Brushing teeth
"My 5 1/2 year old will not brush his teeth on his own. He has to be constantly asked if this small task is completed after he washes up and again at bedtime. Any suggestions?"
"We use a song by Raffi; `Brush your teeth' and do the motions to it. Pretty soon the kids don't have to be reminded to brush. They love to brush and sing. My 2 kids can't wait to brush."
"My 6 year old has to be told AM & PM to brush his teeth. I just have it as part of my routine to say `get ready for bed now and be sure to brush your teeth'. It doesn't bother me that I have to tell him. I guess because in a few years he will have learned about bad breath and it will be important to him to brush. Until then I will just remind him."
"Let him buy a special toothbrush and a small travel size tube of toothpaste to use that is just for him. Also, he may not like the taste of toothpaste. Have him dip his toothbrush in a solution of mouthwash diluted with water. It does just as good a job cleaning as toothpaste and the taste may not be as offensive to him."
"Our son started balking at teeth brushing around 5 also. It worked for us to make it part of the routine. Our son loved being read to and at 8 1/2 still knows that in order for us to read to him before bed, he must go brush his teeth. Other times to brush teeth `You may do........' after you brush your teeth". You may need to try a star chart, rewarding him with stars and a special trip at the end of the week. We kept our son from wanting sweets by requiring a glass of milk with every sweet and teeth brushing after eating."
"No task is small for a 5 year old. I also have a 5 year old. I have found with brushing teeth, as well as other things, having `his own' helps a lot. He has his own stool to make him tall enough to watch himself brush his teeth. He has his own toothpaste, a children's flavor, (the toothpaste sparkles) and of course his own tooth brush. I found an Ernie tooth brush. Whatever your child likes best. It is important to a child to feel they own their own things too."
"My 5 1/2 year old also usually needs reminding about brushing teeth and also going to the
toilet before bed. I think this is probably normal. According to our dentist, we should still be brushing his teeth for him because at this age they do not do a thorough job of it (or at least we should be supervising his brushing).
Sesame Street Magazine has a bedtime chart in the January, 1990 issue with a checklist. My son cut this out a few days ago and put it on the wall. He now does everything on the list, including picking up toys and washing up, without me to tell him!"
"Children of that age are capable of doing and remembering numerous tasks, but not all of the time. His forgetting to brush his teeth may be a way of asking for attention or recognition. He's more than likely coping with responsibilities like dressing himself, tidying his room, among other things; he'll eventually remember to include brushing his teeth, but until then, to insure a good job, a parent should help a child brush until the child is at least 7 years old."
"Our dentist says kids need a lot of help brushing until age five. He thinks parents should actually perform the main cleansing and have young children brush mostly for practice. Their efforts don't adequately take care of their teeth. Maybe your son still could use your help brushing. They can't floss by themselves at five and a half."
"Do you mean that you have to ask him 5 or 6 times before he does it, or does he just have to be reminded once in the morning and once at bedtime? If the first, I would deprive him of something he likes and say that once he is big enough to brush his teeth without so much fuss, it will be reinstated. If the second, I think that 5 1/2 is pretty young to be expected to brush without any reminder at all. I have 5 kids - they are 8, 7, 5, 3, and 1 - the oldest 3 are expected to brush their own teeth but I always have to remind them. Tooth brushing is an effort, and takes time, and I think most kids will try to avoid it. Don't let it be a big deal (e.g., don't give a speech about the virtues and benefits of clean teeth every time) but just say `Teeth Brushed?' (Nope!) `Do it!' (We also have this conversation pretty often at our house: `Teeth Brushed?' `Yup'. `Use toothpaste?' `Nope'. `Do it again, with paste.' I figure pretty soon they'll want clean teeth and fresh breath and it won't be a problem . By patiently reminding them, you're instilling good habits."
"Most of us learn to do `unpleasant' tasks if we can associate something positive with it. Apparently your son considers brushing his teeth unpleasant. Maybe you can make the task more fun by allowing him to pick out his own toothbrush and toothpaste and maybe a Mickey Mouse glass for rinsing. If this doesn't motivate him maybe a chart with stickers for every voluntary brushing with some reward for a certain amount of stickers."
"Get a grip! I have an 11 year old and a toddler at home and I have seen that same thing, age just doesn't change. I have also come to accept that some lessons come slower than others. Good habits, come even slower for the fact that habits require a good deal of repetition. In other words, you will be reminding your child to brush his teeth for a few years yet, at the least. I am still reminding my 11 year old to do this because although she knows she needs to brush and why, she still needs help organizing her routine and just plain remembering all of her responsibilities. And it has always been worth it in the end. I am just as proud of her when she has her usual great dental check up. MY advice: Take heart, it's not so bad. You could set a special alarm for him each day or promise a very special bedtime story but in the end, no matter how you do it, or see to it being done, it still amounts to tracking, which is a tedious but rewarding job."
"Try those tablets from the dentist that turn your mouth red where you don't brush good. Show him pictures of bad (or rotten) teeth and stress the importance of brushing properly. Also, tell him if you don't brush then we're going to have to cut out sweets so your teeth don't rot as fast."
"Maybe he's a little young to be expected to remember everything on his own - or maybe he is asking for a little extra attention from you at bedtime. Perhaps offering an extra book at bedtime after a week of remembering to brush his teeth on his own will help."
"Keeping a chart in the bathroom helped my daughter, it was supplied by Colgate. It had pictures that showed morning and nighttime. My daughter put stickers on the chart each time she brushed. The sticker was a mouth brushing it's teeth. Ask your dentist for such a chart or make your own."
"Maybe a chat between your son and his dentist would help."
"Try letting your son pick out his own tooth brush and brand of tooth paste - there are plenty of fun brushes and good tasting tooth pastes. This trick has helped my daughter enjoy the responsibility of caring for her teeth."
"Withhold stories or songs or other enjoyable activities until he has brushed his teeth, or, brush your teeth at the same time he does."
"Use a set of false teeth or toy false teeth for him to brush/play with at first. Also use behavior modification reward system, i.e., stickers, etc."
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