Play and Learn Every Day

Teething

08:00

We were very happy that Ivy reached the end of her struggles with colic at about 3 months old, only to find teething start a few weeks later. So now our poor little girl is suffering again, and her first tooth broke through a few days ago. We have tried absolutely everything for teething (honestly, if there's anything that I've missed out on this list, please let me know and we will try it!) I try mostly to distract her and play with her so that she's not thinking about the discomfort, but sometimes it must be so sore that even a game of peek-a-boo isn't enough to make her smile.

We have Ivy's favourites teething toys; the classic Sophie The Giraffe, which both Ethan loved as well. It's so easy to hold and to chew on, and I think there's something about the natural rubber that's meant to be quite soothing as well. The Nuby Teething Blankie is another great one, there are teethers on each corner whilst the blankie itself is crinkly with a squeaky middle, great for distracting. The Green Toys teething keys are great for chewing on as well, and Ivy just enjoys clanging them around and playing with them. Her other favourite is the Nuby Bug Loop Teether which she easily loops around her arm and chews on easily whilst sitting up or laying down.

We have also tried a variety of cold teethers like the Nuby Teether Keys, teething stars, teddy bears, and teething rings. I think that she must find these soothing, but no matter what shape they are she seems to struggle to hold on to them (maybe she just doesn't like the cold on her hand) so I have to hold onto them for her, while she chews away. This may change as she gets older, they may become more helpful then.

Some of the more unique teethers that we have are the new Munchkin Massaging Teether, which vibrates when the baby bites down on it. I think that it's great in theory, but you must have to bite down very hard on it, so Ivy can't actually get it to work. If I squeeze it with my finger and put it in her mouth she does seem to like the massaging of her gums, so again this might be one that's better when she's a bit bigger and getting her next teeth. There is also a Munchkin Stage 1 Teething Ring, as well as the other stages of teething, the idea being that there needs to be different teethers to reach the different areas of the mouth. We have also tried the Amber Teething bracelet, which is a tough one to judge, as it's meant to work long term. It is also quite difficult to keep on, and I worry that when it comes off she will put it in her mouth and choke on it, so we rarely put it on her. We also have a Gummee Teether, which is a bit like a pacifier, but with a chewy teether end instead. Ivy is not interested in this one at all and won't really even chew on it.

Then as a last resort we have the medicines, homeopathic and traditional. We tried the Teetha granules and Teetha gel, which are meant to a more natural way of soothing the mouth and the baby's general discomfort. I find both to be a nice distraction for Ivy, but she does not really like having the powder put in her mouth. The gel works better for her, in a similar way to the Bonjela, and Anbesol to numb her gums and often calms her down quite quickly (as well as Calpol for when it's really bad!)

All of these different teething toys and accessories, and at the end of the day all Ivy really wants is a cuddle and to chew on her muslin cloth or her toy bunny. I would love any other suggestions though, as the poor little girl really is struggling.

This post contains a few items that we were sent to review (from Teetha and Munchkin) but mostly items that we purchased ourselves. It also contains affiliate links to amazon, should you like to try some of them out for your teething babies.

2 1/2 years old

Chessington World of Adventures

08:00

We finally took Ethan and Ivy to their first proper theme park! We went to Chessington World of Adventures for the day. I think that I was more excited than Ethan was, he had no idea what he was in for. He already loves going to a fair, so I was sure that he would enjoy all the rides. As soon as we got into the park and he saw all of the different rides, he was overwhelmed! He didn't know where to start, so we went to the bumper cars, which he could sit in with Daddy, to get him started slowly. He was hooked, and as soon as he got off he was running to the next ride (even though he had no idea what that would be!) He is a big fan of all vehicles, so obviously any driving rides were a definite favourite. He loved the ones where he got to be the driver and one of us was the passenger, like the tiny trucks and the old fashioned cars.

My first tip would be to make sure you measure your child's height before you go. I actually thought that Ethan was taller than one metre, so I thought he would get onto all of the rides that he liked easily, but he's actually just one metre tall exactly. The first few rides that had a one metre minimum had to check and double check his height, so they recommended that we go to guest services to get him a wristband. That made it easier and quicker to get on to the next ride.

My second tip is that if you go with two children, one of which is too small to go on many rides (like Ivy is) you can get a parent pass from the same place as the wristbands. This meant that Daddy could go on a ride with Ethan whilst I waited with Ivy, get our pass signed, then if I wanted to Ethan on again we could just go straight on again (via the exit, and only available for certain rides). It makes it more fun, then both parents get to see that look of joy on Ethan's face when the ride starts up!

We also went to see the Madagascar show, which Ethan and Ivy both loved, lots of music and entertaining characters! And we even met the Octonauts! We didn't tell Ethan where we were going (just in case we missed the time slot) but made it just in time to join the queue before they arrived. Ethan saw the pictures of the characters, and I even asked him to stand beside the picture of Peso for a photo. Then he saw Barnacles and Kwazii walk towards us and he was in shock, he was absolutely thrilled! He was a bit shy at first when it was his turn to meet them, but eventually he did hold their hands and give them cuddles. It was fantastic to watch.

We had such a great day, and stayed from when the park opened until it shut. If your little ones aren't too tired it is worth staying until it closes as the lines for the rides are much shorter as many people go home early. They also have a deal that children eat for free after 3pm, so we gave Ethan his dinner in the park as well, that way we only had to give him a quick bath when we got home. He was exhausted and went straight to sleep, and we didn't hear a peep out of him all night!

5 months old