Guest Post
It can be a bit of a nightmare to get your children to brush their teeth and in a recent study carried out by Aquafresh found that one million under fives have at least 2 filling and teeth brushing as the cause of stress for over 2.5 million families in the UK.
So to help this essential activity cause less stress Aquafresh asked Netmums members to share their tips on how to get teeth clean without the arguments and here are the top 10:
- Let kids pick their own toothbrush – they will get really excited when it comes to brushing their teeth with the toothbrush they have picked!
- Play their favourite song while they brush to the beat – as most songs last two – three minutes it’s the perfect length
- Get your kids a (robust) mirror – they can make silly faces in it and watch themselves brushing
- Let your child brush their favourite toy’s teeth – they will soon pick up how to do their own!
- Tell your kids that the Tooth Fairy pays out less for decayed teeth – this will get them brushing better!
- Let your child ‘brush’ your teeth too – they are more likely to let you brush theirs if you can take it in turns!
- Reward charts with stickers work very well – once they have reached a certain number they can get a treat which is a great incentive!
- With older kids, establish the link between bad brushing and bad breath – they will soon cotton on to this!
- Sing “Brush, brush, brush your teeth, gently to and fro, up, down, side to side, teeth so clean they glow” to the tune of “Row row row your boat” – it’s a great brushing rhythm!
- Let your kids be independent! You will need to brush their teeth at the end but letting them do it first makes them feel very grown up and it’s good practice!
Do you have any great tips to get children’s teeth clean without the stress?
Such useful tips! Thanks for these!