Building good oral hygiene habits while your children are young is crucial to good lifelong oral health. Sometimes getting kids to brush their teeth is a battle, and many children simply have a tough time remembering to brush their teeth. Yelling at your kids to go brush their teeth can turn brushing into a tug of war, but there are some other great ways you can remind your kids to brush.
Tip #1 – Keep the Toothbrush in Sight and Within Easy Reach
Remind kids to brush regularly by keeping their toothbrush in sight where they can easily reach it. Other oral hygiene supplies like toothpaste and mouthwash should be easily accessible as well. Brightly colored toothbrushes or storage devices can capture the eye when your child is in the bathroom. If the toothbrush is kept within sight all the time, kids are more likely to remember to brush their teeth. Placing daily charts near the toothbrush where kids add a sticker when they brush can also be a great way to help kids remember this essential part of good oral hygiene.
Tip #2 – Be a Good Example and Brush in Front of Your Kids
Make sure you’re being a good example of oral hygiene to your children. Brush your teeth in front of your kids daily to help them remember to brush their own teeth. Kids learn by example, so make sure you’re being a good example. You can even ask your kids if they’d like to brush their teeth along with you as a gentle reminder to brush. Make it fun. Dance around the bathroom while you’re brushing together or have a fun brushing song to listen to while you’re taking care of your brushing.
Tip #3 – Post Notes Around the House
If you’re tired of constantly telling your kids to brush their teeth, try reminding them with notes posted around the house. Sticky notes can be added to the bathroom mirror encouraging them to brush. Add a note in their room to remind them to brush their teeth. Put a note on their pillow at night reminding them to brush before they go to sleep. If they see little notes around the house, they’re more likely to remember their morning and evening brushing.
Tip #4 – Use Technology to Remind Kids to Brush
Take advantage of technology if you want to find a fun way to remind kids to brush their teeth. One new piece of technology is the Octopus smartwatch, which helps kids schedule in good habits. It’s available for preorder now, and the watch uses illustrations and icons to tell kids what task they need to be doing. This means that you can use the watch to schedule in reminders for brushing and other important daily habits. Not only will kids be more likely to remember to brush their teeth, they’ll learn more about personal responsibility and time management.
Another new development is a Hello Barbie Hologram, which can be set up to remind children to brush their teeth and take care of other daily tasks that should be a part of their morning or nighttime routine. The Hello Barbie Hologram has a Bluetooth speaker, has speech recognition, and projects a 3D animation of Barbie that gives kids reminders.
For older kids that have their own cell phones or tablets, scheduling brushing reminders to go off daily can be helpful as well. It does not seem like nagging, but it’s still effective at making sure kids remember to take good care of their teeth with regular brushing and flossing. Phone apps can also be effective for not only reminding kids to brush, but also for making sure they brush correctly and for long enough twice a day. Great apps to use with your kids at brushing time include the Disney Magic Timer, the Brusheez Tooth Brushing Timer, Brush DJ, and Chomper Chums.
Making sure that your kids remember to brush their teeth can be a battle at times, but it’s an important one. Use these helpful tips to find good ways to remind kids to brush teeth twice a day. You’ll help them build important oral hygiene practices that benefit their oral health for a lifetime.
