Rachel Bustin

Brushing a Toddler’s Teeth – The Big Family Brush Up

It’s been such a long time since I did an update on baby girl, in fact her last one was at her 11 month Health Visitor checkup.

She has grown and developed loads in the past 5 months, the most noticeable thing is her pearly white smile with those gleaming white teeth.

Ever since baby girl’s first teeth popped through, I have been religiously teaching her that she must brush her teeth everyday. It’s a big part of our routine now. She has two little bottom front teeth and then her two big front teeth and not forgetting those two top front pointy teeth, so six milk teeth altogether.

I love how white and perfect they are, and I want to keep them that way!

Baby girl has her special first soft toothbrush and first toothpaste kept together in her little pot on the bathroom sink. She loves to brush her teeth.

I ask her around 6:30pm,

“Are you going to bed now?”

“Yes” she replies.

“Shall we go and brush your teeth?”

“Pleeeasee” she replies and then off she toddles to the bathroom.

Brushing teeth

I hold her up to the bathroom mirror and we brush her teeth together. She is so good at opening her mouth for me to brush her teeth at only 17 months old. I always pretend to brush my teeth with her so she will learn to understand that it’s what we all do. She is into copying everything I do at the moment!

Like any other toddler, I’m sure, she will try and eat the brush and suck the miniscule amount of toothpaste from the brush! I try to make it a fun game for her and not turn it into a chore.

She is now wanting to hold her brush herself and she does try to brush her teeth, it’s so cute!

The Big Brush up - Learning to brush a toddler's teeth View Post

Top Tips on Travelling with Kids in the Car

As we approach the Summer holidays, it’s inevitable we are all going to be travelling with kids in the car, may that be babies, toddlers or older children. It could be just a trip to the beach or around town, but it could also be a much longer trip like going abroad or driving to the other end of the country.

Wherever you are going, you need to be prepared for all eventualities, especially if you are travelling with toddlers!

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Music Makes Your Kids Smart … Really Smart

Back in the nineteenth century, musical ability was seen as a sign of great intellect. Like mathematics and studying the classics, music was seen as one of the four essential skills that marked a true thinker apart from the general population. Over time, that view has changed, but science has discovered that there was a lot of wisdom in the attitudes of the nineteenth century. It turns out that learning to play a musical instrument really is good for your brain.

This is one of the reasons why it’s so important to encourage children to learn a musical instrument while they’re young. At that stage, their brain is still wiring itself up, making it the perfect time to get them interested in playing the drums, the flute, the piano or whatever else they might be interested in. Music is a universal language, like maths, and they’ll be able to use it in the future to connect with others and spread joy, no matter what their culture or background.

playing the guitar

Flickr

Most scientists agree that music is beneficial for child development. They’ve discovered many brain benefits of music. Here is just a sample of what they’ve discovered and why music helps make kids very intelligent.

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What are the Benefits of SMA® PRO Follow-on Milk?

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When I went back to work a few months ago, I looked into buying a follow-on milk for my daughter. Up until this point she was exclusively breast-fed, so I wanted the best follow-on formula for her.

My mum suggested trying out SMA® PRO Follow-on Milk because she used it for us when we were small, so that’s what I did as they always say mum’s know best!

I still breast feed my daughter in the evenings before bed, she loves the comfort, then during the day she has her follow-on milk. I find this is a great balance with her mixed weaning diet.

I have found at this 6 months + stage that babies become so active. Learning to crawl, rolling over and even trying to walk.

Therefore it’s highly essential they are getting the right nutrients from a follow-on formula like SMA® PRO Follow-on Milk. I know I want my daughter to have the best start in life and build a nutritional foundation for life.

  • So what are the benefits of SMA® PRO Follow-on Milk?

  • It’s suitable for babies 6 months old and over and designed to complement their weaning diet and support their development and growth in these important early stages.
  • It’s fortified with iron to help support normal cognitive development and contains important minerals such as Zinc and Iodine.
  • Contains Vitamin D and Calcium to support normal growth and development of bone
  • Contains Omega 3 & 6 essential fatty acids to support normal development and growth†.
  • SMA® PRO Follow-on Milk contains GOS/FOS *in powder formulation only; GOS/FOS = Galactooligosaccharides/ Fructo-oligosaccharides
  • It is made using an exclusive protein process, made with SMA® Nutrition’s unique protein technology.

†The beneficial effect of essential fatty acids is obtained with a daily intake of 10g of Linoleic acid and 2 g of a-linolenic acid.

SMA® PRO Follow-on Milk

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Surviving the Dog Days of Summer: Top Apps and Strategies for Busy Parents

Summer vacation can be rough if you’re a parent who also has to work while keeping your kids out of trouble and entertained. However, there’s no need to sweat it out, you can have help right at hand on your mobile device. Here are some simple strategies and apps to help make each day special, because the school buses will start rolling before you know it.

Top Apps and Strategies for Busy Parents -

Survival Tips

Here are some parenting survival tips to get you through the long summer holidays.

  • Join forces: Team up with other parents in your neighborhood so that you can take turns keeping an eye on the kids while juggling work hours.

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Slogging Away as a Working Mum

It’s been 8 months since I first went back to work after having baby girl. Don’t ask me where that time has gone. It’s flown by! Now I slog it out as a working mum 5 days a week. Our daily routine when I’m at work during the week starts very early 4:45am in fact, but on my days off we treasure a little lie in… well until 7am anyway!

On our days off we love to go down to our local park and play on the swings and have a run about. It’s gorgeous in the Summer with lots of different play areas plus picnic and walking areas.

Slogging away as a working mum

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