Immediately after breakfast and right before bed, my little girl will say, “Mommy, let’s go to the bathroom so I can brush my teeth!” I love hearing the excitement in her voice and seeing her willingness to brush her teeth like a big girl. “Today, I want to brush my teeth with Rapunzel…No, I want to brush them with Doc McStuffins!” my two and a half year old informs me. She is not imagining that these different characters are visiting her. They actually are interacting with her through my iPad.
Shortly after Quinn turned two, I went from purchasing the training toothpaste to Oral B’s Stages 2+ toothpaste, and I noticed a free downloadable Magic Timer App. This is an awesome app that plays a little music as the time counts down from two minutes with the toothbrush scrubbing the screen to reveal a picture of a Disney character or two. The toothbrush actually moves from each quadrant on the screen every 30 seconds to let the child know it is time to brush a different section of teeth. Then, at the end, the child earns a star on the calendar along with a sticker in a Disney book. There is also a parent feature and a section for entering rewards when the child visits the dentist and has no cavities.
Of course, Oral B had to find a way to make some money from the free app, so in order to get new sticker books a new toothpaste or toothbrush product must be scanned. The default sticker book is Mickey Mouse. So far, we’ve purchased Minnie Mouse, Doc McStuffins, Disney Princesses and Cars toothpaste to collect different sticker books, Needless to say, we have enough toothpaste to last her for a year or so, but it’s worth it since my little girl is so excited to brush her teeth.
This app is perfect not just for young children but any child or even adult who needs a little motivation when it comes to brushing his or her teeth. It helps to develop good habits and holds the “brusher” accountable as the stars fill up on the calendar and the stickers fill up in the digital albums. It is probably one of the reasons my little girl did so well at her first dental appointment.
All the best,
Tanya
Mommy's Baby Steps 