This is a compensated review from BlogHer and Sonicare for Kids. Please click over to read it and get the giveaway rules. Bonus: Madison wanted to do her own video review (she’s all inspired by Kids Know Stuff)!
Noah has lousy teeth and had his first major dental intervention at just a little over two years old. Madison has happily inherited fabulous teeth from Pennie but we come by our paranoia honestly so even though her teeth are bright and shiny and (knock wood) cavity free, we take dental hygiene seriously around here. This is why I did the virtual equivalent of jumping up and down and screaming, “Pick me! Pick me!” when BlogHer announced that they were offering Sonicare Kids toothbrushes for review and giveaway. And – joy of joys! – we got picked!
I already know and love Sonicare toothbrushes because we’ve had two of them. (We don’t have them anymore because our old house had faulty wiring and ruined all of the plugin appliances – including that nice hairdryer – before we got our bathroom outlets fixed.) My mother-in-law got us hooked on them because she’s a dental hygienist and Noah’s tooth issues freaked her the heck out. When I read that Sonicare had a specialized kids’ toothbrush I was intrigued because the grown-up version is a little delicate and complicated for a kid as rough and ready as Madison tends to be. Also they aren’t all that pretty and for a little girl who is used to choosing the princess toothbrush to take home from her dental appointments, pretty is a Very Big Deal.
Happily the children’s version of the Sonicare meets her needs (and still meets mine). It’s not as pretty as the pink glittery thing she came home with from the dentist last time but it is cute and has three changeable faceplates. All of them are gender neutral (they’re basically primary colors with bright designs) but they’re snazzy enough to please Maddie. Also the toothbrush itself is plenty sturdy with two removable heads (one larger, one smaller) so that Noah can keep his braces clean, too.
One of the best things about the Sonicare is that it times the tooth brushing. It runs for two minutes and every 30 seconds a little chimer comes on to tell the brusher to move the brush to another quadrant of his or her mouth. For Maddie, she brushes the fronts of her top teeth, then the backs, then the fronts of her bottom teeth, then the backs. She likes the chimes, especially because they’re more melodic than the adult version, which just beeps. Also the chimes lengthen as she gets nearer the end of brushing so she kind of has an idea of where she is in her routine.
Sonicares are tickly toothbrushes but the kid version is a little less so. It still sends those vibrating sonic waves that get Madison’s teeth really clean but they aren’t so tickly that she can’t stand it. (She tried the adult version and really couldn’t handle it at all – it made her mouth feel funny.) It comes in two speeds and she can handle the highest one, no problem. You don’t need as much toothpaste with a Sonicare as you might use with a regular brush either since a very little bit will foam up plenty.
Like I said, two toothbrush heads means Noah can use it, too, and this is a must-have for kids with braces. It is HARD to get your teeth clean when your mouth is full of metal but since using the Sonicare, he’s looking A LOT less fuzzy around the brackets.
While Madison has always been pretty good about getting in there and getting her teeth brushed, I know she’s getting a more thorough cleaning now that she’s sticking to two minutes and getting reminders to get all of her mouth clean. She also enjoys it more so it’s just easier to get her in there to do it. I can’t wait to take her into Dr. Jo-Jo in a few months to hear how good her teeth look! (Scroll down to see what Madison has to say about it!)
OK, now onto the giveaway!! You have a total of 10 chances to win a $100 Visa gift card from BlogHer Reviewers, plus the chance to win a Sonicare prize pack on the BlogHer.com special offers page!
To enter, leave me a comment below and tell me: What’s your biggest challenge about your kid’s dental hygiene routine? – Or you may leave a link to your post on your own blog in the comments below (if you’re on wordpress, just link back to this post and I’ll get a trackback). The contest will begin at 9:00 a.m. (PST) 10/15/2009 and will end 5:00 p.m. (PST) 11/15/2009. Make sure that the e-mail address you leave is correct.
Rules:
* No duplicate comments.
* You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
* You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
* This giveaway is open to US-residents, 18 years of age or older
* Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail.
* You have 48 hours to get back to me; otherwise a new winner will be selected.
* Please see the official rules here: Official rules
Madison reviews Sonicare for Blogher from Dawn Friedman on Vimeo.
Related posts:
tweeted http://twitter.com/carogonza/status/5509379446
blogged http://theartofrandomwillynillyness.blogspot.com/2009/11/blogher-and-sonicare-giveaways.html
It is hard to make sure that he brushes when I am not home or on the weekends since there isn’t a set timeline on shower and bedtime:) So I try to scare him into brushing:)
Even though my son is only 10 months, we still work on his dental hygiene! He has two little toothers on the bottom, and we use a “gum cleaner” to brush them! My biggest challenge is that he tries to bite my fingers. =)
Tweet- http://twitter.com/joannagiveaway/status/5550520178
Blogged- http://pricemommysense.blogspot.com/2009/11/giveaway-monday.html
My biggest challenge is just making sure every tooth gets clean! It’s hard for kids to get in the way back and on the insides of their teeth. I still have to check to make sure they did a good job!
Tweet: http://twitter.com/coriwestphal/statuses/5567777375
Blogged: http://asahmlookingforadeal.blogspot.com/2009/11/sonicare-for-kids-is-giving-you-10.html
The biggest challenge is making sure they brush 2 minutes. We’re using timers and that’s getting better!
http://scsoldierswife.blogspot.com/2009/11/sonicare-contest.html
my blog
My biggest challenge is just getting the kids to brush. They both hate it!
Tweet!
http://twitter.com/simplyandreah/status/5606612204
We all have battery-powered toothbrushes and make brushing a family activity. We all squish into the bathroom and do it together
I blogged: http://ridingwithnohands.com/november-8th-weekly-roundup/
My 8-year-old brushes his own teeth twice a day but I do check his mouth to make sure he is actually brushing them well, if he doesn’t, I scrub away.
The biggest challenge is letting my daughter have responsibility for keeping teeth clean now that she is old enough. Twice a year I let the professional give her feedback about how she is doing and pointers on ways to improve.
Way to go Madison!
My baby is still young, but we are already letting her see my Husband and me brushing our teeth so it becomes a normal part of everyday life.
My husband and I both use sonic care, but I haven’t gotten them for our little guys yet. (3.5) still doing their teeth by hand.
My 10 month old has seven teeth, and it is all I can do to try to get a little baby toothbrush or washcloth in his mouth. He is so independent that I think he will really enjoy brushing, once he can do it himself!
Hello, my kids are as yet hypothetical but our biggest challenge is going to be making them take better care of their teeth than we have. Hopefully our descriptions of things like root canals and dry sockets and old-school headgear will be enough to make them floss!
My biggest challenge is getting my kids to remember to brush. They seem to have a mental block about it.
I blogged
http://lunaj1456.blogspot.com/2009/11/giveaway-from-sonicare-and-blogher.html
I tweeted
http://twitter.com/lunaj1456/status/5725186011
We use an electric toothbrush as well, an Oral B because the smaller brushhead is easier to get into a three year olds mouth.
The biggest challenge is getting our 2-year-old to keep his mouth open. Well, first it’s opening his mouth at all, then staying still, then keeping it open till everything’s clean. So I guess our biggest dental hygiene challenge is dental hygiene.
Tweet!
http://twitter.com/Hobo_Mama/status/5735104617
Thank you to Hobo Mama for pointing me towards this great blog!!
Anyway, my biggest challenge is getting my 2-year-old to open his mouth so we can really brush his teeth. He LOVES the taste of his toothpaste and wants to suck it off the brush, but doesn’t really want to actually BRUSH his teeth.
I tweeted
http://twitter.com/Blacktating/status/5735635191
Pain in the tushie though it is, I sit criss-cross applesauce (gag) on the floor while they lay back and I dry brush then floss – then they go brush at the sink with flouride toothpaste. We use regular cheap brushes because I change them about once a month.
I’d love to win one of these for my boys. We handle brushing by using one of those toothbrushes that blink for a minute while they brush (so that they will brush long enough). This sounds like an awesome brush!
I tweeted: http://twitter.com/mamajourney/status/5749744038
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I blogged: http://mamajourney.wordpress.com/2009/11/16/sonicare-kids-toothbrush-or-100-visa-card-giveaway/
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