teeth

Upcycled Toys Idea: DIY Dinosaur Toothbrush

April 12, 2016 by Danielle

Earth day is right around the corner and, like every day, we love finding new ways to repurpose and reuse old things around the house in an effort to reduce the waste we send to the landfills. This DIY Dinosaur Toothbrush, brought to you by our sponsor Toms of Maine, is the perfect way to upcycle old toys AND get the kids excited about brushing their teeth. Win-win!

*No real dinosaurs were harmed in the making of this project*

I’m pretty lucky. After dinner is over my husband completely takes over with the older kids while I put the baby to bed. He makes sure the homework is done, takes care of the bedtime routine, and then lays with them for a bit before they go to sleep. But I was noticing a little more struggle over the past few weeks with getting the kids to do one thing… brush their teeth!

So when I was purging the kids toys, I saved a few for an idea I had to spark some excitement back in their routine. And since it’s so close to Earth Day I figured it’d be the perfect time to recycle and reuse some of the items I was getting rid of. I grabbed some of the dinos from the giveaway pile (don’t worry… my son still has PLENTY of dinosaurs in his collection) and here’s what I came up with! Now the kids love playing while they make their dinos brush their teeth and we’ve helped create less waste.

DIY Dinosaur Toothbrush

What you’ll need:

Plastic T-Rex or Brachiosaurus dinosaurs
x-acto knife or other craft knife
Tom’s of Maine kids toothbrush

What you do:

1. Make sure the dinosaur you choose has a body that’s around the same size of the toothbrush handle.

2. Then grab the x-acto knife and cut off the dinosaur’s head. Try and trim/even up the cut on the top of the body.

3. Stick the toothbrush into the hole and angle it to fit into the body cavity.

There are so many ways you can repurpose the toys in your home! Find some other great ideas of toy repurposing on my Upcycled Toys pinterest board.

With more than 250 million tons of waste generated every year in the United States,¹Tom’s of Maine, is teaming up with recycling leader, TerraCycle, to decrease the amount of trash ending up in landfills by launching the #LessWasteChallenge pledge. The pledge is meant to inspire families to reduce their household waste by one pound per week. You can join Tom’s of Maine by taking the simple pledge with just one click at www.tomsofmaine.com/lesswaste.

In Maine, the company is working to get to zero waste by 2020. Learn more in the Goodness Report here. Find ways you can help out by following the #LessWasteChallenge and taking the pledge! Then share how you’re making less waste by sharing on social media and using the hashtag!

Looking for more ways to product less waste? Check out these awesome videos:

How have you upcycled toys?

¹ Environmental Protection Agency. (2016). Municipal Solid Waste. Retrieved from http://www3.epa.gov/epawaste/nonhaz/municipal.

Find more great upcycled projects right here!

Upcycled Herb Garden

Upcycled Coke Bottle Vase

Upcycled Sock Rice Pack

Upcycled Milk Carton Bird Feeder

Top 5 Questions To Ask the Orthodontist on the First Visit

October 6, 2015 by Danielle

My baby is growing up. And that means starting to do big kid things like visit an orthodontist for the first time. This post sharing our questions to ask the orthodontist on the first visit is sponsored by WildSmiles Braces.

My oldest is quickly approaching age 7 and I do not know where these years have gone. From watching him get his first tooth, to just recently losing his fourth, and everything in between there’s one thing that doesn’t change. That amazing, radiant, toothy smile. It’s something I get to see everyday and I am so blessed for it. And he’s losing teeth left and right now – two more are becoming more loose only shortly after he lost his fourth (and first front) tooth.

We started taking him to the dentist at age 18 months. He had most of his baby teeth come in by then and they all seemed to have come in correctly so we weren’t too worried. Just like anything that has to do with our children, the perfect time to see the dentist ranges from 6 months after the first tooth appears to after 1 years old. And some people wait until later then that. Now that we’re pass that stage and focused on how his adult teeth are coming in, one thing is clear. His obsession with his thumb will mean heading to an orthodontist sooner rather than later.

And as I recently found out, age seven is an excellent time to have your child evaluated for the first time by an orthodontist. This is the age when the first permanent molars and the incisors should have come in properly. And at the rate my son is going with losing his teeth, he’ll probably be ahead of the game once he reaches his 7th birthday. But why go to an orthodontist?

Orthodontists are braces specialists that do not treat regular dental patients. They receive 2-3 years of specialty training after completing dental school and have a more efficient system to produce excellent results. This makes the braces treatment cost lower, especially if you consider the shorter time in the office. Orthodontists often offer affordable payment plans. Plus the cost of braces varies little these days from community to community so one of the important factors is to find an orthodontist you feel comfortable with.

Early evaluation allows for proper diagnosis and treatment, if necessary, of possible risk factors. Orthodontists can determine if there are any problems that may develop in the future, giving the parent and doctor an opportunity to plan future treatment. The American Association of orthodontists recommends age seven for the first orthodontic consult. So we’re planning for our first visit early next year. And that means research. Making sure we’re going to the best orthodontist for our family and we know what to prepare for and ask at that first visit.