Six Ways to Encourage Toothbrushing in Toddlers and Preschoolers

It wasn't until I received these tubes of toothpaste in fun colors and flavors from Hello Products and started asking my friends about their kids' brushing habits that I realized kids are pretty hit or miss when it comes to brushing their teeth.  Some kids (like Mac) LOVE it and would brush 10 times a day if we'd let him.  Others HATE it and have to be chased around and held down to get them to brush.  But it sounds like the majority of kids are rather indifferent to brushing.  

Luckily for us, Mac is one of those kids that loves to brush his teeth.  I'm not exactly how or why this happened - I'm not taking any personal credit for it.  I think maybe we just lucked out with the way we implementing his brushing or maybe he just loves the taste of toothpaste.  Either way, I'm pretty happy about his good brushing habits (Lord knows makes up for it with noncompliance in many other areas of life) and would like to encourage them, so I've been looking for ways to make brushing more fun for him to keep it up.  Here are a few of my favorite ideas:

1. Let your kid pick their own toothbrush.  

This sounds simple enough, but you'd be surprised how much more they'll want to use a toothbrush that they picked out themselves.  There are hundreds of choices, colors and characters.  Some that light up, some that vibrate, some that play music.  Let them pick!  Mac has a toothbrush "just like daddy's" and loves it.    

2. Get a stepstool so they can reach the sink.

This one was huge for Mac because, like most toddlers/preschoolers, he wants to do everything BY HIMSELF.  Putting a stepstool in the bathroom allows him to lean over the sink, turn the faucets on, and reach the toothpaste/toothbrush himself.  Yes, it's messy...that's life with a toddler.  He spits and gets toothpaste everywhere, but it's a small price to pay for not having to fight him on this.  

3. Try fun toothpaste flavors

Some kids hate brushing because they hate the flavor of toothpaste.  I love the taste of mint, but my step-brother was one of those kids that absolutely could not stand mint and would refuse to brush his teeth unless he had another flavor option.  I've heard kids call toothpaste hot or spicy and I can understand why they might not like the taste of it because it's really strong.  Luckily for kids these days, there are lots of options for fun toothpaste flavors.  We just got the opportunity to try some new flavors from Hello Products - bubble gum, green apple and blue raspberry.  Mac tried all three right away, back-to-back and declared pink (bubble gum) to be his favorite.

4. Let him DO IT HIMSELF

From putting the toothpaste on the toothbrush, to brushing, spitting and rinsing, it's best if I just let him do it all by himself...first.  No, he's not great and he doesn't do the best job, but giving him the chance to do it himself first lets him feel like he's in control and then he won't fight me so much when it's my turn to "help" him get the back teeth.   I gently encourage him to make sure he gets the back ones and the top teeth...and he gently ignores me and does whatever he wants.  So, yeah.

5. Sing a brushing song or set a timer

If your kid won't brush for more than a second or two, try singing a brushing song and making them brush until you're finished singing.  You can pick any song you want, but make sure it's long enough to give them adequate time to brush all their teeth (or repeat a shorter one a few times).  I've heard two minutes is ideal.  Your singing might also provide a nice distraction for them, making it go by a little quicker.  If you really want to jazz it up, add some funny facial expressions and a couple dance moves (I'm totally kidding).  And if that doesn't help, try setting a timer - whether it's on your phone, watch or a kitchen timer.  Kids love timers.  Never underestimate the power of a good timer. 

6. Lead by example

Make sure your kids see you brushing your teeth, especially when they're little.  Kids love emulating adults and acting "big," so take advantage of it and make sure they see you brushing too.  I feel like we can convince Mac to do 90% of any of the things he doesn't want to do if we do them first.  And if seeing me brush my teeth isn't enough, I call in the big guns...daddy.  Anything daddy does it alright by Mac.  It must be nice to be that loved.  Anywhoo.  :)  Hello Products also makes toothpaste for grown-ups, so daddy and I can join in on the fun.  We got a chance to try Peach Mango Mint and Supermint.  Both have a strong fresh (cold) mint flavor and reminded me of Altoids.  So fresh and so clean...clean!  They're not as sweet as a lot of other toothpastes, which I also appreciated, and left my teeth feeling really refreshed.  

Do your kids love to brush or is it a struggle?

What are your brushing tips/secrets?

Click to Tweet: 6 ways to encourage your toddler/preschooler to brush their teeth! http://bit.ly/1GpT6J2

*I received these products for review as part of the Savvy Sassy Moms Product Scouts program. All opinions are my own.

Baby & Toddler Easter Basket Ideas

Easter is less than two weeks away and we're getting pretty excited around here!  We've been talking about Easter so much that Mac's been asking every day if it's here yet and asking if every rabbit he sees in the neighborhood is the Easter bunny.  There's just something so fun about finding eggs and dressing up in your Sunday best.  Not to mention all things Cadbury and marshmallow peep!  

I have loved putting an Easter basket together for Mac the last two years and I'm so excited to shop for baby Mim this year. There are so many great ideas and adorable baby things out there right now I had a hard time not buying everything! Mim's Easter basket is going to be filled with cute baby items, like teethers and pacifiers and stuffed animals. Mac's toddler/preschooler basket will be filled with more adventurous items like sticker books, new rain boots and a kite!  I'm so excited about both!  

Personalized bunny // Taggies Caterpillar Teether // Melissa & Doug Slide & Seek Egg // Carter's My First Easter Pajamas & Bib Set // Bunny Ears // Rufflebutts Ashlyn Swing Dress (Sugar Bit) // Bunny Sippy Cup // Freshly Picked Moccasins // That's Not My Bunny Book // Easter Surprise Slide & Find Book // Bunny Pacifier // Haba Wibble Wobble Bird // Where Are Baby's Easter Eggs // Haba Rainbow Wooden Pacifier Chain // Wooden Bunny Teether

Melissa & Doug Sunny Patch Bee Watering Can // Annie's Cheddar Bunnies // Gazillion Bubbles // Kite // Duck & Goose Here Comes the Easter Bunny // Bunny Stickers // Easter socks // Western Chief Kids Frog Umbrella // Silly Putty // Kickee Pants Stone Bunny Pajamas // Crayon Rocks // Western Chief Kids Rainboots // Paxley Sunglasses // Mickey Mouse Easter Bunny // Llama Llam Easter Egg

What's in your child's Easter basket this year?

*This post contains NO affiliate links...just items/products we love. 

Mac Says

Me and Mac singing: "Head shoulders, knees and toes. Eyes and ears and mouth and nose..."
Mac: "And butt.  And pee pee."

Mac playing on Ryan's phone...
Siri: Hello.
Mac: Hello, I'm Mac.  I have a guitar.  And a pick!

Me: Do you want to go to the grocery store with me today?
Mac: No, I'm going stay here with daddy.
Me: If you go with me, you can get a cookie.
Mac: No.  How about you bring me one home.

Me (in the bath): Mac, make sure you wash under your arms.
Mac: Yep, gotta wash my armpickles.

Mac: I'm going to play "The Mad Song" on the guitar.
Me: Oh, I've never heard that song.
Mac (strumming angrily and scowling): MAD.  MAD.  MAD.  MAD.  MAD.  MAD.  MAD.  MAD.
Me: That's pretty intense.
Mac: This is the sad song.
Me: Ok.
Mac (strumming very gently and fake weeping): Sad, sad, sad.  I'm soooooo sad.

Me: How was school today?
Mac: I cried a little bit. (every single time you ask him)
Me: Well, did you have fun?
Mac: No, I had a cookie.

Me: Mac, please stop jumping on the furniture.
Mac: It's not furniture, it's a chair.

Me: Mac, can you help Mally?  I'm bathing Mim and can't get to her.
Mac (after helping the dog): I did it!  I helped!  I saved the day!  You should give me some chocolate.

Me: Mac, what do you want to be when you grow up?
Mac: The boss.
Me: The boss of what?
Mac: You.  And Mr. Schuey. (our turtle)

Me: What do you want to take to Papa's house this weekend?
Mac: Just everything I need.  And a ball.

Mac (to Jigs, our cat): Jigs, you are so beautiful.
Me: She is.  Is she purring?  That means she loves you.
Mac: She loves me very much.
Me: Is Jigs your favorite cat?
Mac: No, Papa is.

Me: Mac, eat your chicken.
Mac: No, I want a cupcake.
Me: No, you need to eat your chicken.
Mac: No, I need to eat a cupcake.

Me (under a blanket with Mac and Jigs): Look, Jigs is in the tent with us.
Jigs half exits the tent so she can breathe.
Me: Oh nevermind, she's leaving.
Mac: She took her face, but she left her butt!

Mac (as we were driving home from the farm): Are we almost home?
Me: Not yet, but we are close to my office. Do you want to see where mommy works?
Mac: I do!
Me:  Ok, look out your window, it's right there.
Mac: That's not the pet store!!

Mac (crying, as I'm leaving him at nursery school dropoff): Mama, saying goodbye is so very hard.
Me (also now crying): Yes, it is.

Me: Did you know that "Mac" is your nickname?
Mac: Like Nick from school?
Me: No, Nick from school's real name is Nick. Your real name is C***, your nickname is "Mac."
Mac: Like Nick from school?
Me: No, a nickname is different than your real name. Your real name is C***, your nickname is "Mac."
Mac: Like Nick from school?
Me: Sure.

Me: Mac, you're going to bed in two minutes.
Mac: Three minutes.
Me: Two minutes.
Mac: Four minutes.
Me: Two minutes.
Mac: A lot more minutes.
Me: Thirty seconds.
Mac: Whoa.
Mac: How about five minutes?

Mac (scribbling on a notepad with a pen): I'm making a list.
Me: Oh yeah, what kind of list.
Mac: Grocery list.
Me: What's on your list?
Mac: Cupcakes, cookies and gummy bears.
Me: That's a good list.
Mac: I know.

Me: What do you want for dinner?
Mac: Chicken nuggets and applesauce and pancakes and eggs and fruit and burger and grilled cheese and quesadilla and blueberries and yogurt and steak.
Me: Whoa.
Mac: That's a lot.
Me: Yeah, are you going to eat any of those things?
Mac: No.  How about a cookie?

Mac (as we're getting ready for bed): Tell me a story.  A good one.  About goats.

Mac (giving me a hug): Mama, you smell really good.  Like pasta.

Mac (to me while Mim's crying): Let's go outside.  Leave Mim here.  She's in a mood today.

Baskethoop = Basketball
What You Said? = What did you say?
Too = Both
Slogs/Snore = S'mores
Bottoman = Ottoman

Neighborhood Scavenger Hunt for Kids

This past weekend we had our first taste of warm weather after weeks of freezing temperatures and snow.  It was glorious!  Hello Spring...where have you been all my life?  Ironically, Ryan and I were dying to get the kids out of the house and play, while all Mac wanted to do was stay in the basement and play basketball and sticker book.  Poor child has been brainwashed by us over the last couple months to want to be inside.  But after much coaxing and bribing, I finally convinced Mac that it would be fun to go outside and have a neighborhood scavenger hunt.  

Last summer before Mim was born, I made a little printable scavenger hunt to help entertain Mac and get him out of the house while the baby and I were stuck inside.  I found cute pictures of all kinds of things I knew he could find in our neighborhood (just on our street) and laid them out in an easy to identify format for a toddler.  I gave him a bucket (to collect anything he wanted to keep) and a marker to cross off all the things he finds, to give him a sense of accomplishment (because we all love crossing items off our list, right?).  He played this a few times with my mom and our nanny over the summer and fall and loved it, but I never had a chance to play with him or take any photos.  So while Mim was napping on Saturday, out we went!  

The items on our scavenger hunt are all things a toddler or preschooler should be able to find in any suburban midwest neighborhood or park (with a little help from an adult, of course).  If you're in a big city, the country, the desert or the beach, these might not all be as easy to find.  Although I'm sure you could come up with other items to substitute out and modify this concept for your particular location.  

There are 48 items on the list, but Mac's never really had the time (or attention span) to find them all. Sometimes he'll just try to find the things on one page. Sometimes he only finds a few items on each page.  Sometimes he gets completely distracted and ends up doing something else entirely.  And that's fine too!  This is just a starting point to get him outside and exploring.  

Obviously, some of the items on our list are harder to find during cold weather than they will be this summer. We didn't find any dandelions or pink flowers. We didn't see any butterflies or grasshoppers. But that really didn't seem to bother Mac at all.  It's more about the exploring and the adventure of the hunt that makes it fun.  What surprised me most was that some of the items on the scavenger hunt that were easy to find were less fun for him.  He had no problem finding rocks or sticks or leaves, so that wasn't as exciting as it was to find something that we had to really look/hunt for.  He spent a lot of time digging in the flower bed looking for a roly poly (we never found one).  We sat at the end of our street for a good 10 minutes watching cars drive by and waiting for a red truck (we never saw one).  This showed incredible patience and determination from him that completely impressed me.  Had we done this last summer, I think the results would have been much different (more interested in the instant gratification of finding the easy things), which makes this a great activity for kids of all ages and one that can played for years.  

Of course, his attention span is still pretty short so we had to throw in some other fun activities like follow the leader and red light/green light as we played.  We also did lots of jumping and chasing and snowball throwing, which makes for a pretty great day in our book.  I definitely didn't want this to be all work.  But I think he had fun - he asked me that night when we could do it again.  Anytime, kiddo!

Have you ever done a Scavenger Hunt with your kids?

Click HERE for the printable.

Favorite Books for Preschoolers - 2.5 Years

We seem to be on a reading kick these days!  More than ever, Mac is really interested in books and reading has become such a big part of our day.  We read books before naptime, before bedtime and a few different times during the day.  He loves to read books while we put Mim to bed and while we're making dinner.  It's absolutely wonderful to see him develop such strong connections with books and I hope that he grows up to love reading as much as I do.  

(aww, baby Mac!)

If you've ever been to our house, you know that I take my personal library very seriously.  I have an entire room in our house lined in bookshelves.  Mac's room is no different.  I want reading to be a big part of his life, so I've purposely surrounded him with as many books as possible and made them as accessible as I could. For having kids that can't even read, we have more children's books than I ever imagined.  We've got everything from the classics like Goodnight Moon and Corduroy Bear to the newest Little Blue Truck and Llama Llama.  All the Dr. Seuss books and tons of little Goldens.  Every night before bed, Mac and I read two books together (or three, or four, or seven).  I let Mac pick a book and I pick a book.  We have very different taste, but I've been surprisingly proud of the books that have become his favorites.  Here are 24 of our "mutual" favorites (some are mine, some are his).  

I Love You Stinkyface by Lisa McCourt - This is one of those books that I love just as much (if not more) than Mac loves.  The illustrations are beautiful and the message that the mama will love her child no matter what (or how much they stink) is wonderful. 

Animal Alphabet: Slide and Seek the ABCs by Alex Lluch - Mac loves sliding the doors open to reveal the animals in this book.  We use it to identify letters and sound them out with the animal names.  There are even a couple animals that we weren't familiar with (xenops), which gave us the opportunity to look up what kind of bird that was and talk about it.  The hand-drawn illustrations are really pretty and are reminiscent of Eric Carle.

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. - I think this one is fun to read.  It's rhythmic and colorful and entertaining.  Great for identifying letters and colors.

Where Do Diggers Sleep at Night? by Brianna Caplan Sayres - I love this book.  Mac got this from Santa for Christmas and it's quickly become a new favorite.  He loves anything to do with trucks/tractors/vehicles and I love the rhymes and how sweet the book is.  Cute illustrations too.  Definitely a winner.

Lift-the-Flap Tab: Trucks by Roger Priddy - This one's been a favorite for over a year now.  We've lost a tab here and there, but he continues to love this book.  Every page is a different vehicle with fun things to discover about it.  Each vehicle has a driver and Mac knows them all by name. It's pretty cute listening to him tell stories about each page.

Stellaluna by Janelle Cannon - This one gets me every time.  A baby bat loses her mother and is adopted by birds, so she has to change to fit in.  Great lessons, great illustrations.  

My Father Knows the Names of Things by Jane Yolen - This is such a cute book with sweet verses and really adorable illustrations. I always felt like my dad knew everything there was to know about everything, and I hope Mac and Mim grow up feeling the same way about their dad (and mine).  

I Stink! by Kate McMullan - My boss recommended this one to us when he heard that Mac was obsessed with the garbage truck. It's all about the garbage truck eating the trash at night.  It has an A-Z list of disgusting things that the truck eats (moldy melons, dirty diapers).  There's even a page where the truck lets out a huge burp.  Mac thinks it's hilarious. I think it's a bit hard to read (it doesn't flow or rhyme), but he loves it.  Another garbage truck favorite (if you're into this kind of thing) is Smash! Mash! Crash! There Goes the Trash! by Barbara Odanaka.

Bear in a Square by Stella Blackstone - This book is great to work on counting and shapes with kids.  Each page has a different shape that you have to find on the pages.  It's bright and colorful and well-written.  Bear on a Bike is also good. 

The Snail and the Whale by Julia Donaldson - I love this book.  Beautiful illustrations and very pretty rhythmic verses, it's one of my favorites.  Mac loves naming all the animals on the pages.  The story of a very small animal helping to save a very large one is very sweet, too. 

We're Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen - This is a fun book that Mac loves, but only if daddy reads it to him.  I've tried, but apparently I don't do it right.  Also, if you were a girl scout, you're going to want to sing it, which your child will probably hate.  Otherwise, it's a cute book with great sounds and a fun ending. 

Babies by Gyo Fujikawa - My mom said this was one of my favorite books when I was little.  I love the books of Gyo Fujikawa and we have a bunch of his illustrated books of nurseryrhymes, poems and fairy tales that I can't wait to read to Mac and Mim when they get a little older.  This one's about babies and we used it to teach him what baby Mim would be like when she arrived. 

The Little Engine That Could (condensed board book) by Watty Piper - After trying to get Mac to sit still for the longer version of this book, I wised up and got the condensed board book for him.  I love this story and the morale.  He now says, "I think I can...I think I can," which is so stinking adorable I could die. 

The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn - This is a sweet book about a little raccoon going to school and missing his mama, only to find that the mama misses the little raccoon just as much.  It's like my autobiography.  Mac loves all the animals.  Plus, it comes with stickers to use as kisses.  

My First Animals (Tabbed Board Book) by DK Publishing - Mac loves all the tabbed DK Publishing books in this series and we've been reading them for two years now.  He has My First Animals, My First Words, My First Farm, My FirstColors - they're all very well-loved.  These were some of his favorite books for the beginning and have definitely withstood the test of time.  The animals one has probably been the favorite because it not only has the farm animals and baby animals, but it also has lots of bugs, snakes and birds.  The farm one has two pages of tractors and farm vehicles, so that one's a close second. 

Go, Dog. Go! by P. D. Eastman - One of my favorites from when I was a kid.  I got Mac the entire Dr. Seuss library before he was born, so I'm thrilled that he likes some of these.  Go Dog Go is a favorite, as is I'll Teach My Dog 100 Words, The Foot Book and One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish.

Dog by Matthew Van Fleet - Again, this one has been a favorite of his for over a year.  He loves feeling the different textures, wagging their tales and making the dog pee.  Plus, there's a three page spread of dogs in the back of the book that all have names - he's got almost all of them memorized and talks about the dogs like he knows them.  This kid loves dogs.  He chose this book as his very favorite book to take to nursery school last week when he was the leader.  He LOVES this book.  We also have the farm version of this book called Moo.  

Press Here  by Herve Tullet - I do not quite understand the appeal of this book (it's a lot of work), but Mac loves it.  Of course he doesn't "press" anything, he punches and stabs the dots, violently shakes the book and is pretty rough with it.  I'm shocked it hasn't lost any pages yet.

Steam Train, Dream Train by Sherri Duskey Rinker - This is another favorite of mine.  I love the sounds in this book and the pretty verses. Mac loves trains and animals, so the illustrations keep him occupied.  By the same author of Good Night Construction Site, which is another favorite. 

Good Night, Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann - For a book with very few words, this book takes a long time for us to get through.  Mac loves talking about all the animals, finding the balloons on the pages, seeing the animals' lovies in their cages and spotting the mouse.  It's cute.  

Llama Llama Wakey-Wake by Anna Dewdney - I got this book to help Mac get ready for school.  So far it's done little to help him get motivated to get out the door, but I think all the Llama Llama books are cute and have great rhymes.  This one is a board book and much shorter than some of the others. 

Dinosaur Zoom by Penny Dale - This is a book about dinosaurs traveling by various vehicles to get to a birthday party.  I don't know what it is about this book, but Mac loves it.  I do not see the appeal, but it's one of his favorites.  We always have to sing Happy Birthday to the little dinosaur at the end and help him blow out the candles.  Toddlers love vehicles, dinosaurs and birthdays, so it's a big hit around here.
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Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss - A classic.  Repetitious, nice rhyming, cute illustrations, talks about trains and goats and trying new foods.  Everyone wins.

Poke-A-Dot: Who's In the Ocean by lKids - This is Mac's "special book" that I got him to read while I fed the baby in the early days of baby Mim.  He loves this book and it's now well-worn.  It's great to work on counting and really fun to pop the dots.  I’ve even found myself popping the dots when he’s not around. 

What are some of your kids' favorite books?

*This post does NOT contain affiliate links and all opinions are 100% my own. 

Secret Santa Book Exchange

Sometimes blogging can feel like a lot of work, with very little reward.  Bloggers tend to put our lives out there and subject ourselves to public scrutiny, usually just in the hopes of making connections with friends and readers.  I'm so lucky that this little piece of the internet has been such a positive place, filled with support, encouragement, love, laughter, understanding and honesty.  I absolutely love getting comments, likes and emails from anyone that's read this blog (that's YOU!) and I always try to reciprocate the love by visiting your blogs, emailing you back or reaching out in some way.  And every now and then, real friendships start to form over common threads and this big giant world we live in becomes a little smaller.  

A few weeks ago, a couple of my favorite blog friends (Elizabeth, Courtney & Jenny) organized a Mommy & Me Secret Santa book swap as a fun way to introduce bloggers to each other and pass on their love for reading for both mom and baby.  I love participating in things like this because I love giving gifts and getting to "meet" new bloggers in the process. This blogging community is filled with so many wonderful women and mothers - I'm just blessed to be a part of it and I love getting the opportunity to make connections with other moms with kids the same age that "get" what I'm going through on a daily basis.  And I especially loved this book exchange because not only did the kids get a fun new book, but the mamas got a little something special as well.  I can't say no to a good book (even though it's been WAY too long since I've read one).  

We were lucky enough to get a wonderful book package from the amazing Stephanie at Wife Mommy Me.  She's another book lover and mama to an adorable toddler boy (with the best name ever).  Stephanie sent us three books, Frosty the Snowman for Mac, Where Is Baby's Present for Mim and Inferno for me.  Ever since our photographer had us read a Frosty book during our fall photo shoot, Mac has been obsessed with Frosty.  We've watched the movie a dozen times, so this book is perfect for him.  I've been wanting to get my hands on Inferno for a while, so I'm thrilled with my choice.  And I wasn't even expecting Mim to get a gift (she's more into eating the book than reading it), but it was so sweet of Stephanie for included her as well.  She loves her book and thinks it's delicious!  Thank you SO much Stephanie! 

And we got to pick out some books for Nina and Ezra from The Joni Journey.  Head over to Nina's blog to see what we sent them (and wish her congrats on her big announcement!).  I hope they like it! 

This is just one of THREE fun Secret Santa gift exchanges I'm participating in this season.

Woo hoo!  

More to come on the others soon.  

Are you doing any Secret Santa swaps this year?