When the pediatrician asked me if I was brushing my daughter’s teeth at her 12-month check up, I looked at her like she had two heads. She only had four teeth! But the doctor assured me that I should start getting her used to it and brush her gums, so I had my new task.
I wasn’t sure how I was going to get my daughter to let me brush her teeth, so I started by letting her watch me brush my teeth. When she started becoming interested in what I was doing, I introduced her to Raffi’s “Brush Your Teeth”
Next, I put a little Earth’s Best Organic Toddler Toothpaste (in strawberry banana) on a toothbrush and let her taste it. She immediately accepted the taste and let me put the brush in her mouth and move it around while I sang, “Ch ch ch ch, ch ch ch ch…” Beginner’s luck.
We worked at our new chore everyday, and what started as not much brushing and plenty of screaming has slowly developed to a few seconds of actual brushing. She thinks it is a little game; I brush her teeth while singing, and when I am done she brushes her teeth while I sing, finally “all done” and off to play. It’s a process, but we are making progress, and I know I have Raffi to thank for his ch ch ch ch, ch ch ch ch…
Lyrics to Raffi’s “Brush Your Teeth”