Penny is already 9 months old, she has two teeth, is starting to pull herself up and is eating every piece of fruit and veg I put in front of her – where has my tiny newborn baby gone?! My maternity leave is now officially over and getting Pen into a routine has never been more important. I have more than a few gadgets, tools and toys that help to make bedtime, lunchtime and bathtime go as smoothly as possible, so I thought I’d share them with you today.
Weaning
Getting Penny to eat anything savoury was a bit of a challenge at first, as well as getting her to drink independently. Some of you might already know that I am a Nuby Brand Rep, which basically means I am very kindly sent a package of goodies every couple of months to review. If you read my last post (From Bottle to Bowl) you’ll now how Penny was enjoying using the Nuby Teething Bibs, Sure-Grip Suction Bowl and Feeding Spoons. Now Penny is onto larger chunks we’ve been using the SureGrip Money Mat (as shown above). It’s really helping her to be more independent, plus it is dishwasher safe so the only cleaning I need to worry about is the mushed up banana between her fingers! We have also been using the Roly Poly Monkey Bid (as shown below) which is great for travelling and teething as the award-winning design catches spills & mess, then rolls up for easy storage. We have also been slowly introducing Pen to the Turn & Learn Training Cup from Skip Hop Zoo. The cup helps the transition from sippy cup to ‘big kid’ cup. It has a no-roll square base and two different settings for slow and fast flow. Once training is done and Penny is an expert sipper, we can twist off the cap to use as a standard cup. The translucent cup lets you see the level of fluid without having to take off the lid and the locking lid is perfect for on the go. The cup is available in six adorable Zoo characters, including Brooklyn Bee, Otis Owl, Livie Ladybug, Marshall Monkey, Blossom Butterfly and Darby Dog.
Playing
Penny has been loving going to the My Little World soft area recently. There’s not a tonne for her age group to do but it’s more about her learning to interact and share with others. Plus, as she’s a non-walker it’s only £1.50 for two hours! I don’t have any ‘mummy friends’ that live close by so it’s nice to watch her babble away and toddle after other babies. The have a ball pool, padded area to roll around in, little shops and a dance room with flashing lights and music which she loves. There’s also soft toys, dressing up and musical instruments.
She has also been enjoying all the toys in her Sassy Bloom Box. Sassy Bloom is the UK’s number 1 discovery club for families from pregnancy up to 8 years of age. Their team of industry experts carefully handpick tried and tested brands and products suitable for your little one’s age, gender and stage of development, some of which can even be personalised. What I love about my Sassy Bloom box is that it contains a selection of both fun, bright toys with different textures and materials, and handy little gadgets to make my life easier.
Inside my box this month was the Munchkin Wonder Waterway set (a pack of three cute characters that contain tumble beads and spinner wheels for the bath), the First Steps Soft Plush Dragon Rattle (a soft toy with lots of different textures and materials to develop her sense of touch), Sock Ons (a clever little accessory made from soft, stretchy material designed to fit over regular socks to stop them going astray), the Clippasafe Door Stopper, Vital Baby Mum on the Go Disposable Bibs and Change Mat Pack (some baby changing facilities can be pretty grim so this handy pack is a great invention for travelling with) and the Eternity Pendant from Chewigem (shown above). I love Sassy Bloom, it’s such an exciting way to shop for baby and discover wonderful products and brands along the way. We have such fun unboxing it together and it is so beautifully packaged that it would make a lovely gift for an expectant mum or new parent. To find out more about Sassy Bloom visit their website at sassybloom.com.
Teething
There are two products that we have been using religiously to help soothe Penny’s poor red gums that both come from Nuby: the IcyBite Keys and the BugaLoop Teether Toy. The keys have multiple teething surfaces to help relieve the discomfort of sore and tender gums, and they are easy for little hands to hold. The PureIce Gel inside stays cooler for longer compared to water filled teethers and can be placed in the fridge for instant relief.
The Bugaloop Teething Toy also has multiple textured surfaces and teething nubs to massage baby’s gums. The teether is engineered with raised offset surfaces that assist in the eruption of teeth. Both teethers encourage oral motor skills, helping the development of lips, tongue, jaw and hard and soft palates. The movements of which are very important in speech development, safe swallowing and consuming various textures.
There we have it, just a few (hundred) toys, gadgets and accessories that help to make to make life that little bit less stressful. I’d love to know if there are any other products that you could recommend to support the weaning and teething process.
Don’t forget to check out my post about creating a baby memory book with Printiki available to read here.
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