Tooth Brushing Hint

Amazing how much easier things go with a toddler when you turn everyday chores into a game. Recently the chore that has been “game-ified” at our house is brushing teeth, only it’s name has been changed from brushing teeth to hunting sugar bugs.

I’m not sure where this came from (I think my wife’s dentist first put the thought of sugar bugs in our heads), or even if it is original, but I do know that the game has been a favorite with the girl. We sit down and pretend to catch sugar bugs in her mouth. Whenever we catch one in the toothbrush, we make a big deal of pinching it off the brush, throwing the imaginary critter to the floor and stepping on it – the bigger the stomp the better. The girl squeals whenever we pull one of these little critters out of her mouth, and gleefully stomps on it to stop the sugar bug.

Not only does the girl look forward to brushing her teeth, she’s becoming a real ham, using her imagination and catching invisible sugar bugs. Great fun.