Victory is ours! I think we have finally figured out a how to get Parker to brush his teeth without biting me (he would bite me when I tried to use a finger brush to stop my from brushing his teeth). Three different toothbrushes (one, two and three), a fun pop up book about brushing his teeth and a couple of hours of scouring the internet for tips have resulted in something so simple that I'm kicking myself for taking so long to realize it. Make it a game. Make it fun. Thanks BabyCenter for the advice and for making me realize that we were not facing this issue alone.
Last night as we were going through our bedtime routine, I changed Parker's diaper and then I changed Monkey's diaper. I handed Parker a toothbrush for himself and one for Monkey. I showed him that Monkey was brushing his teeth and he thought it was so funny. Then he voluntarily started brushing his own teeth. Hallelujah! I think he may have even brushed a couple of his back teeth. Every child is different so this strategy may not work for everyone but Parker loves to copy us so I figured he would enjoy copying Monkey too. We'll keep working on this and hopefully one day brushing his teeth will not become such a production every night. If there are any Mamas out there going through this, I feel your pain. Literally. I have the bite marks to prove it.
[Brushing Monkey's teeth]
[Checking Monkey's diaper. This thoughtful little boy amazes me everyday.]
[Brushing his own teeth and smiling about it!]
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