With 6 children ages 6 and under, I spend a lot of time with personal hygiene. Unfortunately, not my own. I have 6 little mouths full of teeth that need brushing, faces that need washing, and bottoms that need cleaning. The day that my oldest son started to bathe himself and brush his own teeth was a major milestone! With 5 kids in diapers at that time, I was excited to get a break.
As a mother, I worry that my kids are growing up healthy and of course I want them to have clean, white teeth. I always worry about whether my kids are doing a good job when they brush. Once they gain that independence to do it themselves, I get to go back and check their work. I cringe at the thought of last night's chocolate chip cookie rotting away in my son's mouth. Ick.
I'm sure my kids aren't the only ones who rush through brushing their teeth. They never seem to be at the sink long enough to do a good job, and if they are at the sink long enough it usually means they are playing in the water and the bathroom is being flooded. Trust me on this one.
Sonicare for Kids is a fantastic new toothbrush for kids from the makers of the #1 dentist recommended brand of sonic toothbrushes. Sonicare for Kids combines the benefits of the adult Sonicare brushes with special features to encourage good hygiene in kids. Like the adult brushes, the patented sonic technology creates a gentle and powerful cleaning action that gets in between teeth and along the gums. My kids best describes this as "the tickles." It actually feels good to clean your teeth!
The new Sonicare for Kids brush is perfect for kids who are learning to brush on their own. The brush is designed for 4-10 year olds and my 6-year and 5-year old were eager to try it out. Both of my boys are brushing their own teeth but they do sometimes need me to go back and clean them again when they've not done a great job.
My favorite feature of the Sonicare for Kids brush is that it has a built-in times that teaches children proper brushing techniques. There are a series of musical notes that alert the child to switch between cleaning different areas of their mouth. My boys often need a reminder to clean the backs of their teeth and this brush teaches them to do that. It also encourages them to brush for a full 2 minutes by slowly increasing the length of time over 90 days. During that 2 minutes, there are 4 sets of musical notes that let them know to switch between brushing the outside of the lower teeth, inside of the lower teeth, outside of the upper teeth, and inside of the upper teeth. There's no place left for germs to hide!
I was impressed to see that the Sonicare for Kids brush has 2 different modes. The low mode is for ages 4 and up while the high mode is for ages 7 and up. My almost-but-not-quite 7-year old was proud to use the high mode while his younger brother used the low mode. In addition, they each had their own brush heads-one for younger kids and one for older kids. My only complaint is that the set only comes with 2 brush heads (one of each) with no room on the charging base to add more. With 6 kids to brush, we will need more in another few months!
My sons both love their new Sonicare brush and it shows. Their teeth have been perfectly clean since the brush arrived! The brush appeals to kids with 3 different, funky faceplates that can be changed as desired. My kids actually want to brush their teeth now. I feel good knowing that they are doing a good job and I have more time to take care of their twin brothers and twin sisters. We all win!
Would like to try a Sonicare for Kids toothbrush? (You know you would!) BlogHer is giving away a $100 Visa gift card for one of my lucky readers. You have a total of 10 chances to win a $100 Visa gift card from BlogHer Reviewers, plus the chance to win a Sonicare prize pack on the BlogHer.com special offers page!
To enter, leave me a comment below and tell me:
How do you handle your kids' dental hygiene?
or leave a link to your post on your own blog in the comments below.
The contest will begin at 9:00 a.m. (PST) on 10/15/2009 and will end at 5 p.m. (PST) on 11/15/2009. Make sure that the email address you leave is correct.
Rules:
- No duplicate comments.
- You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
- You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
- This giveaway is open to US-residents, 18 years of age or older
- Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
- You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
- Please see the official rules here: http://www.blogher.com/sonicare-kids-sweepstakes-official-rules"; target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Official rules
Official site
