The Brushies: An Honest Mama Review

Did you know that tooth decay is the number one childhood disease? Neither did I until I read it on the back of the box of a new product that I was given to by a friend called “The Brushies.” The Brushies came in a cute cardboard box set that included a colourful story book and four silicone finger animal puppet toothbrushes. They looked adorable... but I had my reservations because let’s be honest, there are a million “MUST HAVE” baby products. Would these actually be helpful for my kids?

The story behind the Brushies earned big mama points from me right off the bat. The Brushies were invented by a dentist who noticed that tooth decay was a big problem for her little patients and that tooth brushing just wasn’t happening consistently at home. She teamed up with a child psychologist to create a story book and four handy (pun intended) friends to make brushing teeth fun! Their mission is that from an early age (as early as 4 weeks!) the grunt work would be taken out of teeth brushing because it would be fun from the beginning! Knowing the “why” behind the “what” reiterated to me that this product goes beyond being cute and is designed by professionals to instil important life-long dental habits into our children.

Armed with that info, I was keen to test them out. It’s a good thing I’ve got the cutest (and often cheeky) guinea pigs around… my three children. So, would this be another “must have” baby item that wasn’t really worth its weight in plastic (or in this case, BPA free, non-toxic, food-grade silicone)?

Immediately my kids, who are ages six, four, and one, were intrigued and couldn’t wait to open the box. We got comfy on the couch and embarked on the Brushies experience together, starting with the book. It was made of thick cardboard (which was great for little hands) and the singsong rhyme about “chasing the sugar bugs away” captured their attention the whole way through. We introduced each of the adorable silicone finger puppets as the story went along, Momo the Monkey, Pinkey the Pig, Chomps the Dino, and Willa the Whale respectively. And to my surprise, my kids were into it! Like really into it!

The ending of the book lead to a natural segue (ahem, more like stampede) to the bathroom sink where they put their Brushies to work! The Brushies were easy to put on and off and the bristles soft and effective. They had found their new favourite thing... brushing their teeth!

The fascination didn’t stop there. So much so that the next day my four year old ran up to me with a huge grin on his face and said, “Mummy, I’m playing Brushies! Momo and Willa are chasing the sugar bugs away!” To which he ran on off happily with a Brushie on each hand. Wow, the concept had stuck! With a spark of imagination, I watched the characters come to life for my little boy! Just like that, teeth brushing was more than just a chore.

A few days later my just turned one-year old crawled up to me with Pinkey on her finger and opened her mouth saying, “Ta!” wanting me to brush her teeth! Even the baby gets it!

Later that day, I found my six year old sitting peacefully reading the Brushies book to his little brother… not a fight in sight. Is this even real life?!

The thing I’ve learned with my kids over the years is that FUN is the most powerful and persuasive tool there is. And that is precisely the secret behind the Brushies... they are fun AND play the role of being an incredibly valuable tool to teach our children the importance of dental health. My initial reservations were blown out of the water and it’s safe to say that I’m as big of a fan of Momo, Pinkey, Chomps, and Willa as my kids are. So, from one mama to another, these four silicone friends might be just what you need to keep those pesky sugar bugs (and dental bills) away and those little smiles sparkling!

xo Heidi