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128 Birch Street
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.
The Two Minute Challenge. Two Minutes is short enough so we will actually do it, every day. And it’s long enough so it adds up-2 minutes matters. Give yourself the 2 minute challenge to start a new healthy habit you’ve always wanted to add to your day. You can do this! Read a few tips for making your new healthy routine a reality.
Read MoreAs a senior, I’m comfortable with my traditional toothbrushes and not inclined to invest in an electric toothbrush and learn how to use it, even if it has a brushing timer. My little 2-minute turtle is so handy, always affixed to my bathroom mirror, reminding me to brush twice a day for 2-minute sessions.
Read More“I love my Two Minute Turtle™ Timer”
Everyone has to brush their teeth but the Two Minute Turtle Timer is not for everyone. This 2 minute toothbrush timer is a good fit for many people for teeth brushing especially those who like to play! The following types of people, including the boy in this photo, are a good fit for toothbrushing with the Two Minute Turtle Timer:
Visual thinkers
Those who like structure
Kids who can make a game out of anything
People who want to do a thorough job
People who would rather not watch a screen while brushing teeth in the bathroom
Anyone between the ages 2-92
Kids who splash
People who like things quiet—no noise here
People who are on the spectrum or have ADHD
Kids Take Charge!
Make toothbrushing a game!
Do you know someone who likes to play games? Or someone who likes a little structure? Or someone who likes independence with their tasks or is a visual thinker? Maybe the Two Minute Turtle Timer will help someone you know to make brushing teeth more fun and know they did a job well done! (I love to make a rhyme when I have the time!)
How can oral health boost our immune system? Learn how simple habits like brushing teeth well can be our first defense and help fend off disease.
Read MoreHow to care for your child’s teeth? Delta Dental has the experts to help us care for our children’s oral health.
Read MoreEvery new habit starts with 2 minutes. Recently I decided to take 2 minutes to sketch in the morning. I always love the idea of sketching but needed a way to turn my desire into action. I decided it best to just go and leave each time while I still want more.
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The Two Minute Turtle Timer is a St. Patrick’s Day gift you and your child will love. The Toothbrushing Turtle Timer turns the daily chore of toothbrushing into a playful game. What’s more whimsical than a blinking, interval turtle timer? And when you go to the dentist you’ll feel very lucky!
How could this be a gift for you too? When you no longer need to remind your child to brush their teeth or stay in the bathroom brushing for 2 minutes, this is a gift for parents, indeed! Take it from us. We learned that when kids have their own Turtle Timer, toothbrushing becomes the kids’ own game, their project and they enjoy taking charge of brushing. They like to, then, brush their whole mouths, thoroughly for 2 minutes! Luck indeed favors the prepared!
Shop the new Two Minute Turtle Timer online and in stores. Etsy, www.inventboston.com , Uncommongoods.com and In Boston at Birch Street House and Garden
Teach Kids Patience, Naturally
Good news, Parents! You and the Two-Minute Turtle Timer can show your kids that many good things come only with patience, to those who wait. YOU know the importance of patiently following healthy routines that prevent future problems from occurring. Tooth-brushing for two minutes twice a day, which all dentists recommend, is that sort of routine. We know—prevention is a hard goal to appreciate! If you achieve it, nothing happens! And brushing a whole two minutes every time can seem like an eternity to a kid. The Turtle Timer brings fun to the habit of brushing the right way!
The Turtle Timer gives kids something to focus on and follow, making two minutes manageable and even enjoyable. It breaks the task into four even parts—a flipper blinks for each corner of the mouth. Kids focus on the lights and brush in sequence. They like to start by guessing which flipper will blink first, which second, which third. The treat of watching all of the lights blink together is the reward for brushing for two minutes. Kids like to know they’ve done a thorough job. They want to succeed and feel pride in a job well done. The Turtle Timer gives kids the gift of patience—waiting and succeeding, every day! In time, they’ll appreciate its other gift, of course—cavity-prevention!!
What is key to help 4 year olds to learn to brush their teeth? Learn from the mistakes of others—we learned how to match what kids want and need with what we could make. Now kids can take charge-as they like—and focus and enjoy brushing their teeth, twice a day for 2 minutes. The secrets behind the Two Minute Turtle Timer and why it works to get kids to want to brush teeth.
Read MoreAre you raising siblings? Do you remember what it was like when you were a child at bedtime and brushing teeth? Did you brush with your sibling? Working in a small space — a bathroom, at bedtime — takes cooperation! I brushed my teeth alone but my kids brush together.
When siblings are at their best, they, we, share and because we know each other so well we can lift each other up in ways that takes more time for friends to figure out. But being a cooperative sibling takes practice!
The Two Minute Turtle Timer is one way to help siblings practice cooperating with each other. How to boost sibling bonds with a toothbrushing timer, the Two Minute Turtle Timer? Here are 2 ways:
Synchronized toothbrushing! Some children like to race each other (not realizing they are using the same lights and time). Each child does like to press the start button. Take turns each time.
Siblings share their Two Minute Turtle Timer but brush at different times. They share the experience (and good brushing habits) but on their own time.
They each get to keep their Two Minute Turtle Timer where and how they like it. Sometimes kids like to hold onto the Turtle Timer. With their own Turtle Timer, they can do as they like!
How would the Two Minute Turtle Timer help your siblings with their bedtime or morning brushing teeth routine? I hope you give it a try. I promise you-your satisfaction is guaranteed!
Dr. McLaughlin is a family dentist. His dad is a beloved community member and dentist. They know about dentistry! And they know a helpful tool when they see one. They like the Two Minute Turtle Timer.
Read MoreThere are timers that are fun. And timers that are fancy. But the bottom line is: Does the timer work? Does it get kids to focus? Does it get results? And the answer for is….Yes! The Two Minute Turtle Timer helps prevent cavities!
So, if you are looking for a toothbrushing timer that kids will use reliably and does not add another screen to the bathroom at bedtime, look no further. The Two Minute Turtle Timer is designed for you, by parents who were fed up. Our kids had spent too many hours and too many dollars on the dentists! Until the Turtle Timer!
Make brushing fun and effective with your own Turtle Timer today!
During this pandemic one piece of good news is many of us have more time to take care of our daily healthy habits, like toothbrushing. And that’s all the more important when dentists are only just opening up. How are your teeth feeling? Have you been to the dentist yet? I went.
Are you taking the 2 minutes to brush each time you brush? We can do this. It is important now more than ever to brush well because brushing teeth, keeping cavities away, helps to keep our immune system strong. A healthy mouth is one way to maintain a healthy immune system—keeping bad bacteria from growing in the mouth.
I still like that feeling of having my teeth cleaned and then to hear “no cavities”. What a relief! I did got to the dentist since Corona and I got that good news, “no cavities!”. I say it’s partly thanks to my Two Minute Turtle Timer I use every time I brush. Now you’re never too old to enjoy a new, useful timer. Get yourself or your parents the gift of a healthy mouth.
The Two Minute Turtle Timer is on sale on our website, and Etsy and Amazon.
Shop on InventBoston.com to get the last of these homemade adorable, 5-star gettin, Two Minute Turtle Timers.
Read MoreThroughout the day there are plenty of times that are right for your Turtle Timer.
Wake up today and take 2 minutes to be grateful
Brush teeth with your 2 Minute Turtle Timer
Start the day with 2 minute stretches with Turtle Timer
Take a 2 minute break to pause from emails or take a break in a job
Take a 2 minute break to brew the coffee with Turtle Timer
Play a game and take turns with Turtle Timer, 2 minutes each!
Brush teeth before bedtime with your Turtle Timer
Take 2 minutes to recall your day
Good night!
Are there other ways you use your Two Minute Turtle Timer? Share your uses with us
Getting good dental care for children is expensive. There are ways to make dental care more affordable. How can you get affordable dental care? These new apps help reduce the price of dentists: Bento and Chewsi.
Read MoreWhy is oral health so important for kids? It’s worth reminding ourselves why there’s so much fuss about our teeth. Healthy teeth give our beautiful children gorgeous smiles. Healthy teeth help them get nourished by thoroughly chewing their food. Healthy teeth do not cause pain. Imagine a child managing rotten teeth or a steady toothache! Kids with a constant toothache cannot eat properly and have trouble paying attention. And yet, 1 in 10 disadvantaged children are in pain because of toothaches. Did you know the most common reason children miss going to school is tooth problems?! As I write kids are in a rare place, having school from home because of the Corona Virus Pandemic.
Singing about Brushing
Kids like to move, touch,follow-the Turtle Timer is tactile!
Taking Care of Teeth so Our Whole Community Will Smile
Cavities are completely preventable but they are still so common in America, not to mention the rest of the world:
18% of American children ages 2-5 have them.
45% of American kids ages 6-11 have cavities.
25% of all American adults have tooth decay.
Healthy teeth even have an impact on our economic prospects. Try to get a job without a good smile. I’ve heard that at least one restaurant forbids people missing their front teeth to work with the customers.
Oral health is connected to overall health. In early childhood, kids establish healthy habits they will have for the rest of their lives. Teenagers benefit from well-ingrained habits since they tend to neglect their health, eat more junk food, and may be less open to advice (written by a mom of 2 teenagers). A well established routine at age 5 will keep on giving. 25% of people in the US walk around with untreated decay. Cavities, left untreated for too long, will get worse and then be more difficult to treat.
Make brushing fun and establish a strong brushing habit. Here’s to staying healthy with continuing good dental hygiene!
Give Kids
healthy habits and smiles
How to make the most of our dentist appointments? Ask questions. Ask dentists to explain what they are doing and why. In the end it’s our children’s teeth or our own and we’re responsible for caring for our teeth. Read about the current state of dentistry in the Atlantic if you need more reasons why to be proactive asking questions.
Read MoreWhen the child gets her first molars, ask the dentist about sealants. Maybe you already know about them. If so, good! I wish we had heard about sealants. Sealants get applied by dentists to cover the child’s teeth, like a rain coat, to keep food from getting stuck in the deep natural crevices of young, groovy teeth. Sealants get applied by the hygienist the time when a child’s molars come in, around age 6. And sealants get applied again when the 2nd set of molars come in, at around age 12.
Just do it. Get Sealants for Your Children’s Teeth. Sealants are so effective at cavity-prevention that most dental insurances in America cover 100% of the expense, including CHIP and Medicaid. For most children between ages 3 and 13 sealants are a smart option. School-age children without sealants have almost 3 times more cavities than children with sealants. It’s worth noting that, even when insurance covers 100% of the cost of the sealant and kids benefit from them, just 30% of children who see the dentist get sealants.
This is a reminder that oral health requires parents’ attention, asking questions and staying involved. The evidence that sealants prevent tooth decay is overwhelming.
what works?
Sealants and Two Minute Turtle Timer
Not all cavities need filling. In fact, at their earliest stages, cavities can be stopped so they don’t advance beyond the outer layer of the tooth Cavities on our teeth may actually “remineralize”, disappear on their own, with good oral care. The first layer to wear away is the enamel. It can take 4 years from the first lesion til the cavity progresses to the next layer of the tooth and needs to be filled.
How to stop a cavity? Be a Cavity Cop--and arrest it! When a child brushes twice a day with fluoride, for 2 minutes, and is not high risk on the risk assessment, the cavity may never progress. So when a dentist “keeps an eye on the cavity for the next few visits”, this is another key time to be diligent toothbrushers and flouride -rinse users and to avoid sugary foods. Sometimes waiting is best.
For more great reading on this hopeful topic of oral health care go to the new oral health report:
http://www.dentaquest.com/pdfs/reports/reversible-decay.pdf/
Sometimes being passive -waiting and watching -really is the best policy. Take a lesson from adorable sheep.
What to ask your child’s dentist? How to manage your child’s oral health? Did you know that cavities are reversible? A key to dental health is always brushing twice a day, your whole mouth, for 2 minutes.
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