Flossing for adults may be fun but try flossing the teeth of your toddler. The first dreaded word you’d hear from their mouth is nooo. Instead of it be satisfying, it might just horrify them. Every parent knows that teaching their child dental flossing is their least favorite activity.
Experts reported that they’ve never met a parent who enjoyed teaching their child to floss, and with toddlers being the most demanding persons on the planet, you won’t be able to teach them without them putting up a fight. The best way to get them to understand the importance of flossing is to make the process as entertaining as possible.
Below you will find interesting tips to help them understand as they will see it as spending time with their parents and siblings.
· Dancing with them
You can find the funniest dance moves, such as the floss, and you can do it with your child. The floss dance resembles the action of flossing. Your child will enjoy the moves and will feel less anxious when they’re flossing their teeth. You can also learn the dance so that you can introduce flossing easier. We believe that this process should be enjoyable for parents and children because they get to spend quality time together.
· Show them that some animals also floss their teeth
Was it know to you that baboons engage in teeth flossing? They use their coarse to floss between and around their teeth. While baboons won’t make a great pet telling your little one about them makes good storytime about flossing.
· Teaching them the different forms of floss
The consumer world has answered parents’ prayers by creating different floss types such as shapes of animals, cartoon characters, and others that attract children. One technique to make the process easier for your child is to go to the store together to pick up the floss; this starts getting him or her in gear for flossing. Your child may even use this opportunity to start flossing their teeth on their own.
· The first teaching tool is you
The best way to teach your toddler the art of floss is to have them observe you. You can also have other siblings assist with it. Toddlers like to mimic others, especially their siblings, so you can use this to your advantage and teach them in the meantime.
· Teaching tips for flossing for toddlers
1. Flossing is essential to keep your mouth healthy.
2. If your toddler has teeth that overlap or are very close together, you should teeth them how to floss properly by guiding the floss where the toothbrush can’t go.
3. Once a teeth gets a cavity, the teeth that adjoin to it will also get a cavity because bacteria spread easily in the mouth.
4. The best method to avoid getting a cavity is to avoid sugary drinks and flossing your teeth.
5. Once your child has two teeth that meet each other, start teaching them how to floss because it helps get rid of food in places where a toothbrush can’t go.
6. Explain to your child how to curve the floss when it’s close to their gum line.
7. Show your child how to wrap the floss around their finger, not tightly, to secure it in their hand.
8. Teach your child how to proceed to the next space of the floss when they’re flossing between each teeth.
· Giving rewards for flossing
Offering your toddler a reward each time they floss their teeth is a sure way for them to develop the habit of flossing. Making it a part of a routine, whether in the morning or evening and let them know there will be a reward at the end. Some rewards are reading a bedtime story to them, doing an activity they love with them or giving them an allowance.
If none of these works, you will have to pull out the best gift of all, the tooth fairy. You can tell your little one that the fairy only give money for healthy teeth. Children will often need help with dental flossing, but learning a dance and song can help to smooth the process. You can research videos that teach toddlers how to floss. They will require help till 8 through 10 years old. While some children might only require help with flossing their back teeth, others will need help with their teeth’s tight spaces.
· Tips to take away
Sometimes, your toddler will flat-out despise the flossing process and don’t want you to teach them at all. The then-president of The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, Dr. Joe Castellano, says that when your toddler has one of those days where they don’t want to floss, there’s no harm if you miss a few days in between. His best advice is to set specific times per day to get your toddler on a schedule each week. If both of you didn’t make the weekly quota, then aim for at least 3 to 4 times, and don’t feel bad if you missed a couple of days.
Also, suppose you realize that flossing is really uncomfortable for your toddler. In that case, you should consider contacting your dentist so that they can show you other pain-free ways to floss or if it is a case that your toddler has acute oral sensitivity, the dentist can treat it.
If you like to go on vacation with your children, ensure you don’t forget to carry floss.