A growth of a child is a joy to watch for every parent. Although, this joy comes along with various challenges which requires great patience. It is like bitter sweet chocolates and salt-sugary cookies.
It is quite common that babies throw-up tantrums for the daily activities. Apart from the tough jobs like making your child eat and sleep, bathing your child, there is yet another challenge.
Yes, this about brushing! The real challenge though lies not in brushing your child’s teeth but in making this activity interesting. You should make your child enjoy the process as oral hygiene is very important.
How to make brushing a fun activity
There are a number of ways which you can resort to for making your child brush teeth and turn it into a fun activity instead of a boring routine affair.
As soon as the first tooth is visible, you must start off with a cleaning activity with water.
If you continue to do so, your child will surely get used to it and will know what needs to be done after every meal. Be consistent with this job.
Wipe gums and clean the mouth
To begin with, wipe the gums with a soft, wet, and of course a clean cloth.
Using toothpaste isn’t needed at this stage. It will help in keeping your child’s gum clean and slowly and steadily your child will get used to it. Later on you can use a toothbrush to brush your child’s teeth properly once he gets habituated. You can do this as early as possible. Need not wait until growth of teeth.
Choosing the right toothpaste
Selection of toothpaste should be right as toothpastes containing fluoride are said to be bad for younger children. You will come across some of the best and branded toothpastes designed for kids in the market. These are available in a variety of flavors. They are non-toxic which means that even if your child swallows the paste, it won’t be harmful.
Around 2.5 years, your child should learn to spit the paste.
Make a demo – How to brush
You need to show your child as to how you brush your teeth every day. A child tends to pick up faster that way. Teach them the correct way of brushing by moving the brush up and down, right and left.
Soft brush and soft bristles
Selecting the right kind of toothbrush is another important consideration. Start off with wet cloth, then with rubber bristles and then switch over to a toothbrush that contains soft bristles.
There are toothbrushes that come in lovely colors, nice designs with cartoon characters, which will easily draw your child’s attention.
Motivate with a reward
Tell your child that if he/she brushes teeth then you are going to give some reward. It is a great motivating factor for the child.
You can also take help of videos through which you can show your child how other children brush their teeth regularly.
Praise generously
A great way to make your child brush teeth is to praise him/her especially when the brushing is done without you reminding your child or when done without any help.
Do not threaten the baby
Refrain from telling your child that if he/she does not brush the teeth you will go to the dentist. This actually tends to scare your child and is too discouraging. You must see to it that if a visit to the dentist, if needed at all, should be a good experience for your child.
Children can learn brushing their teeth at around two years of age but it should be done under your supervision.
