The month flew by and the results are in from our LISTERINE® Healthy Habits Oral Care Challenge. If you remember in my original #healthyhabits post we offered James, my 8 year old son, a chance to earn 75 cents a day by following an oral hygiene regime of brushing, flossing, and rinsing. Each time during the day that he did all three he would earn a quarter for a max of 75 cents a day. For the month of March (it’s not the end of the month yet) James has earned over $10, a very small price to pay considering how much it will save me in dental bills.
How did I get my son to participate? Well, the reward is obvious, but I also used a few pointers from LISTERINE and though I would share them with you.
Tips for Engaging Kids Early in Oral Care
Ages 6 – 7:
- Show, don’t tell. Each day I shared our morning oral hygiene ritual with my son. He liked the time we spent and he felt like it was something important because I made time to coach him.
- Make oral care fun. Incorporate games into the routine. Who can swish their mouth rinse the longest without laughing? Who can floss and make the funniest face?
Ages 8 – 10:
- Clean to the beat. Put on your favorite song and brush to the beat. Make sure you find something that lasts at least 2 minutes with at least an additional 60 seconds for rinsing.
- Let kids decide. Letting your children select which toothbrush, floss, and toothpaste they want to use is a sure fire way to get them involved.
Ages 11 – 12:
- Recruit others. Get other family members involved. Influential family members make a powerful impact on your kids’ behavior
- Embrace the power of a smile. At this age kids are self-conscious so it is important to help them build confidence. A clean, healthy smile is a great way to do that.
Our favorite products were the Smart Rinses because they have a built in mechanism that measures the precise amount of wash to rinse with. We found this saves a lot of money (no wasted product) and it gives us piece of mind that we are using the right amount of product.
$100 Walmart Gift Card Giveaway & Listerine Products Package
Disclosure: I received products and compensation from Johnson & Johnson and The Motherhood as part of my participation in the Oral Care Challenge. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this post are my own.
I used to stand over my son and WATCH. The new Listerine would make it easier to get him to brush.
well my girls are good about it most of the time. sometimes they remind us!! lol
My oldests have never enjoyed brushing his teeth so fro ma very young age I started brushing mine as he would brush his. I’ve continued to do this with my other two children and so far it seems to work. They see it as a race of sorts and actually enjoy brushing their teeth with me.
My son hated brushing, so we bought him character toothbrushes and accessories for the bathroom. My dh and I are pretty disciplined, though. His father is a dentist, who taught us the importance of keeping our mouths healthy, as he believed that many diseases started in the mouth.
DDs are always happy to pick up their own brushes and flavored toothpastes. This is how I encourage them to engage in healthy oral care habits.
tcarolinep at gmail dot com
Remind them that the better they take care of their teeth, the less of a chance dental work is in their future!
put a timer in the bathroom and make sure teeth are brushed for at least 5 minutes!
ROUTINE!! I think starting the habit while kids are young is so important!
Buying kids products that they like is the key to getting them to brush and rinse. Also, have a routine at bedtime that includes brushing.
Good dental care means less chance of cavities and drilling!
My daughter, now 7, still sings the alphabet song while brushing her teeth. I also tell her she doesn’t want to have some fake teeth like me.
i tell the kids i’m going to tickle their teeth when i use floss on them. they love it
Getting kids into the habit of good brushing starts young.
I always promised a fun day out if they kept up on it.
It works, trust me
I read to my daughter while she’s brushing (have to read a bit loudly!).
Start your children brushing at an early age.
Show them thier grandparents dentures, That should work.
We let our daughter pick out her own toothbrush, toothpaste and mouthwash flavors so she is exited to brush her teeth.
abfantom at yahoo dot com
Show them I brush my teeth and brush together
I supervise brushing.
music while they are brushing
we try to make a game of it by using a timer
When my children were young I use to have a chart in their bathroom for each time the brushed their teeth they got a star. At the end of the week if they had reached their goal of brushing three times a day they got to pick out a little prize out of my surprise box. Like a ball or coloring book, crayons. Now that they are older it is just a habit, thank goodness!
i used to use an egg timer, but my daughter (14) got bored, now i pick a song on her ipod, and she brushes til the song is over, they are usually about 2 min. odd, i know, but it works! lol!
We always get the toothbrushes with the timer lights and then mom or dad check to see who did the best job.
My tip is to brush my teeth together with my child to make it more fun for him
consistent, thorough brushing (use a petri dish to show the growth from a sample from the tongue)
I let my kids pick out what tooth brushes they want 🙂 They really like the ones that sing..One sings ABCs & the other sings 123s..So not only are they getting their teeth clean but they are learning too!
Thank you!
So far not much trouble… it helps to brush together. 🙂
I let the kids pick out their own toothpaste and toothbrushes to make it seem more fun
I’m just honest with them. We don’t have dental insurance, and every extra dollar I have to spend at the dentist, is less I get to spend on fun stuff! It works for us!
coriwestphal at msn dot com
Make it into a game.
reminding to brush teeth twice a day!! !
Routine is very important for us. Making sure we brush in the morning and evening-our kids are big on routine-and when we forget they remind us 🙂
When my sons were small we had a nightly and morning tooth brushing routine. No gimmicks. I just taught them that healthy and clean teeth were a must in our family.
let them choose their own toothbrushes and toothpaste be consistent in brushing teeth and no excuses 🙂
My husband and I lead by example. If kids know oral health is important to you, they will make it important to them.
Set a good example, and schedule regular dentist checkups.
I explain that by flossing and brushing daily that they won’t have to see the dentist outside of yearly visits and they have seen what I have been through when I had an abscess tooth
We brush our teeth with our son while he is brushing our teeth. This makes it fun for him. And we always remind him to brush his teeth, every day no matter what.
The kids character brushes and kids toothpaste seems to help alot!
We make it a normal routine and the kids still look forward to toothbrushing time
My son likes to pick out his own toothbrush, toothpaste, and mouthwash. I think this really helps with practicing good oral hygiene.
I have very bad teeth. So I tell my kids they need to take care of their teeth or they will end up like me, and it works.
My girls are good about brushing their teeth. I try to get them to brush after every meal because my husband and I both have horrible teeth
I am an RDA so I have drilled my kids about oral hygiene and what can happen if they don’t take care of their teeth
pedidentalasst at yahoo dot com
I love the toothbrushes that play music to help making brushing fun and the listerince color mouthwashes.
Set up a routine and follow it yourself. Your kids will soon follow.
I always try to have their favorite products and flavors on hand to make brushing more fun and interesting for them.
shawn113(at)hotmail(dot)com
My daughter dad had horrible teeth, so unfortunately I use him as an example of what not to do. And how important it is to brush, and floss.
Let them know they dont want to end up like me with 2 sets of dentures and no real teeth left so brush and floss daily
My best tips are to show them by example. If my husband & I brush our teeth, it shows them that it’s an important part of everyone’s day. I also let them pick out fun toothbrushes. If they like their toothbrush, it makes it easier to get them to brush their teeth.
Make sure they wash there hands often. Keep them out of their mouth and brush and floss.
I always encourage the children to pick out a toothpaste that they like so they will keep up with brushing.
by reminding them ;.)
I have bought them electric toothbrushes. That way they know how long they really have to brush. They don’t realize how long two minutes is. My daughter was great for brushing but it was only for about 40 seconds. 🙂
I agree to let the kids pick out the toothpaste they like as each one of my grandchildren likes a different kind..LOL
Encourage them with good habits by leading with your own good example!
Start them as young as possible. Don’t just tell them, show them yourself the proper way to brush & floss.
Make it fun and do it with them
I think letting kids see that you do it works the best, like you tell them to brush their teeth every night before they go to bed, you should let them see that you do that too, let them see that you do brush your teeth every evening, it becomes a family thing 🙂 the same with washing their hands, dont just tell the to do it, let them see that it’s important for you to wash your hands to, buy fun soaps for them, that helps too.
chocho1957 at hotmail.com
my tip is to teach by example.
I always found that regular dental check-ups were great for encouraging good oral care.
Set a good example (e.g. brush and floss together)
I always brush with my children because I’ve found it keeps them brushing much longer.
my best tip is to keep on schedule, twice a day, everyday
I always try to make some sort of game, like brush your teeth until the end of this commercial or the end of this song. Also, just leading by example.
i show them pictures of people who do not brush their teeth and after that they want to brush
My best tips for encouraging my family (kids) to engage in healthy oral care habits are letting them pick out a toothbrush and toothpaste that they like and showing them by example (brushing my teeth with them).
I like to use a checklist in the bathroom
madamerkf at aol dot com
We try to make a lifestyle of healthy habits but sometimes still struggle to get DS to participate… one way we try to make things like brushing teeth or washing hands fun is by singing a silly song or because he loves moving making up a dance to go along with what we’re doing.
Make it fun.
Give great tasting toothpastes, fun toothbrushes, and just make it fun to brush.
jslbrwon_03 at yahoo dot com
I bought them all electric toothbrushes .
Best is setting a good example with regular brushing and flossing.
Thank you.
We got the toothbrushes that light up, and we go to the dentist every 6 months.
Well, i really like your method and giving your son a quarter each time, he brushes, floss, and rinses. I think i will follow that, because my 10 year is giving me a hard time.
Be consistent with them.