Brushing teeth is just the worst grooming activity! Especially when trying to get independent, hard-headed kids to do it twice a day! Here are options that have helped improve that part of our nighttime battle, while letting our kids maintain their independence.
Thomas J. Tooth
My husband grew up listening to stories of Thomas J. Tooth, adventures of a little tooth, told by his father when he was brushing their teeth. My father-in-law continued this story time with all of the grandkids, and comes up with these fantastic stories to keep the kids’ mind busy.
For Christmas, we worked together to start recording the stories so the grandkids could listen to them every night. And now they are available on a podcast for everyone! The stories are two-to-three minutes long, have a fun adventure, and the best main character to follow along with — Thomas J. Tooth!
Listen to the podcast here: Spotify, Anchor, Apple Podcasts
Toothpaste Dispenser
This has been a lifesaver tool in our house. Even though we all share one bathroom, the kids could never find their toothpaste! And then when they could find it, they would miss the toothbrush and cover the counters, get too much so they were foaming like a mad dog, or brush with an empty brush. Using the dispenser, the location doesn’t move and the contraption helps apportion the amount of toothpaste.
We have the version for two tubes, one for the adult toothpaste and one for the children’s toothpaste. The only complaint is that if you do a full press you get a lot, so you can go through toothpaste fairly quickly. Due to gravity and the suction of the contraption though, you get every drop.
Specialized Electric Toothbrush
Manual toothbrushes are inexpensive, but they just don’t clean as well as an electric toothbrush. We gave our kids electric toothbrushes because they have built-in use timers, so they know when it's over. We don’t have to sit and watch them constantly about it. The toothbrushes we use have four buzzing alarms, reminding you to move to the next quarter of your mouth (top right, top left, bottom right, bottom left).
Similar to the disposable electric styles, these have characters on them, but have removable toothbrush heads and a rechargeable base. I try to be sustainable, and having to throw away the full electric toothbrush really bothered me. Now we just have to replace the heads every few months.
Helpful Hint: My first electric toothbrush was after we were married, as a Christmas gift from my in-laws. I brushed on my teeth, and not my gum line, and I developed some gum issues for a while. But now that I know where to actually brush my teeth, it works marvelously! Like with brushing your hair, it’s not all about brushing the ends to maintain that health. You have to brush at the root for health, so where the gum line meets the tooth.
Word of Warning: Even with the disposable heads, make sure to teach your kids how to rinse out the toothbrush. Otherwise, it will get moldy (especially when you live in an extra-humid place, like Florida). Take the toothbrush head off after each use, rinse it out, and set it so extra water drips out.
ABC Countdowns
I get really impatient having to brush my baby’s teeth, using the infant manual toothbrush. The way I help myself get through the time without stressing more is to sing the ABC’s while brushing. We sing the regular ABC song for the top teeth, and the ABC song from “Super Why” for the bottom teeth. Might as well do some teaching while we’re there!
Toothbrush Timers
Before we switched to electric toothbrushes that have the timer built in, we used these sand timers to let the kids know when they are done brushing. It doesn’t help pace your brushing by separating the time, but it’s at least a start.
Fun Floss Sticks
My grandma was a dental hygienist, so I got lots of dental care growing up. However, I guess I didn’t really pay attention to the lessons on flossing because that’s where my first cavity came from! Trying to stretch your hands around those back teeth with standard floss just doesn’t cut it. I love floss sticks though, and it’s so much easier to get those hard-to-reach places.
For those that don’t know, flossing isn’t to clean the space between your teeth. It’s to get the space between your teeth and your gums, so going up on either side of the tooth. And apparently, flossing before you brush your teeth is better, so you can flush out any food that was stuck — although flossing at all is great!
Reusable Floss Stick
I had the highest hopes for this reusable floss stick from Quip, to reduce our plastic footprint. Unfortunately, it just didn’t hold the floss tight enough to move between sets of teeth and would stretch out, so you would have to retighten often. I’m still on the lookout for another reusable option though! Any suggestions?
Bathroom Alone Time
Our whole family shares one bathroom, so it’s tight quarters. Our kids are best friends, so when we send them in to brush their teeth together, it never turns out well. So we make sure that they go in the bathroom separately. This makes sure they have the time and space to concentrate on actually brushing their teeth well.
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