brushing your toddler's teeth

as a housewife, i think the most boring thing to do is to brush teeth. it's even more unbeareable if you have to brush someone else's teeth. can you imagine how brushing the teeth of a 2+ year old is like?

after a day of shuttling the kids back and forth between school and home i'm just so ready to plunk down into bed. but no, before i can get to sleep, i'll have to get those kids ready for bed first.

it's a chore trying to get them into the bathroom but when you've got their divided attention (which it always is at this age), how do you get them to sit still for at least 2 minutes? i tried to bargain with their dentist, 1 minute, please! for now it's ok but unless i want to pay her more each year, i'll have to get as close to 2 minutes as i can get.

i finally learned a trick that makes them want to sit and brush more, you'll have to sing! yes, sing, just like you sing happy birthday 2 times while washing hands to make sure they're clean.

first you time yourself when you sing their favorite song. sing as many songs so make up a minute or so, gradually singing longer songs as the child gets used to sitting still to get her teeth cleaned. my kids' favorites are 5 little monkeys , 10 little indians and hickory dickory duck. my husband thinks i'm cukoo but who cares, at least those pearly whites are getting the brushing they need :)