All summer we struggled with toothbrushing. All three of my kids fought me on it morning and night, like brushing their teeth was the worst thing in the world. I hoped that once we got back into a routine for school that things would go smoother but I got some relief a couple of weeks early with the help of the NEW limited edition Philips Sonicare For Kids Ice Age: Collision Course.
We’ve tried musical toothbrushes, battery operated toothbrushes and a variety of rewards to help with toothbrushing but none of them have been as effective as the Sonicare for kids with interactive app. My kids are actually ASKING me if they can brush their teeth now! First, they got to pick out a wrap for their toothbrush. Each toothbrush came with a variety of sticker wraps to customize the brush, and for us, to distinguish one kid’s toothbrush from the others. Several of the wraps were Ice Aged themed and super cute!
The rechargeable toothbrushes use bluetooth technology to connect to the app which I downloaded to my iPhone. When you turn on the toothbrush, the app recognizes it. Thankfully, you can create different profiles for each child and they get their own personal brushing coach “Sparkly” that makes brushing fun. The app shows kids where to brush and for how long. The way the brush vibrates really helps to get their teeth clean. I love the guidance the app offers to make sure each section of their mouths get clean. When they finish brushing they are rewarded with a present. Inside is something for your coaching buddy — food to feed him, spray paint to change his color, clothing items to dress him in and backgrounds to change his surroundings. My kids LOVE this! They also earn badges by hitting milestones.
What I love is the parent dashboard where I can review their brushing habits. I didn’t set this up for the first few days and had just assumed they brushed correctly. As I sound found out, that was a mistake. I can see that on several days when my sold told me he brushed, he didn’t at all (he was probably playing pokemon instead) and that my daughter wasn’t brushing for the full amount of time. I guess they needed a bit more supervision. Now that they know I’m checking up on them though, they are doing a much better job. Honestly, their teeth have never looked cleaner and brushing is no longer a chore. If they do need a little more motivation in the future, I can set parental rewards in the dashboard so they can earn a treat for good brushing habits.
Another thing I love about the app is that it will tell me exactly when I need to replace the brush heads. While I absolutely love this new system, I did find a couple of negative things though I definitely wouldn’t go back to a regular toothbrush. I had to download the app to my iPhone because our iPad was too outdated. Secondly, the kids now have to brush one at a time to be able to use the app. This does prevent siblings from fighting but can be a problem when we are in a rush because they insist on the app.
Overall, I highly recommend this toothbrush and app and think it’s worth every penny! You can find out more here.