This is way too relatable. My nephew was obsessed with his “robot toothbrush” for about a week, and then it basically became an expensive chew toy. I think the only thing it accomplished after that was scaring the dog every night.
Here’s how it went down for us:
Step 1: He begged for the electric brush, watched all the commercials, convinced us it would change his life.
Step 2: First few days—he’s in there like he’s piloting a spaceship. Timer goes off, he’s thrilled.
Step 3: By week two, he’s just letting it buzz in one spot while he daydreams about Pokémon or whatever. Not exactly peak plaque removal.
I totally get what you mean about needing to supervise anyway. The “set it and forget it” dream never really happens with kids. I tried the app thing once—he spent more time trying to unlock badges than actually brushing. And yeah, adding more screens to bedtime just felt like asking for trouble.
Manual brushes ended up being less drama at our house too. We did the superhero handle and “choose your own toothpaste adventure” (bubblegum vs watermelon—hotly debated). I did notice that when he had a say in which brush or flavor, he was way more likely to actually brush without me threatening to confiscate dessert.
The only time I’d say electric made a big difference was when my niece got braces (I’m in aligners myself now, so I feel her pain). She needed help getting around all the brackets, so the electric brush was actually useful there. But for regular kid teeth? Meh... unless you’ve got a future dental hygienist on your hands.
Cost-wise, those replacement heads are sneaky expensive. For something that ends up under the couch half the time, manual just wins by default at our place.
Guess it really does come down to each kid’s personality—and maybe how much patience you have for finding toothbrushes in weird places.
This is exactly what happened at our house, too. My daughter was so hyped for the electric brush—she picked out the unicorn one and everything. Two weeks later, it’s collecting dust while she’s back to her old manual. Honestly, I get so anxious about whether she’s actually brushing well enough, but even with the fancy brush, I still have to watch her or she just zones out. The app thing seemed like a good idea until it turned into a whole bedtime negotiation about screen time. At this point, I’d rather deal with toothpaste debates than hunting for lost charger cords under the bed...
At this point, I’d rather deal with toothpaste debates than hunting for lost charger cords under the bed...
Honestly, same here. The novelty wears off fast and then you’re stuck managing another gadget. From what I’ve seen, technique matters more than the brush type—kids just want to get it over with, no matter what’s in their hand. The app features sound cool but just add another layer of hassle at bedtime. At least with a manual brush, there’s less to lose or break.
The novelty wears off fast and then you’re stuck managing another gadget.
That’s the thing, right? I was all hyped for the “smart” brush with the app and timer... lasted about a week before my kid lost interest (and the charger). Honestly, half the time it’s just me nagging them to brush at all. Manual’s basic but at least you don’t have to troubleshoot Bluetooth at 8pm.
Manual’s basic but at least you don’t have to troubleshoot Bluetooth at 8pm.
Isn’t that the truth... I swear, the “smart” brush ended up in the same drawer as our old Tamagotchi. My kid just likes picking their favorite color toothbrush anyway. Do you think the timers ever actually help, or is it just more nagging with extra steps?
