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Just like cleaning their rooms and taking a bath, brushing their teeth is one of those tasks that many kids can be less than enthusiastic about. As a mom, you’ve learned to pick your battles, but good oral care is one of those things that you know is worth the fight. With a little creativity and Hello Naturally Friendly™ toothpaste, the dreaded toothbrushing battle is already won.
Hi, I’m Jennifer Dawn, a mother of three young children, contributor here at 5 Minutes for Mom, and the blogger behind The Life of Jennifer Dawn. A big thank you goes out to Hello “Naturally Friendly” Oral Care for sponsoring this post providing oral care products that taste so awesome my kids and yours will rush to brush their teeth!
“Mom, this is neat!”
“I can’t wait to use these!”
“I so e-sited!” (Mom translation: “I’m so excited!”)
When was the last time you heard those declarations after asking your kids to brush their teeth? Those aren’t usually the words I hear either when I ask my kids to go scrub their pearly whites. But that’s exactly what I was hearing when I handed them a tube of Hello’s Watermelon Toothpaste and these sparkly DIY Toothbrush Timers. Aren’t they so fun and colorful?
Once these sparkly timers are shaken and set down, it takes about 2 minutes for the glitter to settle to the bottom. That’s the ideal amount of time kids should spend brushing to ensure they’ve thoroughly cleaned their teeth and gums. These fun timers not only encourage kids to brush their teeth, but they also help promote healthy oral care habits that will have positive long-term effects.
Ready to make these super easy and super fun timers for your kids? You’ll only need a few simple supplies. This is a great craft to involve the kids–letting them make one right along with you. Once the timers are made, kids will simply shake, flip, and set them down to start the countdown to excellent oral care! What kid wouldn’t want the opportunity to play with these sparkly timers?! They’re like mini glittery sensory bottles!
DIY Toothbrush Timers for Kids
What You’ll Need
- distilled water
- small tubes of glitter glue
- plastic favor tubes (These came from a local craft store. You can also find them on Amazon.)
- glitter
- hot glue gun
- thin wooden skewer (optional)
Directions
- Remove the cap from a favor tube and fill it halfway with distilled water.
- Squeeze half the contents of a small tube of glitter glue into the favor tube. Sprinkle a generous amount of glitter into the plastic tube. Use a wooden skewer to stir the water, glitter, and glue and to remove any clumps from the glue.
- Fill the tube to the top with more water. Replace the cap.
- Use a hot glue gun to pipe a ribbon of glue around the cap to prevent leaks and spills.
- Shake, flip, and set the tube down to start the timer. Once most of the glitter settles to the bottom, the timer is finished.
With Hello “Naturally Friendly” products and these DIY Toothbrush Timers, you can add a little magic, fun, and color to your kid’s oral care routine!
After using their timers and new toothpaste, I asked my kids what they thought about the New Natural Watermelon Fluoride-Free Toothpaste from Hello.
Their answer? It tastes great, and the bubble gum flavor is pretty awesome too. Yep! They had so much fun brushing that they even brushed twice.
What do I think? I’m a BIG fan of anything that promotes healthy habits for my kids and is filled with ingredients that are safe and “naturally friendly.”
FUN FACTS ABOUT HELLO “Naturally Friendly” ORAL CARE
- There are a variety of options for both kids and adults including training toothpaste, fluoride-free, fluoride, whitening, and even sensitivity relief.
- All of the products are gluten-free, vegan, cruelty-free and free of synthetic dyes, artificial sweeteners/flavors, parabens, microbeads, and triclosan.
- The products are sold at Walmart and Target locations nationwide as well as Amazon.
- Hello has awesome flavors for kids including blue raspberry, bubble gum, and the NEW! fluoride-free watermelon.
Giveaway
Would you like to win a Hello products prize pack including 8 toothpastes plus a few toothbrushes and some other fun items?
To enter to win this prize pack that’s worth approximately $50, leave us a comment letting us know what your challenges are when getting your kids to brush their teeth.
Then complete your entry using the entry form below.
Open to both the US and Canada.
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Disclosure: This post is sponsored so extra thanks for reading and sharing.
Written by 5 Minutes for Mom contributor Jennifer Dawn. Jenn blogs about living a beautiful and creative life at The Life of Jennifer Dawn.
Kat says
It’s very difficult to brush my toddler’s teeth. He’s very stubborn.
lana says
use to have challenges but once we went to the dentist and had teeth work they started to brush fast lol
Eileen Boyce says
Getting them to brush long enough is a challenge.
Azeem Isaahaque says
I have trouble making them brush their teeth for school
Sandra Watts says
Just the whole experience is frustrating when the mere word of brushing teeth even comes up.
Julie Terry says
My biggest challenge is getting them to brush at all, my oldest doesn’t see the need for it. LOL and my youngest just wants to eat the toothpaste. SMH
MichelleS says
Brushing for the full two minutes.
Tara GAuthier says
My daughter will either rush too fast or try to make us think that she has brushed her teeth when she hasn’t. One can’t just wet the brush and run the water to fool us parents, we always know!
Rose Santuci-Sofranko says
Sadly, we don’t have any children….but we would still use this for ourselves. Thanks and God Bless!
Robyn Bellefleur says
The challenge in our house is just actually getting them into the bathroom to brush. I think I have heard every excuse in the book.
golden storm says
the grandkids like to rush and not do it properly so that is a challenge
jenny says
My kids get distracted and don’t brush with the correct angles!
Stacy says
Definitely how they rush to brush!
Leslie C says
This would be perfect for my granddaughters!
Michele Pineda says
For me, it’s getting the grandsons to brush long enough. Anything that makes brushing their teeth fun is definitely helpful!
Caryn Coates says
Definitely the amount of time. They like to rush it and my youngest refuses to let me brush his teeth. Hes 2 and likes to brush his own teeth
Suzi says
Getting them to brush for long enough!
Tiff Cho says
the biggest challenge is getting them to do the inside of their teeth
Michelle Dimmock says
My challenge is getting him into the bathroom. Once he’s in there he’ll do the whole routine but its getting him there.
Shannon says
MMy biggest challenge with my son is making sure he doesn’t eat anything after he brushes.
Ira says
My son chews the toothbrush if I’m not watching and destroys a brush in a week.
Lee-Ann says
My challenge is just getting them to remember to do it without constant reminders from me and now that they are older I feel like I shouldn’t have to constantly be reminding them about their constant routines.
gayle b says
I think that the biggest challenge is getting them to 1) clean all teeth and of course 2) brush long enough. I think that these products would definitely be of help. Thank you!
JessicaT says
Getting them to do it long enough
jan says
The biggest challenge is getting them to do the inside of their teeth
Erin McSweeney says
the challenage is getting them to actually brush haha
Cathy Oppedisano says
They’ll be tired at the end of the day and doze off before they’ve done the job themselves so we help them out until they grow up a bit more.
Gemma says
Getting them to brush properly.
Jennifer P. says
My biggest challenges are getting my oldest to brush for long enough; finding toothpaste flavours that they actually like; and getting my youngest to use the toothbrush that we want her to use (electric vs. manual).
Nicole Martin says
It’s hard to get them to brush as long as they should.
Jessica Whitehouse says
My kids always use too much toothpaste, or end up squeezing it out all over the counter and sink. I try to keep the rube put away until it’s time to brush and I have to stand with them to make sure there isn’t a huge mess afterwards.
janine a says
getting them to brush long enough
Michelle levine says
Making sure they rinse out the toothpaste lol
yours truly says
our struggle is him falling asleep before or just fighting where he is already tired. He has had some baby teeth problems as well that makes it more difficult than normal.
Seyma Shabbir says
It is difficult for us to get the kids to brush when the toothpaste has a strong flavor. My kids love bubblegum, mint flavors. We get them to do it while listening to music.
Leela says
They don’t do it as often as I want them too.
KeishaN says
Letting me help her. She’s so independent.
KellyPC says
I hated brushing my teeth when I was little, my parents literally had to hold me down a couple times.
Cool toothbrushes & picking my own toothpaste made it a lot more enjoyable. lol
Michele says
My kids fight me on brushing their teeth a full 2 min and brushing 2x a day.
Rebecca Orr says
We struggle with getting our daughter and sons to brush long enough. They also don’t like to get their tongues.
Gabrielle Tietz says
Brushing them long enough!
Chantelle Daigle says
My challenge is mainly getting them to do a good job and stay on task! My 6 year old loves to just give one swipe and then start chatting (and forgetting to keep brushing).
ColleenMarie says
Just taking the time, and actually brushing
HEIDI C. says
I am always trying to make sure that they brush all of their teeth not just the front ones.
Denise M says
The challenges our family faces in getting kids to brush their teeth is to make sure they get the back teeth and that they spend enough time actually brushing their teeth
Jen R says
The biggest challenge I have with getting my kids to brush their teeth is having them do it twice daily.
Stephanie LaPlante says
Making sure they get all the spots in the back of the mouth.
Al says
The biggest struggle is getting them to use toothpaste
Donnas says
I always struggled to get my daughter to brush her teeth long enough. We tried singing the Old McDonald song – that helped.
Victoria K says
They like to brush too quickly.
Jackie says
My challenge was getting my kids to brush all of their teeth.
adriana says
ITs not really a challenge she loves brushing her teeth.
Amy Smeltzer says
I don’t have kids.
Katie Smith says
Getting my two year old to brush the way back is a challenge.
nicky says
My little one still swallows the toothpaste; finds it hard to spit it out.
caroline m. says
my kids want to do everything “by myself” yet they still have a bit of trouble doing a good job.
Victoria rodriguez says
We use hello toothpaste watermelon and my daughter loves it!
crystal porter says
My youngest hates to brush his teeth and will often go through the motions of brushing his teeth but not use tooth paste or even wet his brush sometimes.
Kim Naumann says
Letting me help with not squeezing too much toothpaste out!
Kathy Davis says
My kids are grown, but my granddaughter never seems to brush long enough or get all of her teeth brushed. We tried a timer but it broke. Love the glitter idea.
Angelica Dimeo says
My youngest always fights me on brushing his teeth every night and he has a dentist appointment tomorrow uhg
Holly Hengstebeck says
Everything’s a challenge with my youngest. She complains constantly. Sigh.
darla says
Making sure they do it regularly.
Amber Y says
Making sure they get in there and brush every tooth can be a struggle. Also when they decide they don’t like the taste of the toothpaste all of a sudden.
kayla sheehan says
getting him to not swallow the toothpaste and getting him to get far back on his tongue
Travelbuds says
It’s difficult to get them to brush long enough to get their teeth clean. They feel if they just put their toothbrush in their mouth then they have brushed.
Katrina says
My daughter gets bored when brushing her teeth and wants to talk
Sarah De Diego says
They never brush for long enough. Besos Sarah.
Jada says
It’s hard to make them brush their teeth for long enough every time.
Danielle B. says
Sometimes they want to do it themselves but don’t do a very thorough job. Other times they don’t want it at all and it’s difficult to get them to sit long enough to do a good job.
Maryann D. says
My challenges are getting my kids to brush their teeth properly. They have a hard time doing a good job.
Katie Bellamy says
Getting them into the bathroom just to do it is a feat!
Pat F says
Making sure they brush long enough and do a great job,!
Shana says
My challenge is to get them to brush daily and for more than 30 seconds!
Natalia Gonzalez says
My challenge is that she doesn’t like to brush..she hate it.
Karen Behrman says
My kids are grown but when they were young I would always make sure I had some type of character or fun toothbrush and kid style/flavored toothpaste.
Kimberly Singh says
My challenge is making sure my kids brush their teeth everyday and also making sure they brush long enough.
Amber Ludwig says
Making sure to get all the spots and crevasses while my son wiggles around the whole time lol!! I cannot wait till he can brush himself but at 4 we are not quite there yet!
Sab Edwards says
In this household, it would be the challenge of them getting up early enough, and not rushing out the door 3 seconds before class starts (Teens, sigh)
Nicole says
They never remember to do it on their own
Christina says
It’s challenging to get kids to remember to brush teeth during day
Kaitlyn Ortega says
My challenge is knowing that they are actually brushing and not just chewing on their brush.
Klydra Pugh says
My challenge is to get them to brush long enough.
Marie Lowther says
We are almost ready for brushing teeth, but at the moment my challenge is getting my son to allow me to wipe off his teeth.
Angela says
I think the struggle is waiting too long in the evening to brush their teeth because they are tired they usually want to rush and brush their teeth quickly and same thing in the morning rush to school.
Sully Sully says
It’s hard to get them to understand why they need to brush
409cope says
My grandson doesn’t like the taste of most toothpastes.
Tonya says
It’s like pulling teeth to get them to adequately brush their teeth! The brief contact that their toothbrushes make with their teeth when they think that I’m not not watching is very disheartening….I’ll try anything to get them to finally understand the importance of properly brush. I’d like to avoid them from actually getting their teeth pulled…
Abigail says
Without a toothbrush timer there is a zero percent chance they will brush for the full 2 minutes!
tammy ta says
My biggest challenge is just to get them in the bathroom and started. They just keep putting it off as long as they can
Yvonne Delgado says
Getting my kids to brush 2 minutes who poo e brushing properly is always my challenge. I can’t feel like they got this, I need to keep diligent
Stacy F. says
Challenge is length of brushing annnddd quality of brushing sooo them staying still for me to finish for them :/
Linda says
My son really doesn’t like the taste of mint, but I can’t find a non-minty fluoride toothpaste.
Claude Campeau says
I have three kids and they distract each other by talking while brushing… Argh!
Cami says
Sometimes getting any cooperation is the biggest struggle!
Will G says
Getting them to keep their mouth open.
Rachel says
My biggest challenge is getting them to brush over 5 seconds. I’m definitely going to make the timer because it might just be the trick!
Kelly D says
My challenge is getting them to brush at all!
Alexandra Y says
Getting him to focus on brushing instead of wandering around doing other things while he brushes.
Jill Rivera says
Find a toothpaste the kids except for the flavor bubblegum.
lori butler says
brushing long enough all of their teeth
Jamie Williams says
My challenge is actually getting my daughter to really brush her teeth. She find to me.
Edye says
Getting them to maintain a routine!
nicolthepickle says
The biggest challenge is for them not to get water and toothpaste all over the bathroom sink! Haha.
Surinder gurm says
Brushing for long enough
KENNETH OHL says
have to make it like a game
Orna Soref says
I don’t have a kids but still hope to win
Carly S says
Bedtime brushing can be a chore when everyone is tired!
Marty C says
The biggest challenges are the taste of “grownup” toothpaste (all of the kids hate mint toothpaste and complain that it’s
“too spicy”, LOL) and getting them to do a thorough job when you aren’t standing right there watching them.
Anu Chopra says
My kids are very particular about the taste/flavor of the toothpaste! They also don’t like to brush for more than a minute and only brush once a day.
Julie says
I have 4 kids so it can be pretty chaotic at this time of day at our house so that in and of itself makes it difficult. Plus always making sure everyone has their correct type of paste and suitable brushes so winning this would help out!
Keri justice says
It’s a challenge to get my older kids to do it without constantly being told to do so.
Kelley Moore says
My challenge is they don’t brush long enough
Rhonda Y says
The biggest challenge is getting the kids to brush their teeth before bedtime.
Mike Gismondi says
I have a hard time getting them to actually brush – like move the toothbrush around to all their teeth, and they don’t brush long enough.
Marlene V says
My biggest challenge is for my kids to brush long enough.
Darcy Koch says
My biggest hassle is getting them to brush long enough. I need to have them do it a second time when they’re in a hurry.
Margaret H says
this would be good as they say they are bored so this should hold their interest
Anne Derkat says
They would always fool around until I got them a musical toothbrush that plays for 2 minutes and they enjoy brushing more now.
Jessica w. says
My daughter does not like to brush her teeth. She is only 2, but it’s a 2 person job right now to entertain her while we brush.
Mary Chapman says
My 19 month old refuses to let me brush his teeth for more than two seconds at a time
Florence Cochrane says
I is a challenge to get them to brush completely. They like to get it over with quickly.
Nate says
My challenge is getting them to brush long enough
Erin N says
These products are awesome. The biggest challenge is getting them to brush at all. Making it fun (new products, making it a game, etc) is key, in my opinion!
Laurie P says
out biggest struggle is just spending the required time to get the job done right. Doesn’t help that my kiddo dislikes toothpaste, need something new to try!
Julie Bolduc says
My challenge is to get my kids to brush daily
Cassandra Kazlovskis says
My two-year-old HATES getting his teeth brushed! I even got him a battery operated toothbrush….nope!
melissa c says
the biggest struggle is getting their teeth thoroughly brushed
Rebecca G says
My biggest issue is that my son loves the taste of his toothpaste and eats it every time 🙁
Karley Moore says
My challenge is getting them to brush long enough. Thanks for the giveaway!
Sandi Tymchuk says
I don’t have children of my own, but my nieces and nephews sometimes need encouragement to brush long enough–this can help!
gay says
Other than this, there’s no restriction implied on the amount
of download and upload you do. These kinds of photography help
a lot to enhance and enhance the creativeness from the photographers who
may be either professional or amateur. There are already four standing answers
to this question that I will address here and I will add a solution of my own.
Nicole Lancaster says
My challenges to getting my kids to brush their teeth is they do not like the taste of Toothpaste and they just don’t want to take the time to do it.
Grace S. says
Brushing long enough is a challenge so I love this idea.
Calvin F. says
To get a complete thorough clean!
Kathleen Roffey says
Getting him to do a good job
Minnie says
My biggest challenge is betting them interested in brushing them at all! Thanks for the chance to win something that will help!
Anne says
They rush through it all the time and this is a problem.
Tabby72 says
The biggest challenge I have is to get them to brush well enough so that there is less build-up.
Sarah Evans says
Right now the challenge is brushing for the appropriate amount of time.
Alison Braidwood says
The challenge with my nieces is to get them to concentrate on what they’re doing long enough for the brushing to be effective.
Andrea Hickey says
Getting them to brush for more then 2 seconds!
Jen D. says
Just to do a good job when brushing – seems they just rush through it.
kim says
My main challenge is to get them to brush for long enough.
Juliee Fitze says
Getting them to brush long enough to clean them.
Peggy Nunn says
It is hard to get them to brush the back teeth.
Alex Stewart says
They don’t like the taste of the toothpaste.
Brandy Champion says
reminding them to make brushing their teeth part of their daily routine
Kristie says
Mostly making sure that they brush them well!
Amy Heffernan says
My challenge with my son is getting him to brush correctly!
Tainan Lu says
My main challenge is to get them to brush thoroughly enough
João Bernardo says
Cobavital abre seu gosto para alimentos saudáveis. http://mcallenisd.staging.wpengine.com/request-a-transcript/
Dandi D says
My main challenge is to get them to brush long enough and thoroughly enough to get their teeth clean.
Jonnie says
My challenge is getting them to actually brush. They seem to think just sticking the brush in their mouth is good enough.
Cheryl says
Forming a good dental hygiene routine is a challenge. We try to make it fun rather than a chore. We pick out a favorite song and brush until it’s over.
Randi Williams says
Getting my boys to brush their teeth properly and for the amount of time they should so it can be cleaned well.
Antonia Nelson says
My son always gets distracted by his reflection. 😂