BAD MOM ALERT.
Babystar has not brushed her teeth in six days.
Go ahead. Mock me. Shame me. Send me unsolicited infographics about children’s brushing habits and their ability to get into a good college. Tag me on Facebook on articles about toddler dental health. Email me links to articles about why I suck.
I have no excuse. I KNOW. But if I did, it would be this.
We ran out of the delicious bubblegum flavored, fluoride-free kids toothpaste on Tuesday night after she DID brush her teeth.
On Wednesday, I bought new kid’s toothpaste but it was hippie Tom’s of Maine ($3.99) strawberry flavored and she HATED IT. She spit it out and decided to rub her toothbrush all over the toilet instead. I guess this was a commentary on the new toothpaste. Two thumbs down PLUS a toothbrush in the toilet.
So of course we had to toss it into the trash immediately. Because gross.
That happened to be the last of four kids toothbrushes that my husband and I got in our MommyCon gift bags back in 2015. (We each got a gift bag, and they were 2-packs.)
So, ok, no biggie. We will just buy her another toothbrush.
On Thursday, Babystar woke up in a terrible Toddler Mood and we cancelled all adventures and stayed home to color and watch Blue’s Clues and play with blocks. I remembered the toothbrush around dinnertime and popped over to Harris Teeter, where I couldn’t find a single kids toothbrush. Not one.
Darn it. Oh, well, she’s two. She will live, right?
On Friday, I bought a Orajel-brand kid’s Elmo toothbrush and candy-flavored toothpaste set ($4.39) at Target.
Nope. Nope. Nope. She refused to put the colorful Elmo toothbrush anywhere near her mouth.
Crap. So the teenager helped me find the toothbrushes from MommyCon 2015 online. (I was really wishing I had taken a picture of the swag bag contents for the blog because we had long since tossed the toothbrush packaging.) She figured out that they were made by WooBamboo; I found them on Amazon and ordered them with my sweet Prime two-day shipping ($8.43).
MORE BAD MOM CONFESSIONS.
I only brush Babystar’s teeth at bath time. Which is usually in the evening. I ask her if she wants to brush her teeth in the morning with me, and she says yes about 20% of the time. So that’s what we do. I insist that she brush her teeth at bath time, and she’s not always on board but we make it happen. Babystar got her first tooth a bit AFTER her first birthday so we did not establish a good routine early. I know, I know.
MAYDAY MAYDAY: Does anyone know any good ways to convince a very particular toddler to brush her teeth? Asking for a friend.
Ok, so the package arrived yesterday, and guess what. She did not take a bath yesterday. She fell asleep instead and I was not about to wake her up and now it is Monday.
Six days.
TERRIBLE PARENTING. Go ahead, call the police. I don’t even blame you.
I promise she will get a bath and BRUSH HER TEETH tonight. If they haven’t already fallen out by then.
Aaaaand, because we have out priorities straight, we got matching blue toes again over the weekend. Hers are only $5 + tip (so $10.)
(I used the make-it-seem-like-I-recently-shaved-my-legs filter on that picture. Did it work? š)
RAISING BABYSTAR: $18,879.45
BabyCostsMoney 
I will be waiting with bated breath to hear legitimate tips for getting toddlers to brush. Mine is in “throw anything I don’t like” mode, so half the time he’ll let us brush his teeth, and the other half he will throw his toothbrush into the sink I don’t disinfect often enough/onto the bathroom floor/somewhere else gross. So I bought a 4-pack of toothbrushes that I have to rotate through constantly while boiling the most recently thrown one. He sort of started to get enthusiastic when we equated the “chh chh” of brushing with the sound of trains (his current obsession), but it’s only about 40% effective. Sometimes he just makes “chh chh” train noises while throwing his toothbrush across the room.
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What a good idea! I’ll get two more and rotate/boil them. Very smart!
Other than that, I got nothing. Any dentists out there with tips? Or scolding? š
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My son is 4 and I more often than not forget to brush his teeth in the morning… we didn’t have a solid bedtime teeth routine until almost 2, so yeh! I started him with Earth Paste lemon flavor and now we both use a homemade remineralizing powder. He had his first dentist appointment just a month ago and all is good besides a little crowding.
In a pinch, I would suggest a little wash cloth and some coconut oil rubbed on her teeth. And yes, toddler toothbrush time can be really challenging. I found that cradling him on my lap gives me the best view and I still do it that way. I started by singing twinkle twinkle or another short song for each bottom and top, then slowly increasing the time. I always explained it to him with confidence and an expectation of cooperation (not stern direction but also not asking him in any way, see RIE). I found that letting him try to brush his teeth himself first didn’t work, so if he cooperated with my turn, then he could have a turn if he wanted. Every so often he’d fight be on it and I explained I had to do it to keep his teeth healthy and did it anyway. Doing bedtime before he is too tired to cooperate helps. A few months ago, I made him a visual schedule on a clipboard for bedtime. If he doesn’t cooperate then we don’t have time for a book. And bedtime is consistent due to an alarm on my phone. I hope something in there helps you even if just to alleviate some guilt. And those tooth brushes look so cool!
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Thanks! These are really good tips! And luckily her favorite thing to do in the bath is chew on the extra washcloth I give her (so she doesn’t take the one I’m using to chew). Maybe her teeth have been getting ‘brushed’ all along!
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Hey that’s probably pretty good for her teeth! Things we eat do scrape our teeth. One thing the dentist encouraged is to floss between his tight teeth with those little flosser things. Thankfully I already have some on hand but I often forget to do it unless I see noticeable stuck food.
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My munchkin is 9 and still only brushes at night. He goes to the dentist every 6 months and gets a perfect report every time. You’re doing fine.
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We are in the same boat over here. My son’s breath smells like poop. Like literally. Poop ā¹ļø
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Sorry. Irresistible.
They have some good tips above. Lmk if anything works. We are still at a sour milk smell but she DID brush her teeth on Monday. And yesterday! But not today. š
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