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HANDS up who usually gives up the battle when it comes to brushing their little one’s teeth?

I mean, who would have thought it could be so difficult when this human being you created is less than half the size of you….

Therefore when I got an invitation to an event which sounded like it could make brushing your teeth – gasp – fun, I couldn’t resist.

So on Thursday we wore white coats and played at being dentists at the Foreo Mikro Dentist event in Central London.

Obviously there was a ball pit involved, but I also received tips from Harley Street Dentist Dr Mark Hughes on oral hygiene for both my kids – even for my one year old, who I learnt can also use their specially designed sonic electric toothbrushes.

The silicone toothbrush head is soft enough for his gums AND can also help with the dreaded itchy gums caused by teething – the Mikro brush has two settings, brush and massage mode.

He’s 18 months and it seems like the majority of his teeth have decided to come at the same time, so anything that soothes the pain is a God send.

Other pluses include a looong battery life, as well as a happy or sad face to encourage little ones to brush for the recommended two minutes.

We’ll see how it goes, but so far, so good. I mean, at least he’s not running away every time I bring out the toothbrush now… In fact it’s the opposite – he’s now dashing off whenever I try to take it off him!

Find out more at www.foreo.com/issa-mikro

Hackney Empire pantos are renowned for being one of the best on offer each year. ‘Oh, no they’re not’ – Oh yes they most definitely are!

And while taking my two (nearly three!) year old daughter to her first pantomime, I couldn’t have wished for a better introduction to the theatre.

This year the east London theatre welcomed Joanna Riding to star in Dick Whittington and his Cat. The show was full of laughs, especially with Steve Elias in the role of the panto dame and Tony Whittle as Alderman Fitzgerald – they were the perfect comedy duo – and while my daughter definitely did not warm to the King Rat played by Kat B, he was also hilarious; playing up to the audience’s boos and hisses.

I must admit, even I was scared when a giant gorilla/king kong type character clambered on stage using some sort of puppetry/stilt walkers inside (although I still haven’t quite got my head round how they did that!), but my little one took it fairly well and didn’t bat an eyelid.

Vocally it was Dick Whittington’s love interest Alexia Khadime who stole the show alongside Elias who could more than hold a note or two.

All in all a great show and what better excuse to support your local theatre? Go check it out.

www.hackneyempire.co.uk

KIDS’ favourite Fireman Sam and the Child Accident Prevention Trust (CAPT) have launched a timely new partnership to help teach youngsters about staying safe during Bonfire Night celebrations.

The Fireman Sam Safety Hero School has launched aimed at getting across key safety messages to pre-schoolers and their families.

Areas include fire safety, water safety, safety in the home, road safety and animal safety.

 

Children and parents can find a dedicated online platform at www.firemansam.com, where they can download a wealth of information in child-friendly language, including fire safety activity sheets, as well as the chance to watch fire safety videos from the Pontypandy firefighting crew.

The overall aim is to complete all the safety modules, gaining certificates and badges along the way to finally become a Fireman Sam Ultimate Safety Hero.

Such an important topic, so it’s great to see something which makes it simple – and fun! – for little ones.

It’s the little things that make a difference, isn’t it?

And so the whole family have been road-testing some fabulous socks from the aptly named Sock Shop for the last few weeks.

We’ve all been impressed by how super soft their Bamboo fabric collection is. Not only that, the skin-friendly material contains natural antibacterial properties to prevent smelly feet – and let’s be honest, that’s a massive plus whatever age you are!

I love seeing a bit of colour on my kids so it’s great that the collection is available in a range of gorgeous shades for both children and adults, as well as school uniform white.

The website also caters to those of you looking for some quirky novelty socks – I fell in love with some great pineapple socks which have been helping me project some tropical vibes whilst it pours with rain outside! I couldn’t resist them…despite having a slight allergy to the fruit! #lifeisunfair

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