First teeth: How to cope with toothbrushing resistance
I’ve long been meaning to write about toothbrushing for babies and toddlers, but I’ve not felt I’ve cracked the code – before now.
Toothbrushing has been a bit of a nightmare. I’ve been dealing with a very upset baby – and now toddler – since we started brushing Baby Girl’s teeth when her first tooth appeared. Grandma N, who is a dentist, has given be great instructions for how to brush and explained the importance of brushing Baby Girl’s teeth well, so I’ve been very persistent despite the crying.
But now it’s time to relax. And it’s all because of a wallet. Baby Girl started talking about wanting a wallet for her handbag, so I figured this would be the perfect opportunity to introduce star stickers and rewards.
I explained that she would have to earn five stickers to get a wallet. When she had cooperated with mummy and earned her five stickers, we would go to a toy shop and buy a wallet.
Since then, she’s been a complete star every time I’ve brushed her teeth with the soft Oral-B Stages 1 toothbrush, which we’ve received as a sample and like because the design makes it easy to hold for adults.
We’ve had no tooth-brushing tantrums in three days. And that’s even after she had earned her five stickers and received her new wallet.
Wow, Baby Girl!
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My son Luke has so many toothbrushes now. It seems like all we buy are toothbrushes! We’ve even had a toothbrush party! The toothbrushes we’ve got are just like the ones in the picture!