My daughter does this constantly, especially when she's stressed about school. Last month, she lost her mouthguard right before a big soccer tournament. We searched everywhere—her backpack, the laundry basket, even the fridge (don't ask)—and finally found it sitting on the bathroom shelf behind the shampoo bottles. I swear, stress makes our brains do weird things. Wonder if there's a way to help kids manage stress better so we don't have these midnight scavenger hunts...
Stress definitely messes with memory—I once found my dentures wrapped in a napkin in the pantry after a stressful doctor's visit. Maybe teaching kids some simple relaxation techniques could help? Or is that easier said than done...
"Maybe teaching kids some simple relaxation techniques could help? Or is that easier said than done..."
Relaxation techniques have their place, but honestly, when my son had braces and a mouthguard, stress wasn't the issue—it was distraction. He'd leave it everywhere: backpack pockets, couch cushions, even once in the fridge (don't ask...). Practical solution for us was attaching a bright-colored case to his school bag. Didn't fix forgetfulness entirely, but made retrieval less of a treasure hunt. Sometimes it's just about managing the chaos rather than eliminating stress altogether.
"Sometimes it's just about managing the chaos rather than eliminating stress altogether."
That's a fair point, but I think distraction and stress often go hand-in-hand, especially with kids. When my daughter first got her mouthguard, she was constantly misplacing it too—once we found it in the laundry basket wrapped in a sock (still puzzled over that one...). We tried the bright-colored case trick as well, and it definitely helped, but what made a bigger difference was establishing a simple routine. Every night after brushing teeth, she'd put it straight into the case by the sink. Took some gentle reminders at first, but eventually it became second nature.
I agree relaxation techniques alone probably won't solve the mystery of the disappearing mouthguard, but combining them with a structured habit might ease both distraction and stress. Kids can surprise you with how quickly they adapt once there's consistency involved. Just my two cents from personal experience...
We had a similar issue with my son—his mouthguard would vanish into thin air, only to reappear in the weirdest places (once under the couch cushions... still baffled by that). Routine definitely helped us too, but we also added a little reward system at first. Did you find your daughter needed extra motivation at the start, or did she just adapt naturally once the routine kicked in?
