Toothbrushing and toddlers are not a perfect pair, but toddlers and super-cool toddler toothbrushes, toothpastes, timers, and more of the best kids toothbrushing essentials out there? Now that’s a match made in heaven. Although it may indeed be easier to fold 1,000 paper cranes while skydiving than to get a toddler to put a brush in their mouth and move it around (in my experience this involves a wrestling match, bribery, whispered promises of Disneyland, tears, and cursing), you can’t really blame the poor kiddos. Toothbrushing isn’t fun. But it can be, with the help of the best kids toothbrushing essentials.
Whether your kid is a baby, a toddler, or heading off to college, there are some things that just plain make toothbrushing seem like the most fun thing ever. Seriously. And since dentist’s visits aren’t exactly a priority in COVID times, you can take your toddler’s oral hygiene habits into your own hands to make sure they don’t wind up with a bunch of cavities once they do finally make it back into the dentist’s chair. One way to accomplish this? Make those two minutes twice a day a full-on event; blast their favorite song, have a dance party, hang a black light disco ball from your bathroom ceiling, whatever works.
If the thought of yet another night of yelling and trying to pry the toothbrush from their locked jaw has you thinking would it really be so bad if they skipped brushing? stop right there, because the answer is yes, it would be bad. But don’t panic. From toothpaste that makes plaque glow in the dark to a flossing care kit with sugar-free candy to mesmerizing toothbrushing timers and a kids water flosser you’ll want to use on yourself, we’ve rounded up all the kids dental essentials needed to trick your toddler into thinking toothbrushing time is the best time.
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Piktres Plaque Glo
Image Credit: Amazon. We all know the best part of going to the dentist as a kid was chewing up those red tablets that stained your lips and revealed how terrible a job you’d done brushing your teeth. Now you can bring that weird pleasure into your own home for your kids, with no messy tablets or dyes, with Piksters plaque glo. Toothpaste and a flashlight seems like an odd pair, but a plaque disclosing solution in the toothpaste enables corrective brushing techniques, and after your kiddos brush, just shine the included blue wavelength flashlight into their mouths to see any residual plaque. Don’t lie: You kind of wish they made this for grown-ups.
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Ultrasonic Toothbrush
Image Credit: Amazon. Getting your kids to physically put a toothbrush in their mouth doesn’t have to be a battle anymore, because this automated ultrasonic toothbrush is cool enough that your kids are going to look forward to brush time. It comes with four different cleaning modes you can adjust, and a U-shaped silicone brush head for a full 360-degree clean. Plus, you look like an alien with it in your mouth, and I feel like that’s always a strong selling point for toddlers, right?
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Faucet Fountain
Image Credit: Amazon. No more stack of mini, soggy Dixie cups crowding up the sink. Rinsing after your toddler brushes just became way more fun. This silicone attachment turns any faucet into a fountain with a simple squeeze. Made from food-grade silicone, it’s BPA-, PVC- and phthalate-free, so you don’t have to worry about your littles slobbering all over it.
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Toothpaste Tablets
Image Credit: Amazon. If your kid has teeth, chances are you’ve dealt with the oh-so-fun toothpaste conundrum: the one where you walk into the bathroom and find your child has squeezed out the entire tube of toothpaste you bought…yesterday. Sigh. Good news: Gross, crusty toothpaste everywhere is a thing of the past. These toothpaste tabs from Childlife are genius. Just chew one delicious berry-flavored tab, brush, and rinse. Voila: sparkly teeth with no toothpaste mess.
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Toothbrushing Timer
Image Credit: Amazon. Even if your kid is an all-star brusher (LOL) chances are they’re not brushing for the right amount of time. Kitchen timers, sand timers, and setting a timer on your phone are all boring, and won’t keep your toddler’s attention on their teeth. These liquid motion bubblers are the perfect solution; they last approximately two minutes, are totally mezmerizing, and come in a bright array of color combos. Get multiples to mix it up and let your tot choose which color they want to use that night. Dare I say, they’ll probably want to flip it over and keep on brushing?
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Bbluv Sonik
Image Credit: Amazon. There are a million electric toothbrushes out there for kids, and it’s hard to figure out which one is best suited for your little one’s itty-bitty pearly whites. The Sonik has an easy-to-grip handle, an LED light-up head that lets you see into your toddler’s mouth while they’re brushing, plus a two-minute timer that pulses every 30 seconds and gentle vibrations to effectively clean all those hard-to-get to places. If it also could get your kid a glass of water eight seconds after they’ve been put to bed, it would be the complete bedtime package.
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Toothbrush Holders
Image Credit: Amazon. Your toddler needs somewhere to put their toothbrush that isn’t, oh, say, the toilet. For example. Not that that’s ever happened to me. These cute little people suction-cup to the wall or mirror and offer their arms to hug your kiddo’s toothbrush until they need it again. No more moldy toothbrush cup bottoms! These silicone people allow toothbrushes to dry quickly, and come with two additional people whose legs can be used as hooks for hairbrushes, washcloths, and more.
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Hello Kids Mouthwash
Image Credit: Amazon. Rinse and spit with the best of them with this kids flouride rinse mouthwash from Hello. Hello kids anticavity fluoride rinse is proven to prevent cavities, rinses away stuff brushing may miss, and tastes like wild strawberries. With no harsh alcohol or any artificial grossness, the list of what isn’t in this mouthwash (that is in most other mouthwashes) is impressive: alcohol free, dye free, SLS free, preservative free, paraben free, mint free, triclosan free, preservative free, and gluten free. It also contains no artificial sweeteners and no artificial flavors, and is cruelty free and never tested on animals. So you can feel really, really good about what’s going in your little one’s mouth.
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Grabease
Image Credit: Amazon. Grabease toothbrushes are for those toddlers who want to brush their teeth themselves — but do a terrible job. With Grabease, you can give them their independence and rest assured they’re getting clean. Tapered, double sided bristles mean double the clean, and the chubby handle is perfect for tiny hands. Grabease even has an anti-choking and gagging shield so they can’t stick it down their throats.
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Puj Cups
Image Credit: Amazon. These cups are great for toddlers for many reasons; they keep your sink and bathroom counter clear, they’re cute, they’re multi-purpose as storage and a drinking/rinsing cup, and if you have multiple kids, they’re the perfect way to end toothbrushing tiffs. Have each kid pick a color cup, and they can store all their toothbrushing essentials in it, and use it to rinse. Your bathroom has never been so organized.
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Water Flosser
Image Credit: Amazon. Alright, I wouldn’t exactly qualify this as an essential, but it sure as hell will get your toddler to think toothbrushing is the most fun ever. This kids water flosser’s small, simple design is safe and effective for kids to use themselves. It removes up to 99.9% of plaque and is up to 50% more effective than floss for improving gum health. You might want to keep an eye on your littles when they’re using it though; it is verrrry tempting to use as a water gun. Just a heads up.
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Cocofloss Healthy Habits Set
Image Credit: Cocofloss. This healthy habits flossing set from Cocofloss is not only a fun unboxing; it also includes a month’s supply of floss in kid-approved flavors like pure strawberry, fresh coconut, cara cara orange, and delicious mint, plus a 21-day floss challenge (double-dog dare your tot they can’t complete it. They will), a floss daily sticker, and 21 sugar-free hard candies. Yup, a flossing set that comes with candy. Seems like a trap, but these candies are made with natural birch xylitol, which actually destroys yucky cavity-causing bacteria. But you don’t have to tell your kids that.
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