I get where you're coming from with the whole spaceship game thing, but honestly, I’ve found that too much excitement sometimes backfires for us. Like, my daughter gets so wound up pretending the toothbrush is a rocket that she forgets to actually brush her teeth, or she’ll start flailing around and toothpaste gets everywhere. Maybe I’m just overly anxious about messes and getting the job done right, but it stresses me out more than it helps.
It’s wild how much routine calms everyone down, right?
Routine is definitely key for us. We do the same song every time—nothing fancy, just a little tune about “getting the sugar bugs out.” It’s not as fun as pretending to be astronauts, but she knows what to expect and it keeps things predictable. I guess I’m always worried that if we mix things up too much, she’ll resist brushing altogether. Anyone else feel like keeping it simple is just...safer? Maybe I’m missing out on some fun, but at least her teeth are clean.
I totally get what you mean about the chaos—when we tried the “dinosaur brushing” game, my son got so into roaring that he’d barely brush at all. I’m with you: routine just works better for us. We stick to a timer and a silly rhyme, and he knows what to expect. Sometimes I wonder if I’m being too rigid, but honestly, the predictability seems to help him focus. Maybe some kids just need that structure more than others?
I totally get what you mean about structure helping—my nephew’s the same way. We tried making brushing into a “race,” but he’d just rush and miss half his teeth. Do you ever feel like the silly stuff just backfires? I wonder if there’s a middle ground...
Oh man, I hear you on the “race” thing—tried that with my niece and it turned into the Indy 500, but for toothpaste. Honestly, sometimes the silly stuff just makes more mess than progress. Ever tried singing a song instead? It slows things down, at least a bit. Hang in there, it’s a balancing act for sure.
I tried the singing thing with my son, but he ended up just humming and dancing instead of actually brushing. Not sure if it was a win or not—at least he was having fun, but the toothbrush barely made contact with his teeth. I get what you mean about the race games turning chaotic. For us, I ended up experimenting with one of those smart toothbrushes that connect to an app. It turns brushing into a real-time game, tracking coverage and giving little rewards on the screen. Sounds kind of overkill, but honestly, it’s been more effective than any song or challenge so far.
It’s not mess-free (he still manages to get toothpaste everywhere), but at least he’s more engaged and spends the recommended two minutes brushing. Downside is you need to keep your phone or tablet nearby, which isn’t ideal if you’re trying to keep screens out of the bathroom. But for tech-obsessed kids, it’s worth considering. Sometimes leveraging their love for gadgets works better than any old-school trick...
