When is teething jewellery not just teething jewellery? A Mama Jewels Review

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Teething jewellery is big business. One swoop around a baby & toddler exhibition and you see dozens of brands competing for floor space. Ask any mother with a baby and it’s easy to see why they’re so popular. I can’t count the number of pendants and bracelets my two children have broken trying to gnaw their way through the silver. Jewellery dangles, it catches the light, and it’s perfectly positioned for a quick chomp when you’re cradling them to your chest.

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Teething jewellery is typically made from silicone or wood, designed to be non-toxic and able to withstand plenty of tugging and gnawing. Design-wise many brands offer the same stale pendants and colourways and there isn’t much for mum to get excited about. This, of course, is until they stumble upon Mama Jewels…

I looked around the baby group and realised that most of the mums, like me had stopped wearing jewellery, when I asked why they said ‘Our children keep breaking our jewellery so we just had to stop wearing it’ That was the moment I decided to use my jewellery design skills to create a necklace that a baby can’t break, can be washed, and is completely non-toxic for when babies chomp on it, but still looks gorgeous. Mama Jewels was born! Amanda Waring, Founder Mama Jewels

Mama Jewels Teething

From left to right: Earth Mama Light wood teething necklace £14.95 / Manuhiki Nursing Teething necklace UK dark wood £22.95 / Eskina Wooden Teething necklace – Candy £15.95 / Francene olivine silicone teething necklace £15.95 / Jenny wood and crochet teething necklace – Berries £21.95 / Tea rose pink silicone teething necklace £15.95 / Anthropologist Mint green wood teething nursing necklace £19.95 / Anthropologist Red wood teething nursing necklace £19.95 / Breton Blue Wooden baby proof necklace £22.95

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If it hadn’t been Mama Jewels I wouldn’t have consented to a teething jewellery review. I find the 70s circular pendants really quite boring and uninspiring and can’t imagine Heidi being that impressed either. But Mama Jewels really is different, with dozens of beautiful designs that the untrained eye wouldn’t even realise were built with babies in mind.

Add to this Papa Jewels and Mini Jewels (with baby-safe chains and no-break guarantee) and baby is literally spoilt for choice for a spot of relief from the agony of teething pain.

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To be honest, I can’t imagine an adult equivalent to teething. Even if we were to experience a similar pain, the fact your baby doesn’t understand why their senses are in overdrive makes for a particularly distressing time. Not only will babies often writhe around, refuse food and scream, teething also manifests itself in psychical symptoms such as diarrhoea and vomiting. Aside from administering teething gels, cold toys and Calpol, mum and dad are left twiddling their thumbs watching their baby suffer.

Teething jewellery might seem like just another teether device, but they’re so much more. Due to the proximity of the jewellery to mum (or indeed dad) they allow baby to self-soothe whilst being held. This means during periods of extreme distress, it’s far easier to settle your little one.

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I have the Anthropologist necklace in purple and brown hues and absolutely LOVE it. It goes with the majority of my outfits and Heidi is in heaven as she selects a bead to chew. There are wooden hive-like beads that are ribbed for extra texture, smooth pebble beads, and octagonal shaped beads too. This means plenty of interest for both mum and baby. Better yet, it has a leather thong chain for practicing finer bites.

Heidi chews on it at every opportunity and it’s certainly taken a battering. She now has all four front teeth (top and bottom) and she’s downright dangerous with them. Trust me, if you put your finger in her mouth, you might ever get it back out again! Yet my necklace still looks as good as new. This is quite some feat when you consider the state of her teething toys downstairs - let’s just say it’s very easy to spot her favorites!

My necklace is a very reasonable £19.95 and worth every penny, I plan on buying a few more colourways purely to complement other outfits but can honestly say I choose well when asked to pick one for review. It’s beautiful.

I’m not alone in my praise for Mama Jewels with them also grabbing headlines in Baby & Me, Gurgle Magazine, Baby London, The Daily Mail, The Telegraph and appearing on a This Morning feature. Not limited to nursing and teething jewellery, they also make some silver keepsakes items, baby-proof jewellery and sweet breastfeeding reminder bracelets so mum knows which breast is next.

Baby Proof Jewellery

Clockwise: Liberty Misti grey baby proof nursing necklace gift set – Gold £30 / Turquoise heart Breastfeeding bracelet £14.95 / Miranda Bluebell heart nursing necklace gift set £21.00 / Eva jet and silver baby proof bracelet £11.00 / Russian Doll babyproof bracelet £10.00 / Lillyanna jet crystal nursing necklace £21.95

To find out more about the brand head to mamajewels.co.uk or say hello on Twitter, Facebook & Pinterest for the latest inspiration, deals and giveaways.


Munchkins on-the-go essentials!

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Since starting our role as Munchkin Ambassadors, we’ve been sent some amazing products to review. They all slot perfectly into family-life and we can’t imagine life now without our Click-Lock Cups and all manner of other feeding gadgetry. But when their latest parcel arrived I was a little shocked. They’ve sent me a fab range of out-and-about products to review that I’ll admit to not knowing even existed.

In our package were three products; A Munchkins Travel Booster Seat, A Munchkin Teether Baby and a Munchkin Designer Change Mat. All are vibrant, practical and innovative - exactly what we’ve come to expect of the brand.

Munchkins Travel Booster Seat

Munchkin Booster Seat

The Travel Booster Seat has since become invaluable. So much so, we’ve invested in a second. One lives in the car and accompanies us on holidays, day trips and visits to family members. The other has replaced a garish blue plastic one we bought for 99p off eBay. Dexter was never comfortable on this monstrosity, and had even fallen off it a few times. Naturally he grew scared of it and refused to eat from it. This means he sat with us on an adult chair at the dining table with no straps. As he’s now a ‘big boy’ the highchair has long since been donated to his baby sister.

75% of the time, he was fine. He’d chit-chat to us and eat his food sensibly. However, when we dared to serve him vegetables or something he didn’t like, it was WW3. Food would be flung, he’d climb onto the table, he’d buck precariously from side-to-side.

Munchkin Booster

Suitable from 12 months to 3 years, the lightweight Munchkin Travel Booster seat has since transformed mealtimes. It secures to any chair with adjustable clips that hug the chair seat and chair back. It also has two adjustable height positions.

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To make the seat higher you simply twist up plastic legs underneath. These have non-slip rubber feet to keep the seat secure on the chair. If using in the lower setting (as we do), these little legs are hidden away under 4 flaps secured with velcro so as not to scratch your chairs. 4 rubber non-slip pads will ensure the fabric stays snug against the chair seat. Dexter is then secured via a 3 point harness.

Munchkin Travel Booster Clips

The pretty and fun seat fabric is soft and comfy whilst being wipe clean. We can certainly testify to this as Dexter likes to hide food in-between his legs when we’re not watching. It’s been coated in baked beans, tomato sauce, mash potato… you name it!

Furthermore, it also doubles as a travel bag. There’s a neat little storage section underneath the hard part of the seat (where Dexter’s bum goes) for you to pop a few bits and pieces (bibs, a drink and the like). You don’t have to take everything out before using the seat as this compartment is not integral to the seat at all. Although you wouldn’t get away with popping a whole day’s worth of ‘stuff’ in here, if you’re dining out of an evening you can ditch the change bag. Give the whole thing to daddy and mummy is hands-free! Bonus!

Munchkins Travel Booster Seat Bag

Transporting it from A to B is simple as it’s incredibly lightweight and boasts both a top handle and an over-the-shoulder strap. If you were to therefore use it as a bag, you can hang it over your buggy handles.

In summary, it’s allowed Dexter to eat with us at the table making mealtimes much more sociable for him. It also means we’re not relying on restaurants to provide grubby highchairs. At £18 from ASDA it’s also a right bargain!

Munchkin Teether Baby (a.k.a Ellie)

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Not to be left out, Heidi also profited from this months mailer. She was sent an uber cute Teether Baby. Her little elephant has crinkle paper ears, silicone chewable hands and teether bar (that doubles as a pushchair / change bag link for safe-keeping). It’s quickly become a favourite toy and I don’t think its left her sight since she clamped eyes on it! Luckily for us it’s machine washable to keep it plush and clean and wash off all that baby drool!

Munchkin Designer Change Mat

Finally we were sent a very stylish-looking foldable Designer Change Mat. In soft pink stripes, this suits Heidi-Bum down the ground too.

Munchkin Designer Change Mat

This is a cute and compact nappy changing kit for making bum changes that little bit less stressful. Luckily Heidi is as good as gold during changes, but Dexter was a complete horror and had a completely irrational fear of baby changing stations. I don’t think he liked the hard plastic against his head and back. This would certainly have helped him get comfy.

It folds down to an impressive little pouch which is ideal for stowing in your change bag. If you’re shaking your head at your laptop now as you simply can’t imagine squeezing anything else in there, a handy little carry strap allows you to attach it to your stroller.

Munchkins Designer Change Mat

This then folds out into a very generously proportioned change mat with a cushioned pillow for Heidi’s head. At the business-end where baby’s feet will be (and therefore where mum or dad will be hard at work) there’s two fab mesh pockets for stowing all the essentials. This will hold up to 4 nappies and even has a wipes case included.

Again, there’s not one thing I can criticise. Heidi has more comfortable bum changes, and mummy doesn’t have to lug a huge bag into public toilets… all for a tiny £12.99 at ASDA!

Thanks Munchkin! We love our travel essentials and would wholeheartedly recommend every single thing!


Gummee Glove Anti-scratch Teething Mittens Review

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Dexter didn’t take to scratch mitts. He’d bite them off within seconds and was never one for tearing his face to shreds. Heidi on the other hand is a complete nightmare. One night with her hands to herself and she’ll look like she’s been in a street fight with David McIntosh.

It might be because she’s teething early, but Heidi loves a good pair of mitts. So when I saw that Gummee Glove were looking for reviewers for their anti-scratch mittens designed for babies 0-3 months, I fell over myself to volunteer. Until now she’s been using John Lewis sleepsuits with integrated mittens, or her GuavaMitts (that I’d totally recommend by the way). Another pair would certainly be welcome. 006

Besides, these looked seriously good and have tons of positive reviews online. Dexter also had a Gummee Glove teether many moons ago that was fabulous as a soother when he was teething.

Completely machine washable, and available in 3 colours, the mittens feature raised silicone dots that massage your baby’s gums. They also have a velcro fastening at the wrist so they’re adjustable depending upon how dinky your little pint-sizer is.

Finally! Anti-scratch mittens that stay on, with the added benefit of a very soft, textured silicone coating to provide relief & stimulation for babies who like to chew Gummee Glove

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When they arrived, I quickly relieved her of her sodden Guavamitts and popped these on…

… And that precise moment was where the love affair ended.

I couldn’t comfortably get these mitts on Heidi. Your baby’s hands have to be completely flat to get them on which just isn’t feasible with a fisted Heidi. Even with the help of daddy, and finally unfurling her fingers, she went right ahead and bunched them up again inside the glove.

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This is a major flaw with these mittens. Although the adjustable wrist cuffs are entirely welcome (and work very well with Guavamitts) unfortunately the peep-hole is way too generous and little fingers do find their way back through. This means my little Houdini can find her way out of these mitts within minutes. The velcro cuff is also a little tight and could use a little extending.

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I don’t want to deter you from this product altogether. They’d have been perfect for Dexter as he wasn’t so much of a fidget. The feedback from my blogger friends is also really quite positive. I also can’t argue with the fact that Heidi’s hands would have stayed much dryer with them than they do in the Guavamitts (if only she wasn’t a little Muhammad Ali in the making).

I’ll let you read through my friends review to make your mind up. If you’re tempted, I’m sure they’d make a welcome baby shower gift.

Mummy in Training HERE / When Flowers Fall HERE / My Buggy Junction HERE

Gummee Glove Anti-scratch Teething Mittens are available here for only £7.99. Whilst there, you simply have to take a look at their flagship product - the Original Gummee Glove (complete with biteable side tabs and a detachable water filled teething ring)… These really are worth the money and I’d recommend them. Come on, I dare you not to give it a go if you’ve been 24+ hours with a teether!

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