I taught my child the importance of oral health care with LISTERINE® SMARTRINSE, as part of a sponsored post for Socialstars #besweetsmart
Maybe it’s just a boy thing but I don’t think it is. I’ve talked to other moms who struggle the way that I do.
Kids seem to think the bathroom is the enemy. I mean, they certainly “use” it when necessary but especially if you have a boy it’s pretty obvious that they’re trying to get in and out as quickly as possible. As a result, their aim often suffers and my cleaning skills stay at the top of their game.
But the real battles seem to come in the form of personal hygiene. Other moms have told me stories of how they’ll ask their kids to brush their teeth or take a shower. And these kids will go in the bathroom, run the shower, wet the toothbrush, or whatever, and never use any of them.
When we moved two years ago, I decided to turn the bathroom that Evan (my 7 year old son) would be using into his bathroom. I wanted it to feel fun and welcoming and inviting but not annoyingly so.
It’s cute, right? We love sea creatures and so, with the right shower curtain, I created his own little space. I painted the bathroom the same color as the sand line all the way at the bottom of the curtain. But my favorite part was the artwork I created.
I found free sea creature vector art online and opened the files in Adobe Illustrator. I manipulated the sea creatures and made the colors match what was in the shower curtain. A simply print at home and some inexpensive picture frames and a bathroom was born!
He loves his bathroom but making it look pretty (or “cool” if you have a boy) doesn’t ensure they’re going to do everything they are supposed to do. So I have to make sure I accessorize with some other really important things, like LISTERINE® SMARTRINSE.
While Evan is not easily fooled into new routines with cool labels like the Avengers (they also have several other kid-friendly labels), he loves the squeezing action of the bottle. With one squeeze up to the line in the bottle cap, he gets the appropriate amount of mouthwash ready to swish around.
While Evan’s teeth are slowly disappearing, it doesn’t diminish the important of keeping them clean. So I stand in the bathroom every night while he brushes and rinses and I do a full inspection when he’s done. And even if he misses a few spots, it’s nice to know that LISTERINE® SMARTRINSE helps clean the places that a toothbrush can’t always reach and actually strengthens teeth 99% better than brushing alone. And we must be doing something right because he’s a kid with no cavities!
Yes, kids go to great lengths to avoid cleanliness. They will clearly exert more effort avoiding it than they will to simply get it done. So how does a parent help with this? Here’s a quick glimpse at how we try to ease the bedtime battle in the bathroom.
Have your kids tried LISTERINE® SMARTRINSE? The first time Evan tried it, I honestly thought he’d hate it. Now, he actually asks me for it. If you have any advice on creating better hygiene habits and avoiding the bedtime battles, I’d love to hear it!
