We tried one of those musical toothbrushes for my daughter, and it worked for a bit, but eventually she got bored with the same songs every day. Did you find the music stayed interesting enough long-term, or did you have to switch it up after a while? Right now, we're using a sticker chart, and she's pretty into it, but I'm open to giving tech another shot if it keeps things fresh...
We tried the musical toothbrush route too, and honestly, it was fun for about a week until I started humming those songs in my sleep. My kiddo lost interest pretty fast, probably because I couldn't hide my own boredom with the same tunes every morning and night. Sticker charts worked better for us too, but eventually, even stickers lost their magic.
What actually ended up working surprisingly well was letting him pick out his own toothbrush and toothpaste at the store. Sounds simple, but he got weirdly excited about brushing with his "special" dinosaur brush and bubblegum-flavored toothpaste (which, by the way, tastes awful—yes, I tried it). Sometimes low-tech solutions beat the fancy gadgets, especially if your kid's like mine and gets bored easily. Plus, no more waking up at 3 AM with "Brush Your Teeth" stuck in your head...
We tried the "pick your own toothbrush" thing too, and honestly, it didn't really work for us. My daughter got super excited at the store, picked out this sparkly unicorn brush and strawberry toothpaste, but the novelty wore off after like three days. Maybe it's just my anxiety talking, but I worry that relying on novelty or gimmicks isn't sustainable. What happens when the dinosaur or unicorn brush isn't exciting anymore? I'm still searching for something that sticks long-term...
I totally get where you're coming from—novelty does tend to fade pretty quickly. One thing that worked better for us was shifting the focus from the toothbrush itself to creating a consistent routine. For example, we started using a simple sticker chart with small weekly rewards (nothing big, just extra storytime or picking a weekend activity). It gradually became a habit rather than something flashy or exciting. Maybe something similar could help your daughter feel motivated without relying solely on novelty? Worth a shot anyway...
Sticker charts worked wonders for my grandkids too. Another thing that helped was making brushing a bit of a family event—like we'd all brush together and make silly faces or hum a favorite song. It felt less like a chore and more like bonding time. Kids pick up on that positive energy, and before you know it, they're reminding you it's brushing time... funny how that works, isn't it?
