Parents are turning one of the most frustrating parts of bedtime into something their kids actually ask to do—and the idea is surprisingly simple. If getting your child to brush their teeth before bed sometimes feels like pulling teeth, you’re definitely not alone. But some parents are approaching the problem from a completely different direction. Instead of trying to make kids better at following the routine, they’re making the routine feel like something kids already love doing.
Kids love to build. Give them pieces they can stack, twist, swap, rearrange and make their own, and suddenly you’ve got their attention. So what happens when you take that same instinct and put it somewhere completely unexpected: Their bedtime routine. Instead of simply handing a child another thing they’re supposed to use, the idea is to let them take part in creating it first. And that’s where things get interesting.
There’s a big difference between: “Go brush your teeth.” and: “How do you want to build yours tonight?” When kids can choose their favorite pieces, put them together and change the design themselves, the routine starts with a decision they’re making—not another instruction they’re being given. The hands-on assembly also gives kids another opportunity to use the small twisting, placing and manipulating movements associated with fine-motor practice. But the cleverest part isn’t really the building. It’s what happens after they’re finished.
Dr. Zach and Dr. Dante are both dads and pediatric dentists. They knew firsthand that getting children excited about brushing isn’t always as simple as telling them why it’s important. So they flipped the problem around. What if the thing waiting beside the sink wasn’t exactly the same every night? What if kids could choose the pieces, put it together themselves and create a different combination whenever they wanted? Think build-it-yourself creativity… brought into the bathroom. Which brings us to the part we haven’t shown you yet.
It’s called Build-A-Brush by Babsy. Instead of a traditional one-piece kids toothbrush, Build-A-Brush uses a spiral core, interchangeable decorative pieces and a brush head that children can twist together to create their own custom brush. They can mix the pieces. Swap them around. Build a favorite combination. Then actually brush with what they just created. So the little pieces you’ve been looking at aren’t another toy that ends up on the floor. They become part of the toothbrush. And that’s the simple idea behind the whole thing: Don’t just tell kids it’s time to brush. Give them something they’re excited to build first.