That's a good point about flavor novelty wearing off after a while. My granddaughter went through something similar—she begged for this sparkly strawberry toothpaste, and at first, brushing was like her favorite part of the day. But after a month or so, she stopped caring about the flavor completely. Now she's fine with mint, go figure. Kids' tastes change so quickly, it's hard to keep up sometimes.
I do think you're onto something about mint being less tempting to swallow. When I was little, we didn't have all these fancy flavors—just plain old mint paste—and I don't remember ever wanting to eat it. Maybe that's why my parents never worried much about fluoride overload. But you're right, the pea-sized rule is a lifesaver. Glad to hear your niece found something that works; every kid really does have their own little quirks when it comes to toothpaste...and just about everything else!
Your granddaughter's toothpaste adventures made me laugh because it reminded me of my grandson. He went through a blueberry phase—who even knew blueberry toothpaste existed? Anyway, he loved it for about two weeks, then suddenly declared it tasted "weird" and refused to touch it again. Now he's happily brushing with mint and acts like the blueberry incident never happened. Kids, right?
You're definitely onto something with mint flavors being less tempting to swallow. I mean, have you ever tried swallowing mint toothpaste by accident? It's pretty gross. I can't imagine kids wanting to eat more than a tiny bit before realizing their mistake. Back when I was young, mint was pretty much all we had too, and let's be honest—it wasn't exactly delicious. Probably why our parents weren't stressing about fluoride overdose either.
The pea-sized rule is great advice, though I wonder how many parents actually stick to it consistently? Seems easy enough in theory, but in practice...kids squeeze tubes like they're trying to win some kind of contest. I've seen my grandson practically empty half a tube onto his brush when no one's looking.
Anyway, sounds like your niece has found her groove with brushing habits—that's always a relief. Every kid really does have their own quirky preferences. And just when you think you've figured them out, they change their minds again...keeps things interesting at least, huh?
"kids squeeze tubes like they're trying to win some kind of contest."
Haha, exactly this. I've caught my daughter squeezing toothpaste like it's frosting on a cupcake. Mint definitely helps curb the temptation, but still...I swear toothpaste tubes need childproof caps or something.
Haha, frosting on a cupcake is spot-on. My nephew does the same thing—he once squeezed out half the tube in one go because he thought more toothpaste meant cleaner teeth. Mint flavor definitely helps, but I've found that showing kids exactly how little toothpaste they actually need (just a pea-sized amount) can help curb the enthusiasm a bit. Fluoride's great for preventing cavities, but too much isn't ideal either... moderation is key, especially with kids who think toothpaste is dessert.
My daughter used to do the same thing—thought toothpaste was candy or something. I ended up showing her exactly how much to use (just a little pea-sized blob), and explained gently why too much fluoride isn't great. She caught on pretty quick after that...mostly.
