Go Bananas! (Tesco Kids Banana Milkshake Toothpaste)

Member Name: mummy2harry

Product:	Tesco Kids Banana Milkshake Toothpaste
Date:	18/09/08 (308 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Nice taste and smell, cheap, encourages teeth brushing

Disadvantages: Screw cap

Harry has never really been keen on brushing his teeth, but at the moment it seems a constant struggle for us to get his mouth open to even get the toothbrush in! I've tried many different toothpastes to get him to like brushing his teeth but nothing seemed to work. But I went to Tesco last weekend and saw this new Kids toothpaste in 'Banana milkshake' flavour for a bargain price and knowing how much Harry loves all things banana, I figured it was worth a try!

As I mentioned, the flavour of the toothpaste is 'Banana Milkshake' and is a toothpaste aimed at young children. The tube doesn't state an age range which I think is a bit silly as there is no guidance for parents so I would therefore guess it would be suitable for all age groups. It comes in a bright yellow tube with a picture of a smiling banana on the front. The bright tube attracted Harry's attention and I guess that's the idea of the product. It definitely is child-friendly and its a good choice by Tesco.

The tube claims that it is a stripey toothpaste, but I didn't get to see this until I opened the tube. It has a screw cap which is a bit annoying because Harry's usual Colgate Smiles paste has a flip lid which is quick and easy to use, unlike this which you have to screw up tightly to make sure little hands don't open it and sit and eat the lot, and also I have dropped the cap a few times when trying to get Harry to stay still and open the paste tube. There was a small foil piece over the opening but this peeled off easily when I wanted to use it.

The first thing I noticed was the strong smell of banana as soon as I opened the toothpaste! You definitely couldn't mistake the smell, it was strong and very banana-ry! Upon sniffing further, it smells exactly the same as banana Nesquik, very yummy! The toothpaste is indeed stripey, one layer is a clear yellow colour and the other is a cloudy yellow colour and the two are mixed throughout, and looks nice and colourful when squeezed onto a brush.

Obviously I can't review the toothpaste without giving it a try for myself so I'm sitting here with the tube next to me and having a bit of a taste for myself! When I tasted it, the first thing that comes to mind is those banana foam shapes that you get in pick n mix sweeties, its identical to that! It has a nice texture which spreads easily across your childs teeth when you are brushing them. After a few minutes, the taste of banana is still in my mouth but not too strongly, just enough to feel like its presence is still there, and that I've cleaned my mouth properly.

Harry seems very happy with this toothpaste, and we don't seem to have struggled so much with getting him to brush his teeth for the few days we've been using this. He too thinks it tastes of banana as I always ask what it tastes of and he shouts "bananas mummy!" which is quite good, as if he didn't know, he wouldn't tell me! His teeth do look nice and clean afterwards, no stains are visible and his mouth is in a good, healthy condition, so I am very pleased with how this toothpaste has improved Harry's dental regime and seems to make him like doing his teeth!

I paid 68 pence for the 75ml tube of tootpaste from Tesco which I think is excellent value as I usually pay over £1 for my usual tube of Colgate Smiles. This toothpaste has been approved by the British Dental Health Foundation, so that is reassuring for us parents, and makes me happy in using it. It can be found in the dental aisle of Tesco stores, and is also available to buy online from www.tesco.com through their grocery shopping service.

Safety guidelines on the tube state that under 7's should use a pea-sized amount and if you are using fluoride supplements, you should consult your doctor before using this toothpaste. Also you should minimise swallowing of the paste, although try telling a 2 year old not to swallow whats in his mouth lol!

Thank you for reading.

Summary: A great kids toothpaste