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Best Electric Toothbrushes For Kids

Technology development has cut across the board and has even affected the manufacture of toothbrushes. Electric toothbrushes are becoming popular in many adults, as they are more effective in preventing plaque buildup.

However, a challenge that parents face is how to get their kids to brush their teeth  regularly as well as take the correct amount of time doing it. It is therefore as a result that many parents have resulted to using a kid electric toothbrush. Many kids are fascinated by this kind of toothbrush and find it fun to use.

In addition to getting kids to brush their teeth, electric toothbrushes have numerous benefits. For starters, they remove plaque better than manual toothbrushes, as they are faster. They also prevent kids from brushing too hard as this may lead to damage of the gums or even remove some part of the enamel, which will lead to sensitive teeth.

Today we will break down some of the reasons it is important to invest in an electric toothbrush for your children so that they will get the best possible oral hygiene. We will then take a closer look at three of the top models on the market.

Kids using electric toothbrush

Why kids need an electric toothbrush

If you aren’t quite convinced that you need to buy a brush that, let’s face it, is a good deal more expensive than the two-dollar options that you are used to, here are a few reasons that it can be beneficial for your children’s well-being.

Let’s now take an in-depth look at a few of the reasons you should invest in an electric brush for your children.

  • It teaches good habits: The electric toothbrush has always been at the forefront of oral hygiene technology, and that trend continues into the digital age. APP support has become a key feature of many new brushes. No, they don’t all feature it, but those that do are designed to train children and adults alike to practice good brushing habits. How Many contemporary electronic toothbrushes use APP technology to ensure that you brush your teeth for the dentist recommended two minutes. Some of them also monitor the regions of your mouth that you have already brushed in order to ensure that you use those 2 minutes to maximum effect and cover every necessary area.
    phillips sonicare kids app
  • It makes brushing fun: Kids often enough don’t like brushing their teeth. If you look back into your own past, you will probably even be able to remember being a little kid once that hated the few minutes you spent in front of the mirror with a brush in your hand. Conversely, the electric brush is a lot more fun for kids. The literal function of the brush is engaging, but many brush companies that are marketing towards children step up the game even further with features like decals or APP support that are designed to be appealing to kids.
    philips sonicare for kids connected
  • It offers thorough clean: Electric toothbrushes are staggeringly more effective than their manual counterpart. In some cases, a good electric toothbrush can eliminate up to 100% more plaque and bacteria than a manual brush. That’s a pretty significant difference, but more importantly, it means that your children will have a lot fewer germs in their mouth.
    philips sonicare for kids

There are some other things to consider as well. You will need to keep in mind is that the brush head moves much quicker than that of a manual brush. Despite these advantages, parents should know that the recommended age to introduce the kid to this kind of toothbrush is at 3 years old.

A toothbrush in the hands of a toddler can always pose a risk to their gums, but with the electric brush, you need to be even more careful. That said, with supervision and proper technique, the process should go smoothly.

list of electric toothbrush for kids

How to choose an electric toothbrush for kids

Prior to buying a children’s electric toothbrush, a parent should consider several first. This is because unlike electrical adult toothbrushes, kids’ electric-toothbrushes are designed specifically to tend to the small mouths of kids. Therefore, parents should be careful when buying an electric-toothbrush.

  • The FIRST thing to consider is the size: Electric-toothbrushes for kids are smaller than those of adults to enable kids to handle them with ease. In addition, the brush heads are smaller to fit in their mouths. The handle too that you choose should make it easier for the child to hold and manipulate it in his/ her hand during brushing.
  • Children are a delicate people: Their gum is no exception to this. Therefore, the brush that you choose should have soft and well-rounded bristles. If the toothbrush bristles are firm, then it will be easy for the child to damage the enamel as well as the gum line. Since children do not know how long to take when brushing, you could get one that has a timer. This feature will help the child to take just the right time. The timer will be part of his brushing routine and you will not have to struggle to get him to take the required amount of time.

At the same time, you need to pick up the right brushing model for your children. Most electric toothbrushes come in a variety of modes that are designed to accommodate people’s unique needs. Take a look at the settings of each toothbrush to make sure that they are able to accommodate your children’s needs.

  • Understand children’s interests and hobbies: As a result, many of the kids’ electric toothbrushes have themes and colors that attract children. Choosing the right theme for your child is key as it will determine how well he responds to the toothbrush. Take time and learn which color, cartoon, or action figure your kid likes before you take a pick.

If you are shopping at the store, take your child along. Maybe you can’t allow them to make the final decision, but at the same time, you do want to invest in a product that they will be interested in actually using. Remember that part of what you are looking for out of an electric brush is that it engages your children. If they are interested in the brush that you buy, chances are you can count on them using it.

Electric toothbrushes tend to cost a lot of money—it’s no secret, so deciding which brush is right will depend largely on your budget. Fortunately, the price can range fairly significantly, so don’t be discouraged by some of the higher ticket items.

app for kid's electric toothbrush

Top 7 best electric toothbrushes for kids

Now that we have gone over the value of an electric toothbrush, as well as the things to consider before you buy one. As we said, the first things you should consider are the size and your children’s age, there are 5 of the most popular products which specially designed for children covering the age from 4 months to 8+ years old. Let’s start with the different age groups.

Toddlers under 36 months are not suitable to use the electric toothbrush since their deciduous teeth are still growing. A children manual brush is the safest choice.

Oral-B Pro-Health Stages Battery Powered

The Oral B Pro Health Stages battery powered brush is going to be a good choice for parents of younger children. The brush remains thorough while still managing to be a little bit gentler on the gums than some of the other options that we typically see.

The brush is designed for kids three and up, and even features characters from the Disney franchise that may serve to improve your kid’s interest in brushing their teeth.

Parents will want to keep in mind that the brush head is not replaceable on this brush, which means that you will get about three months of brushing out of it before needing to buy a new one.

This feature is meant to eliminate choking risk, but it does unfortunately cut against the value of the product.

Key Features:

  • Soft Bristles: The soft bristles that are in play here may very well be why you end up choosing this brush over others. The extra power that electric toothbrushes bring to the oral hygiene experience is a blessing and a curse for young children.

Fortunately, the soft bristles eliminate some of the risk of gum damage (though of course, supervision is still required until the age of seven).

  • Fun Design: As we mentioned earlier, and as you certainly already knew, kids aren’t always so interested in brushing their teeth. Investing in a brush with a fun design can help bolster their interest and increase productivity during brush time.
  • Fit for Them: The handle of this brush is engineered to fit the hand of a child, making it an ergonomic option that will help your child to have an easier, more comfortable brushing experience.
  • Brush Head Doesn’t Come Off: When we summarized this brush, we mentioned that the brush head does not come off, and we even mentioned why this is both a good and a bad thing.

While the cons to this component of the brush are obvious, it is nevertheless a feature that parents of young children are going to want to look for in whatever brush they get. The choking threat that changeable brush heads can represent for young children is real, and this feature eliminates it.

Brusheez Children’s Electronic Toothbrush Set

The Brusheez electric brush (featuring 4 different color options) is going to be an enticing pick for children of certain interests.

If your son or daughter likes all things pink, and has a particular enthusiasm for ponies (this particular pony is named “Prancy”) then they are going to find a lot to like in this brush.

There is a lot for parents to like as well. This brush set (made for children three and up) features a fun hour glass timer that will run sand for the two minutes that they are supposed to be brushing their teeth.

The set also features a weekly brushing chart where you will be able to track their progress, and a soft, but powerful head that rotates four thousand times a minute for thorough but safe results.

If your child is not into the pony scene, but does like animals, there are other options, including a yellow giraffe, a green crocodile, and a blue bear.

The head on this brush is replaceable, which makes the set a little bit more economical in the long term, but parents will, of course, want to monitor brushing sessions extra closely with this in mind.

Key Features:

  • Fun Design (and Design Options): The nice thing about this brush’s design concept is twofold. The exciting design is going to make your kids a little bit more interested in brushing their teeth, while the options ensure that a wide range of interests are represented.

In short, if your child is an animal lover, this is definitely going to be a brush to keep in mind.

  • The Sand Timer: The sand timer that comes with this brush is an unsophisticated version of the digital timers that are included in many high-end brushes these days.

But the novelty of the hour glass may actually serve to the set’s benefit. While hour glasses certainly do not represent the most contemporary innovations in modern technology, your child may very well enjoy flipping them over and watching the time run out as they brush their teeth.

And of course, as a parent, you will also know that they are meeting the standards set by dentists for how long they should brush their teeth.

  • Brushing Chart: The brushing chart offers a fun, interactive way to keep your child accountable for their brushing. The layout is very simple: each day of the week has two boxes to check, one for the morning brush session, and the other for the evening one.

The idea is to help your children remember to brush twice a day by keeping them accountable for tracking their daily progress.

  • Extra Brush Head Included: Putting aside the fact that there are reasons not to love young children having brushes with replaceable heads, the fact that this set comes with an extra brush head is nice to see.

The extra head means that you won’t need to make an impromptu trip to the store one day so that your child can brush their teeth, and it also means you won’t need to worry about any additional expenses for the first few months of owning this brush.

Aiyabrush Sonic Electric Toothbrush for Kids

The Aiyabrush features a more modern design that, while not quite as enticing as Finding Nemo, or a perfectly pink pony, may still be cool enough in appearance to attract your children’s attention.

The design actually looks quite a bit like that of a typical adult oriented toothbrush, which may or may not be attractive for your child.

Forgetting design, this also just a high performing brush. The handle features a built in timer, and it even vibrates every thirty seconds to remind your child that it is time move on to another area of their mouth.

The battery life is also impressive. A full charge equates to about six hours of use, which may not sound like much at first, but when you keep in mind that the brush is only used for four minutes a day, the number becomes a little bit more significant. One charge should offer about one hundred days of typical use.

Last, but of course, not least, it is just a high functioning brush. The handle runs at 21,000 rotations per minute, and is able to remove up to twice as much plaque as a manual brush.

Key Features:

  • Impressive Battery Life: Chances are, your kids are probably not going to be very good at remembering to keep their toothbrush charged up. And hey, when life gets busy, you may be prone to forgetting as well.

The battery life that comes with this handle means that that won’t be much of a problem. Even the most forgetful users shouldn’t have trouble with a brush that can run for one hundred days.

  • Timer/Pacer: In the last handle that we looked at we saw an unsophisticated, but still fun timer component. The Aiya Brush upgrades this feature a little bit by including the timer as a built in component of the handle.

They then sweeten the pot by throwing in the pacer function as well. These are good features for anyone to half, but they are particularly nice for children who may not otherwise be good at brushing for the dentist recommended two minutes.

  • Performance: Of course, performance is also a critical component of any toothbrush. The 21,000 rotations a minute are going to ensure that your children are conquering their germs and bacteria, but because of all of this power, you will want to pay attention to ensure that they don’t hurt themselves.
  • Color Options: It is also worth mention that this handle is available in three different color options (blue, pink, and white) to appeal to a wider range of users. These options are not quite as enticing as the more colorful brush set that we looked at earlier, but it is still nice for buyers that aren’t enthralled with the standard soft blue.

Oral-B Stages Power Disney Dory Electric Toothbrush

Oral-B Stages Power Disney Dory Electric Toothbrush

Oral-B, another reputable brand in the world of toothbrushes has produced an electric toothbrush model decorated with the popular Finding Nemo character Dory.

Key Features:

  • Disney Magic Timer™ App: The app that comes with this handle features characters from the film and helps your kids become further engaged in the process of brushing their teeth. It also features the timer we have discussed to help your kids hit the dentist recommended two-minute mark with their brushing.
  • Entertain your children: The Dory decal is one thing—it certainly might be enough to draw your children’s attention, but it does not hurt that this brush also features 16 unique melodies that will play as your kids brush their teeth. The idea here is that the brush will make brushing fun.
  • Extra soft bristles: Kids have sensitive gums, and unfortunately, they also don’t always know how to take care of them. The bristles on this brush are designed to be extra soft to take care of your kid’s gums even when they aren’t as gentle as they should be.
  • Strong Battery Life: This model also features a powerful battery that will last for up to 5 days even if your children use it twice a day for the dentist recommended two minutes.

Oral-B Frozen Kids Electric Rechargeable Power Toothbrush

Oral-B Frozen Kids Electric Rechargeable Power Toothbrush

The final brush that we will be looking at follows closely the pattern we’ve seen from the last 2 by taking advantage of popular children’s characters. In this case, the theme is Frozen. Of course, the film can’t be the only factor that sells you on the brush. Let’s now take a look at the features to determine if this is the one for you.

Key Features:

  • The Decals: The Dory decal is one thing—it certainly might be enough to draw your children’s attention, but it does not hurt that this brush also features 16 unique melodies that will play as your kids brush their teeth. The idea here is that the brush will make brushing fun.
  • Gentle Brushing: The toothbrush head is specially designed to take care of the sensitive gums of your children to help ensure that they don’t injure themselves using the brush.

Philips Sonicare for Kids (HX6321/02 &HX6321/05)

Philips Sonicare for Kids

For babies between 3 – 8 years old, anticavity and the pleasure of brushing will be the main factor in choosing toothbrushes.

This is the first model (technically pair of models) that we will be looking at comes from the always reputable company, Phillips, and both are part of their Sonicare line for kids.

In our previous review, we said the HX6321/02 and HX6321/05 are different mostly only in appearance, with the 05 model featuring decals from the popular film franchise Ice Age. That being the case, we will address their features simultaneously.

Key Features:

  • Sonicare kids App: It is a great innovation for the children’s electric toothbrush! This APP contains a comprehensive coach session; it integrated with KidTimer and KidPacer, tracks the brushing time and brushing areas through the monitoring system. This technology helps make sure that your children pay equal attention to every area of their mouth for a clean that is as thorough as possible and remind them to brush at least 2 minutes each time. It is an excellent way for your children to establish a healthy brushing routine early on, and of course, it will also help them to drastically reduce the risk of cavities.
  • Child-oriented brushing systems: 2 kid-friendly brushing modes – with a soft and careful brushing experience (low mode for younger children and high mode for older kids). In addition, Sonicare offers 2 sizes of brush heads to cover the age of 3-14, a special rubberized head is designed to protect children’s growing teeth and gums.
  • Attractive appealing: Both models feature decals that should be pleasing to your children. The HX6321/02 offers 8 customer stickers and Fans of Ice Age will be particularly taken by the HX6321/05 model, which features character decals from the franchise. Children will like it!

Philips Sonicare for Kids replacement toothbrush heads

Sonicare for Kids Sonic Toothbrush Heads

This Compact Size rechargeable brush head set is designed to be used with the Phillips Sonicare for kids line (ages seven and up—they also feature alternative set options for children three and up).

In order to take advantage of this replacement set, you will need to either already own an appropriate handle, or be intending to get one.

For a set of toothbrush heads, there is a lot to like here. One feature that may catch your eye is the “reminder” feature that is built into every head.

When the bristles start to wear down and lose their effectiveness, the blue bristles fade into white so that you know it is time to replace the brush head (conventional wisdom indicates that you should replace the head every three months).

Since this is a kid oriented brush, the bristles are also designed to be a little bit softer so that your children won’t incur gum injuries as they use an electric toothbrush.

And, of course, the brush head is also optimized for the high powered movement that is typical to the Phillips Sonicare line.

The bristles are able to move at speeds up to 31,000 strokes per minute for a powerful, thorough clean. The brush head is also engineered to direct water and toothpaste between the teeth for more comprehensive protection against germs and bacteria.

If you are already a Phillips Sonicare user, you will eventually need to get this set (or one like it) in the relatively near future. If that is your situation, you can be comfortable in the fact that this is a good, efficient set for your children.

Key Features:

  • Reminder: Your kids almost definitely are not going to think to remind you that it is time to replace the brush head on their toothbrush. And with how busy life can get sometimes, it’s not bad parenting to sometimes have a hard time remembering yourself. The color fading bristle technology that is featured in these heads is going to help ensure that you always know when your kid’s brush heads need swapping out. Keeping the brush head fresh is going to ensure that the handle works as intended, so this feature is nothing to sneeze at.
  • Thorough Clean: The 31,000 rotations per minute that these bristles are capable of are accomplished largely by the handle, but the head is also working hard to ensure that the brushing experience as efficient as possible.

While your kids should still floss their teeth, the engineering of these heads that pushes water and toothpaste between he teeth is going to be great at eliminating as much bacteria as possible.

  • Universal: These heads are going to work with any Phillips Sonicare children’s snap on handle, which means that you won’t need to worry about whether or not you have purchased the right head.

This is a simple feature, of course, but it will eliminate the frustrating and wasteful possibility of buying the wrong set.

Conclusions

Picking out the right brush for your kids can be a game changer when it comes to their oral hygiene regimen. The process can admittedly be a little bit stressful. There are a lot of different models on the market, all with a unique slew of features to consider.

However, in as much as you want your child to be independent when brushing his teeth, you have to accept the fact that they will be clumsy first before they get to know how to go about it. Therefore, the power of the electric toothbrush should just be at the right level so that it can minimize the risk of the child hurting himself.

The good news is that once you find the right brush, the results will be well worth the time you spend doing research. Pick a high-quality electric brush today, to secure your children’s oral health for the future.