The last time my 4-yr-old daughter went to the dentist, they encouraged me to start flossing with her every night. We received some sample flossers, and the deal was sealed when Grace discovered that they were endorsed by the Disney princesses!
When first introducing floss to young kids, I highly recommend the little flossers that look like a handle with a single string attached across the top. Wrapping a long string around your fingers trying to get them in a itty-bitty mouth just doesn’t work well. If you make a big deal about going to the store and letting your child pick out the flossers, they will be more excited about using them. There are TONS of different designs, colors, and styles available.
The first time you floss with them it’s important to be very gentle. I like to cradle her head against me and use a light sawing motion to get in between her teeth, without pressing too hard. She always wants to do it herself after I’m done and is very proud that she can floss all by herself.
Please don’t call the germ police on me, but I often just wash the flosser with anti-bacterial soap and re-use it the next night. I don’t see the point of throwing something away that is still perfectly usable. Once the string is worn down, I throw it away and we get a new one. This stretches out the budget, and that works for me!
For more works-for-me tips, visit We Are THAT Family.
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2 comments:
That's really great, get them in the habit when they are young. I just had an appointment last week and my dentists got on to me for not flossing like I should. If only I were motivated by the disney princesses... sigh.
Our family company makes Gripit Floss Holders - www.gripit.biz. Parents tell us they use Gripits to floss their children's teeth so they don't have to put adult fingers into small mouths. The kids then want to try a Gripit and a good flossing habit is established.
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