I actually had the opposite experience with my niece—she got so distracted by the buzzing and lights on her electric toothbrush that she barely brushed at all. We ended up switching back to a regular one, and with some silly songs and a sticker chart, she started brushing longer and actually doing a better job. I get why electric brushes are popular, but sometimes simple works better, especially for kids who get overstimulated easily. Guess it really depends on the kid.
sometimes simple works better, especially for kids who get overstimulated easily
Totally get where you’re coming from. It’s wild how much it depends on the kid, right? My nephew was the exact opposite—he loved the lights and buzzing, made brushing feel like a game. But I’ve seen plenty of kids just freeze up or get distracted with all the bells and whistles. Honestly, whatever gets them brushing well is the “better” brush in my book. Props to you for figuring out what worked for her. Those sticker charts are magic sometimes...
- Funny how some kids treat the electric toothbrush like a spaceship, others act like it’s a torture device.
- My daughter just wanted to chew on the handle, so we went back to manual and it was way less drama.
- Anyone else notice their kid brushes longer if there’s a song or timer involved? I swear, the brush doesn’t matter as much as the distraction.
- Curious—has anyone’s kid actually stuck with an electric one for more than a week, or is it just a novelty thing?
We tried the electric brush for my son and he was obsessed... for about four days. Then it turned into a power struggle, and honestly, the manual one is cheaper to replace after he chews it to bits. The song trick works way better for us too—anything to get past the whining.
The song trick works way better for us too—anything to get past the whining.
Have you tried switching up songs or letting him pick? Sometimes just giving them a bit of control over the routine makes a difference. Do you notice a difference in how clean his teeth are with manual vs electric? For my niece, the electric seemed to help (when she’d actually use it), but we ended up back with manual for the same reason—chewing!