Activities you can use to encourage your child to brush his/her teeth

See all 3 photos

My son/daughter does not like brushing his or her teeth, what should I do? Is there any type of activity or insentive that I can use with my child?

These are common questions I usually hear from frustrated parents that have tried everything that is possible for their child to enjoy brushing their teeth, but eveything has failed.What parents forget or sometimes fail to understand is that children try to act like little adults, and a great way to get them to brush their teeth is to make dental hygiene a fun activity.

If your child sees you eager to brush tour teeth while smiling and laughing, the child will naturally believe it is a fun activity. To help the child learn how to brush they can see their reflection in a mirror and see how their parent is moving the brush. A simple high five or saying “great job” as a reward can be motivational for a child. After letting the child brush his/her teeth, it is very important to brush their teeth a final time with toothpaste, to make sure they are brush well.

Source: http://babiestravellite.com

Toothpaste

The amount of toothpaste should be about the size of a pea and brushing will remove any plaque or bacteria on the surface. They should use toothpaste for kids and need to make sure to spit out the toothpaste and swallow as little as possible. Children form obtain cavities at a faster rate than adults so it is very important for children to begin brushing at a young age.

Calendar

To encourage this healthy behavior, a calendar can be used to place stickers on everyday the child brushes. A reward can be given for brushing everyday of the week or month. A reward for the child can be to select a fun activity of their choice, go to the park, have extra playtime or get to play a family board game of their choice. The idea is to make brushing a fun activity and not a chore or something unpleasant. Dental hygiene practices rely entirely on the foundations set as a child.