Brushing baby’s tiny teeth is an area of hygiene that many parents simply skip. It’s not that you don’t want your child to have perfect gems of white in his mouth; it’s that your baby is simply uncooperative with the whole tooth brushing process.

For a little one desperate to put things in his mouth, when the toothbrush comes out, it’s almost impossible to pry his jaws apart. All hope for brushing is not lost, however – it’s just a bit trickier than you might have originally thought.

Let him brush. If you hand your baby the toothbrush, he might be more willing to chew on the fun, scratchy bristles. While this might not be the best way to get teeth clean, it does clean them a bit more than you did without ever getting the brush in his mouth.

Brush teeth together. Older babies love to imitate. If you brush your teeth together, he might be willing to do what you do – and maybe even let you help a bit with the process.

Skip the brush. If the toothbrush is causing concern, skip it all together. You can do a passable job with a washcloth over your finger or with a finger glove toothbrush. If you choose this route, however, be sure to avoid getting your finger caught between two pearly white razors.