It seems like each time I get Chloe one of those battery powered toothbrushes, they run out of batteries after only three weeks. I also didn't think they were really doing the job well of getting her back molars. She was always rushing with her motions when it came time to brush in the back of her mouth. I finally decided to get her one of the Philips Sonicare for Kids Bluetooth Connected Rechargeable Electric Toothbrush ($39.95 at Amazon) and am here to tell you it's so worth the money and investment up front! I don't know about you, but when I try to help my 7 year old brush her teeth, she won't take my verbal feedback because she says she knows already what to do. I started to worry about her back molars since she now has some of her adult ones in now. The toothbrush has sonic technology with 500 strokes per second, something a battery powered toothbrush can't even compare too.
Chloe was excited to get the new "big girl" toothbrush set and started to decorate it right away with the stickers that came with the system. The beauty of this Sonicare for Kids brush is that there is also a free companion app you can download (iTunes/Google Play). I'm not one to get kids to be dependant on an app for brushing their teeth, but this one is really good because it helps her pace her brushing and shows her where exactly in her mouth the toothbrush should be. It connects to the toothbrush via bluetooth so once it's connected, the app animation starts to play once the child presses the "on" button on the toothbrush. Kids adopt a furry friend, Sparkly (they can change their name).
Each time they finish brushing their teeth, Sparkly gets a little gift that kids can open. It can be fun fashion accessories or new backgrounds.
I want to note that we only use the app at night before bed. We don't use it in the mornings as we are in a rush to get to school. Also with the app, there's also a reminder built in to let you know when it's time to replace a brush head. I love this feature because I never really can remember how long she's using a toothbrush. Also, if you feel like the toothbrush head that comes with the system is too big for your child's mouth/teeth, Sonicare also has compact replacement toothbrush heads that are smaller. These are priced at $19.97 for two brush heads.
All in all, this was a really great investment for the long-term health of Chloe's teeth, especially with her adult teeth coming in now. The animations on the app help her take the time to really brush all of her teeth, especially the back molars which has put my mind at ease!
Purchase the Philips Sonicare for Kids Bluetooth Connected Rechargeable Electric Toothbrush at Amazon.com.