[blparent] Tooth Brushing and To Allison

[melissa at riccobono.us]

I love this advice. We generally sing a song while brushing teeth. When the song is over, so is toothbrushing time. My youngest are three and five and they still like me to sing to them, even though they are doing the majority of the toothbrushing themselves. Sometimes I still take a turn brushing my three year olds teeth depending on how well she is doing on her own. Some nights there is a lot of sucking on the brush and not a lot of brushing.
The other thing I would suggest is not holding the brush by the handle when you are brushing her teeth. Hold the brush more on the back of the brush itself. That way you can much more easily guide it into her mouth and feel where you are brushing. The calmer you are at toothbrushing time, the more fun it will be for all of you. And, it won't be long until she is begging to take her own turn with brushing, which you should definitely let her do. Either after you are done brushing, or before you have a turn. I think my kids were about two and a half when they began brushing more independently, and about three when they mostly brushed on their own.
Good luck.
Melissa

-----Original Message-----
From: BlParent [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Kia Vaca via BlParent
Sent: Wednesday, March 23, 2016 5:03 PM
To: Blind Parents Mailing List
Cc: Kia Vaca
Subject: Re: [blparent] Tooth Brushing and To Allison

Jessica,

In brushing my daughter’s teeth, I help her by giving her a routine and explaining what we’re going to do. I usually brush her teeth once in the morning and once at night, before her bath. It goes a bit like this.

First, I tell her that we are going to brush her teeth. Then I show her the toothbrush without the toothpaste. I allow her to touch the toothbrush for a minute. Even though she is not blind, toddlers and children like to touch things just because they’re curious. Then I allow her to watch me as I put toothpaste on her toothbrush. All these steps help her to be more comfortable with the upcoming process of brushing her teeth. It also allows her to be a part of the process although she isn’t technically doing anything just yet.

Once we’re set, I ask her to open her mouth, and I slide the toothbrush inside. I usually start on one side and gently brush her teeth for a few seconds. I then change to the other side in order to brush the other teeth. I ten to leave the front teeth for last.
Although the goal is to brush for two minutes, it is a work in progress for toddlers. Only when I have finished brushing her teeth do I allow her to try it herself. This allows her to feel independent, and you can give her a few words to express how proud you are of her for trying to brush her teeth on her own,.

If we approach the whole process of brushing teeth calmly and make it fun, toddlers are more likely to cooperate and enjoy it. You, as a mom, will feel less stressed as well. One thing that I’ve found tremendously helpful is to brush my teeth with her. Children tend to do things when they see us doing them first. I hope this helps and good luck with everything.

Kia

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