My brother-in-law is a dentist, and always stresses the importance of developing good oral hygiene habits in children from early on. So as first time parents, we began practicing good oral hygiene care with our daughter when she was only weeks old, rubbing a soft washcloth over her gums during at each bath.

But the older our daughter gets, the harder it’s becoming to get her to open her mouth to “brush” her teeth. These days, we are often met with a lot of resistance, crying and pursed lips. Enter The Brushies: a storybook and finger puppet toothbrush set that is a great solution for this problem. The Brushies have made tooth-brushing time for our daughter fun again!

The Brushies was created Dr. Hilary Fritsch, an actual dentist who saw first-hand in her practice the struggles children (and their parents) faced in developing good oral care habits. Even her own children would refuse to brush their teeth! She felt that the traditional approach to teaching a child good oral hygiene care could be improved. So she partnered with her friend, Dr. Colleen Crowley, a family therapist with a background in child development, and the two created The Brushies.

The Brushies bring a playful approach to promoting good oral care habits in children. It’s also an interactive way for parents to have fun and bond with their children. The Brushies are made up of four characters, Momo, Pinkey, Chomps and Willa. The sturdy board book, appropriate for children 4 weeks to 4 years old, tells the tale of how each Brushie prevents the Sugar Bugs from wreaking havoc in your child’s mouth. The book also provides useful tips on how to instill good oral care habits in your children from early on. The book is brought to life by the four adorable, brightly colored, bristled finger puppets that are BPA and Phthalate free, non-toxic, and made of 100% food grade silicone. As you read the book to your child, you can incorporate the finger puppets to create an imaginative, interactive, and fun toothbrushing session with your child.

We read the book to our daughter everyday. She loves putting the finger puppet toothbrushes in her mouth while learning how the Brushies get rid of the Sugar Bugs before they harm her teeth. She enjoys the Brushies so much that she has now started putting the finger puppets in our mouths to teach Mommy and Daddy how to brush our teeth!

The Brushies is available as a set including the Storybook and all four finger puppets for $29.95 on Amazon. It makes an excellent gift, and I’d recommend this product to any parent and their child. You can also purchase the book with just one finger puppet, or buy the finger puppets individually. I only wish they also made the book available as a bath-book, because our daughter loves to play with the silicone finger puppets during her bath (then we take all four Brushies with us to her nursery and read the book for bedtime!).

Find The Brushies Book & Finger Brush Set on Amazon for $29.95.