Toothbrush identifier maybe?

[mckenzie]

My two DCs (or rather just DS but I do feel like I'm blaming him for everything at the moment) get mixed up with whose toothbrush is whose. I've tried different colours, different styles, different pots to stand them in. Nothing works, DS just grabs the one closest to him.
I though I might see if I could find some sort of identifier that goes on the handle and see if that helps.
Anyone seen anything or got any other ideas?
Many thanks in advance.

When mines were small I bought them ones with cartoon characters on the handle, now we just used coloured ones, either that or hide them and give them to them at teeth brushing time

Or you could write there names on a bit paper and Sellotape them to the handle

Take them to the shop and let them buy their own toothbrush. Make a big deal out of it, getting the toothbrush to say how happy it is with its new owner and make your ds realise that it's something that's HIS and belongs to him. Then supervise toothbrushing making sure you let ds know how happy his new toothbrush is when he uses it.

I love that you all must think my DS is young! I don't blame you at all but he's 12!!
So cartoon character handles etc won't work but just something really in your face that I can put on the usual brushes that will make he think twice. I only buy the cheaper ones for DS as he chews them more than brushes, little bugger that he is, so has a new one more often than is usual.
DD is too old for gimmicks too really. She hates it when DS uses her brush, understandably. We've tried the pink and blue option but that fails every time.

Could you write either their initials or names on the handle with a sharpie/permanent marker?

You can get holders that attach to the mirror/tile by suction, they hold the toothbrush but also act as a cover and you can have different styles, eg a face, a cat etc. I tried to find a link as I can't remember where you can get them and just found these on Amazon and another on the Urban Outfitters US site, however I know you can get them elsewhere. I think eBay has quite a few sellers who have them listed fairly cheaply. Perhaps it would help as it's not as simple as just picking it up, you have to take it out of its cover deliberately?

I am not sure you will stop him from grabbing the nearest one whatever you do.
What about your daughter keeping her toothbrush in her bedroom in a pretty mug or glass? That way her brother can't use it

Like starfish, I would let your dd keep hers in her bedroom. I know she shouldn't have to but it seems like you have tried lots of different ways.

I keep mine in my bedroom as it's electric and that's where the plug is. It works for me.

Mine have a plastic pot which has their name on it, each pot has their toothbrush in (electric,) a timer, and their own tube of toothpaste. My children are 10 and 7 and this has worked well for a year.

As they have electric toothbrushes the only thing that tells them apart is that stupid ring and they used to fight over the toothpaste. Hence the pots, maybe you could do a pink one for your daughter and blue for your son.

Thanks for the extra posts everybody.
I'm going to get some funky pots and try that first.
If that doesn't work, I'll suggest to DD that she. keep hers in her bedroom

I've bought plain white pots and written their name and initials over them in big bold letters (with red nail varnish!).
He can't go wrong now, surely!

Even if you piss about getting new toothbrushes and making a fuss won't he still just 'grab the nearest'? At 12 this disgusting behaviour should be firmly addressed, not ignored.

Assuming that you get different colours and he is not colour blind, let him see you using that toothbrush that you use for scrubbing under the rim of the WC and round the hinges. Mention that you recognise it by its colour.

There is an amusing story about a school or college where the girls used to put on their lipstick in the loos and kiss the mirror, until the Head invited them all in to watch the janitor swabbing round the pans with the same rag that he wiped the mirrors.

Doubtless a staged performance.