5 Things to Remember When Your Kids Brush Their Own Teeth

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When kids get to brush their own teeth, it’s a sign of them growing up, and being a “big kid”.

Unfortunately, as a child, there was one thing I was terribly slack at-

taking good care of my teeth. 

The result?

A good number of cavities!

I’m not proud of my dental pits, caps and fillings but I have to admit, I find them incredibly helpful in getting my kids to jump off the couch and get their teeth cleaned in a jiffy!

Healthy Habit Heroes In Training

5 Things to Remember When Your Kids Brush Their Teeth

Encouraging my kids to step into a lifetime of good oral hygiene habits is one of the musts on my Mommy list.

In our home, my 8 year old and 4 year old follow the B.R.U.S.H. routine.

Brush your teeth in the morning and again at night, before going to bed.

Rinse your mouth well. (And for my daughter, ensure this is done with a cap full of mouthwash.)

Unearth sneaky food bits from your teeth with floss.

Set your toothbrush upright, on a dry surface or in a cup. Don’t set it down on the counter to collect germs.

Have Mom/Dad to a final look-over to make sure your teeth are sparkly clean!

For a good while, getting my daughter to use mouthwash was a bit of a struggle. She would complain the flavoring was too strong and would nevertheless use the same, but with an unhappy tone.

She now uses the Listerine Smart Rinse for kids and loves it. (How couldn’t she love a  bubblegum flavored rinse, right?)

Note of caution: It is recommended that a child turn 6 years old before mouthwash is introduced into his/her oral hygiene routine.

Mouthwash routine with Listerine

Besides the mouthwash for kids, I also think their UltraClean Access Flosser is great for young floss users as it’s just so much easier to use and for Mom/Dad, encourages long floss threads are not wasted!

Pssssst! Mom!! You may want to consider throwing a pack of Listerine PocketPaks Breath Strips into your bag, for those days when you’re on the go, have stopped for a cuppa and then need to rush for that PTA meeting. You don’t want to be known as Ms. Coffee Breath!

Yep! We’re training hard-core!! Will you join us?

How do you encourage your child to maintain good oral hygiene habits?

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38 Comments

  1. This is awesome! My son LOVES brushing his teeth and using his special mouth wash! We’ve recently added his own tongue scraper upon his request! I love a kid with good healthy habits! 🙂

  2. My girls are currently rocking Barbie Toothbrushes and Toothpaste! They love the look and taste!

  3. My kids love the Listerine Smart Rinse for my kids. It helps them get those hard to reach spots.

  4. I know my niece would just get a kick out of that Barbie rinse for kids! It can be so hard to motivate good oral hygiene, but Listerine sure has some great products!

  5. I always have a pack or two of Listerine breath strips in my purse. I can’t stand being up close with someone who has horrible breath so of course I try to be courteous of others too. LOL

  6. This is great! My daughter is currently fighting our tooth brushing routine (she’s two and a half) I’m always looking for ways to make brushing fun!

    1. My son is 27 months and does not always cooperate either! It is frustrating for sure!

  7. My kids love Smart Rinse and they never forget, so happy we started using this product!

  8. We used to use a timer so the kids would know when they could stop brushing. It worked well as long as you kept a eye that they were actually brushing lol. I have used Listerine products for years.

  9. We use Listerine. I think it’s an awesome product, very high quality. I’d use it for the kids.

  10. My son is 14, so I don’t have to worry about this anymore, thank goodness. We used to have to come behind him after he “brushed” to make sure the toothbrush had been used!

  11. My sister used a mouth rinse with her two kids when they were younger. They’re past that age now, but it really helped. They rarely had cavities, and they WERE NOT the best brushers.

  12. These are great tips. You really do have to check your kids to make sure they brushed well. Even when kids are really trying, they sometimes miss spots.

  13. Our kids use a pre-brush rinse before they brush. I think we’ll be switching to Listerine though. I love it for myself. I had no idea they made it for kids, too.

  14. I need to get my kids the Smart Rinse. I personally love Listerine and use it all the time so it makes sense to have them use it too!

  15. My kids love Smart Rinse, we are so happy with this product and couldn’t be more proud of their healthy habits.

  16. We used a rince that turned the kids teeth blue in the spots where they did not brush enough. We use Listerine products and love them.

  17. I think the younger the better. Healthy habits like good brushing have to start before they even get those little choppers!

  18. We’ve been lucky and brushing was never a *thing*… But anything that makes it fun and keeps them at it, I’m all for!

  19. My kids used the Smart Rinse when they were younger. The flavors really are much better for kids and not so strong.

  20. We’ve just included rinse in our brushing habits. I’m glad to know that I’m following the recommendations since my son is 6. We have a dentist appointment next week, so I hope we don’t get a bad report.

  21. I love the tools that make flossing easier. It’s so much easier then the tape or string.

  22. I like the Smart Rinse, and my kids use it without complaining. I”m still working on getting them to floss regularly though!

  23. Great tips, I like the “BRUSH” routine! My kids (4 and 2) are getting better at brushing, they want to do it themselves (or not at all, ha) but we’re working on it!

  24. We always tell our friends to invest in a sonic toothbrush. It is more expensive, but cheaper than a cavity filling!

  25. I love the fact that Listerine has added Barbie and superheros to their packaging. To me, a child would tend to use these more given that their favorite character seems to use the product as well.

  26. I took atrocious care of my teeth and they are awful as a result. Jake is very good at brushing his teeth, especially now that he’s odler and doesn’t want stank breath lol.

  27. My kids are older but I made sure they developed good oral habits when they were young. It is so important for your health.

  28. Nice job! My kids LOVE the Barbie Mouth Rinse as well. Great to instill these values early!

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