Honestly, I kinda wish mornings worked as well for us, but it’s the total opposite in my house. My daughter is a straight-up zombie before school—like, she’ll just sit there with her toothbrush dangling out of her mouth and stare into space. Takes forever to get her moving, and if I try to rush her, she gets grumpy. Bedtime’s when she actually gets into it. Maybe it’s ‘cause she knows it’s the last thing before stories and lights out, so she’s motivated to get it done? We do this little routine where she “brushes away the dragons” from her teeth, and for whatever reason, she’s way more into playing along at night.
I get what you’re saying about everyone being tired and wanting to just get it over with, though. There’ve been nights where I’m like, “Did we even brush for a full minute? Eh, close enough.” But if I skip the silly stuff or just try to power through, she’ll drag her feet and complain. Sometimes I think kids just have their own weird rhythms—what works one day totally flops the next.
Music never really helped us either. She’d just start dancing instead of brushing. The only thing that’s stuck is making up goofy stories about her toothbrush being a superhero or something. It’s not foolproof, but at least it keeps things from turning into a battle… most nights anyway.
Guess it really depends on the kid. Mornings are chaos here, but bedtime’s when we get our little brushing groove going. Funny how different routines can be from family to family.
The only thing that’s stuck is making up goofy stories about her toothbrush being a superhero or something. It’s not foolproof, but at least it keeps things from turning into a battle… most nights anyway.
Honestly, that “superhero toothbrush” idea is gold. I’ve seen so many kids light up when brushing turns into a story or a game. My own niece would only brush if she could “rescue the fairy princess” from the sugar bugs. Mornings were always a disaster too—totally get you on the zombie routine. It’s funny, sometimes we expect routines to work the same for everyone, but kids really do have their own internal clocks. If bedtime is when she gets into it, I’d lean into that. Consistency matters, but finding what actually works for your kid is the real win.
That superhero toothbrush trick sounds like a win, even if it’s not 100%. I’ve had to get creative over the years with my own kids—one of mine was obsessed with dinosaurs, so we’d pretend the toothbrush was a T-Rex chomping away at “plaque eggs.” It never worked every single night, but honestly, nothing did. Sometimes you just have to celebrate the small victories and not stress when it doesn’t go perfectly.
I totally agree about routines being different for every kid. For us, morning brushing was always a struggle too. I tried everything from silly songs to sticker charts. The songs helped for a while, but eventually they got old (for both of us). Sticker charts were hit or miss—sometimes she’d be all about earning that prize, other times she couldn’t care less. I think it really depends on their mood and what else is happening in their day.
One thing I wish I’d realized sooner is that sometimes just brushing together made things easier. When my daughter saw me brushing, she wanted to copy me—even if only for a minute or two before getting distracted. It didn’t always work, but it felt less like a chore and more like something we did as a family.
Do you find that your kiddo is more into brushing if you join in? Or is she more independent about it? I’m curious if anyone else’s kids actually prefer to do it themselves... mine always wanted to “help” but usually just chewed the brush for a bit and called it good.
One thing I wish I’d realized sooner is that sometimes just brushing together made things easier. When my daughter saw me brushing, she wanted to copy me—even if only for a minute or two before getting distracted.
This is spot on. Modeling the behavior can be surprisingly effective, even if it only buys you a few minutes. In my experience, kids do go through phases where they want to be independent—chewing on the brush, “doing it myself,” and all that. It’s totally normal. I usually tell parents not to stress if their kid isn’t doing a perfect job at first. The main thing is building the habit and making it positive.
If your child wants to help or do it themselves, I suggest a two-step approach: let them have a turn, then you get “your turn” to finish up. It sometimes helps avoid battles and still gets the job done. Not every night goes smoothly, but honestly, consistency matters more than perfection.
And yeah, those sticker charts and songs can lose their novelty fast. Sometimes just switching up the routine—different song, new brush color, or letting them pick out toothpaste—can make it feel fresh again for a little while. Every kid’s different... celebrating the small wins really does make a difference in the long run.
I totally get what you mean about sticker charts and songs wearing off quick. My kid was obsessed with a dinosaur toothbrush for like a week, then suddenly it was “boring” and we were back to square one. I tried the whole “let’s brush together” thing too, and honestly, some nights she just wanted to watch me and then wander off, but other times she’d actually copy me for a while. It’s weird how unpredictable it is.
I still stress a bit when she insists on doing it herself because I’m pretty sure she’s just gnawing on the bristles half the time. But yeah, I guess it’s better than turning it into a battle every night. Letting her go first and then saying “my turn” sometimes works... depends on her mood, I guess?
Has anyone found a trick that works longer than a week? I’m always nervous the dentist is going to tell me I’m missing something important, but maybe that’s just me overthinking it.
