Matchstick Monkey - teething toy review

Teething can be a nightmare.

It is horrible to see your little one in pain and discomfort as their first teeth come through.

Jelly Bean seems to be following his big brother’s experience of teething…..a long and painful drawn out experience. Like his brother before him Jelly Bean only had a couple of teeth pop out before his first birthday, and now at the age of 19 months old he still only has 5 teeth. Whilst he has not got many teeth making their appearance yet they make sure he knows about them when they do.

We do our best to help him through teething and have tried all manner of teething aids to try and make the experience a little less painful and horrible for him.

Along with tackling teething we are enthusiastic about caring for his teeth by visits to the dentist and daily brushing. Thankfully he LOVES brushing his teeth !

Gumigem Necklace Review.

I was recently offered the opportunity to review a Gumigem necklace and as Bug is currently teething this seemed the ideal time to test out the necklace. Since having Bug I no longer wear jewellery as he just wants to grab and chew on everything he can get his hands on so I was looking forward to testing a Gumigem necklace.

Gumigem is a family run business, created by Jenny McLaughlan who is a mum of two from Kellas in Scotland. Her second child was a big teether, it was during this time whilst on maternity leave that she came up with the idea of these teething necklaces. Months of research and development resulted in Gumgem, a company who make in the UK necklaces that are stylish for mums to wear and safe for teething. Gumigem’s necklaces are made from a similar material to most teethers and they are free from PVC, BPA, Lead, Latex and Phathalte, are CE safety marked and the silicone used meets FDA standards. As they can withstand high temperatures, the necklaces are suitable for all types of sterilisation so you can be reassured that you can keep them squeaky clean for your little ones mouth to munch on. These necklaces are designed for mums to wear; babies should not wear these necklaces and should be supervised at all times when chewing on them and should not be left unattended with the necklace.

Organic Monkey Cheeky Monkey Cheek Rub Oil for Teething Review.

Bug is currently teething and we are using a variety of different teething remedies and aid’s to try to help his discomfort. I like to use products that contain natural ingredients so I was very pleased when I was offered the opportunity to test and review Cheeky Monkey Cheek Rub Oil for Teething. I had not previously ever heard of Organic Monkey or their teething oil and was very curious and keen to test the product to see if an oil rub that only contains natural ingredients would help. 

Founders of Organic Monkey, Heidi and Claudine, became aware of the lack of baby skin care products that contain ingredients that are truly organic after becoming mums and wanting to protect and care for their little ones skin. After identifying this gap in the market these two entrepreneurial mums established Organic Monkey, which is the UK’s first fair-trade certified baby skin care range. Their aim is to provide a natural and pure range of gentle and safe baby skin care products that are not only organic and fair but also only contain the best quality ingredients that have beneficial and natural properties. Their products are free from chemicals, harmful toxins, artificial fragrances and synthetic ingredients. Organic Monkey state that - “ingredients are at the heart of our products” and that “Organic products are gentle enough for babies delicate skin and less drying, better used and received by the skin than synthetic substances.” They use pure and high quality ingredients in their products to help protect, nourish, pamper and soothe baby’s delicate and sensitive skin. Not only are organic products gentler for delicate skin than synthetic substances organic ingredients are better for the environment too. All their products are certified and comply with strict UK, European and international rules. Also Organic Monkey support two charities they care about and believe in – Sparks and Monkey World.

Dribble Ons Review

Bug is currently teething and alongside his teething is the inevitable drool. My little man dribbles so much that it his tops get drenched with dribble and he gets a little rash under his chin. Normal bibs just do not work in protecting his skin and clothes from getting soaking wet therefore his skin gets irritated and we have to constantly change him. When Socks Ons offered me their Dribble Ons to review as well as reviewing Socks Ons I was thrilled and jumped at the chance to see if they could withstand Bug’s dribble.

Dribble Ons are a bandana style dribble bib that has been designed to provide a clever and stylish solution for baby dribble. They are made with a soft stretch cotton top and terry towelling backing to absorb moisture whilst also being comfortable for babies to wear. They have poppers to secure the bib, with 2 snaps so that you can adjust the size of the bib to get a great fit. 

My first impression of the Dribble Ons bib was that it was well made and a lovely soft material. I was curious to see how the terry towelling backing would absorb his dribble and prevent his clothes and skin from getting soaked as previously I have only ever used bandana bibs that have a fleece backing. Like the Sock Ons they came with minimal packaging, which is great for the environment…less packaging equals less waste. 

Dribble Ons did not disappoint, the terry towelling backing did a great job and stopped any dribble soaking onto Bug. I was very impressed, the bib worked brilliantly and Bug’s top and chin stayed dry. Bug looked comfortable wearing the Dribble Ons and the soft fabric helped prevent any irritation that may occur from wearing a bib for a long period of time. There was no skin irritation at all and as his skin was no longer getting wet he was no longer getting a rash under his chin.

I liked how as it was a lovely, neutral navy it went with anything and did not draw attention away from his clothes, it just complimented his outfits and looked stylish. Bug is getting to be a little chunky monkey and he does have a little chunky chin but it was still a great fit. Bug was comfortable wearing the bib. It was easy to put on and take off with the poppers and with the adjustable size I was able to get a great fit on him. The bib washed really well and stayed lovely and soft. Also Bug liked to chew on the Dribble Ons, which not only satisfied his need to chew but it also wiped off the drool on his face.

I think Dribble Ons are a great solution for preventing dribble from soaking your little ones clothes and skin. I would highly recommend them and I think it is a fabulous product that is a must for parents to help with baby dribble. Not only is this a stylish bandana bib but it’s also a fantastic dribble catcher. In my opinion they are great value for money and worth investing in a couple and with a great range of colours available there’s plenty of choice. You’ll have less dribble soaked clothes so less washing.

Dribble Ons together with Sock Ons would make a great gift set, great practical products that are also stylish. Dribble Ons are available in 5 plain colours – Navy, White, Fuchsia, Baby Pink and Baby Blue. They also have the Bright Range providing a huge splash of colour to funky bandana bibs. They are recommended for 0-24 months.

Dribble Ons can be purchased for around £5.00 but prices vary depending on the stockist. You can purchase them from Amazon, Fill Your Pants plus other online retailers and stores. A list of stockists can be found on Sock Ons Website as well as the collections available and the other products that they have. Sock Ons are on twitter @SockOns and they have a facebook page too, pop over and say hi and that we sent you. 

* Sock Ons kindly gave us this Dribble Ons to review for free, despite this I have written an honest review that contains my own words and opinions and is 100% my own *

Win a Teething Bling Pendant.

Competition CLOSED

Thank you to everyone who entered, shame I don’t have a pendant for you all.

And the winner is……

Silent Sunday.

Win a Dino-Daisy Amber Teething Necklace

Competition CLOSED

Thank you to everyone who entered, shame I don’t have one for all of you.

And the winner is……

Dino-Daisy Amber Teething Necklace Review.

I love crystals, semi-precious stones, gemstones; whatever you want to call them I love them, and believe that they all have their own properties and power. I have semi-precious stones through out the house, for particular purposes and because I also think they look beautiful. I even had certain ones to help during my pregnancy and a selection of ones for during labour too. For some reason though it never crossed my mind to look into what ones would help Bug’s teething…. I am going to blame it on baby brain and exhaustion. I have a great belief in alternative and natural therapies and whilst searching online for something natural to help with teething I came across amber teething necklaces and could have kicked myself for not thinking about amber before now.

Amber is a fossilised resin and even though it technically isn’t a semi-precious stone it is considered as an organic gem. Baltic amber (succinite) originates from Northern Europe and is highly sought after and it is uniquely known for its quality.

Teething Bling Pendant Review

Bug is currently teething and suffering with it. He is constantly dribbling and chewing on anything he can get his hands on. I am constantly on the look out for anything that will ease his pain. We have numerous different teethers, but I was very interested in Teething Bling as it’s not just a teething aid for Bug.

I was over the moon when Lynne Churchill from Smart Mum offered a Teething Bling® Pendant for Bug to test for a review. As stated on their website, Teething Bling is the original teething jewellery and their teething jewellery allows mums who have stopped wearing jewellery because their curious babies love to grab and chew to have some beautiful jewellery to wear again that is safe for babies to handle and chew. 

Nuby Bug-a-Loop Teether Review.

A few weeks back Lee came home from town with a little prezzie for Bug….a Bug-a-Loop Nuby Teether.

Nuby say that the Bug-a-Loop is ideal for back teeth teething and aimed at babies from 3months+. The Bug-a-Loop has teething nubs which massage baby’s gums, easing their discomfort, and it has multiple textured surfaces for baby to chew on. This teether is BPA free.

Gumigem giveaway on the blog accidentally, kle

As my little man is teething I have always got my eyes peeled when I’m online for any mention of anything that will help ease his discomfort. So earlier on when I saw a tweet about a sponsored giveaway of Gumigem I was eager to put my name in the hat, metaphorically, in the hope of winning.

This lovely giveaway of a Gumigem pendant is being hosted by Clare on her blog accidentally, kle who has luckily for us teamed up with the creator of Gumigem, Jenny McLaughlan to offer us the chance to win one pendant.