Sound Advice: Shopping rush takes a big bite out of toothbrush supply

Q: I read your review two weeks ago of the TLOVII Sonic Electric Toothbrush on sale for $29.99 and went straight to Amazon to buy one. It showed "Currently unavailable." Do you know if they will be available again? Can I buy it anywhere besides Amazon?

A: I received dozens of e-mails like this. It is available only on Amazon, and when I reached out to them, they assured me that they would have plenty of stock available soon. So it may be worth checking Amazon again.

A few readers were unable to locate the toothbrush on Amazon at all. One reason this happened is from using the incorrect search term, and the name in all caps can be confusing. It is spelled "tlovii." If you continue to have problems finding it, you can access the listing easily by entering tinyurl.com/tlovii into your browser.

I also was asked a few questions about the inexpensive Amazon-suggested electric toothbrushes. I did not try any besides the TLOVII, so I can't comment on other models. I have heard from readers who bought the TLOVII and are as happy with it as I am.

I don't review many children's products, but I came across two recently that are especially noteworthy. They promise to not only be fun and educational for kids, but will also provide new ways for parents and their children to interact.

The myFirst Camera Insta 2 is a rugged, kid-friendly digital camera that makes instant prints on thermal paper as well as saving them to a memory card. It records HD video and has a front-facing lens and a selfie lens. It is ready to train new generations in the art of photography. The myFirst Camera Insta 2 is $99.90 on shop.oaxis.com.

Also from Oaxis comes the myFirst Sketch Book. It is another rugged product that could be considered the 21st-century version of an Etch A Sketch, though the Etch a Sketch is truly Stone Age in comparison.

The myFirst Sketch Book has a 10-inch screen and uses a stylus for creating images, which it stores in built-in memory. Colors, tips, and font size all can be changed easily to allow endless artistic possibilities, and it can be linked to smartphones and tablets for storing and sharing. Battery life is 50 hours. The myFirst Sketch Book is also $99.90 on shop.oaxis.com. They have other interesting products, including a drawing board, so if you are shopping for a child who is an aspiring artist, it is worth checking out.

Send questions to Don Lindich at donlindich@gmail.com. Get recommendations and read past columns at soundadvicenews.com.