Kid’s candy consumption increases in October, for obvious reasons. Helping your child brush their teeth effectively is extremely important around this time of year. This can help prevent significant oral health problems, as well as build good habits for the future.

Establish a Routine

A solid routine helps with many aspects of your child’s life. It can help them know what to expect on a daily basis. If brushing is a routine activity, it will be easier to get your child to do it.

Make it a Family Activity

Brush with your child. Show them how to correctly brush their teeth. Be a good role model. Your child looks up to you; if they see you brush your teeth, they’ll want to as well.

Let them have Control

Allow your child to choose their own toothbrush or toothpaste. This can help get them excited about brushing their teeth. Your child will enjoy using a Ninja Turtles toothbrush more than a plain one!

Play a Song

Have a dance party during your toothbrush time. Play a song that is at least 2 minutes to ensure that your child brushes for an adequate amount of time. This length of time is necessary to remove plaque and food particles from the teeth.

Make it a Game

There are many ways to make a game out of brushing teeth. Challenge the child to a competition to see who can brush their teeth better. Tell them that there are monsters hiding in their teeth and they have to brush them to get rid of the monsters.

Your children’s oral hygiene significantly impacts their overall health. Helping them to enjoy brushing their teeth will pave the way to good oral hygiene habits. With Halloween right around the corner, it is important to get your kids to brush their teeth effectively and consistently.

If you’ve ever raised a child, you know that there is a selfish stage. During this stage what’s theirs is theirs, what’s yours is theirs, and what’s not theirs is also theirs. Not wanting to share is completely natural. In fact, younger children haven’t fully developed the concept of object permanence, so they may assume that their toy is gone forever.

Practice Turn-Taking

Practicing turn-taking will help develop the idea of sharing for your child. Set a timer for equal intervals for turns. This process will help you reassure your child that their toy will be returned to them. It also helps them understand how to be patient and wait for their turn.

Positive Reinforcement

Praise your children whenever they share, especially without your guidance. Use specific, detailed praises, so that they know exactly what they are being praised for. Rather than saying: “You’re so nice,” tell them: “sharing that dinosaur toy with Tom made him very happy. That was very nice of you.”

Be a Role Model

Your children idolize you. Model the habit of sharing. Your child learns many of their behaviors from you. If you show them that you are willing to share, they will also be more inclined to share.

Avoid Labeling Possessions

Don’t tell your children that something is yours or theirs. Call the object by a neutral name, like “the dinosaur toy” or “the chair.” Try to make toys communal, rather than belonging to any specific person. This can help prevent squabbles over possessions.

Not sharing is completely natural. It doesn’t mean that your child is bad or selfish; it is a totally normal response. Luckily, sharing is something that is established with practice. The more your children play with other children, the more thoroughly they will learn how to share. Soon enough, your child will learn that playtime is more fun when they share with their friends!