How to Help a Reluctant Brusher

Many parents have experienced a child's resistance or even outright refusal when it comes to brushing their teeth. Yet parents play a major role in helping children develop proper oral health habits early on.

It’s important that we get our children into a good habit of brushing their teeth from a young age, making sure that they brush with fluoride toothpaste twice a day. Toothbrushing removes plaque from the surfaces of the teeth and fluoride keeps teeth strong and helps fight tooth decay. If your little one is a reluctant brusher, Colgate has shared some top tips on how parents can encourage them: 

REWARD THEM

The COLGATE MAGIK BRUSH & Ap turns everyday brushing into a fun game.

Rewarding your child for brushing their teeth is one tactic you can deploy to encourage regular brushing. The reward that works best will depend on your child's age and interests. For a younger child, this might be a funny bedtime story before lights out – but only after they brush. For an older child, a good reward might be letting them watch an episode of their favourite TV show between brushing and bed. If your child fusses about brushing their teeth, remind them the time they spend complaining will cut into this bonus playtime.

MAKE IT A GAME

Put on an upbeat song for 2 minutes and have a mini dance party while your child is brushing. This will make brushing a fun activity and it will also help distract your child from the mundane task of brushing. 

STAR CHART

Another option is to create a star chart where each time your child brushes without being asked, morning and night, they get a star or sticker. Having earned five stars, your child qualifies for a prize. If you have two or more children, you could transform your star chart system into a friendly competition – the one who earns five or 10 stars first gets the best prize, for instance.

BRUSH WITH THEM

Children learn best by imitating so if you brush along with your child, they will be encouraged to copy you. We should be supervising our children with brushing their teeth until they’re at least 7 years old, making sure that they’re brushing properly and getting the brush in to all areas of their mouth. 

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ROUTINE

Consistency and routine are really important in a child’s learning and development. To get them into a good brushing habit, schedule brushing times to develop a consistent time of the day for their oral care routine

GO FOR REGULAR CHECK UPS

Going for regular dental check-ups will help your child become familiar with the dentist and will be a good reminder to your little one of the importance of regular brushing.

For further information, Colgate has developed some handy leaflets for how to keep your children’s teeth healthy. These can be viewed & downloaded here and here.