Brushing Our Teeth is Fun to Do!

We have been working on brushing teeth for months now. I would really like Elise to be in the habit of brushing teeth, and have made it part of our after meal, and bed time routines. She doesn't really like it. She lets me brush them, and for the first little while was excitedly curious. Logan's grandparents sent a cute Hello Kitty toothbrush and some special drops to use on new baby teeth to help prevent cavities in babies and toddlers. We've been using this stuff, and brushing teeth, but Elise really struggles with letting me brush all of them. We think she may have sensitive gums, especially on the top front ones. I have felt frustrated as I've tried to help her have good dental hygiene, and so I read a couple articles from a baby developmental website called BabyCenter. One suggestion stood out to me. They suggested you let your toddler brush their own teeth, and then maybe help a little at the end if they didn't quite get them all brushed. I didn't really think this would work, but thought it couldn't hurt to try. To my surprise and amazement, Elise took to this idea like a fish takes to water. She loves brushing her teeth now. She will spend several minutes 'brushing' her teeth. She loves to look in the mirror and makes sure she's getting the back ones, and that they are all looking more clean. Mostly she chews on the brush, and swishes it around, but when I brush mine at the same time, she seems to do more brushing. She absolutely loves being in control of the toothbrush, and will even let me help just a bit before we rinse. While I'm still not sure this is the best way to get all those teeth as clean as possible, she is much more excited about the whole process, and will go in the bathroom and sign brushing teeth to remind me. I'm glad what was once a struggle has turned into a fun time for her to exercise her independence, and remind me how grown up she's getting!