Getting Your Kids To Take Dental Health Seriously: Unique Ideas For Parents
Top tips to help make dental hygiene more fun.
Getting your kids to take dental health seriously can be challenging as they are experts at resisting the essentials that keep them in good health, such as dental care, eating their greens, and bedtimes. Every parent picks their battles, but dental hygiene is a vital skill that all children need to learn, which means making the time they spend on their teeth fun, and not a chore is crucial. We have comprised our top tips to help make dental hygiene more fun so that you meet less resistance from your kids in order to give them the best chance of having a healthy smile throughout adulthood.
Teach Them About The Tooth Fairy
The legend of the Tooth Fairy is well known to parents and children alike, as children often look forward to receiving a small reward when they lose a baby tooth. Typically, parents will leave money under the pillow for their children to find in the morning, and other small treats can be used and will be just as exciting for your kids, but why is the Tooth Fairy important? You can take the tradition of the Tooth Fairy a step further and use the legend to help promote good dental care in your children. There are many ways you can use the Tooth Fairy to help you encourage your kids to take care of their teeth, such as leaving letters, personal notes and reminders from the Tooth Fairy that let your children know they will get better rewards for well cared for teeth. Your children's dentist in Fulham can also help you with plenty of ideas, as well as reinforce the idea that the Tooth Fairy will be happier when they look after their teeth.
Tooth Brushing Song
All around the world, parents are searching online for toothbrushing songs to teach their kids and for a good reason, turning dental health into a song and dance is the ideal way to get your children excited about caring for their teeth. Kids love singalongs, and adding them into their dental health routine will help them to not only enjoy the process of caring for their teeth but will also teach them the right tools to clean their mouths properly. Countries across the globe have songs for teeth brushing to help kids of all ages get on board with dental care, but if you use this trick to help your children, you may find it stuck in your head all day long.
Make A Game Of It
Many parents will know the stress of tears and tantrums when it comes to brushing your children's teeth, but you can put all that behind you when you introduce the idea of turning dental health into a game. There are many ways you can make caring for teeth more fun, but it's best to follow your children's lead when deciding what games to make brushing their teeth less of a chore. You could have them brush the teeth of a favourite toy, pull funny faces together in the mirror, and even snap some selfies to make dental care the best game.
Use Tasty Toothpaste And Fun Brushes
Most adult toothpaste tastes horrible to children and makes the experience unpleasant, so why not try flavours that your children will love? There are plenty of kinds of toothpaste designed for kids to make their time brushing their teeth more pleasant, and when you pair that with a fun toothbrush shaped like their favourite animals or cartoon characters, they will be more excited to start their routine every day and before bedtime.
Kids love to be given a choice, and having an assortment of toothpaste flavours as well as different brushes they can choose from will help encourage them to get interested in their dental health without the risk of tantrums or tears. Go a step further and find brushes that flash or play music on a timer to help your kids brush for longer. Toothbrushes that play music or flash for one minute provide your children with the opportunity to brush their teeth themselves before you step in to brush for the second minute to ensure their teeth are properly cleaned.
Reward Them For Tooth Care
As well as using the Tooth Fairy to help encourage and reward your children for taking care of their teeth, you can also add extra positive reinforcement to make the experience even more fun. When it comes to what rewards you can give, your younger kids won't be able to resist stickers, but your older children may be more challenging; you could try letting them stay up 15 minutes later than bedtime or rewarding them with their favourite meal at the end of each week if they regularly brush their teeth. You know your kids better than anyone, and finding the right reward will help you encourage them to take their dental health seriously.
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