Top 10 Bedtime Brushing Tips For Dads…and Moms

Are you have a hard time getting your little ones to brush their teeth correctly? Here are the to 10 Brushing Tips for parents.

We surveyed a group of dads to find out what challenges they encounter while brushing their kids’ teeth before bed. Here were the top ten things they told us, along with tips on how to outsmart your little rugrats:

10. The filthy rinsing cup that never gets washed!

Tip: Try purchasing a few cups and rotating them out. Used cups can be thrown in the dishwasher with the rest of the gazillion cups your little ones go through in a day.

9. Toothpaste seems to magically get everywhere… the floor, the counters, the mirror, the cupboards, in the drawers, and even in your kid’s hair!

Tip: Try telling your kids the story of the princess and the pea, and then teaching them that a real prince or princess only needs to squeeze out a “magical pea-size dab” of toothpaste onto the brush.

8. The harrowing struggle that seems utterly unavoidable every single night just to get them into the bathroom to brush in the first place!

Tip: Try making a game out of it. The last one to brush is a rotten egg! You can also leave a spare brush in their bathroom and brush along with them.

7. The kiddos never seem to brush long enough or get all the parts of their mouth!

Tip: Try using an egg timer or setting the stopwatch on your phone for 2 minutes, and see who can make it all the way until it rings. We also suggest you get battery powered toothbrushes for your little darlings, as they are fun and exciting and do a much better job cleaning than uncoordinated little hands. Spend a few minutes periodically demonstrating how to get all the hard-to-reach spots, too!

6. The disgusting, white, paste-laden saliva splatter all over the mirror!

Tip: This one is kind of unavoidable, unfortunately. Try teaching the offspring to brush with their mouths closed, and, when they get big enough, you can keep some paper towels and glass cleaner next to the sink and make wiping down the mirror a part of the bedtime ritual.

5. The lid to the tube always seems to get lost, causing the dry, crusty wad on the tip of the tube!

Tip: Try buying flip-top tubes of toothpaste with the lid permanently attached. Demonstrating using only pea-sized dabs of paste and wiping the tip before snapping the cap back on will also help.

4. The crafty little buggers goof around during brushing to put off bedtime as long as possible!

Tip: The egg timer or stopwatch feature on your phone can help with this one, as well. So can brushing alongside them… the rule is they have to be done when you’re done. Your presence in the bathroom will help keep the goofing to a minimum, too.

3. The colorful, stomach-churning spit drying all over the sink!

Tip: Again, keep some paper towels by the sink and make the wipe down a regular part of the ritual. No wipe down, no bedtime story…

2. The little stinkers never seem to wash the brush properly, so it gets all hard and crusty!

Tip: Try demonstrating proper rinsing techniques on a regular basis. Develop your own “Brushing 101″ course, with homework assignments, rewards, a graduation ceremony… the whole shebang.

1. You can forget about flossing!

Tip: Purchase a bunch of the little, disposable, plastic flossing tools. They are cheap and much friendlier to tiny, not-so-dexterous hands than traditional dental floss. Make this a part of your “Brushing 101″ course, and you’re all set!

We wish you dads out there all the luck in the world with your little brushing beauties! If the bright smiles don’t make it worth all the extra effort, just think of all the money in dentist bills you’ll save…