Having got sick of battles at bedtime and constant complaints from my oldest son that he doesn't like his toothpaste because it was too minty, too fruity or too fizzy (!), I set out on a mission to find a toothpaste that he'd actually agree to use!

Whilst all parents want to find a toothpaste that's going to keep the kids' teeth pearly white, it's no use if they won't actually get in on their brush! Luckily, I did find a particular variety in Boots that I thought would catch his attention.

I saw a variety of the Colgate Smiles children's toothpaste range with Shrek pictures on it. It's one of the Higher Fluoride varieties so recommended for children aged 6 years and over, as their adult teeth start to come in and they need extra flouride.

I'm not a dentist so I'm not going to bore you with a description of how important flouride is for kids' teeth. (You probably know as much as me, unless you're a dentist in which case I hope you know a great deal more!) I won't go into any details about Colgate either. Everybody knows it's a reputable brand so I felt reassured that this particular toothpaste was part of the Colgate brand, even if it was the cute Shrek pictures that caught my eye!

Anyway - the crucial point is whether my son could be persuaded to actually clean his teeth with the stuff - after I'd parted with 99p for a 50ml tube at Boots. Success!! He loved it! The Shrek picture got him interested and then we all had a surprise when he actually squeezed it onto his toothbrush....The toothpaste has tiny perfect little stars within it!

I was totally surprised as it wasn't clear from the packaging that the toothpaste was anything out of the ordinary. I had to scrutinise the small-print on the back of the tube to read "cool mint taste with star-shaped mint strips."

It's certainly the most novel kids' toothpaste that I've ever come across. My son's verdict? He loves the taste. (Not too minty or too strong. It's just right!) The best bit was when my son's face lit up when he saw the tiny little stars in his toothpaste and he said "It's star-kly!!" Now that's a word that should definitely be in the dictionary!

He now brushes his teeth morning and night without the constant nagging! Success!