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Do you hate fighting with your toddler every. single. night. when it’s time to brush those little pearly whites of theirs? I sure do! My three year old can be an angel ALL DAY, but when it’s time to brush her teeth, there is a little demon that comes out of her. It’s scary, and I absolutely hated toddler teeth brushing time until I discovered a few tricks that finally worked!

Be sure to download your free toothbrushing success chart at the bottom of this post!

I’ve commiserated with my mom friends numerous times about the nightly struggle, and we came up with a list of tried and true toddler teeth brushing tricks that will make brushing a much more enjoyable experience! After all, who wants to end the night fighting with a little person? Not me!

All toddlers are at different levels of craziness so what works for one might not work for another. Try out these techniques and use the free printable success chart to get your toddler excited about taking care of their teeth!

Toddler Teeth Brushing Tips and Tricks

Try letting your toddler do it themselves. Toddlers love to be in control whether we like it or not and sometimes, letting them complete the task is all you need! Of course, you may want to do a once over yourself to be sure they got all of the nooks and crannies.

Be silly and make it fun! Many moms have success saying things like:

“Ewwy! Gotta get those (insert food you ate here) off of your teeth!”
“Ahh! There’s cookie stuck in there! Let’s do our best to get it all out!”
“We’ve gotta get the sugar bugs out or they’re going to eat all of your teeth while you sleep!”
“Catch the stinkies!” (You can pretend the bugs or stinkies are running around in their mouth.)
“We have to get rid of the dragons that live in your teeth!”

Sing a song to go along with brushing. Try Raffi’s “Brush Your Teeth”. There is even a video that goes along with it that your toddler may enjoy. There is an Elmo song too if your child likes Sesame Street!

Try a little bribery! I personally allow my daughter to watch 1 cartoon episode after she brushes her teeth. Or, if she chooses, we will play a game after she brushes. Her favorite game right now is “High Ho Cherry-o!” Choose something that you know your toddler loves to do, and most likely they will cooperate.

Have them teach you how to brush. Give them your toothbrush and let them show you how to brush your teeth. You can turn it into a game and take turns until all of the teeth are clean.

Explain the importance. Depending on their age, you might just be able to explain to them why oral hygiene is important. You could show them pictures of cavities and plaque and turn it into a learning experience.

Make a special trip to the store to let them pick out their own toothbrush and toothpaste. Usually, when you involve a toddler and let them pick out something they are more invested in the idea and will follow through.

Use an electric toothbrush. If you’re struggling to get all of the teeth, an electric toothbrush might allow you to spend a little less time in their mouth. You could make it into a tickle fest! Electric toothbrushes are also good for toddlers starting out because their coordination doesn’t always allow them to brush perfectly. This bush looks awesome; it has a built in timer and even music!

Start them young. Give your baby a soft bristled toothbrush with a large handle, like this one, to chew on as early as 4 months. That way, when it is actually time to brush their teeth, the toothbrush isn’t so foreign to them.

Brush their teeth while you are giving them a bath. Pretend to brush the toys’ teeth and then do theirs.

Make it a race! Toddlers love a good race, especially if they win! You can start brushing your own teeth and say “Come on {name}, you better get going or mommy’s going to win!” 9 out of 10 times, my toddler will join in on the race for fear that I will win. When she wins, she’s so proud! (This specific technique is what’s working the best for my toddler right now! It will probably change next week though!)

Set a timer. This one is my husbands go to for getting the job done! He sets the timer on his watch for 1 minute and tells our daughter that she has one minute to start brushing. It works for him every time! It’s helpful to set an additional timer for 2 minutes, which is the recommended time for brushing. This sand timer would do the trick!

Watch a video.  If your toddler likes YouTube as much as mine does, (oops!) there are dozens of videos of toddlers brushing their teeth on YouTube! Sometimes I will pull up a few videos and tell my daughter to copy them because they are doing such a good job!

There are many tips to master toddler teeth brushing, you just have to find what works for you and your child. If all else fails, you just might have to pin them down and brush their teeth until they understand that brushing is NOT an option!

Use this free printable chart to chart your toddler teeth brushing success! Good luck, mama! You got this.

Share your toddler tooth brushing tricks or what works for you in the comments!