The Family that Flosses Together…

This post is sponsored by the LISTERINE® BRAND family of products. My family uses and loves these products, so all opinions represented are our own.

With five sons, I have to pick my battles. There’s a daily in and out of whether they do indeed have to pick up after themselves (yes), whether they have to do what their brother told them to do (that depends), whether they can have thirds at dinner (of course), whether they can walk the dog (well, sure), whether they can smear petroleum jelly on all the doorknobs in the house (that’s a firm no), whether they can jump from the porch blindfolded (um, again, no), and on and on and on. There is also always the nightly attempt to sneak to bed without brushing or flossing. Heck to the no, kids!

As the gatekeeper in my house, I am unwavering in my staunch insistence that these guys build the habit of oral health. This is a hill I’m willing to die on because so much of our overall health depends on the health of the mouth. Brushing alone doesn’t cut it for a multitude of reasons. First of all, these little guys seem to think that a quick swipe of the teeth is enough to call it done. Thankfully, we have the LISTERINE® BRAND family of products to make the twice daily focus on keeping all the teeth God gave us more fun.

Morning and evening are a lot less stressful when I have an easy-to-follow three-step routine for the kids.

1. Brush those teeth.
2. Floss with LISTERINE® COOL MINT FLOSS. This is non-negotiable to dislodge any food hiding in there!
3. Rinse thoroughly with (for the little kids) LISTERINE® SMART RINSE or (for the adults and teens) LISTERINE® NATURALS Herbal Mint Antiseptic Mouthwash to get any hard-to-reach areas that were missed by the brush and the floss.

You don’t need a lot of bells and whistles to make this happen, but I do have a few tips to keep your whole family on track with the routine!

• Keep at least 1 extra toothbrush around for each person in the family. That way, if -for instance- someone brushes their hair with someone else’s toothbrush or accidentally drops their toothbrush into the toilet, you have a back-up.
• Keep extra LISTERINE® COOL MINT FLOSS on hand because you never know when someone might empty out your roll of floss to dangle a stuffed animal from the second floor landing.
• Keep hourglass (or sand) timers in the bathroom. Unlike a clock, whose hands can be manipulated, these little sand timers are incapable of being hurried along. For safety’s sake, make sure they’re plastic and not glass, just in case a rousing game of throw-the-timer breaks out in the attempt to make the sand move through the hourglass more quickly.
• Keep it lighthearted! It’s so much easier to motivate people with laughter than a heavy hand! When you congregate and participate in the routine together, it becomes a fun part of the day.

One last pro-tip for those of you who -like me- eat on the fly frequently. Do yourself a favour and keep one or two packages of LISTERINE® POCKETPACKS breath strips in your purse, laptop case, or pocket. They’re tiny little things that fit anywhere and can make all the difference in the world between being able to chat confidently or being uncomfortable after eating a spicy or flavourful meal.

What are some of the Heroic Habits you practice to keep your family healthy?

 

Healthy habits start with good oral care. That’s why my family and I use LISTERINE® as a part of our routine! Share your healthy habits below, and you could win $1,000! See Official Rules for details.

“This post is sponsored by LISTERINE® Brand. Regardless, I only
recommend products or services I use and believe will be good for
my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal
Trade Commissions guidelines concerning the use of endorsements
and testimonials in advertising.”