Both Cheesiepetits happily brush their teeth now (usually after some nagging or bribing), but I had a long history (2 years haha) of getting Junya to even let me stick a toothbrush into his mouth.

Oh boy those torturous days. I remember trying so many things! Coaxing (usually won’t work because you can’t give him a candy after brushing to waste all the effort!!!), threatening (also won’t work because he would just tell me “Ok. I like bacteria. I want bacteria to come.”), showing him videos of other kids brushing teeth (not very interested), distracting (it’s useless.)… and finally forcing a brush into his mouth when he cries out loud and did hyper-fast-motion brushing lol. He ended up having more trauma about tooth-brushing.

But well those were the days. Slowly he got used to it as he grew older, and now he’d remind me that he hadn’t brush his teeth when I forget sometimes. That said the habit was not formed without effort!

Here are some of the things I found useful to get the kids into a good habit of tooth-brushing every day.

1.Do it together

Or for each other!!! It helped when I asked Junya to brush my teeth. And as he concentrated on polishing my teeth, I quickly brushed his. I guess it felt to him more like an activity we did together rather than a chore.

2. Anime

I showed this to Junya every time when he was still a baby. It’s a song about toothbrushing in Japanese, very catchy!! Usually it works a little bit (at least for like 30 seconds before he shuts his mouth again haha). Max those precious seconds out for oral hygiene!!

3.  Delicious toothpaste!!

Ahhhh I remember when I was a kid, I love Kodomo Lion so much that I tried to eat it lol. Nowadays there are many more varieties of toothpaste for children and a ton of fun flavors. We keep at least 3-4 flavors at all time for Junya and Sakura to choose from. (Sakura loves strawberry but hates melon, whereas Junya always ask for half grape and half melon. It’s a bit of an extra work but well, whatever works to get them healthy teeth!)

I realized that gel toothpastes are more popular than the usual creamy white paste especially for younger kids. Sakura doesn’t like the minty taste of toothpaste and also I guess the bubbly feel of it puts her off. So I always buy tooth gel instead that’s clear and tastes like jelly haha. She is still learning how to gargle so I get those that’s safe even swallowed.

4. Fun tooth brushes!

I think the most important thing here is the tool – toothbrushes! I tried to buy toothbrushes of the kids’ favorite characters – Shimajiro, Anpanman, etc. It worked for a bit but after a while they get bored.

Recently I switched them to ISSA mini and it worked like magic!!

So these cute brushes are kids’ electric toothbrush with soft silicone bristles!

The biggest difference that sets it apart from conventional toothbrushes are the soft silicone brush head which resists bacteria buildup, gently massages the gums and inhibits over-brushing so that it doesn’t scratch the fragile tooth enamel of little children or damage their gum tissues.

As an electric toothbrush, it is also super lightweight and easy to carry, with no bulky charging dock to transport because each one-hour charge lasts up to 200 uses!! Perfect for families like us who are constantly traveling. It is also 100% waterproof and quick-drying so you may use it in the bathroom during shower time.

Lastly, the most fun part…

ISSA mini not only does the job of cleaning your kids’ teeth, it also get them into a routine of  good tooth-brushing habit.

How??

ISSA mini features Smile Helpers: “Glee,” a happy face, comes to life after two minutes of brushing.  Which means, if your child cut short their routine and brush for less than a full two minutes, “Glee” appears alongside “Glum,” its sad face counterpart.

Yes!! Every day now Junya and Sakura is racing to get “smiley” and happily run to show me when it appears.

“See mama! I get smile!”

“Glum” will also appear if you haven’t brushed for over 12 hours, so it is really a great way for parents to keep tabs on their child’s oral hygiene habits.

Tooth-brushing has never been this fun! It also comes in adult version and even one for little babies, check out ISSA mini by FOREO for more! You may also check out Sephora outlets to shop for FOREO’s products!

(Junya took this photo for me!)

Happy brushing!

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