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Toothpaste

Unhappy's picture

Okay......this may seem a bit petty but I am so sick and tiered of children's toothpaste. I know. They need it but does it really have to end up everywhere and on everything? I think that SS almost six is at an age where he can use toothpaste in an appropriate manner. It's everywhere. On the walls, the vanity, the light switch, the bathtub, the shower curtain, the floor, the rugs on the floor, on the tile back splash, and sometimes tracked out onto the hallway carpet and into the kids rooms. Last week I actually found a piece of toilet paper glued to the back splash with toothpaste. It drives me absolutely crazy. It's really not that hard to put toothpaste on a toothbrush and just brush your freaking teeth. How the heck does he get it everywhere? What is he doing. I've already had to remove it once from their bathroom because SS was eating it. We made it through that phase but now I'm going to have to remove it again because an almost six year old can't manage to use it without painting the bathroom blue with it. It's so bad that we're going through a tube of this crap every two weeks and he's only there for seven of those days. I walked into the bathroom on Saturday and there was a huge glob of it (and by huge I meand SS could have brushed his teeth five or six times over, maybe even more then that) sitting on the vanity right in front of the sink. I made SS clean it up but really? Come on? I just don't understand it.

Is this normal for a child this age? My BD has never done anything like this.

Comments

Shaman29's picture

I don't know if it ever ends.

DH is 45. Every single fricking night I wipe a glob of toothpaste out of the basin. He claims not to see it and that I'm making it up. Ooooookkkkaaaaaaaayyyyyyy.

Sometimes it has whiskers from his latest shave in it. I wonder if he believes it's art and is planning a showing the next day. DH and his toothpaste sculptures.

Anywho78's picture

My Skids did that when they were your Skids age...but I thought that they were more old enough to know better...I told them that either they acted their age with it or I would go in there & help them brush, like I would a TWO year old. They didn't stop with their nastiness, so I went in, as promised & instructed them like I would a TWO year old...they HATED it! I did this for about a week...Barney style "this is how we put toothpaste on our tooth brush", "This is how we brushy brushy", "this is how we spit it into the sink", "this is how we rinse the sink and our tooth brush"..."GOOD JOB! I am SOOOOO proud of you!" All said in the sing-song annoying voice of a high on life super nanny. They got the point.

There are still slips (toothpaste smeared across the counter)...they are made to clean it up & told that I will again "Barney Style" their teeth brushing if I see it again. It works for awhile then we're at it again.

It's gross, it's a HUGE pain & I'm sorry you're having to deal with it.

RedWingsFan's picture

I can see how that would drive you crazy. He's at the age where he can clean up spills and messes himself. Keep paper towels near the sink and show him how to wipe up the toothpaste he spills. Instill a consequence if he doesn't clean up after himself such as no tv or video games for the next night if you find toothpaste all over the place.

Unhappy's picture

It's not just on the vanity it's everywhere. Anywhere he can reach. The vanity I can kinda understand but the shower curtain, the hallway, the walls, and the kids bedrooms floors? Really? It's on everything.

Shaman29's picture

I wish I could give you good advice on this but all I have is vindictive advice. But it's doubtful my method will work on a 6 year old boy.

DH's kid used to do the same thing but not with toothpaste. Unfortunately this only happened one week of the month, if you get my drift.

After asking her myself, after asking DH to speak to her, after having her clean the bathroom over and over. I finally gave up.

The next time she decorated the bathroom, I grabbed the disinfectant and marched into her room. Then I grabbed the first article of clothing I stepped on and used it to clean the bathroom. After I was done, I threw the "cleaning cloth" onto her bedroom floor.

She screamed about it and all I said was I'm showing you the same respect you've shown to the other people living in the house.

From that point on, if she left a mess, all I needed to do was walk into her room holding my bottle of cleaner and look around for a piece of clothing. She goes running past me, grabs the cleaner and some paper-towels from the kitchen and cleans up her mess.

RedWingsFan's picture

So stand over him while he brushes his teeth and show him how NOT to get the shit everywhere! Or, like one other poster above said, put it back on him. Do it FOR him. He'll get sick of that right quick!

ThatGirl's picture

Agreed. I never had this issue with my children. Because I trained them properly! Skids, on the other hand, are absolutely disgusting. Skids were not allowed in any bathroom but their own. They were supposed to be responsible for the cleaning of said bathroom. If SO didn't enforce, he was handed the cleaning supplies and asked to do it. I won't step foot in there!

StarStuff's picture

Ugh! I hate this problem! SD8 is the same way. Toothpaste frickin everywhere and FDH has two big globs on his sink. Just thinking about it makes me want to puke. I have something of a phobia of things like toothpaste, gum, etc....so when it's all over my bathroom I have to really work to keep the bile down. Gross.

tweetybird74's picture

My SS 18 still makes a mess with everything and not just toothpaste. I would suggest putting the toothpaste away and when it is time for him to brush you administer the correct amount onto his brush and then stand and watch him. Well maybe DH should be doing this. If he makes a mess he cleans it up before he leave the bathroom!

Maganamitre04's picture

You should have read my blog!! I have a SS who is 10! Gets toothpaste everywhere! Leave it all out for someone to clean it up! Don't leave tooth paste in there bathroom! It seems like it's intentional now. IMO 

SteppedOut's picture

Sorry, my formerSO's kid (13) did this. Better? FormerSO would have him bring his crap to brush in our bathroom so he could "watch him to make sure he did it". Spoiler: formerSO didn't really watch. Looked like he just squeezed it in the sink and his breath was like death reheated twice, so... 

My 3 year old? He brushes by himself, including putting an appropriate amount of paste on his brush. He wants to do it by himself. Imagine that!