Tooth brushing?
Ai Addyson-Zhang
Hello All,
i am not sure if this topic is appropriate for this list, but i was
wondering if all the parents on this list have some good ideas to make
their kids brush their teeth.
My son is 18 months old and he really hates tooth brushing. My husband and
I have been trying all sorts of methods to make tooth brushing fun and
interesting, but we still cannot make him do it.
Our pediatrician recommended some ideas, but i don't really like them
because the ideas seem to be very controlling to me.
I was wondering if people here have some creative ideas and would like to
share with me.
Thank you very much,
Ai
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
i am not sure if this topic is appropriate for this list, but i was
wondering if all the parents on this list have some good ideas to make
their kids brush their teeth.
My son is 18 months old and he really hates tooth brushing. My husband and
I have been trying all sorts of methods to make tooth brushing fun and
interesting, but we still cannot make him do it.
Our pediatrician recommended some ideas, but i don't really like them
because the ideas seem to be very controlling to me.
I was wondering if people here have some creative ideas and would like to
share with me.
Thank you very much,
Ai
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Joyce Fetteroll
On Mar 5, 2013, at 8:34 AM, Ai Addyson-Zhang wrote:
What's offered here is help with shifting mentally so parents can be their kids' partners.
Conventional parenting approaches put parents in the right, kids in the wrong with parents' job to make the kids do right.
Shift to being your child's partner. Explore ways that you alone can do and you together can do that will help teeth be cleaner. Let go of the dentist imposed idea that 18 mo must brush their teeth.
There's a lot of ideas collected about teeth here:
http://joyfullyrejoycing.com/unschooling%20in%20action/brushingteeth.html
But if he let go of the idea that the only thing preventing the garbage cans from being clean was you, it would open up loads of possibilities.
Let go of brushing for now. There's no reason an 18 mo should have to brush teeth. Let him chew on a brush that's just wet. Let him watch you. Let him brush your teeth. But drop the idea of him brushing. It will free up all sorts of ways to involve him in the ways people keep their teeth clean.
Joyce
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> if all the parents on this list have some good ideas to makeThe people on the list don't have a magical way to gently make kids do what parents want them to.
> their kids brush their teeth.
What's offered here is help with shifting mentally so parents can be their kids' partners.
Conventional parenting approaches put parents in the right, kids in the wrong with parents' job to make the kids do right.
Shift to being your child's partner. Explore ways that you alone can do and you together can do that will help teeth be cleaner. Let go of the dentist imposed idea that 18 mo must brush their teeth.
There's a lot of ideas collected about teeth here:
http://joyfullyrejoycing.com/unschooling%20in%20action/brushingteeth.html
> My husband andDo you think your husband could find a way to make scrubbing garbage cans fun for you?
> I have been trying all sorts of methods to make tooth brushing fun
But if he let go of the idea that the only thing preventing the garbage cans from being clean was you, it would open up loads of possibilities.
Let go of brushing for now. There's no reason an 18 mo should have to brush teeth. Let him chew on a brush that's just wet. Let him watch you. Let him brush your teeth. But drop the idea of him brushing. It will free up all sorts of ways to involve him in the ways people keep their teeth clean.
Joyce
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Meredith
Ai Addyson-Zhang <aizhang79@...> wrote:
If you have a family history of bad baby teeth, it he;ps to shift your thinking from "brush teeth" to "create a healthy oral environment. Look into foods which naturally clean the mouth and balance salivary pH. Do some reading about the re-mineralization cycle, maybe. If you're really in a panic about teeth, ask your dentist about getting your son's teeth sealed. Beyond that, good gosh, who's been scaring you? He's a baby.
Maybe you've gotten the idea somewhere that "good habits start early"? Power struggles and resentment start early. Don't turn teeth into a power struggle and source of family conflict.
---Meredith
> > My son is 18 months old and he really hates tooth brushing.He's a baby! Drop it for a couple years. Any slight potential benefit from brushing teeth can surely be met some other way. Really really really.
If you have a family history of bad baby teeth, it he;ps to shift your thinking from "brush teeth" to "create a healthy oral environment. Look into foods which naturally clean the mouth and balance salivary pH. Do some reading about the re-mineralization cycle, maybe. If you're really in a panic about teeth, ask your dentist about getting your son's teeth sealed. Beyond that, good gosh, who's been scaring you? He's a baby.
Maybe you've gotten the idea somewhere that "good habits start early"? Power struggles and resentment start early. Don't turn teeth into a power struggle and source of family conflict.
> I was wondering if people here have some creative ideas and would like toMy stepson liked fancy electric toothbrushes with all the bells and whistles, when he was little (like 7ish) but "liking" then meant he'd spend a whole fifteen seconds brushing ;) That changed as he got older - he's 19 now, and has pretty good oral hygiene. Getting older changes a lot of things ;) but if you set something up as a chore to be dreaded, it takes a long, long time to overcome that gut-level resistance.
> share with me.
---Meredith
vapurohit
Ai, i can understand your concern for wanting your child to have clean teeth. have you tried using your fingers? i dont think we were doing much at all when my son was 18 months because he didn't want to. but i wasn't too worried because 1) we eat a mostly remineralizing diet, and 2) he still nurses and i believe that helps.
but he always was around while one of us brushed..and sometimes he wanted to brush our teeth some. lol. sometimes he just wanted to feel our teeth.
then around 22 months i read about using a soft washcloth dipped in salt water on baby's teeth. since he has many i did want to start cleaning them but only if he'd let me. i tried it and he didnt' mind at all. then i started using my fingers. we use clay and ipsab powder so i;d dab a little of both on and thoroughly go over his teeth. it's kind of nice to feel them tiny teeth. then one day i tried brushing his teeth. he was already on my lap and didn't mind. i did it quick and gentle, then gave the brush to him to let him do it however he wanted. he did this for a week and then stopped letting me brush his teeth. so i gave it up. then one night after doing finger brushing, i laid him down and made him say things like Aaa, aaah.. waaah.. and when he'd do that his mouth would open and i'd brush his teeth some. he didn't mind it at all. so that's what i've been doing. i always do it quick and gentle and then give him the brush to do the "real work" which sometimes he just throws it away. no biggy. as soon as he doesn't like it.. not doing it anymore. for now he doens't mind at all..and afterward we both look at our clean teeth in the mirror. he loves checking them out.
oh and since his front teeth are kind of close..sometimes i'll see some food stuck there, or raisin on his molars. i just sit him on the counter and take a tooth pick and carefully but swiftly remove the food piece, while telling him to say Ahh.
Diet does make a huge difference. we eat a lot of remineralizing food such as raw milk, kefir, yogurt, eggs, butter, broth, stewed meats, etc. but sometimes he eats raisins or banana and his front teeth are close so i want to get them and his molars. i dont give him sugar, sugary foodss..just some raw honey in yogurt. and no cheerios here. the book Cure Tooth Decay (and it's website) is very helpful on remineralization and children's teeth.
hope this give you some ideas.
vandana in silver spring, md
but he always was around while one of us brushed..and sometimes he wanted to brush our teeth some. lol. sometimes he just wanted to feel our teeth.
then around 22 months i read about using a soft washcloth dipped in salt water on baby's teeth. since he has many i did want to start cleaning them but only if he'd let me. i tried it and he didnt' mind at all. then i started using my fingers. we use clay and ipsab powder so i;d dab a little of both on and thoroughly go over his teeth. it's kind of nice to feel them tiny teeth. then one day i tried brushing his teeth. he was already on my lap and didn't mind. i did it quick and gentle, then gave the brush to him to let him do it however he wanted. he did this for a week and then stopped letting me brush his teeth. so i gave it up. then one night after doing finger brushing, i laid him down and made him say things like Aaa, aaah.. waaah.. and when he'd do that his mouth would open and i'd brush his teeth some. he didn't mind it at all. so that's what i've been doing. i always do it quick and gentle and then give him the brush to do the "real work" which sometimes he just throws it away. no biggy. as soon as he doesn't like it.. not doing it anymore. for now he doens't mind at all..and afterward we both look at our clean teeth in the mirror. he loves checking them out.
oh and since his front teeth are kind of close..sometimes i'll see some food stuck there, or raisin on his molars. i just sit him on the counter and take a tooth pick and carefully but swiftly remove the food piece, while telling him to say Ahh.
Diet does make a huge difference. we eat a lot of remineralizing food such as raw milk, kefir, yogurt, eggs, butter, broth, stewed meats, etc. but sometimes he eats raisins or banana and his front teeth are close so i want to get them and his molars. i dont give him sugar, sugary foodss..just some raw honey in yogurt. and no cheerios here. the book Cure Tooth Decay (and it's website) is very helpful on remineralization and children's teeth.
hope this give you some ideas.
vandana in silver spring, md
--- In [email protected], Ai Addyson-Zhang <aizhang79@...> wrote:
>
> Hello All,
> i am not sure if this topic is appropriate for this list, but i was
> wondering if all the parents on this list have some good ideas to make
> their kids brush their teeth.
>
> My son is 18 months old and he really hates tooth brushing. My husband and
> I have been trying all sorts of methods to make tooth brushing fun and
> interesting, but we still cannot make him do it.
>
> Our pediatrician recommended some ideas, but i don't really like them
> because the ideas seem to be very controlling to me.
>
>
> I was wondering if people here have some creative ideas and would like to
> share with me.
>
> Thank you very much,
> Ai
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
Joyce Fetteroll
On Mar 5, 2013, at 2:22 PM, vapurohit wrote:
The less parents worry about potential problems, the more energy they have for the real ones!
Joyce
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> i dont give him sugar, sugary foods.Lots of kids eat sugar. There isn't a reason to cut it out unless someone has experienced a direct connection.
The less parents worry about potential problems, the more energy they have for the real ones!
> the book Cure Tooth Decay (and it's website) is very helpful on remineralization and children's teeth.Were your child's teeth demineralized? Was your diet severely deficient in some minerals or vitamins? Were you ill during your pregnancy.
Joyce
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
laps06
Don't know if this will help, but we have a very non-traditional dentist. We rinse our teeth with Vitamin C water (vitamin C crystals mixed with water) and brush with plain, whole milk (preferably raw) yogurt - and that's it. Also, keep in mind that these are all baby teeth and he'll be losing them all in the not-too-distant future.
My 3-1/2 yr old doesn't like to brush too much and won't eat hardly anything. I put a little bit of Vitamin C water (very diluted) on his toothbrush, sometimes he brushes himself, sometimes I do it for him - his choice. That is all I can manage with him, but it seems to be working as our last check-up was good.
My 3-1/2 yr old doesn't like to brush too much and won't eat hardly anything. I put a little bit of Vitamin C water (very diluted) on his toothbrush, sometimes he brushes himself, sometimes I do it for him - his choice. That is all I can manage with him, but it seems to be working as our last check-up was good.
Ai Addyson-Zhang
Hello All,
Thanks for the response and tips. I think my husband and I are just got a
little scared by our pediatrician who insisted that it's absolutely
important to brush our son's teeth. I felt a shift in my thinking by
reading the responses, which have definitely challenged my default way of
thinking.
I will definitely try and check out some of the alternative methods
mentioned.
Thanks,
Ai
Thanks for the response and tips. I think my husband and I are just got a
little scared by our pediatrician who insisted that it's absolutely
important to brush our son's teeth. I felt a shift in my thinking by
reading the responses, which have definitely challenged my default way of
thinking.
I will definitely try and check out some of the alternative methods
mentioned.
Thanks,
Ai
On Tue, Mar 5, 2013 at 4:48 PM, laps06 <laps@...> wrote:
> **
>
>
> Don't know if this will help, but we have a very non-traditional dentist.
> We rinse our teeth with Vitamin C water (vitamin C crystals mixed with
> water) and brush with plain, whole milk (preferably raw) yogurt - and
> that's it. Also, keep in mind that these are all baby teeth and he'll be
> losing them all in the not-too-distant future.
>
> My 3-1/2 yr old doesn't like to brush too much and won't eat hardly
> anything. I put a little bit of Vitamin C water (very diluted) on his
> toothbrush, sometimes he brushes himself, sometimes I do it for him - his
> choice. That is all I can manage with him, but it seems to be working as
> our last check-up was good.
>
>
>
--
Through love, I expand and elevate myself to remain connected with the
universal energy field.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Joyce Fetteroll
On Mar 5, 2013, at 4:48 PM, laps06 wrote:
There's some talk of taking vitamin C to help gums adhere to the teeth, but that's not something toddlers need worry about. ;-) (I think gums pulling back from the teeth is one of the symptoms of scurvy but that doesn't necessarily mean vitamins C builds gums.)
Over the years I've seen these natural ideas come and go. I'm not dismissing everything -- there are a few things that have stuck -- but promoters of natural ideas are doing a lot of guessing -- thus the disappearance of many things that were suggested even 5 years ago. These things aren't extensively tested. They're suggesting and people are basically doing the guinea pig testing for them.
Joyce
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> but it seems to be working as our last check-up was good.Without a control group, there's no way of knowing if it's working. Brushing wasn't recommended for toddlers until fairly recently (and even now I doubt it's recommended by all dentists). So not brushing was also working.
> We rinse our teeth with Vitamin C water (vitamin C crystals mixedVitamin C sounds iffy. I suppose the milk neutralizes the acid. But acid is what eats into the teeth and causes cavities.
> with water) and brush with plain, whole milk (preferably raw) yogurt - and that's it.
There's some talk of taking vitamin C to help gums adhere to the teeth, but that's not something toddlers need worry about. ;-) (I think gums pulling back from the teeth is one of the symptoms of scurvy but that doesn't necessarily mean vitamins C builds gums.)
Over the years I've seen these natural ideas come and go. I'm not dismissing everything -- there are a few things that have stuck -- but promoters of natural ideas are doing a lot of guessing -- thus the disappearance of many things that were suggested even 5 years ago. These things aren't extensively tested. They're suggesting and people are basically doing the guinea pig testing for them.
Joyce
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Meredith
Ai Addyson-Zhang <aizhang79@...> wrote:
It helps to be thoughtful and skeptical, but more than that it helps to slooooooow down and take it easy. Take time to do some research. When you try something new, take time to observe results. If something is creating stress or conflict with your child, step back from that thing - it's probably not neeeearly as important as you think it is, as "everyone" says it is.
Absolutely question absolutes ;) If someone's telling you your Have To do something to be a good parent, to raise up a good child, question that hard. There are very, very few "have tos" in real life and there's no need to add a single one.
---Meredith
>I think my husband and I are just got aYou're going to run into a lot of that wrt advice about children and parenting. There's such a tendency for professionals to pitch eeeeeeverything having to do with kids' health and education in terms of strident absolutes - and parents do the same thing with one another, too. If you don't have the Best diet, habits, parenting, preschool, after-school activities, etc etc, you're ruining your child for life.
> little scared by our pediatrician who insisted that it's absolutely
> important to brush our son's teeth.
It helps to be thoughtful and skeptical, but more than that it helps to slooooooow down and take it easy. Take time to do some research. When you try something new, take time to observe results. If something is creating stress or conflict with your child, step back from that thing - it's probably not neeeearly as important as you think it is, as "everyone" says it is.
Absolutely question absolutes ;) If someone's telling you your Have To do something to be a good parent, to raise up a good child, question that hard. There are very, very few "have tos" in real life and there's no need to add a single one.
---Meredith