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Toddler Tips for Christmas
Christmas is a special time of year for family. However, it can also be a very tiring and stressful day for parents who are fraught with trying to make it as perfect as can be whilst pleasing everyone, not an easy job! Here are a few tips to help you survive the big day.
1) Ensure that your house is clean and safe ready for the big day, there are lots of beautiful decorations on the market these days which may look pretty but are actually ‘pretty dangerous’ for little ones… Ensure that any baubles on the tree which are glass have been removed or put out of reach for little ones.
2) Watch out for the ribbon: Little ones love the paper and the bows try to remember that the ribbon can be potentially harmful if accidentally wrapped around little ones appendages and therefore be sure to supervise parcel opening.
3) Have a bin bag at the ready for all rubbish, try to check that it is definitely rubbish that you are putting into that bag and not tiny toys which tend to somehow find their way into places they aren’t meant to be.
4) Keep a pen and paper handy to scribble down who has bought what for your little ones. This helps you when it comes to writing any thank you letters.
5) Try to check that all toys/ items are fully working and if not then keep their packaging. It is all to easy to rip into things and then find they aren’t quite up to scratch.
6) Plan some festive games for your little ones to help keep them entertained whilst you get on with making dinner or catching up with the essential tasks of Christmas Day. Perhaps have some colouring activities or crafting which could be done immerse your little ones.
7) Try to avoid relying on the festive television to be your electronic babysitter, there are far better things to be doing on the big day.
Be careful in the cold weather whilst travelling, ensure that you have packed a blanket, flash, water/ drinks, extra food and some toys into the car before setting off on any journeys. Make sure that your mobile phone is charged and ready if you do plan to travel.
10) Be sure to charge the camera to get some festive photos!
11) Christmas is a very ‘merry time’ but it needn’t involve alcohol especially when there are little ones around.
12) Christmas is an exciting day for little ones, try keeping to their routine if possible to help them get through the day without becoming overtired or overwhelmed.
If you have any seasonal suggestions for our readers then please send us an email to writeforus@mumsbabymagazine.com
Decembers Top Tester Lisa Beedham tells us about Alfie’s Amber Teething Necklace.
Lisa (27) from Blackpool is Mum to Alfie (17 months). Alfie has previously struggled with teething troubles, after being advised by a friend to try using an Amber Teething Necklace Lisa decided to give it a go and ordered one online from http://www.amber-teething-necklaces.co.uk for £13.99
Amber is said to have healing properties, Amber Teething Necklaces are a traditional European remedy used to reduce teething pain. Amber has been used for centuries in Europe with successful results. Suitable for babies six weeks upwards, Amber teething necklaces are widely available online from a range of retailors.
Amber teething necklaces do n
ot come particularly cheap. However, Lisa explains that it was literally her last resort as nothing else seemed to help Alfie. Lisa says that she had already tried Baby Paracetamol, Teething Rings, Teething Powders, Teething Gels and none of these made any difference to Alfie’s pain.
Alfie has been wearing his Amber Teething Necklace for almost two months now, Alfie has recently had two large teeth appear at the top of his mouth and one tooth at the bottom. None of these teeth arriving seems to have bothered Alfie since wearing the Amber Teething Necklace. It seems the Amber does indeed have ‘healing powers!’.
Each bead upon the necklace is attached so that even if one bead breaks off it will not fall apart, only the bead which breaks would come off, therefore reducing worries upon children breaking the necklace and detaching the beads.
Lisa is unable to identify a single negative aspect to this product other than the high price. However, in comparison with the price of a child’s comfort and happiness it is ‘well worth paying’.
Making Advent Traditional
Rather than spending money on an Advent calendar made from cardboard and plastic for your little one this year, why not invest in a calendar which be reused annually and refilled with goodies of your choice! Wooden Advent Calendars seem to be all the rage in Christmas Catalogues this day and are fairly easy to get hold of.
Not only are you helping the environment in the long run by ridding of cardboard and plastic calendars which will only end up in the recycling but you can bring back some of the Magic which 
Christmas brings by using a wooden calendar… Why not put a clue in the drawer each day so that your child has to do a mini treasure hunt in order to gain their ‘advent gift’?
To make the advent calendar even more magical why not tell your little ones that each night a ‘Christmas Elf’ visits to fill the correct draw with a chocolate or gift? Only the correct days drawer should be filled!
There are a wide range of wooden advent calendars available on the market, alternatively there are also fabric calendars which if you were crafty then perhaps you could create your own!
Fabulous Fluffy First Friends! Novembers Top Tester Nicola reviews the Bruin ‘My First Friend’.
Nicola Whittington (26 years old) is Mum to Steven (4 months old). Nicola tells Mums Baby Magazine about her search for the perfect ‘bed buddy’ for her beautiful baby boy.
When Steven goes to sleep he loves cuddling things. All the cuddly toys we had were too big and we were having difficulty finding something that he could comfortably hold and chew upon that wouldn’t cover his face. Steven has lots of comforters but he would always end up with them over his face and because he is so young he had trouble removing them. I searched in a wide range of shops and couldn’t find anything that was suitable for him. Finally I found the perfect toy, made by Bruin, this particular cuddly toy is part of their ‘My First’ range.
At only eight inches in size the Bruin ‘First Friend’ toys are perfect bed buddies. They have narrow necks and small features
, big enough for my little boy to chew on and for him to wrap his arms around and cuddle. Made in a very soft, baby friendly material there are four animals in the range: a hippo, giraffe, 
zebra and elephant. Each toy is made using vibrant colours, my son has the zebra which is in a mint green with lilac stripes. He hasn’t paid much attention to his toys but adores his zebra and settles very easily for naps and at night time.
The only problem was finding an outlet to purchase this item. Although Toy’s R Us don’t advertise this product for sale online. However, they do sell the Bruin ‘My First Friend ‘ toy in store. At only 
£5.99 I think it’s an absolute bargain and my son absolutely loves it!
Mums Baby Magazine would like to thank Nicola for her time. For those of you wishing to get hold of a ‘First Friend’ for your little ones, Bruin First Friends are available online from http://www.baby99.co.uk. for only £5.99 each (the same price of Toy’s R Us’).
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