Welcome to the April 2012 Carnival of Natural Parenting: Kids and Personal Care

Does your toddler like or dislike brushing teeth?

This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama. This month our participants have shared stories, tips, and struggles relating to their children’s personal care choices.

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Somewhere around eighteen to twenty months, my children get into this sudden habit of clenching their mouths shut at the mere sight of a tooth brush. With my first I blamed myself, of course, as a new mama I was probably doing something wrong. With my second, I blamed teething, everything is teething’s fault:  no sleep, no appetite, slimy diapers…best answer: teething.  With my third, I finally figured it out.  I now know for a fact that it’s not possibly just a developmental stage, or my fault, or teething, but rather  a very secret effort on the part of the local dentistry association in cahoots with non-other than the Tooth fairy.

You see, on a night not too long ago when I was trying oh so desperately to rack up a few hours of sleep,   my Bella  decided to wake up for no apparent reason. Upon further investigation, I realized it was because she had received a special visit from the tooth fairy.  That clever fairy had flown in and materialized an ipad from a handful of glitter and showed my wide eyed tot a fun little video with clear instructions on how to best grow cavities. This is the conspiracy you see to guarantee new clients for the local dentists.  That makes perfect sense right?

Determined to sabotage the tooth fairy conspiracy I came up with a five pronged defense strategy:

Tooth brush shopping: I took Bella to the store and showed her all sorts of toothbrushes that were age appropriate. I let her choose two toothbrushes to bring home. She placed the toothbrushes on the cashier belt and even handled the coins to pay for it herself.

Go on a teeth brushing tour:  Learned this from a fellow conspiracy breaker! We walked around the house looking for the silliest places to brush teeth, looking out the window, on top of the slide, in the Tupperware drawer, under the covers.  Any place to make toothbrushing a fun, non-threating activity. At each location we brushed teeth for a second or too, or we pretented to brushed some other object just to have fun and laugh.

Watch a special demonstration from a reformed clencher turned into teethbrushing enthusiast :
Since my four year old loves brushing teeth he put on a show for Bella recently, he sang songs, danced, and showed her all the different teeth he has. She was really eager to imitate him after that!

Sing silly songs when brushing: We sing lots of silly songs when we brush teeth. One of Bella’s favorites is the Brother John song which we changed up a bit:

Brushing, brusing. Brushing, brushing.

Scrub, scrub, scrub. Scrub. Scrub, scrub.

Your teeth are getting clean, your teeth are getting clean

Now you’re done! Now you’re done!

Set a time limit: After a week of consistent work on making toothbrushing fun, positive and non threatening we have reached a peace agreement where I explain to Bella that we will be brushing for one song as the song above or for the count of five.  I count to five at a slow pace, one number for each corner of her mouth, and five being for the middle teeth. After that, Bella gets a turn to brush her own teeth.

So, toddlers often fuss over teeth brushing, silly conspiracy theories  aside, here are some real reasons:

• It is often the case that toddlers are assuming autonomy over their own bodies and closing their mouth is something they have mastered.
• Toddlers may dislike the feeling or taste of the toothpaste or brush.
• Growing molars are causing pain.
• Toddlers are often too tired because of the time of day (preceding bed or nap time).

Keeping things positive, loading up on patience, being consistent and adjusting the routine are great ways to build healthy habits for your toddlers teeth.

So do tell, has the conspiracy reached your house yet? How are you handling it?

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Visit Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Carnival of Natural Parenting!

Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:

(This list will be live and updated by afternoon April 10 with all the carnival links.)

• Rub-a-Dub Co-Bathing in Our Tub — Bath time is more than soap and water! That Mama Gretchen shares how co-bathing with her toddler has opened up a world of cleanliness, learning, and bonding.
• This is How We Take a Bath — Shannon at GrowingSlower shares her special formulas for babywash and a happy bath time.
• How to Gently Trim Your Toddler’s Nails — Shannon at The Artful Mama discusses some of the gentle suggestions she has received to help Little Man overcome his anxiety of having his nails trimmed, as well as how she copes with her need for his nails to be trimmed.
• Baby bath time and skin care — Ursula Ciller shares some simple and natural tips for bathing and skin care.
• Want Your Child To Love Getting Clean? Have Them Make Their Own Soaps, Shampoos, and Lotions! — Jennifer at Hybrid Rasta Mama shares her secret to empowering her daughter to “get clean.” Together, Jennifer and her daughter make their own body washes and lotions which makes clean up time fun!
• Encouraging Self-care Through Awareness… and Fun — Amy at Presence Parenting shares some tips on how to transform self-care from a struggle into an opportunity — for kids and adults.
• Caring for kids’ curls — Lauren at Hobo Mama tells you how to clean, condition, comb, and style ringlets and waves on little heads.
• Playing in the Rain — Jorje of Momma Jorje loves how her family has come to make a family event of showering!
• The Cleansing Power of the Football — Rachel at Lautaret Bohemiet talks about her son’s favorite bath buddy.
• Coconut Oil: Nature’s “Baby Magic” — Megan at The Boho Mama has only one must-have baby care item in her cupboard: Coconut Oil!
• For Sensitive Kids, Less Is More — Kadiera at Our Little Acorn finds less cleaning is better.
• Bathtime: Just Another Chance to Play! — Lyndsay at Our Feminist {Play} School discusses the many reasons bath time is important – getting clean isn’t one of them.
• Hygiene? What hygiene? — Sheila at A Gift Universe confesses some of her most embarrassing hygiene secrets.
• Confused About Chemicals? — Jaye Anne at Wide Awake, Half Asleep describes how to find out where the toxic chemicals are in your house and tips on alternatives.
• Clipping Those Talons — ANonyMous at Radical Ramblings describes the ways her daughter’s tolerance for personal care has changed over time, especially when it comes to nail clipping.
• Sit Back, Relax and Unschool Hygiene — Instead of focusing on tactics of how to ‘get’ your child to focus on hygiene, Authentic Parenting explains how to help your child internalize hygienic standards.
• Help! My Tot will not let me brush her teeth! — Mudpiemama shares five positive ways to help toddlers brush teeth and sabotage the tooth fairy’s secret conspiracy.
• Self Care and the Spirited Child — Amy at Toddler In Tow shares how a balancing act between independence and connectedness helps her spirited child learn appropriate self-care.
• Hairbrushing is a Safety Issue — Dulce de leche guest posting at Natural Parents Network explains that although tangles are not a safety issue, self-confidence and body boundaries are.
• 15 Ideas to Prepare Toddlers and Preschoolers for Dental Procedures — Dionna at Code Name: Mama is sharing ideas on how to thoughtfully prepare little ones for dental visits (particularly those that require anesthesia).

• Holistic Care of your Toddler’s Teeth — Erica at ChildOrganics tells a tale of her children’s teeth issues and how she uses homeopathy and good nutrition to keep cavities at bay.
• Bath Time Bliss : Fuss-Free Bath Time for Toddlers — Christine at African Babies Don’t Cry shares how she has made bath time completely fuss free for both her and her toddler.
• Homemade Natural Toothpaste — City Kids Homeschooling hosts a guest post on a homemade natural toothpaste recipe that kids will love!
• Bathing Strike Strategies — Crunchy Con Mommy offers her best tips for keeping your little ones clean when they refuse to bathe.
• Bodily Autonomy and Personal Hygeine — Mandy at Living Peacefully with Children discusses the importance of supporting a child’s bodily autonomy in the prevention of abuse.
• A Tub Full of Kiddos! — Kat at Loving {Almost} Every Moment has kiddos who love the water, so bathtime is a favorite evening activity!
• The Trials of Tidying My Toddler — Adrienne at Mommying My Way shares the difficulties she has with getting her on-the-go son to be still enough to get clean.
• Wiped Clean — Laura at Pug in the Kitchen shares her recipe for homemade diaper wipe solution to clean those sweet little cloth diapered bottoms in her home!
• Snug in a Towel: Embracing Personal Grooming — Personal care is time consuming,especially with more than one child; but the mama at Our Muddy Boots is learning to embrace this fleeting and needful time.
• EC: All or Nothing? — Elimination Communication. Even the title sounds complicated and time consuming. It doesn’t have to, if you adapt it to meet your family’s needs, says Jennifer at True Confessions of a Real Mommy.
• Routine Battles — In a guest post at Anktangle, Jorje of Momma Jorje outlines a simple incentive to help inspire your little one to follow a routine.
• Redefining Beauty For My Daughter — Justine at The Lone Home Ranger relays her struggle to define her own femininity and how her preschooler unexpectedly taught her a lesson in true beauty.
• Rub-A-Dub-Dub, Three Girls In The Tub — Chrystal at Happy Mothering shares how she turns bath time into a few minutes of peace and quiet.
• Montessori-Inspired Activities for Care of Self — Deb Chitwood at Living Montessori Now has a roundup of Montessori-inspired activities for care of self and ideas for home environments that encourage independence.
• 10 Gentle Tips for Little Ones Who Hate the Bath — Kim at life-is-learning gives 10 tips to get your little one into the bath and maybe even enjoying it.
• The Boy With The Long Hair — Liam at In The Now discusses his son’s grooming choices.
• Personal Care in a Montessori Home — Melissa at Vibrant Wanderings shares a summary of the ways she has organized her family’s home to make for easy, Montessori-inspired toddler personal care.
• Styling Kids — Kellie at Our Mindful Life is letting her kids decide what to look like.
• Clean Kids: Laundry and Bath Tips — Kimberly at Homeschooling in Nova Scotia shares tips on how to get your children helping with laundry plus recipes for laundry and liquid soap.
• How to Clean Your Children Naturally: A Tutorial — Erika at Cinco de Mommy shows you how to clean your children.
• Cleaniliness is next to… dirt — The lapse-prone eco-mom (Kenna at Million Tiny Things) sometimes forgets to bathe the kids. Except in the mud pit.

Image: Michal Marcol / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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Ariadne Brill

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Ariadne is a happy and busy mama to three children. She practices peaceful, playful, responsive parenting and is passionate about all things parenting and chocolate. Ariadne has a Masters in Psychology and is a certified Positive Discipline Parenting Educator. She lives on top of a beautiful mountain with her family, and one cuddly dog.

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