Nigh-Night with Penny and Jack n Jill Natural Toothpastes

When Adam gets home from work Penny always runs to the front door with open arms screaming (in a way that only a little girl can) "daa-deeeeeeeeeee! daa-deeeeee!"

He swoops her up in his arms and they go upstairs so that he can change out of his work clothes and usually change her diaper too. I hear them chatter on the monitor that I keep in the kitchen as I take this parenting swap as my chance to get dinner done in peace. He asks her about all the different animals, she brings out her favorite toy of the day and usually will play a quick game of hide and seek behind his hanging shirts in the closet.

They come down and if I'm on my game, dinner is ready. If not, he sits down in the living room and she will bring him book after book to read. Once dinner is ready, we sit down, say our special grace and eat.

Since starting our renovation our after work routine has been a turned on its head a little, but we're powering through for the next couple weeks to get this major push done and hopefully soon we'll readjust for a new routine in this house.

But the nigh-night routine usually stays the same. Around 7:15, Adam asks Penny if she's ready for "nigh-night," and she almost always responds with a very enthusiastic and vehement "nigh-night!" We always laugh - I'm pretty sure there is no other kid on this planet who is as excited about nigh-night. It's probably because it's the longest nursing session of the day and we really enjoy our snuggle time together for the last time in the day.

However, since Penny finally got her 4th molar in, it's been on my mind that we need to start a tooth brushing routine. I know some parents start it earlier, and we had tried a few months ago, but it was met with too much push back. We didn't even use toothpaste, just a wet toddler toothbrush. But the time seems right, so I contacted Jack N' Jill Natural Toothpaste for kids.

Jack n Jill Natural Toothpaste is an Australian based company that started making their product in 1949. They make the commitment to using organic calendula (a natural healing and anti-inflammatory property), organic flavors, is SLS, fluoride and preservative free. Their ingredients list only contains ingredients that parents can recognize.

I got the chance (well, I should say that Penny did) to review two of their toothpaste flavors, the tooth and gum brush and a toothbrush that I hope will change the world - their compostable, biodegradeable toothbrush that is made of non-gmo cornstarch. I am really hoping that the US will soon follow the EU, Australia and Japan in their GMO restrictions.

Let me start by saying this - the seriously delicious flavor of these toothpastes somewhat throws a wrench into the seriousness that is dental hygiene. After all, isn't brushing your teeth supposed to be boring and not an entirely pleasurable experience? Thanks to the great flavor of these toothpastes, Penny is super excited about mama brushing her teeth for her and it takes all the hard work of pinning your toddler down to get their little pearlies all clean. Gosh! ;)

All silliness aside, making her toothpaste taste like real food that she eats (instead of sugary bubblegum or whatever else flavors they make for kids now) is in total line with how I am raising my daughter to approach food. Food (and everything we ingest, really) should be real, taste real, not be full of fake chemicals or run the risk of nasty side effects or possible health issues down the road. It's really tough finding products that can fit the entire bill, be sourceable and affordable. But for Penny's toothpaste - I'm all set. Thanks Jack N' Jill!

Another thing you should be aware of is how Jack N' Jill toothpastes measure up on the Environmental Working Group (EWG's) scale (you may be familiar with their annual report on sunscreens). All of them score a ZERO on the scale. That's the best you can get.

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Disclosure: Thank you Jack N' Jill for providing me with products to review and facilitate this post. All opinions and words expressed are my own. (And just because I have to cover myself, - These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Please contact your medical professional with any concerns.)