Watermelon toothpaste sounds fun, but I'd be careful about relying too much on flavored toothpastes. When my granddaughter was little, we used strawberry toothpaste to get her brushing, and it worked great at first... until she refused anything minty or less sweet later on. Took ages to transition her to regular toothpaste. Timer toothbrushes, though, totally agree—kids love feeling like they're on some secret mission. Just something to think about if you're planning long-term habits.
Haha, reminds me of when my niece got hooked on bubblegum toothpaste—we thought we'd cracked the code at first. But then she started eating it straight from the tube, like it was dessert or something... we had to hide it and go cold turkey. Mint toothpaste was a battle zone for weeks afterward. Honestly though, she adjusted eventually. Maybe it's just one of those phases kids go through? Timer brushes are genius, though—wish they'd had those when I was a kid.
"Mint toothpaste was a battle zone for weeks afterward."
Haha, I've seen this happen more times than you'd think. Bubblegum toothpaste is definitely a double-edged sword—great for getting kids interested, but sometimes too tasty for their own good. Timer brushes are indeed fantastic; they help kids build good habits without even realizing it. Out of curiosity, did you try any other flavors besides mint afterward? Sometimes fruity or mild flavors can ease the transition without turning brushing into dessert time...
Haha, totally relate to this. Bubblegum toothpaste was basically candy in a tube when I was little—pretty sure I swallowed more than I brushed with it. 😅
"Mint toothpaste was a battle zone for weeks afterward."
Mint was rough for me too at first, but my parents switched me to strawberry toothpaste as a stepping stone. Worked like a charm... fruity enough to be appealing, but not so tasty I'd eat half the tube. Eventually mint wasn't so bad, especially once braces forced me to brush constantly anyway.
Haha, I totally get the bubblegum toothpaste nostalgia. It's funny how we all had these little toothpaste journeys as kids. Mint was a tough sell for me too, but my parents took a slightly different route. Instead of fruity toothpaste, they let me pick out a toothbrush with my favorite cartoon character on it. Weirdly enough, that made mint toothpaste tolerable because brushing felt like playtime.
I think your parents' strawberry toothpaste approach makes a lot of sense though—kind of like easing into cold water one step at a time. Makes me wonder if the flavor itself matters less than just giving kids some control or choice in the process. Either way, seems like most of us eventually make peace with mint... braces or no braces. Glad you found something that worked!
