sharp tastes like that of mint. If you use strong toothpaste with an intense mint taste, your child may be very uncomfortable and refuse to brush properly. Instead, opt for kid's toothpaste that are specially made to cater to their taste buds and clean the teeth at the same time.
5. Use Pea-Sized Dollop Of Toothpaste
Irrespective of the flavor, do not squeeze out too much paste onto the child's brush. Often kids end up swallowing a part of it. Therefore, ensure that you put only a pea-sized amount on their toothbrush. This will help your child brush their teeth properly without concentrating much on eating the toothpaste.
6. Kids Like Soft Bristles
Your toddler's mouth and gums are very soft and it should always be brushed with a soft bristle toothbrush. Buy special toothbrushes meant for toddlers only. They will surely enjoy brushing with those soft bristles.
7. Personalize Your Kid's Toothbrush
Give a name to your child's toothbrush as if it is a person. This will help your child to relate to the brushing habit. You could get creative and tie a pink and blue ribbon on the brush handle to distinguish the gender. The more creative you get, the more enjoyable brushing will become for your child.
8. Show Pictures
Print pictures or maybe get pictures from a dentist friend and show the human teeth to your child. Show them a set of pearly white teeth and tell them that this is how the teeth look when they are brushed regularly. Then show them tooth cavities and broken teeth and explain what happens when you don't brush. A little fear balanced with a positive outcome well help them brush their teeth daily.
As a mother, you may be able to come up with more ways to help your child enjoy brushing. But always remember to be patient with the difficult ones, because all kids do not learn to brush properly at the same time. If nothing works, it's okay, give them time and they will learn. Happy parenting!
Image Source: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Contributed By: Kriti Mazumdar
Totally enjoyed reading this article kriti.
ReplyDeleteThank you Lavanya. I hope our mommy readers here will find it useful :)
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