hum kids by Colgate

This app has really stuck with us since Christmas 2022. My son is on the Autism spectrum and he gets really motivated by points, unlocking worlds and reaching goals completing missions. It was so amazing to see him being on top of his brushing morning and night, which on his dentist appointment the dentist notice his good habit !!! We had some frustration along the way by him wanting a perfect score every time he washed his teeth until he finally got the hang of it. We were heart broken to see him lose all his strikes 3 times which he worked so hard one time he lost his 40 day strike bc he didn’t wash at night, which he did but since it was vacation time we went to bed after 12pm and that didn’t count and count it as the next day brushing which he had to start all over 😩. If you are a parent you feel me when you see your kid work so hard for a goal and losses it without being able to do something about it. The 1st time he lost his 40 strikes at school his paraprofessional heard about it all week and he was sad over it. The other 2 times was something familiar movie night or at a friends house and went to bed after 12p and of course lost his night brushing (which he did brush them before going to sleep but for the appt it was not valid). The reason I put 3 stars was bc today the day finally came he reach ALL his missions he completed the 50 day strike and guess what he was expecting a new special world a new level SOMETHING !!! And guess what nothing … we talked about the good of it he created a new great habit and mom and dad where so involved and we will make it up for him by giving him a special day for reaching his mission. Just know this ahead of time!!!

[UPDATE] Since writing my original review, I’ve upgraded my son’s phone. When I first bought my 6 y/o the Hum Kids toothbrush, he was using my old iPhone 6, which was stuck at iOS 12. I’ve since bought him an iPhone 13 mini, and now the Hum Kids app works without any issues. So the problems we experienced at first were due to the resources and older operating system of the phone my child was using. I wish I didn’t have to buy a 6 y/o a fancy new iPhone just for the app to work properly, but with the augmented reality, I get why it needed the resource boost. Anyway, I bumped my review from 3 stars to 5 because the app works perfectly, now that the device he uses is beefy enough to handle it. I have a ton of praise for this app/toothbrush. It turned my 6 year old from a kid who refused to learn to brush by himself into an independent brusher from the very first use. For that, I am grateful. That said, it could use some work. For one, the app fails to load a LOT. It takes some of the fun out of his newfound independence to have to get a parent to help him hard-restart the app each time because the levels page never loads. Secondly, the iPhone stand only works if the phone doesn’t have a case on it. So I’m constantly having to remove the phone from its case to hand to my child so he can brush with it at the correct angle. I really don’t enjoy him having the phone out of its case. Now, he has an iPad with a case that has a kickstand, but the app only works in portrait mode. Why, if the app needs full visibility of his face all the way to the end of the toothbrush, did the app developers not make it rotate into landscape mode?? Lastly, the app needs something like a “rush mode” where it reuses the last played level and skips over the “share your smile” feature. Sometimes we just need to get the kid out the door quickly, and if we don’t use the app, it treats him like he didn’t brush that day. It’s a little demoralizing.

After about 1 1/2 years of struggling with my now-4 year old about brushing teeth twice a day, I stumbled upon this and it’s a total game-changer. It took her about 2 weeks to get the hang of it, but she wants to use her “Neat toothbrush timer” every day now and happily brushes and brushes well. (I spot check after she’s done for now.) My only complaint is that I wish there was a confirmation button in the store before buying things. My child keeps getting excited to buy something big, saving up, and then accidentally hitting the wrong button and buying something else. So an “Are you sure you want to buy this?” button would be awesome. Thanks!