Sometimes it can feel nearly impossible to get your child to brush or floss their teeth on a regular basis. Maybe they eat too many sweets, and you just can’t seem to find a way around it. Well, you most certainly aren’t alone. Lucky for you, putting your children on a good track with their habits isn’t always as hard as it seems. We’ll do our best to give you our top tips to help you ease the burden of getting your child to brush their teeth.
Make It Fun! – It’s a well-known fact that kids love to have fun. One of the most powerful parenting moments is the time you realize you can make anything fun for your children, including taking care of their teeth. You can turn brushing into a contest to see who can go the longest, or for who can do the best job. Just about anything will work, as long as it provides some sort of entertainment.
Get Your Kids Involved – Exercise your brainstorming and get to work coming up with a few exciting techniques with your child to make them enjoy spending that extra two minutes every morning and night. Plus, making the choices with them will make them feel more in charge, which is never a bad thing.
Lead By Example – Okay, maybe you aren’t necessarily leading, but it never hurts to set a good example. If you brush and floss with your kids, they’re going to want to be more like you. Another simple way to make oral care more enjoyable, being a solid influence will go a long way when it comes to habit building.
Give Them Rewards – Any kind of incentive is a huge plus. By rewarding your child with some sort of prize, they’ll quickly begin to love brushing and flossing because they know what will come after. Even better, why not come up with the prizes with your children? That way, they’ll be even more likely to want to obey you.
Don’t Push Them Too Hard – Last but definitely not least, understand that your children aren’t used to being on a regular routine for brushing and flossing. Expect them to miss a few days here and there, and don’t feel like you’re doing something wrong if they do. After all, they are only kids, and the goal is just to get them on the path to building habits.
Aside from teaching your children good oral health habits you should also ensure that they are visiting the dentist frequently. If your child is very young, there are pediatric dental services and checkups that can be performed. Utilize these tips in order to instill good dental habits in your children which will allow them to maintain a healthy and beautiful smile for years to come.
