My Mommyology

Learning from Motherhood.

Fireflies and Steripods

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When I was young(er) I don’t recall any of my dentists telling me it was crucial to brush my teeth for 2 minutes each time.  I do remember the flossing part, learning about plaque and tartar and brushing all sides up and down (well mostly going away from the gums), but not the length of time.  Why two minutes?  Apparently it has something to do with getting the maximum out of the flouride in your toothpaste and reducing the risk of potential plaque build up.  Actually one site says that two minutes is an arbitrary number, but the point is for people to make a conscious effort to properly clean each surface.

Okay — if I find two minutes of teeth brushing to be long, I can only imagine what a toddler would feel!  Two minutes is an eternity!  I want to start Sam on the right track, really I do — but keeping her there with her mouth open (without her biting off my finger or making a fuss) — it’s a challenge, I won’t lie.  She already enjoys brushing her teeth (Can you blame the child of an OC germ-free mom for wanting to be clean all the time?!), and I don’t want that to go away because of an arbitrary time frame.

Thankfully OCMominManila sends us a dental care package — filled with fun light-up toothbrushes!  Sam saw the box and opened it all with glee.  I have never seen a toddler so excited to get new toothbrushes in my life, but hey!  There’s always a first time.

My Mommyology Firefly productsThank you Ninang (and Firefly!)

The toothbrushes have a 1-minute timer that blinks, to signify that the child should continue to brush their teeth until the light goes out.  I have to tell you — I buy into it.  It’s a great marketing tool to get children into the habit of brushing thoroughly while they are young.  At first Sam would just stare down at the blinking light and suck on the toothbrush, but now after weeks of using it, she knows she has to keep brushing up and down and all around until the light stops blinking.  It makes the whole process fun.  Sometimes she hums to the beat of the blinking light while brushing her teeth, too.

At least the light goes off after one minute and not two and again to me that makes sense.

The other part of the care package were the steripod covers.  Now I did mention in a previous post that in my past life I used to work for Lysol.  I blame them for my heightened germ-free, dirt-free awareness and paranoia.  Call it O.C. if you will, but I’d have to say it is heavily ingrained in my DNA already and so I doubt that it will ever ever change.

Did you know, that toothbrushes accumulate up to 10 million bacteria?  Imagine sticking that into your mouth (or your toddler’s mouth) twice a day!  Aaaack.  It’s because they are always wet or moist, and germs and bacteria like that kind of environment (Think: mold and mildew).

My Mommyology Germs on ToothbrushEwww…!

I will deviate for one brief moment and say two things:  1) DON’T keep toothbrushes near your toilet bowl, and 2) When you flush, do put the lid down.  It prevents bacteria from jumping out of the bowl — YES, they do jump out, you just don’t see it — and latching onto your toothbrush.  The nearer the toothbrush is to the bowl, the greater the latching.

Back to our point:  thank goodness for the steripods!  They are designed to kill the bacteria on your toothbrush for up to three months.  They have some germ-killing vapors that have been tested and proven to work.  Of course, covering your toothbrush also prevents it from getting further contaminated.  I know we don’t see the germs or the bacteria, but having it on — wouldn’t you feel that it is already cleaner for longer?

Plus, steripods are attractive to put onto one’s toothbrush — Sam absolutely loves the colors.  It is a winning deal all around (Anyone want to hire me as a radio ad announcer, I can do this spiel with intonations! ;))

Steripods and Firefly toothbrushes are distributed in Manila by Healthy Innovation Distribution Inc.  Email cchung77@gmail.com to get your products ASAP.  Both sets of products are also readily available on Amazon everywhere else.

Author: mymommyology

I am the mom that I am because of my two wonderful little girls. They teach me everyday.

6 Comments

  1. Pretty good post. I just stumbled upon your blog and wanted to say that I have really enjoyed reading your blog posts. Any way I’ll be subscribing to your feed now.

  2. I actually think the Steripod is a product I can not live without from now on =)

  3. I’ve found that a new toothbrush is always a sure-fire way to get my kids excited to brush their teeth. They like Firefly toothbrushes, too. We’ve gone through phases where we’ve had a hard time getting our kids to cooperate with letting us thoroughly brush their teeth. One thing I have found to be useful is this Mom’s Guide. It has some good information and also really helpful tips for taking care of kids’ teeth, from birth to teenage years. Those Steripods are cool; I’ve never seen them before.

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