Oral hygiene is very important for your little ones. However, it is difficult to make toddlers understand how to brush, floss, and maintain their healthy gums and teeth. Making the whole experience fun can keep your kids excited about their oral care. Your child will not only grow up with healthy gums and a beautiful smile but also develop healthy habits for a lifetime.
Fun with Brushing
Brushing is often dreadful for kids, especially in the morning. It is, nevertheless, the healthiest habit to brush your teeth morning and night. As parents, you should take this pledge to do it together. Start with these fun activities:
- Exciting Toothbrushes: Buy your children some exciting toothbrushes that come in various colors and have decorations too. For instance, the favorite cartoon or comic characters on the toothbrush are fun. Introduce your kids to the new set of vibrator toothbrushes. It can be a new world altogether.
- Use Different Kinds of Toothpaste: While we generally are not fussy about the flavor and color of toothpaste, children are. Make sure you purchase colorful and favorable toothpaste your children would love. Give them a different flavor whenever they are fussy.
- Prepare a Reward Chart: For each morning and night, your kid willingly brushes his teeth, reward him. Keep stickers, pencils, and such small gifts for these occasions. You can also give a surprise treat.
Flossing Can Be Fun Too
Children should also floss once or twice a week. Though the activity is not fun at all, you have to make it fun for kids so that they realize that flossing can be fun too.
- Role Play: Prepare a mouth with an egg carton, fold it in half, and arrange it just like your set of teeth. Use play dough in chunks and place it between the teeth. Unsightly, it is! Now, you and your child can use the floss and remove play dough from the teeth you created. It’s fun and a great learning experience.
- Singing and Flossing: Prepare your own flossing song and sing it to your child. In the process, you can both clean up your teeth gently and slowly.
Create a Daily Chart
Children can adapt to anything they are offered. That is the best thing!
As a responsible parent, let your child get into the routine of oral hygiene.
- Prepare a Chart: Sit with your child and prepare a daily oral hygiene chart. Mark 7 days of the week. Your child brushes twice daily. Therefore, one star for each session – for 7 days – and your child gets a reward.
- Be an Example: Your chart will be effective only when you set a good example before your kid. You should also follow the same chart and brushing routine to let your child know that you are having fun with him.
Hand Washing
Hand washing is also a part of oral hygiene. Children’s tiny little hands are often sticky. No matter how cute the hands are, you must make sure that they do not put anything inside their mouth without washing their hand.
- Sing the Hand Washing Song: “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” is a very famous song that can make any activity fun for children. So, sing and dance, but take no more than 20 seconds to ensure your kids wash their hands of germs. Focus on the fingernails too.
- Hand Washing Chart: Charting all the activities is a good way to keep your child disciplined and routine. Once kids are back home from school, the first thing they do is wash their hands – chart it and give one sticker and/or other rewards.
- Fun with Soaps: Let your kids enjoy hand washing, with soap, and make bubbles all over the bathroom. Give them colorful and fragrant soaps so that they look forward to hand washing every time they come home.
Children love anything fun and different from the usual. Parents’ role is to ensure they develop good oral hygiene habits and grooming discipline for a lifetime. Besides all this, occasionally, take your child to the dentist for a routine checkup.
