MOTIVATING KIDS TO BRUSH DAILY

Good habits start at a young age including brushing your teeth. As a parent this can be very challenging to motivate kids to brush daily. Here are some tips on inspiring your kids to brush daily.

First and foremost make it FUN! A great way to encourage kids to brush is to brush with them pictured below. Children are more likely to brush with one or both of their parents. This enables the parent to see how well their child is actually brushing. Set a timer, an egg timer works well as you can keep it in the bathroom and easily flip it over to support your child to brush for the entire time. Spin brushes are a great motivational tool as well. They come in different Disney characters so depending if your child is into Princesses or Spiderman this is a fabulous and inexpensive way to help your child want to brush twice daily. A more expensive alternative to a spin brush is the children’s sonicare electric brush. It has different colorful inserts for the handle and plays a tune while in use. The great thing about this brush is it slowly increases the time by 10 seconds after each use and before you know it your child is brushing for 2 minutes! If you are still having those days that your child is refusing to brush then I would highly recommend a fluoride mouth rinse. Smart rinse by Listerine comes in kid friendly flavours such as bubble blast and pink lemonade. It also has a measuring cup that comes with it for ease of dispensing. On those rushed mornings if your child will not brush at least have them rinse with a fluoride mouth rinse. It does not take the place of brushing but will help protect against cavities.

In summary motivating your kids to brush, keep it FUN! Brush with your child and set a timer. Have your child pick out his or her own spin brush, his/her favourite Disney character. Lastly, keep a fluoride mouth rinse on hand that your child likes. Good luck and keep on brushing!