This is not a monumental problem, but it does drive me crazy and I wanted to get everyone's input on how they handle this situation. I leave the toothpaste in a place where my 8 yr old & 5 yr old can reach it & brush their teeth themselves. My 8 yr old does great of course. And for the most part my 5 yr old does too. But everyone once & a while, he'll lose his mind & squirt a lot of the toothpaste in the sink or just make a mess of the toothpaste in general, when I don't even know that he's in the bathroom. Then my 2 yr old will also get in there & do the same thing sometimes. It's so wasteful & I'm tired of buying more toothpaste & also cleaning up the mess.
What do you all do with the toothpaste situation? I don't want to put it out of reach b/c we like to send them to the bathroom to start the routine by themselves. I buy Crest for Kids in the regular tube. Thanks in advance!
I bought the Touch & Brush at Bed, Bath & Beyond for about $20. It has worked out really well and I want to get them for our other bathrooms too. It's still a little messy and I have to clean it off sometimes, but nothing like the mess I had w/the easy access to the toothpaste tube. Thank you all!
TOUCH AND BRUSH as seen on TV. Got mine at Dollar General and paid $20 for it. It is the best invention for my family. I have 4 kids aged 5-6-6-8. No more messes and if it gets a little messy inside, just take it off the mirror and rinse. It's the best $20 I've spent in a long time!!
Not sure how to help with the mess, but have you ever seen how your kids apply the toothpaste? Do they touch the bristles of the brush directly to the toothpaste tube? I've been told that this is a great way to transfer germs from one kiddo to another. If they do this, you might want to get each kid their own toothpaste.
Also, if each has their own uniquely identifiable toothpaste (pink, sparkles, gel, etc.) you could easily identify the messy culprit. Your 5 yo is old enough to send in with a rag if he makes a mess. A few times cleaning up may discourage him from doing it again. You might look at some of the kids' toothpastes that are not in a tube, but in a stand-up bottle like colgate for kids.(I think Crest makes some too.)
i dont have one, yet, but am considering a toothpaste dispenser, you put in your reg tube of toothpaste in it and then when you put your toothbrush under it it dispenses for you
I like the dispenser idea, but what works in my house is to put the toothpaste (we also use the Auqa Fresh pump) & dixie cups in a basket on the bathroom counter in the far corner (at the wall), my 9 year old can reach it and help the 5 year old when it's time to brush but it's really out of reach (and sight somewhat) for the 5 year old to just want to get it and play with it. I think the next time I'm at BB&Beyond, I'm going to check out that dispenser.. but it has to take the kids toothpaste because mine think the adult is too minty hot! :)
We bought the touch and brush. It works great. And its only 20.00 bucks. Good luck. T. =)
P.S. WE BOUGHT IT AT WALMART AND ITS AS SEEN ON T.V. NO MESS NO MORE PROBLEMS.=)
I finally put the toothpaste on my desk, and they come to me for it. The added bonus for me is that it is a reminder to me that they need to brush their teeth. Often we would get busy, and forget. I have 5 children, and I also got very weary of buying new toothpaste so often.
I might have to look into the dispenser.
I'm so glad you asked this question. I have the EXACT same problem (6 year and 2 year old). I never even heard of a toothpaste dispenser, so I am definitely going to look into that!
Thanks!
L.
have you ever seen that tooth paste dispenser on tv ? Well they sell it at bed bath and beyond and we bought one. I can't say it is a foolproof solution bt it has solved most of the problem for me. My sons problem was that he would make the tube (even the stand up kind) a complete mess and get the paste all over the counter and sink. Now that
we have the dispenser (which was cheap) that is solved. However it still gets a little messy around the nozzle of the dispensor though not bad at all. I just wipe it offf a little every couple days. Now, my son is seven. You kids are younger so not sure if they'd find a way to make it messier still but worth a try. Oh and it fits just regular tubes. And really does suck it all out so it's worth it just for that.
Hi S..
My kids use the Aquafresh bubble mint pump. It's a pump so no messy squeezing. Plus, I think it's one of the cheaper brands. and another plus, it's minty so not so sweet... the thought of brushing my teeth with something sweet is so gross! But I get it for my kids, not me, so that they'll have fresh breath.
Don't know how to solve the waste (I've never even heard of the dispenser before), but as far as the mess goes, I would suggest making your son clean up the mess himself. A few times cleaning up a big gooey mess of toothpaste and maybe he'll be more careful. It's worth a try. And honestly, the 2 year old could be trained to do this as well. She would need some help cleaning it up, but you could still emphasize the "no mess" part of it and she would get the idea.
If it were me, the next time someone wasted a buch of toothpast in the sink, I would have them scoop it up into a baggie and the perpetrator of the messy crime would be required to use that paste to brush their sweet little toothies until it was all gone. That one is taken directly from a Junie B. Jones book by Beverly Cleary. Then again... one must choose one's battles carefully.
S.,
I believe you have 2 options:
1) Hide the toothpaste (even though you don't want to), and be the "toothpaste monitor" and watch them the entire time.
2) Threaten to take their toys away (or favorite toy, or their TV privileges) if they do it again. If they do, make good on your threat!
They will quickly learn that mama ain't playin'! Good luck!
