If you’re like most parents with babies or toddlers, you’re having a tough time brushing their teeth. As the father of three, I know what it’s like. I’ve tried every trick in the book to get my kids to cooperate including jokes, songs and other silly things I’m too embarrassed to mention here.

My 2-year-old Briani is in this stage now so here’s a homemade trick I have that is guaranteed to work: make your child cry when you need to clean their pearly whites.

I’m not suggesting you hurt your child. What I really mean is that if your baby or toddler isn’t cooperating, simply do something that gets them to cry. The reason you want them to do that is because toddlers usually open their mouths wide to cry and that makes it ideal for you to stick their toothbrush inside their mouth and clean their teeth.

Briani recently caught on to my trick so now I can’t brush her teeth standing anymore. In her case, I make her cry and I don’t put the toothbrush in her mouth until I hold her head down in a flat surface. This makes it much harder for her to spit out the toothpaste. It isn’t pretty, but it works.

What works for you with your baby or toddler?