If you’re having a hard time getting your kids into the habit of brushing their teeth - you're not alone. We’ve got some tips to help you on your way to healthy mouths and gleaming smiles!
Keep it casual.
Your kid’s just legged it out of the bathroom for the fourth time in ten minutes and you find yourself brandishing a toothbrush and yelling stuff like, “If you don’t brush your teeth right now the sugar monsters will come and make all your teeth fall out!” As frazzled as your nerves might be, try your best to avoid scare tactics. Keep it light and breezy. Keep it casual!
Stay positive.
To avoid evenings spent on the bathroom floor bribing your kids to unclench their jaws, put on a little teeth brushing performance for them. Let them watch while you go through your brushing routine. Talk to yourself in the mirror, narrate what you’re doing and chatter as you go. Say aloud how good it feels to have a nice clean mouth. Sure, you’ll feel like a bit of a wally, but your kids will pick up on your positive vibes, they’ll want to join in and they’ll get the hang of the brushing technique over time. Give it a shot!
Make brushing time fun with Benjamin Brush!
Reinforce your kids’ teeth brushing routine by injecting a big dollop of fun into proceedings! The newest addition to the BleepBleeps’ family, Benjamin Brush, plays your kids’ favourite song to get them in the groove of brushing for two minutes and he’ll even give them a little nudge (a little vibration, actually) when it’s time to switch up their brushing to different areas of their mouths. Not only that, but by linking Benjamin to the BleepBleeps app, you can track how well your kids’ are brushing and they can tot up points and earn fun rewards.
Tasty toothpaste.
Certain minty fresh toothpastes can be eye-wateringly zingy even to some grown-up mouths, so make sure your kids aren’t being put off brushing their teeth by strong flavours or stingy tongues! If that means choosing the pink stripy toothpaste that tastes like strawberries, go for it - just check the packet first and make sure it contains enough fluoride to keep your kids’ teeth healthy (and make sure it’s not SO delicious that they’re eating it out of the tube!).
Here’s what to look for on the toothpaste packet as recommended by the NHS:
Baby or child under 3 - no more than 1000ppm of fluoride
Child between 3 and 6 - more than 1000ppm of fluoride
Child aged 7+ - between 1350ppm and 1500ppm of fluoride
Take Turns?
If you find yourself in a fankle every time you try to brush your kids’ teeth, suggest taking turns. If they let you brush their teeth then they get a turn at it next. Or, if you’re feeling brave and don’t mind a bit of toothpaste froth up your nose, you get to brush their teeth - then they get to brush yours!
Good luck + happy brushing.
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