Healthy Habits: Dental Health

Oral-B would like me to pass along a few brushing tips:
# Brush your teeth with your child to set a good example. It also helps your child to learn by watching and imitating you. (This is actually how we got our daughter to start letting us brush her teeth.)
# Choose toothbrushes and toothpaste with popular kids’ characters, like Oral-B Stages Winnie the Pooh or Disney Princesses, to help establish positive oral care routines with familiar friends.
# Sing your child’s favorite song, like “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,” or play a song from their favorite singer for the two minutes while they are brushing their teeth.
# Recite your child’s favorite nursery rhyme, like the “Itsy Bitsy Spider,” while they are brushing their teeth.
# Making your child’s brushing routine fun will encourage proper habits early and help prevent oral care issues later in life.
# For more information please visit Oral-B Smile Stages.

I received some products and information from Oral-B Stages to review. Oral-B Stages is a line of products designed to grow with children. The first stage toothbrush is designed with very soft bristles and an easy-grip handle for parents. Once kids turn 2, they move to the next stage, with kid-friendly flavored toothpaste and small brushes for small hands and mouths. At stage 3, 5-7 years, flossers are introduced to get kids used to cleaning better between teeth. Finally, at stage 4, the brushes are more "grown up" in appearance while still be tailored to kids' mouths.

I have a 2-year-old, so I can try out the stage 1 and 2. The bubble gum flavor toothpaste is not a problem to get my daughter to use. The stage 1 and 2 brushes are easy for me to grip and use in her mouth, and also small enough for her to grip during the time that we let her try. One thing I really like with stage 3 and 4 is that the brush head design is meant for teeth with gaps and some permanent teeth, so they surround the teeth. We won't be trying those for quite some time, but they certainly appear that they would be better for kids' mouths than using regular adult brushes.

At the website, you can also create a smile scrapblog. It's an easy process and a fun way to share photos.

Stages 3 and 4 toothbrushes will be included in the Health and Wellness Giveaway so go enter!