It is a constant struggle to get my children to brush their teeth. I want to say that I'm not exactly sure what the big deal is, but I remember fighting my mother on it when I was younger. It seems to be a common struggle among all parents and something all children dread.
Even though it's something we all hate doing or making our children do, it is very necessary. Cavities, tooth decay or other dental diseases are definitely no laughing matter. Especially when we realize, later in life, just how important a white sparkling smile actually is.
So how do we get our children to brush our teeth? How do we get this to be less of a fight three times a day?
Let your children pick out their toothbrushes and toothpaste! I find that when my girls go to the store to decide upon their own design/characters, they're more inclined to be excited about brushing their teeth. Toothpaste for children comes in many different flavors, colors and have many of their favorite characters on the packaging. It can be as simple as letting them make their own decision and getting them hyped up about using their favorite products while brushing their teeth!
You have to make it fun! There are many ways to do this. Many toothbrushes, these days, have music that you can press on the brush. For the duration of that song is how long you must keep brushing your teeth! My daughter had a Hannah Montana toothbrush that played a song. I have also seen Disney Characters, Nickelodeon Characters and some others! Another way to do this is to make up a song to sing for the 3 minutes your child should be brushing. You can make up some funny and kooky songs to sing to your children while they're brushing their teeth! Who knows, they may actually just catch on and start singing it to you when you're brushing your teeth!
If your children are young, like mine are, you must brush their teeth for them. However, before you do help, let them take a crack at it by themselves! Tell them that they can brush their own teeth and be a big girl/boy and afterward, you'll touch up to make sure they're as sparkly and shiny as they can be! It's important that children know the importance of a sparkly pearly white smile.
Limit the sugary drinks, junk food and sugary foods. These foods cause tooth decay and cause the enamel on your teeth to thin and sometimes dissipate! You don't want that, you want teeth to be as strong as they can be! Try out some healthy foods and dress them up to your liking. There are many ways to do this! Sugary foods and drinks can be an occasional treat.
There are various types of gum that are great for teeth and that do prevent cavities! I'm a strong believer in this! If your child is old enough to chew gum and understand how to chew gum safely, give them their favorite flavor of gum after snacks and meals – between brushing. It will help eliminate the food and plaque build up! My kids love this step just as much as they enjoy blowing bubbles with their gum!
Fighting about keeping teeth and gums healthy shouldn't be a hard fight. Maybe using some of these steps into your every day routine will lessen or eliminate the fight all together! Your children will thank you in the future when they have a great smile.
I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and Trident blogging program, making me eligible to get a $25 gift card. For more information on how you can participate, click here
0 comments:
Post a Comment