Head in Your Lap

What you need

• their toothbrush
• a smear of toothpaste
• a cushion

How to do it

1. Sit on the floor and let your toddler lie back with their head in your lap.
2. Give them their brush for their own turn first.
3. Then tip their head gently back against you and brush their teeth from above.
4. Sit them up, spit out, and that's it.

Why it matters

Brushing from above lets you actually see the teeth, and from behind their head it feels much less like someone coming at their face.

What they're learning

Letting you finish

Lying still for half a minute is the part that takes practice, and it gets easier.

Being close

Head in a lap is a comfortable place to be, which helps when the job itself isn't a favourite.

Having a go

Their own turn comes first, so the lying back is the end rather than the whole thing.

What to look for

Watch for them lying back without a struggle once they know what comes next.

A tip

If they twist away, sit them up and stop for tonight. A short brush you both survive beats a long one nobody wants to repeat.

More like this

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