"I remember one time we made up these goofy 'tooth brushing Olympics'—timing each other to see who could brush the longest without laughing (spoiler: no one ever won that one!)."
Haha, love the tooth brushing Olympics idea. Reminds me of when my youngest went through a phase of absolutely refusing to brush unless we sang this ridiculous made-up song called "Brushy Brushy Monster." It was basically me growling lyrics about monsters attacking plaque and cavities... neighbors probably thought I'd lost it. But hey, whatever works, right?
As for budget-friendly toothpaste, we've had mixed luck too. Weird fruity flavors were always a miss here—kids said they tasted like medicine or candy gone wrong. Surprisingly, the cheap bubblegum flavor from our local dollar store ended up being a hit. Not sure if it's universally appealing or if my kids just have weird taste buds, but might be worth a shot if you haven't tried it yet.
And toothbrushes? Honestly, I just grab whatever's cheapest in bright colors and let them pick their favorite color. Somehow choosing their own color makes it feel special enough—at least that's worked so far...
Haha, these ideas are great. Wish I'd thought of something like that when my grandkids were younger... might've saved a lot of bedtime battles. Curious though, does the bubblegum toothpaste actually taste like bubblegum, or is it just sweet?
Wish I'd known about bubblegum toothpaste back then too... might've saved me some headaches with my own kids. But honestly, does tasting exactly like bubblegum even matter? I'd be more concerned if it's overly sweet—wouldn't that defeat the purpose of teaching them healthy habits? Also, does anyone know if these flavored toothpastes are as effective as regular ones? Always makes me a bit anxious thinking about cavities sneaking in...
Flavored toothpastes—bubblegum included—usually have the same fluoride content as regular toothpaste, so they're generally just as effective in preventing cavities. The sweetness you're concerned about typically comes from artificial sweeteners rather than sugar, so it doesn't contribute to decay. Still, I get your point about forming good habits early on... it makes sense to be cautious. But if bubblegum flavor helps kids brush regularly without a fuss, that's half the battle won already.
We've tried bubblegum toothpaste before, and honestly, it was a mixed bag. My daughter loved it at first—brushing went from a nightly struggle to her favorite part of bedtime. But after a while, she started treating it more like candy than toothpaste, wanting to brush multiple times a day (sounds great in theory, but...). Eventually, we switched back to mint just to reset expectations. So yeah, flavored toothpaste can help, but I'm curious if anyone else had issues with kids getting overly attached to the sweet stuff?
