With three kids to get ready in the morning it is always crazy, chaotic, loud, you name it we experience it. One of the biggest challenges I have found in our morning routine is getting my kids to brush their teeth, and brush them well! I cannot figure out why children are so against basic hygiene!
*This post may contain affiliate links. I may make a small commission if you purchase from the link at no additional charge to you
The Toothbrushing Ruse
My children have lied, schemed, plotted, conspired done just about anything and everything to get out of brushing their teeth. They have said they brushed them when I asked, even though they have not. They have put only water on the brush with no toothpaste, they have wet the toothbrush to make it appear as though they have brushed. I swear they put more effort into making it look like they brushed their teeth than what it would take to just brush them.
My sister and I were talking about this battle in particular when she shared with me a product she found to end the fight and lies. Apparently, I am not the only one who deals with the daily toothbrushing struggle!
The Device You Need
Truthbrush is a small Bluetooth device that slides onto your kid’s toothbrush. It can be used with manual toothbrushes (these are our favorites) or electric toothbrushes like these. Some models have a battery that can be changed so when it is time to replace the toothbrush just slip off the device and put it on your new brush. There is no need to replace anything but the battery. A hub that plugs into the wall can be used so there is no need to have a phone nearby, no app to open, or a button to press. Everything is automatically tracked when brushing starts and a beep to let your child know when brushing is complete.
There are two different models you can purchase:
- Truthbrush Classic
- starts at $24.99
- battery cannot be changed
- lasts up to 12 months
- Truthbrush Pro
- starts at $29
- replaceable battery (CR1620)
- lasts years
You can order a plain model or pay a little more for a decorative “skin” to make brushing more fun and exciting. If you don’t want to pay the upfront cost there is a pay-as-you-go service. You pay an initial activation cost for the device and hub. The price for one device starts at $9, $13.50 if you need a power supply. You then pay $2/month, $2.25/month with a fun skin. You get a new truthbrush every 24 months and can be canceled at any time. The monthly fee is the same regardless of how many truthbrushes you have, however the initial fee will be higher if you have more than one user.
You can visit the site here and receive 10% off your first order.
How It Works
There is an option to purchase a hub (starting at $13.50) that connects to wifi and stores the data until your phone is within range. The data will then sync to the truthbrush app on your phone. If you do not have the hub then you will need to have your phone within range of the tracker during and for a short time after to catch the information.
Goals
If your child needs extra motivation, a weekly goal can be set up. You will set the number of brushings and the average brush duration for each device. There is then the option to set an award to either a dollar amount of allowance, a custom award you enter, or no reward. The days that your child reached their goal will be tracked giving your child something to work towards.
The Data
The data includes a map of your child’s brushing strokes, what your child is doing well, and what can be improved. You will also receive a notification after your child has brushed their teeth, it will include the amount of time they brushed and how well they did. This eliminates the need to nag and turn into an FBI agent to investigate if your child has indeed really brushed their teeth.
There have still been times when my notification states that my child did not brush long enough or well enough so they do sometimes get the warning to go rebrush their teeth.
The App
When you open the app you will see the daily feed (as seen above). This will have all of your children’s information including AM and PM toothbrushing sessions, how well they did, and the amount of time they brushed. You can click on the session if you would like to see more detailed information.
The photos below are what you will see for each session. The red is where your child did not brush as well. I find the visual extremely helpful for showing my kids where they need to work more when they are brushing. The app will also give your child a score. If my child scores below 70% I will make them go back and do it again. This makes them try a little harder and try to get all white.
You will also see how long they brushed if they were brushing the whole time, interrupted, or just having the brush in their mouth. It even breaks out the brush strokes, up and down, side to side, and circular movements.
The app also has an analytic section. The following data in graph form can be seen in this section.
- You can set a goal and see how often the goal is reached.
- daily brush count
- twice a day or more
- once a day
- teeth not brushed
- Brush Duration
- Average duration
- Greater than or equal to 120 seconds
- Less than 120 seconds
- Movement used
- Circular
- Sideway
- Up and down
- Time of Day
- Teeth Coverage Percentage
- 85-100%
- 60-84%
- 0-59%
My Experience
We have been using the Truthbrush in my house for over a year and it has made such a difference. We rarely fight about brushing their teeth anymore. If they did not do well I have the proof to show them. It has eliminated the lies and manipulation.
I need to replace the batteries so we have not used it the last few weeks and I have been lost without it. I am constantly asking my kids to brush their teeth without knowing if they actually are.
If you want to make your morning/night routine even just a little bit easier for a low cost, I highly recommend making this purchase!
Comment below to let me know if you have this struggle in your house as well.
13 responses to “How to Make Your Morning Easier”
Loved this post!
Thank you!
I totally use to relate to this! Mornings are wild, and the toothbrush battle is real. Times can still be busy when I have my grandkids. It’s nice to see I’m not alone in this struggle.
Talk about products I didn’t know I needed. I am putting this device on my list to purchase soon!
You will not regret it!
This app and device look great! My oldest doesn’t like to brush his teeth, and I need an extra 10 minutes to finish this process. I`ll check the Truthbrush.
It will make your life so much easier!
Interesting post. Definitely can see how this could be useful for teeth brushing.
One of my favorite mom hacks!
This is a very unique product I’ve never heard of before. I’d be interested in using it for myself just to see if the data shows I’m brushing my teeth well enough or not!
I have thought about that as well!
This is such an awesome device! I never would have known something like this existed. Growing up after we brushed our teeth my mom would have us use the mouthwash that would turn your teeth another color where plaque still was to see if we actually brushed our teeth or not!
That is also genius! And truthbrush has been a game changer in our house!