Clean my teeth? You're having a laugh

Michael McIntyre, Eddie Izzard and all you other comedy wannabes, step aside - there's a new kid on the block. Me, in fact.
I don't mean to blow my own trumpet but lately I have been hilarious. I have never been so funny - well according to my 15-month-old that is. All I have to do is put on a silly voice or squint up my eyes and wrinkle my nose and he is in floods of laughter. He is the best crowd I have ever played to - and he doesn't heckle, unless he needs a nappy change. Of the many joys that come with being a mum, hearing his unbridled chuckles at my antics comes somewhere near the top, although nothing quite beats that first smile does it?
However, his delight in me soon turns sour when I take off my funny hat and attempt to introduce that ultimate instrument of torture - the toothbrush. No matter how many silly faces I pull, the message is clear - he does not like having his teeth cleaned. Which is why I had to tell you about the breakthrough we have had this week in our dental standoff.
For a few weeks, he liked his toothbrush and would chew away happily on it but then suddenly I couldn't even show him it without his lower lip wobbling and his brow furrowing ready for the full-on drama that quickly followed. To be honest, I think I should have replaced it sooner as the bristles had gone stiff so I couldn't blame him for not being too keen having it scraped along his newly showing teeth. But by the time I realised this he hated the sight of the brush and I needed an alternative. I did what every other mother would do in this situation, I turned to Google. And there I found Brush-Baby. This clever company makes chewable toothbrushes, made of rubber that not only cleans the teeth as they gnaw down on it but, it turns out, is wonderfully soothing. We put ours in the fridge when he is teething and he loves it. So instead of the twice-daily battle in the bathroom, I simply pop a bit of toothpaste onto the rubber bristles and hand it to him at the end of a meal while he is still in his high chair. He sits happily chewing away and cleaning his beautiful smile as he does. I found it in Waitrose and it cost over a fiver which did make me baulk but I would pay twice the price knowing how successful it has been. Go to http://www.brushbaby.co.uk/ to have a look.