brushing problem

I give Ella the toothbrush to hold herself as she won't let me brush her teeth either.. she bites on it which brushes her teeth a bit. The doctor told me to do this and it seems to work!

Also sometimes just getting them to look in a mirror and make a noise like ahhhhh works. Try to get in and give them a good brush at least once a day. Maybe let her choose her own toothbrush.

thanx for the ideas i give it to her most of the time and she moves it around her mouth and stuff but yep its just those top ones i try to make it fun for her so she enjoys it but i surpose she proberly doesnt quite understand what it really does.

Rachel & Brianna

Maya was given an electric toothbrush last xmas (she was about 20mths) and she loves it, it is a real novelty. It says on it for ages 3+ but our dental nurse said its fine, anything to encourage brushing. Maya is also a bit OCD about toothpaste, will only use the Macleans Milk Teeth not the Colgate Junior stuff. I figured that wasn't a battle worth fighting so I chucked the Colgate and stocked up on the Macleans. And I let her put the toothpaste on and brush for a minute or two before I get in there and give them a proper clean.
Oh, and on a similar subject, I read in the paper here in Sydney this morning that kids are having a higher rate of tooth decay now than a few years ago, partly because of lollies, soft drink etc. but also because we tend to give them bottled or filtered water which doesn't have fluoride instead of tap water which does. I found this interesting - must admit I give Maya filtered water coz I drink it and it tastes better, but am having second thoughts now. Guess the good old tap stuff is better!

They still don't flouridate our water here in christchurch, it's been a huge bone of contention. We have two toothbrushes for Jayden one that he uses and bascially just chews on and on thast we use to brush his teeth at the same time. We are getting electric ones to put in their stocking for xmas though. Just to make it more fun.