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Boston, MA, 02131
United States
(617) 390-4076
Invent Boston designs and develops original products to add science + whimsy to every day tasks at home. Our first product is a Two Minute timer, Two Minute Turtle, a visual timer. The Two Minute Turtle helps children and adults focus on two minute tasks such as brushing teeth, physical therapy, taking a shower and speaking (practicing a presentation or learning a language).
Invent Boston™ blog offers tips and stories by parents, for parents of children ages 4-12 to make toothbrushing and other healthy habits at home, more fun. We write about simple tactics to help kids do what they like to do-touch, seeing, play games and strive for independence. We recommend products to help stay healthy while being kids. We share stories to transform daily healthy habits from something kids resist (for example, toothbrushing, handwashing, toilet training, organizing, taking time-out or pausing, yoga, and taking turns) into something children are motivated to do independently, without parents’ reminders. The original physical product Invent Boston has designed for families is the new light-up Two Minute Turtle Timer, an analog, interval toothbrush timer to make brushing teeth fun for kids. Kids like to press the button, follow the flippers and brush until all the lights blink—the Victory Lap signals to brush the tongue.
Filtering by Category: two minute timer
When do you begin to brush a child’s teeth? How do you brush a child’s teeth? As soon as the teeth emerge, they can decay. Begin then to wipe the teeth with a cloth or finger tip brush. Start getting children comfortable with having their teeth wiped, cleaned every day.
Read MoreI had so many questions as a new mother—from how to keep my baby comfortable while feeding, to how to put her to sleep. Last on my mind was her oral health, since she didn’t have any teeth!
Then her first solid foods were vegetables and not sweets. We brought her to her first dentist appointment when she was four years old, but we may have waited too long. The dentist told us she had 7 cavities!
What did we miss with her oral health, already by the age of 4?
What are the most important things for early oral health?
I’ve since spent time with professionals in the oral care community. Here’s what matters most for kids:
1) Brush teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste as soon as they are able to spit it out.
2) Get sealants. Maybe you already know about them. If so, good! Sealants are so effective at cavity prevention that most insurances cover them completely. 50% of kids get medical insurance from CHIP and medicare. But only 30% of of these kids who do go to the dentist get sealants. Why aren’t dentists automatically giving sealants when they are such a help preventing cavities? There is no downside to them.
3) If your child does not drink fluoridated water, then ask for a regular fluoride treatment at the dentist once a year.
Next, I’ll be publishing 10 lessons on Caring for Kids Oral Health so you can learn from our mistakes. Here’s to healthy teeth, beautiful smiles, and relieved parents!
A new analog timer, sticks to the mirror and helps kids wash hands for the full 20 seconds. The Turtle Timer was designed to help visual thinkers to focus on healthy tasks like handwashing and toothbrushing so they could be independent. The Two Minute Turtle Timer is available for sale on Amazon.com, Etsy.com and at http://www.inventboston.com
Read MoreWith more data showing young kids do better without the phone. With more people using fit bits and tracking their daily healthy habits and with parents working so much we need simple solutions to teaching kids to brush their teeth well, the Two Minute Turtle Timer, made by busy working parents of a 4 year old with 7 cavities, is finally here!
Read MoreTwo Minute Turtle Timers are for the curious ones. Do you know someone who may be interested in toothbrushing in a new way? With the Two Minute Turtle Timer?
Read MoreKeep up healthy habits this Summer vacation. Bring the Two Minute Turtle with you on your trip!
Read MoreSlow and steady wins the race. Two Minute Turtle helps you slow down and get the job done.
Read MoreYou decide what’s best in a visual timer. Answer a 3 question survey to help design it.
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Forming healthy habits is not easy but 2 minutes is-we can do anything for 2 minutes! Use the Two Minute Turtle to take 2 minutes to start a new habit. What new habit will you choose? Two minutes-you can do that! Get your today. Choose the color, press the button, let the turtle guide you. Go slow, steady...win.
Preparing for a brief Two Minutes takes hours of practice
How can the Two Minute Turtle help you to speak?
1) Practicing for a pitch or presentation. Often 2 minutes is enough. Visual cues at each quarter of the talk, helps pace the talk.
2) Facilitating meetings. A visual timer helps the facilitator stick to an agenda while allowing participation. The Two Minute Turtle timer neutralizes the cut-off too so it's not a person but the Turtle telling when it's time.
3) Learning a new language. Try talking straight for 2 minutes in that language with someone.
Why use a Two Minute Turtle when you have a phone or a clock to keep time?
1) It's colors work well for visual learners.
2) It's quick and easy -just a press of a button, no downloading or setting times.
3) It's fun-engaging and playful with the quiet countdown.
4) It works--people respond to the quarterly visual cues and no one has to be the "bad guy" reminding someone their time is up.
Breaking the 2 minutes into 4 even parts helps a speaker to pace herself. The Two Minute Turtle timer takes the responsibility off of the instructor or facilitator and gives it to the participants-each one is using and following the same colorful lights. Bring a Two Minute Turtle timer to your next meeting or classroom or pitch to help you pace yourself and engage the group.
Which Toothbrush Timer is best for your family? We tested many for our family and in response, after too many cavities, we created a toothbrush timer that works for our family and hundreds of others.
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