No More Meltdowns! Bedtime Made Fun

The sun is setting, you’ve cleared the dinner dishes, your child has carefully picked out her pajamas. You reach for a colorful character toothbrush and suddenly you’re confronted with a child in total meltdown. How exactly do you brush all the tooth surfaces for the recommended two minutes when she won’t open her mouth? Or how do you floss between those little pearls when the entire child is writhing on the floor and crying? Fear not, brushing your child’s teeth need not be a nightly battle.

Accentuate the Positive

Kids are right: having your teeth brushed can be awkward and uncomfortable (and way less fun than, say, wrestling with your brother or playing with your toys). The trick to taming our little yuck mouths is to minimize the negatives and accentuate the positives.

For example, bathrooms are filled with hard surfaces and bright lights, but there’s no rule that says you can’t brush their teeth in the kitchen, on the couch, or in their bedrooms. Just bring along a cup for water and another one for spitting. Include the child in the process by letting him pick out the flavored toothpaste or squeeze it onto the brush. Reduce those parts of the process that cause conflict and emphasize the fun parts.

Tooth brushing should be part of a nightly and morning routine that is both predictable and varied. Keeping things predictable—doing the same things in roughly the same order and manner and at about the same time every day—naturally lowers kids’ resistance. But varying things a little can turn a mundane chore into something they might even look forward to.

Think about the things you and your child do together each night and how you can highlight those tasks with a bit of connection, a bit of fun, a bit of excitement. Taking a bath can be submarine training. Getting out pajamas can be a chance to put on your superhero suit.

Some relaxing and fun nighttime-routine ideas include: a back rub, a foot tickle, a funny face contest in the mirror, or building “flat me” on the floor with tomorrow’s clothes (be sure to put the underwear on the head or over the pants for a few cheap laughs). Feel free to get really silly, and get your child laughing, then slip into teeth brushing mode before she even expects it. She might just forget to put up a fuss.

I’m not saying you need to put on a song and dance routine every night, but a giggling, snuggling, happy child is much easier to approach with a toothbrush. Sometimes the simplest things can set the tone for fun. “We sing,” says Joanne Berry, a Sacramento resident and mother of Wyatt and Eli. “We sing our little toothbrushing song: Brushy, brushy brushy…” Any nursery rhyme or song your child likes should do the trick.

Setting the example by regularly brushing our own adult teeth can be instructive as well. Wyatt enjoys getting in on the action when Mom and Dad take brush in hand for their own pearly whites. He offers to help out: “I want to brush mommy’s teeth!” He’ll then proceed to brushing his own.

Master the Art of Distraction

You might think brushing technique or fancy toothpaste is the most important part of caring for kids’ teeth, but in order to even get their mouths open, you may need to first get them smiling. Some well-timed distraction can go a long way toward this end.
One of the best ways to relax during dental care is to think about something else.

Smart dentists are installing DVD players and hanging televisions over their exam chairs. No, you don’t have to mount a flat screen on your ceiling. Instead, try your hand at storytelling. One father tells his children individualized stories during their brushing time. They open wide knowing that each night their favorite characters will have new adventures. The stories don’t have to be fancy or even original. This same dad told the entire Star Wars movie plot to his kids over the course of several weeks. They were too young to see the movie, but they hung on every word of his edited-for-tooth-time rendition.

Other options might be stories or music on tape or movie trailers found online (which average about two minutes in length). By keeping their minds focused on special entertainment reserved only for brushing time, they will be too distracted to cry. (They might even come to associate “time to brush” with something they like.) It may take a little extra effort at first, but the rewards are worth it – healthy smiles and no more tears!

Novelty Acts

Generally, a toothbrush, toothpaste and some floss are enough. But if every night brings a struggle, you might try adding some novel new gear to your routine. Let kids pick out their favorites (colors, characters, flavors…), and they’ll be even more likely to cooperate.

• Electric Toothbrushes
  Very little kids might find the vibrations too stimulating on their gums, but some kids like pushing that button and making the toothbrush buzz. Some models even play songs for the recommended two minutes (or more), which helps kids (and parents) keep track of their brushing time.
  
• Flossers
  These plastic, pre-strung wonders help you reach between tiny teeth with one hand, making the job a lot more comfortable for kids and way easier on parents. Bonus: They now come in all kinds of colors, characters and flavors just for kids.
  
• A Dentist’s Mirror
  Combined with a plaque-revealing rinse, this handy tool really lets kids see those “sugar bugs” they’re brushing off their teeth. After they pass their own inspection, be sure to offer a high-five or “good job!”
  
• Tooth Tissues
  Make caring for babies’ mouths easier. These disposable wipes allow a parent to rub the surface of the tooth clean by hand.
  
• Xylitol
  This natural sweetener also helps prevent cavities. You can find it in tooth wipes, toothpastes, mouth rinses and chewing gum.
  
• Fluoride Rinses
  For some kids, spitting is a forbidden pleasure, and the chance to go nuts with some post-brushing expectoration is enough to win their instant cooperation.