"Be nice to everyone you meet today... You never know who had to brush a toddler's teeth this morning!"

At that fun age when independence is really shining, your toddler most likely will not allow you to brush their teeth!. Allowing them to do it themselves and do a half decent job is so damn hard! I follow the Tooth Fairy on Instagram and she says that you should brush your teeth for 2 whole minutes! Help!...

So how do you get your toddler or pre schooler to brush their teeth? Hopefully you'll find some of these tips handy? Best of luck!

1. Let your child practice on you or others, maybe a doll or Teddy will do the trick. Pretty sure Bluey could do with a brush up!

2. Make it a competition.. A sticker or reward chart is a great way to ...Ahem-  bribe them. Surely the Tooth Fairy would agree that a lolly would be an appropriate reward when  the chart is completed. 😬 See downloadable teeth brushing chart below. Don't forget to pop the timer on in order to get the tick on the chart. Maybe begin with a little less than 2 minutes, if you value your ears!

3. Create a Teeth brushing story. It could be 'sugar bugs' or 'Teeth monsters' that attack your teeth, and the only way to destroy them is to brush your teeth, the paste is deadly to them , and the water will wash them away!  Personally I  tell my kids that the Tooth fairy won't give them much money if they don't look after their teeth! They are a little older and are motivated by money though.

4. Dance, play and brush to music; music enhances a child's learning and attention capacity. You could play their favourite song, and even dance around during teeth brushing time! 

5. Purchase your child a new toothbrush; let them pick their favourite colour. Our bamboo toothbrushes are perfect as they have colour coded bristles and handle ends, so there will be no more mixing them up with other family members.. Yuk!

This month is Earth Month. With 30 million plastic toothbrushes sent into Landfill in Australia every year, swapping to a bamboo toothbrush is a very easy Eco swap, or as we like to say "A Sustainable Switch"

Download your Printable Teeth Brushing Chart Here