It ain't pretty but it works

If you’re like most parents with babies or toddlers, you’re having a tough time brushing their teeth.  As the father of three, I know.   I’ve been through this parenting stage three times and I’ve tried everything in the book to get my kids to cooperate including jokes, songs and other silly things I’m too embarrassed to mention here.

My two-year-old Briani is in this stage now so here’s a PapiBlogger homemade trick I have that is guaranteed to work: make your child cry when you need to clean their pearly whites.

No, I’m not saying to hurt your child.  What I really mean is that if your baby or toddler isn’t cooperating to brush their teeth simply do something that gets them to cry.   The reason you want them to do that is because toddlers usually open their mouthes wide to cry and that makes it ideal for you to stick their toothbrush inside their mouth and clean their teeth.

Briani recently caught on to my trick so now I can’t brush her teeth standing anymore.  In Briani’s case I make her cry AND I don’t put the toothbrush in her mouth until I hold her head down in a flat surface like our bed.  This makes it much harder for her to spit out the toothpaste.  It ain’t pretty but it works.

What works for you with your baby or toddler?