whatever gets the job done without tears feels like a win.
Couldn’t agree more. My nephew once insisted on brushing only if he could “roar” like a dinosaur after every tooth—loud enough to scare the cat, every single time. Slightly chaotic, but hey, clean teeth.
That dinosaur roar is hilarious—honestly, if it keeps the toothbrush moving, I’d call that a win too. My youngest went through a phase where every brushing session had to be a “tooth race.” She’d challenge me: who could finish first, but with “super sparkly” teeth. I had to pretend to brush mine alongside her, and she’d check my teeth at the end (never passed her inspection, by the way). It was messy and took longer than just getting it over with, but she actually looked forward to it.
I’ve found that letting kids have some control—like picking out their own toothbrush or playing their favorite song—makes a big difference. There were days when I’d rather just power through without all the games, but honestly, those little rituals saved us from so many meltdowns. Sometimes you just have to lean into the chaos.
Not every trick works for every kid though. Tried sticker charts with my oldest and she couldn’t care less. But when we started doing “bubble contests” (who could make the most foam), suddenly she was all in. Go figure.
I think as long as they’re brushing and not dreading it, whatever goofy method gets you there is worth it—even if your cat isn’t thrilled about being roared at nightly...
I can’t tell you how many parents have told me their kids are “allergic” to routine, but will happily brush if there’s a silly game involved. My nephew once insisted on brushing while hopping on one foot—no clue where he got that idea, but hey, two minutes is two minutes. I actually love the “bubble contest” trick; it gets them brushing longer, which is half the battle. Letting kids pick their own toothbrush or toothpaste flavor really does help, even if it means neon green gel for a while. The mess is temporary, but those good habits stick.
Bubble contests are a classic—my daughter got so into it that she’d sometimes end up with toothpaste foam all over her nose, but hey, at least she was brushing for longer than thirty seconds. I get what you mean about the mess being temporary. My only slight gripe is with those neon green gels...I swear, they stain everything. We had a streak of bright green on the bathroom sink for weeks before I realized it was from her favorite “alien slime” toothpaste.
We did something a little different for a while—she went through a phase where she pretended to be a “toothbrush detective,” looking for “plaque clues.” I’d hide a tiny sticker somewhere in the bathroom and she could only search for it after brushing for two minutes. It added an extra step and sometimes made bedtime drag out, but it kept her motivated. Have you ever tried using those disclosing tablets? They turn any leftover plaque pink or purple, and my kid thought it was hilarious to see her teeth turn colors. It actually helped her learn where she needed to brush better.
I’ve heard mixed things about letting kids pick their own toothpaste flavors—one friend swears by it, another says her son just eats the toothpaste straight from the tube if it tastes too much like candy. Maybe there’s a sweet spot between fun flavors and ones that are just a little too appealing? Either way, keeping things light and playful seems to be the trick for most kids.
Curious if anyone else has had luck with brushing songs or timers? We tried singing “Happy Birthday” twice, but my daughter would get distracted halfway through and start making up her own lyrics...which was adorable, but didn’t always get the job done.
Maybe there’s a sweet spot between fun flavors and ones that are just a little too appealing?
We tried the brushing song thing too, but my son just ended up making fart noises over the music half the time. Timers worked better for us—he likes to “race the clock.” Those disclosing tablets are wild though, they freaked him out at first but now he thinks it’s magic. And yeah, those neon toothpastes...never again, had streaks on the towels for days.
