Before
becoming a stay-at-home mom, I used to be a community health educator.
One of my jobs was to go into schools and attend community health fairs and
events and provide educational seminars and classes for kids and adults. One of
my favorite topics to discuss was oral hygiene with kids, as I had so many fun
games and activities I would play with the kids to get the message of proper
oral care to them. Even though I didn't have children at the time, I knew
from talking to many parents, grandparents and caregivers that brushing time
was difficult in their houses as many kids didn't like to brush or have their
teeth cleaned on a daily basis. And, if that wasn't enough parents and
caregivers also struggled to get children to eat healthy (including eating
their vegetables), in order to keep their teeth clean, and have an overall
well-balanced diet. Fast forward to today, and now I can relate to what
the parents and caregivers were talking about as I have two little girls who
hate brushing their teeth. I also recently read an interesting statistic
from a survey sponsored by Sanofi Consumer Healthcare about
this very thing, so I knew I wasn't along in this daily struggle...
"More than half of moms (56%)
say they struggle with getting their kid(s) to brush their teeth every day and
even more (69%) say they wish getting their kid(s) to brush their teeth was
easier. In fact, 52% of moms say they would give up their "me time"
for a month if it meant they never had to battle with their kid(s) again to get
them to brush their teeth" (1)
So,
when I asked to host an ACT Kids Toothpaste Mommy Party recently, I jumped at
the opportunity, as it would let gather a group of moms and their kids and help
educate them about the importance of oral care in children and provide them
with samples of ACT Kids Toothpaste and a new toothbrush for each of the
children in attendance. It is fun...kids hate to brush their teeth, but
love getting new toothbrushes and toothpastes, especially if they have a
picture of one of their favorite superheroes or characters from a show or movie
they like. When I showed my girls the goodies we received to help host
this ACT Kids Toothpaste Mommy Party, they were all smiles, and couldn't wait
to use their new smiley face toothbrush and the bubble gum flavored toothpaste.
I
ended up hosting the party at my daughters' old preschool as I have helped out
in the past subbing as a teacher, and knew they would be covering dental health
this month. We coordinated with a local
dental hygienist to come in and do a little hands on interactive presentation
with the kids, where she talked about good and bad snacks, what too much sugar
can do to your teeth, and why brushing and flossing correctly twice a day is so
important.
We
had over 15 kids in attendance including some of my daughters' friends who came
for the party, as my girls couldn't stop talking about the goodies they would
get and how much fun it would be. In
addition to the dentist hygienist's presentation, we also played a matching
game as well as a fun "Happy Tooth, Sad Tooth" activity where the
kids looked through magazines and cut out photos of good and bad snacks and
glued them on the happy and sad tooth.
This
was a good reinforcement activity after learning about unhealthy sugary foods
and which foods they should avoid, and which they should reach for when looking
for a healthy snack. I heard from
parents after this party that the kids would talk about what they learned with
family and friends and show off their sad and happy tooth and all the foods
they glued on them that were health and unhealthy. :-) I
love seeing kids getting excited about their health and wanting to learn
through fun activities and games.
You
can't have a party with snacks, right? :-) I filled a table with all
healthy snacks and some fun treats that made both the parents and kids smile,
like my apple and peanut butter with mini-marshmallows.
I also did a fun rainbow kabob with different seasonal fruits for the kids to enjoy.
All
in all the kids and parents had a blast at my ACT Kids Toothpaste Mommy Party,
and were so appreciative of the free ACT gift bag I sent their kids
home with, along with a "My Brushing Chart" to help kids keep track
of brushing twice a day. My girls were quick to add this chart to the
wall in the bathroom and love putting a sticker on each day to show that they
brushed twice and rinsed once (Note: ACT Kids Anticavity Rise is
indicated for children ages 6 years and older, and should not be used with
children younger than 6.)
If
you struggle with your child to brush, why not try making it a more enjoyable
experience for both of you. You can find a daily brushing chart online to
print out, or can create your own, and let your kids choose stickers to mark
off each day they successfully brush twice. Maybe throw in a fun
incentive if they can do this for a month like a trip to the bookstore for a
new book, a frozen yogurt, or even a fun movie night at home where they get to
choose the movie and healthy snack to serve.
Here
is daughters' friend, Brooke who loves tracking her daily brushing progress
using her new ACT Kids toothpaste and toothbrush on her "My Brushing
Chart"
CJ
and Jayce love their new ACT Kids Toothpaste, too! :-)
Like
I mentioned above, my girls and all the kids that received gift bags from ACT
Kids Toothpaste were excited for a new toothbrush and to try out the flavored
toothpaste they received in their bags.
They
were either given the bubble gum or fruit punch flavor to try. These new ACT
Kids Toothpastes are for kids ages 2 and older. New ACT Kids Toothpaste is
available at a variety of retail locations, including
select Walmart, Walgreens, and Target locations."
I
hope you had fun reading about my ACT Kids Toothpaste Mommy Party and it gives
you ideas to help with the brushing battle in your house. Remember, try
to make it fun, and let the kids choose their toothbrushes and toothpastes, so
they feel like they are being included in this daily hygiene task. Also,
talk to them about unhealthy and healthy snack options and why too much sugar
is not good for them. Yes, they can have sugar once in a while, but not all the
time, as they want to keep their teeth healthy and strong. And, too much
may cause cavities or serious dental problems that they don't want to have.
To
learn more about ACT Kids Toothpaste products visit ACToralcare.com/act-for-kids today. This site
not only shares product information but also has some wonderful oral health
sections for parents to read and share with their children including topics
like healthy habits, preventing cavities braces care, and useful parent
tips. And, before you head to the store to pick up these new ACT Kids
toothpaste products make sure you visit ACTKidsSavings.com to download a coupon so that you can save
$$ at checkout. :-)
(1)
This survey was sponsored by Sanofi Consumer Healthcare and
conducted online using Toluna's QuickSurveys methodology between
February 13, 2017 and February 14, 2017 among 1,150 moms with children between
the ages of 2 and 12 in the USA. Respondents for Toluna QuickSurveys are
selected from among those who have agreed to participate
in Toluna surveys.
Toluna's SmartSelectTM
methodology was used to promote sample representativeness. SmartSelect relies
on statistical matching rather than probability sampling to select survey
respondents based on demographic, attitudinal and behavioral characteristics
that match those of the target population. Figures for age, gender,
region, race/ethnicity, education and income are also weighted to bring them
into line with their actual proportions within the population. Because the
sample is based on those who agreed to participate in Toluna surveys,
no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.
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