Getting Your Kids to Brush Their Teeth
Getting your kids to brush their teeth can be a hard task for parents, especially when the children don’t buy into the process of it all. And why would they? Oftentimes, kids are too young to understand the importance of a lot of health practices, so they don’t associate a sense of importance with a lot of things that adults do.
It can be especially tough on parents if their kids eat a lot of sugars, don’t want to brush their teeth, and then the consequences show themselves pretty soon after. Paying for dental bills, especially if your insurance doesn’t cover something, can be a really big wake-up call for parents to instill a lifelong desire in their kids to brush their teeth twice a day.
It can be hard getting things started (just as it is for you anytime you want to start something new), but once you get the ball rolling, kids are pretty quick to catch on and do things out of habit. That in itself is a saving grace for the whole process.
To help you get your kids started on a good dental routine, we’ve come up with a few ideas that will make it easier for them to remember to brush their teeth and do it every single day.
It can be hard getting things started (just as it is for you anytime you want to start something new), but once you get the ball rolling, kids are pretty quick to catch on and do things out of habit. That in itself is a saving grace for the whole process.
To help you get your kids started on a good dental routine, we’ve come up with a few ideas that will make it easier for them to remember to brush their teeth and do it every single day.
Make them brush when you brush
Just like a lot of things, kids are much more likely to relent and do something if you are doing it as well. At the very least, they won’t see brushing their teeth as a punishment if you’re doing it willingly alongside them. Make sure they brush in the morning when you do as well as before bed, alongside you. This will let them know that it’s not just something kids have to do; it’s something everyone has to do.
Just like a lot of things, kids are much more likely to relent and do something if you are doing it as well. At the very least, they won’t see brushing their teeth as a punishment if you’re doing it willingly alongside them. Make sure they brush in the morning when you do as well as before bed, alongside you. This will let them know that it’s not just something kids have to do; it’s something everyone has to do.
Reward them
This can be tricky at first. If you reward them every single time they brush their teeth, they’re going to expect that reward daily, for the rest of time. (Sounds dramatic, but kids are dramatic.) Instead, have them shoot for brushing their teeth 14 times in a week, which equates to twice a day. Make tallies as the week goes on. If they hit that mark by the end of the week, get them something small that they can feel good about. A sense of accomplishment and reaching a goal is a great type of feeling to foster in your kids in the first place, so you’re winning on two accounts here.
This can be tricky at first. If you reward them every single time they brush their teeth, they’re going to expect that reward daily, for the rest of time. (Sounds dramatic, but kids are dramatic.) Instead, have them shoot for brushing their teeth 14 times in a week, which equates to twice a day. Make tallies as the week goes on. If they hit that mark by the end of the week, get them something small that they can feel good about. A sense of accomplishment and reaching a goal is a great type of feeling to foster in your kids in the first place, so you’re winning on two accounts here.