We have a lot of mouths to brush in my house and these tips to get kids to brush their teeth have helped make teeth brushing less of a struggle.
Tips to Get Kids to Brush Their Teeth
Getting kids to brush their teeth can be a battle! The last thing my boys want to do is stop playing to brush their teeth. My youngest boys are always busy and getting them to wind down and hold still while they brush their teeth is sometimes a fight. Plus, brushing their teeth isn’t high up there on the priority list of kids. Here are some tips to get kids to brush their teeth that have helped my 4 boys. Post contains affiliate links
1. Let Them Pick Out a Toothbrush
I was not prepared for how picky my boys would be when it came to their toothbrushes, and I was actually surprised that the type of toothbrush we got made a difference in their willingness to brush their teeth. I guess superheroes can convince kids better than mom can. 😉 It seems silly, but it worked. My boys loved the Spinbrush Superhero toothbrushes
2. Kitchen or Toothbrushing Timer
Keep a kitchen timer or toothbushing timer
3. Toothbrushing chart
If your child has a hard time remembering to brush, make a fun incentive chart that they can put a sticker on. Sticker charts work great for young kids. Give a little prize for good teeth brushing habits, such as a trip to the park or something fun from the dollar store.
4.Plaque Disclosing tablets
Have your kids chew a Plaque Disclosing Tablet after they have brushed to see just how much they have missed. They will enjoy scrubbing all of the color out of their mouth once they see how much was left in there and may even begin competing with other family members to see who can get their teeth the cleanest.
5. Visit Pediatric Dentist
I think it is so important to take kids into a 6 month check-up for their teeth. I’ll admit that I slack a little on my appointments but my kids are there every 6 months. We have found problems early and have been able to address them to prevent major medical expenses down the road. The enamel on my oldest son’s molars didn’t develop correctly and we discovered that when he was quite young. He has had to have fillings but we are hoping that we have avoided any root canals in the future and he now knows that he has to pay close attention to getting those teeth clean. Plus our dentist has fun incentives the kids can earn for brushing their teeth.
6. Make it Fun
When kids are just learning to brush their teeth, you have to make it fun. Sing a silly song while you brush or listen to your child’s favorite song and have them brush until it is over. Pretend to chase “sugar buggies” around in their mouth with the toothbrush. My boys learned about “Sugar bugs” in kindergarten and they definitely don’t want them in their mouth and will let me scrub them out once they have finished brushing on their own. When you make it fun, they are more likely to want to brush their teeth.
What tips do you have to get your kids to brush their teeth?
This post is a part of our series 31 Days of Tips for Raising Boys. Each day throughout the series we are discussing a different topic regarding raising boys. I’d love for you to follow along and share this series with other parents of boys who may need some support or just to hear that they aren’t alone in their journey of raising boys.
Check out the next post in the series: How to Keep Your Sanity While Raising Energetic Boys
Find all of our posts in one place on our series home page: 31 Days of Tips for Raising Boys
The Sonicare toothbrush may seem like an expensive investment, but they’ll last forever and they help clean your children’s’ teeth really well. You might even want to get yourself one after seeing how well it works! Thanks for sharing the tips.
Yes, that is a great idea! My oldest has had one forever and it works great. Thanks for the tip!
My 13 yr old had a Sonicare that he said hurt his teeth. So we purchased the oral B spinbrish. He says that hurts his teeth but he’ll use it if I make him. He rather use a regular toothbrush. However, every single day he comes out of the bathroom with scuzzy looking yellow/orange teeth. When I brush for him he tells me I hurt him. We do the 6 month cleanings and he leaves there with the dentist saying all is well but he needs to work on his brushing technique. I’m at a loss. So tired of the fighting (especially the bad breath and taking photos with those nasty looking things when he smiles?!). Really at a loss…
It can be so frustrating to get them to keep their teeth clean! I hope you are able to find a solution.