Guest Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 Hi all, We introduced the option of providing teeth cleaning in the nursery for the children after meals; all the parents had to do was bring in their toothbrush and a wash bag for it to be kept in. The problem we have at the moment is finding the time to do this. Does anyone have any suggestions? GumBear x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 we've done it for the last 10 years and I agree it does take a long time, I have to allocate a member of staff to supervise so would welcome any suggestion to make it easier. Our toothbrushes are attached to the washroom wall by named pegs so that the children can access them independently but still need help to put toothpaste on and monitor the cleaning Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cait Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 Like you, we've done it for a good ten years or so, straight after lunch. We have a good routine and it doesn't take long. Toothbrushes 'live' in a wooden holder - originally intended for test tubes - with names on the brushes and names on the wooden frame. What happens is that children sit looking at books or doing jigsaws until everyone has finished their lunch and then we all go through together. I collect the brushes for the children who are there and put the toothpaste on and hand them out. Children stand brushing their teeth and I 'finish them off' in turn, dropping the brushes into a milton solution. I then rinse them off and one of the older children helps me to put them back into the right places in the frame. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lashes2508 Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 stop doing it !- who states you need to clean their teeth after lunch -there is no necessity to do so, twice a day is enough and especially if they have had fruit or fruit juice with theri meal as the natural sugars soften teeth enamel therfore cleaning can cuase problems The BDA recommend twice a day . 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cait Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 We do it because we are in a deprived area and it is recommended that we do. Many of the children in our care don't have their teeth brushed at home, so they are only getting them brushed when we do it. Our water comes from a local reservoir that is not treated with fluoride. My brother in law is a dentist and has okayed this too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lashes2508 Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 (edited) well that makes sense Cait - i was going to put a bit about parents responsibility but can understand given your reasons for doing so - i know it is part of the training so on rereading my comments and punctuation was not meant to come across so sternly , I meant that if not necessary and takes so long than don't do it , Edited July 23, 2012 by lashes2508 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sox Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 stop doing it !- who states you need to clean their teeth after lunch -there is no necessity to do so, twice a day is enough and especially if they have had fruit or fruit juice with theri meal as the natural sugars soften teeth enamel therfore cleaning can cuase problems The BDA recommend twice a day . Our children always brushed their teeth at lunchtime! I remember reading somewhere that it is harmful to brush teeth directly after a meal due to your natural defences so we changed it to later in the afternoon!! It is part of our standards from Social Services that we do brush their teeth! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoneyPancakes Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 I take on board Lashes' information, but still wanted to share about a nice video on the Open University module I just completed. From a deprived area for the record. Teeth cleaning incorporated numeracy teaching. Counting how many children? Correct number of blobs of paste on paper towel (used to prevent contamination)? They sang a little song while brushing. Could count down until all the blobs are gone. I'm trying to think of other learning to be had. Time? Turn taking? Self-care? Shapes? Movement (brush in circles, up and down, side to side)? Names on brushes (who's is who's?) I'm a Childminder and I do tooth-brushing after breakfast because that's when my own children do there's. I really don't think it would be kind to insist parents wake children up even earlier, just so they can brush their teeth before going to the childminder -sometimes getting dressed is a step too far. I think day-nurseries would be in a similar position. Honey 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redjayne Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 We toothbrush after breakfast and after tea - at least 20 minutes after eating - each child has own brush - pea sized blob of 1450floride toothpaste on a paper towel and they sit round the table and clean teeth for two minutes ( we have a couple of songs we play to time) then spit into towel, brushes are washed and sterlised. Easier to organise and doesn't mean you have to be trooping in and out of the bathroom. Have been doing this for years now and the children really like it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cait Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 As an aside - and slightly off topic - my son couldn't spit until he was nearly 8. No-one knew why, he just couldn't do it. Mouth action was all there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stargrower Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 Cait, that just made me laugh (not in a horrible way) Of all the skills we teach our children, I've never thought of adding spitting to the list. Revise that EYFS again! Beehive 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Froglet Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 I love hearing asides like this - it just reminds me of how many of the skills we have now that we take for granted and it's hard to imagine ever having to learn to do them but we did. Makes me smile sometimes when the people I work with who teach older children are surprised at the 'mistakes' they make; forgetting that they don't yet know how to do something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 i like the idea of taking toothbrushes to the table but can i ask does each child have their own labelled brush and how do you sterilise and for how long. Ours are on individual pegs in the washroom but this needs a member of staff free to supervise whereas at the table would be easier Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cait Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 (edited) Ours have labels on the handles (Dymo waterproof labels) I just leave them heads down in a jug of solution until the end of the day when I shake them off and put them back in the rack. They have a rinse before I put the toothpaste on Quick edit to say that before we had the label-maker I used to write on the handles with a sharpie Edited July 26, 2012 by Cait Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 thank you Cait, another little tweak for the new year to organise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redjayne Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 (edited) Our toothbrushes are individually labelled - each child has a space in a Brush Bus again labelled - the buses are taken to the table and after use the used brushes are rinsed , sterilised once a week and replaced - the buses have lids to keep them clean. We were originally given them by our LA - but you can buy them or get replacement labels etc. from this company. The Brush Bus Ltd Edited July 27, 2012 by redjayne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redjayne Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 If you Google it you can get the details and email them - or see the prices etc online Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cait Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 Thanks for that, they look nice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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