I recently had the opportunity to work with Oral-B and host a Mommy Party to spread the word about getting children into a good oral hygiene routine. I have a large circle of moms, from relatives, to friends, and even a mommy Meetup group that has over 130 members! When mommies get together, they often voice concerns over their own child’s development and various stages they go through. Most of the moms in my circles have children who are the same age as my little girl, so the children all have a great time together when we gather for our weekly morning playdates!
While playdates that are sponsored by toy companies are fun and always welcome, it is refreshing to see a playdate sponsored by Oral-B. They sent us over the new Winnie the Pooh movie and some popcorn, so the kids were entertained while the moms got to talking. What is a good age to start seeing a dentist? When did you start brushing your baby’s teeth? When did your baby cut his/her first tooth? It was interesting to hear everyone’s answers from their own personal experience, information they heard from another mom, or from their pediatrician. Personally, my daughter’s pediatrician recommended we see a dentist at her 2nd birthday. I have heard from other moms that they took their infants when they sprouted their first teeth, or if there was a problem and they needed to see a dentist for health concerns. Maybe my pediatrician told us to go later because my daughter didn’t start teething until much later (18 months) and she is now two and STILL doesn’t have all her top teeth in yet! I always cleaned her mouth out with a damp wash cloth after she drank her milk, and didn’t start brushing her teeth until they started coming in. She has now gotten into a routine of brushing her teeth every morning and evening – I never have to remind her!
The mommies got to walk away with some healthy goody bags, courtesy of Mommy Parties and Oral B Stages! The children LOVED the characters on their toothbrushes and toothpastes! Each toothbrush had a character from Winnie the Pooh, and the toothpastes had various Disney characters on them. Including these characters makes it fun for little ones to get into the habit of brushing their teeth! You can connect with Oral-B Twitter!
Disclosure: I was provided with items to host a party and give out goody bags. All opinions are my own!
I teach a low function nonverbal autistic boy.
I only work with him 2 hours a day and didn’t find out until recently that he doesn’t brush his teeth. He is 9 years old!! His mom said they have tried but he won’t have anything to do with it. I need to incorporate this into his schedule. I feel this is very important for his health. If his parents don’t push him , I feel that I need to try. Do you have any advice that you learned at your Oral-B play date. Thanks so much.
Kathy Davis
kdavis1@centurytel.net