We tried electric brushes for a while, but honestly, the hassle of finding the right heads every couple months was just not worth it. My kid couldn’t care less about “sonic” this or “rotating” that… but slap a dinosaur sticker on a basic brush and he’s all in. I do miss the built-in timer feature, though—manual brushes are basically on the honor system, and let’s be real, that’s not always reliable with a 6-year-old.
manual brushes are basically on the honor system, and let’s be real, that’s not always reliable with a 6-year-old.
Totally feel this. My kid will swear he brushed “for like five minutes” but I’m pretty sure it was closer to five seconds. We tried using those toothbrushing app timers for a bit, but then he just got distracted by the games and forgot to brush altogether... Anyone else tried those chewable disclosing tablets? I’m tempted, but kinda worried about the mess.
Disclosing tablets are actually pretty fun for kids—mine love seeing the “monster teeth” after chewing them. Yeah, it can get a bit messy, but honestly, it made brushing way more effective for us. Just have some paper towels handy and it’s manageable.
We tried the disclosing tablets too—my daughter thought it was hilarious at first, but she got annoyed with the mess pretty quick. I agree, though, it did help her realize where she was missing spots. On the toothbrush front, have you noticed if your kids do better with electric or manual after using the tablets? Ours seem to get lazier with the manual, so I’m leaning electric, but not totally sure it’s worth the extra money.
We switched to electric brushes after a round with those tablets, and honestly, it made a big difference for our youngest. She actually thinks it’s fun now, which is half the battle. The timer helps too—she used to rush with the manual one and miss spots. That said, I do wonder if it’s just the novelty… but for now, less nagging and fewer missed molars. Worth the price, at least in our case. Anyone else’s kids complain about the noise, though?
