A conundrum

I try to stay pretty on top of things as far as my daughter’s health and well-being go.  As with most new aspects of motherhood though, I was pretty clueless how to go about caring for her.  When does she eat solid foods?  When she stops drinking formula, what on earth do I feed her all day?  How on earth do I clip these tiny fingernails?  How many  naps should she be taking?  How much tummy time is enough?

Each new stage brought new questions.  At some point after her teeth started coming in, I realized they wouldn’t just keep themselves healthy.  Do I have to like, CLEAN these things??

I remember reading in a parenting magazine that once there are two teeth that touch, parents should floss their kids’ teeth daily.

HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

Have they met a baby?  Better yet, have they ever met a TODDLER?

Needless to say, the flossing isn’t exactly going as the professionals recommend it should.  However, we have tried to be pretty diligent about brushing my daughter’s teeth.  She’s gone through phases of loving it and not loving it so much, but we’ve almost always been successful by making it a game or showing how daddy does it or something along those lines.  Lately though, she will have none of it.  If we even start to walk into the bathroom to brush her teeth she’ll flail and flop and fuss.  When we try to actually put the toothbrush in her mouth it turns into a full-on meltdown.  Some nights we give up and just let her “brush” her own teeth.  Other nights we beg and try to make it fun.  Last night my husband just held her arms while I tried to brush her little teeth as fast as my hand would go.   Not pretty.

So now what?  I’m hoping this is just a phase.  I don’t want to give up brushing her teeth, because dental care is important.  I want to establish healthy habits with her, and if I just give up because she puts up a fuss that will set a precedent for future tooth brushing and other issues I’m sure.

As a sidenote, some may argue that dental health doesn’t matter for little kids because they will just lose their teeth anyway.  However, that isn’t true.  If kids teeth rot and fall out too early, it could damage the development of their permanent teeth as well as their placement and overall health.  Not to mention the importance of gum health, which they will carry all their lives.

So how do you get your toddlers to brush their teeth?  Do you floss your kids’ teeth?  If so, HOW? (I’m guessing you must be magic to get them to hold still!) What is your philosophy on the whole thing anyway?  Advice is welcome.

Tags: dental health, toddlers, tooth brushing adventures