If you have ever braved the weekly shop with a toddler in tow, you will know what I am talking about when I say it is not for the faint-hearted.
Some of my worst moments of parental doubt, I think, have happened in the aisles of my local M&S and Tesco, watching one (or, at times, both) of my children completely losing it – most often after being told that no, we cannot buy the cupcakes/giant bag of jellies/chocolate lollipops today.
And much as my iPhone (Youtube, really) has saved the day on many occasions, it was also in one of these scenarios my last phone
ended its days, being thrown from the height that is the toddler seat in the shopping trolley after my 2-year-old decided very suddenly that actually, no, he
didn't fancy watching another episode of Paw Patrol right now. An incident which ended up costing me upwards of €500, of course.
Which I why I was so intrigued when I first came across this Australian mum's really simple – yet none the less genius – idea for keeping little one occupied while you get the shopping done (or, you know, any other scenario where you just need them to sit still for half a bloody hour).
Say hello to the
Cheerios necklace – a beauty of a thing that will cost you next to nothing, yet you will credit will saving your life on many occasions in months to come.
Just take a look at these pictures mum-blogger Lenya of
Raising Matilda posted of her little lady munching away on one for over AN HOUR while she got the shopping done.
What is even more beautiful, the instructions for this are ridiculously simple: just string a bunch of Cheerios onto a string, then tie it around your baby's neck (as shown on Matilda above). It'll provide hours of entertainment for your little one, who will start chomping them off one by one.
This is what the craft mum had to say about her invention:
"Not only was Matilda concentrating to get to those Cheerios, she was practising her fine motor skills along the way."
Cheerios are, of course, made from whole grain oats and are a great snack for babies aged nine months or older, as they dissolve easily in the mouth and does therefore not pose a choking hazard.
