The ChildMark Blog. Current insight into child development, parenting, research and best practice.

Daily Toothbrushing with Your Kids

By Ward Andrews 3 years, 1 month, 3 weeks, 3 days, 5 hours, 12 minutes ago

A recent study by Johnson & Johnson listed the following as the top excuses that children have given their parents to avoid brushing their teeth:

As parents we know the value of routines for our children. Children thrive on established routines because they enjoy the predictability of knowing what is coming next or what to expect.

It is important to establish a good daily toothbrushing routine as early as possible with your child as this provides a valuable tool for reinforcing good oral hygiene. Just as we teach our children the importance of washing hands, brushing their teeth is just as important.

There are some great tools available that we can give our children to make brushing a little easier. There are toothbrushes available that light up or flash for 60 seconds letting your child know when he is finished brushing. Other brushes play music or buzz for one minute. Oral rinses color the child’s teeth and have to be brushed off letting your child know that she is finished when her teeth are white. There are also toothpastes where the cap flashes as well.

Monitor your child closely. Teach him the correct way to brush his teeth and then watch him do it. Buy a book that shows a child brushing his or her teeth or even a video (or just watch this video we found below). Periodically watch him again to make certain that he is doing it correctly. It is imperative to let your child know that twice daily toothbrushing is non-negotiable. Take your child to the dentist two times per year. The dentist will reinforce good brushing habits as well.

As always, one of the best ways to instill good habits in your children is to be a role model yourself. This is the key to getting “buy in” from your child. Consider making daily brushing a family affair, make it fun and keep it happening.

OTHER STATS:

- 49% of parents cited “not brushing teeth” as their child’s worst habit
- 1 out of 3 parents said that their kids lie about brushing their teeth
- 1 in 4 parents admit to negotiating or bribing their child to brush their teeth

(3) Comments

I know my daughter who is 8 hates to brush her teeth. At first it was the toothpaste was too hot. So we used a semi-sweet tasting toothpaste until we finally found one that is “ok” with her tastebuds. But getting her to take the time at night has been a challenge until we came up with the idea to have her brush her teeth at night in the shower. She thinks this is fun and she actually brushes more while in the shower than while standing in front of a sink. Actually she probably needs to brush more than just the recommended twice per day. With all the parties she attends throught the year such as birthday parties, Halloween, Christmas and Valentine and everyone giving out candy for party favors it’s no wonder her teeth are constantlyy needing brushing. For her last party we found some cute kids birthday favors at http://www.partyfavormart.kateaspenshops.com that don’t require you to eat them. The parents of the kids who came to her party were very appreciative that we didn’t hand out the traditional favor of candy.

By Unique Birthday Party Favors on December 19th, 2008

I can still remember being a kid, and telling my mom I had brushed my teeth when I hadn’t. You really have to stay on them!

By Casey on January 5th, 2009

Resources like the one you mentioned here will be very useful to me! I will post a link to this page on my blog. I am sure my visitors will find that very useful
Regards,
Rachel Klawson

By Rachel Klawson on July 13th, 2009