Ahh, the joy’s of parenting a strong willed little oneJ  Read below for some information from the American Academy of Pediatrics:

“By age two and a half your child should have all his primary (or baby) teeth, including the second molars, which usually erupt between twenty and thirty months.”  “As you might guess, the number one dental problem among preschoolers is tooth decay.  Approximately 8 percent of two-year-olds already have one or more cavities, and by age three that number increases to nearly 60 percent.”

(Caring For Your Baby and Young Child Birth To Age 5, 1993, p. 308)

So clearly, we know how important it is to brush our little protester’s teeth, but what to do?  I have to admit, at around two years old, my middle son was not so fond of getting his teeth brushed either!  We tried it all, between wrestling him down and trying to gently pry his mouth open, to the Jedi-mind trick, boy was it a challenge!  Here are some tips that helped in my own household, as well as tricks used by some of my clients:

• Model proper tooth brushing techniques in front of your child (my little ones always enjoyed sitting on the bathroom counter watching mommy get ready for bedtime – brushing teeth, washing face etc.)
• Eat a messy food together and make it fun to brush away the mess (blueberries, cookies, etc.), perhaps she could help you brush your teeth!
• Sing a fun tooth brushing song like Raffi’s “Brush Your Teeth” (to hear the tune)  http://new.music.yahoo.com/raffi/tracks/brush-your-teeth--764602
• Role-play dentist office with your child.  A great time to do this is after her first dentist visit.  (American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children see a dentist by the end of their second year).
• Buy an electric toothbrush for her to use, today there are some great ones with favorite kid characters.
• Check out the local library for books with characters that go to the dentist, loose a tooth etc.  Hearing a familiar story might spike interest in proper dental hygiene.  Ask your librarian for favorites.
• To further her interest in keeping her teeth clean, get her some color pages about teeth www.preschoolcoloringbook.com/color/cpdental.shtml
• Print out a fun tooth brushing chart (get some stickers) for your child to track her big girl tooth brushing skills.
• Videotape your child brushing her teeth (my oldest loves watching himself on video, and some camera’s allow you to turn the screen around so that the person being videoed can see themselves).  Perhaps watching herself on video would be a desired reward for brushing her teeth.

Finally, implement a familiar family routine surrounding tooth brushing, and stay consistent.   Many children thrive on consistency, and though your child may not love a part of a routine, she will get used to it.  Soon enough you will find that conflict diminishes, and getting her teeth brushed will become a normal part of her daily routine.