Toothbrush!

Julia was a late bloomer when it comes to teeth. She didn’t get her first until days before her first birthday. Now she has about eight teeth, and her doctor said that she can start to learn to brush them.

Julia’s Mommy and Daddy took her to purchase her first toothbrush, and she was instantly excited. She wanted to brush right then and there—in the middle of Marc’s discount store. She held it lovingly as her parents continued to shop, then she had separation anxiety at the checkout counter.

“Noooo!” she screamed as her Daddy put it on the conveyor. “Toothbrush!” Then came the tears.

When Julia got home, she was ready to brush. “Toothbrush? Toothbrush?” she asked with great anticipation. Once she got it in her hands, she was in heaven. Who would have thought that so much joy would come from one tiny implement?

That first night, she chewed on it more than she brushed, but that didn’t matter much to Julia. She had a toothbrush of her very own. If her Mommy and Daddy would have let her, she would have slept with it.

When it was time to rinse it and leave it in its holder, she again produced tears. “Tooooth bruuuush!” she cried longingly until Mommy popped a pacifier in her mouth. The tears still ran, but the cries were more muffled.

The next morning, Julia greeted her Mommy and Daddy with a big smile and asked, “Toothbrush?” Yes, she was ready to get reacquainted with her new friend.

After Julia was bathed and dressed, it was tooth-brushing time again. This time, Julia’s Daddy brushed with Julia so she could better see how it’s done. She asked for some assistance then quickly grabbed the brush back to practice some more. After a little rinsing, Daddy coaxed Julia to move on to the rest of the day.

More tears, more paci.

That evening, Julia and her Mommy were playing on the couch. In the midst of a fit of giggles, Julia stood straight up, became very serious, and exclaimed, “Toothbrush! Upstairs!” She then took her Mommy’s finger and headed toward the stairs.

Julia climbed up the stairs and headed toward the bathroom. “Brush teeth,” she said. After she was done and rinsed, she felt much better about returning to her game downstairs.

Since those first early days, Julia has improved her tooth-brushing skills and actually makes pretty good contact between brush and teeth. She would brush several times daily if she could, but her Mommy and Daddy believe that twice is plenty for a toddler without a full set of teeth.