Tangle Teezer all the way!!! Gets out knots with little or no tears from the little ones. I even got one formyself that I use every day now. No better hairbrush that I know of!
There is also a special conditioner you can buy to soften hair and make it easier to brush but for the life of me, I cannot remember the name of it.
Its available in House of Colour salons so if you contact them, they should be able to help you. And they sell Tangle Teezers for €14 in their salons, so you can get both there if that suits.
http://www.houseofcolour.ie/home.
HTH 😀