Nursery to Toddler

Puppy Teethers – Small – 4 in. $4.39 Satisfy your puppy’s natural need to chew safely with Nylabone Puppy Teethers. Made of soft rubber with a textured design, Puppy Teethers has a sweet vanilla scent. Nylabone has been The Leader in Responsible Animal care for Over 50 Years. You can count on Nylabone products to provide quality well being for your dog, no matter what sized-dog you have. Proudly made in the USA.

Puppy Teethers – Medium – 5 in. $5.99 Satisfy your puppy’s natural need to chew safely with Nylabone Puppy Teethers. Made of soft rubber with a textured design, Puppy Teethers has a sweet vanilla scent. Nylabone has been The Leader in Responsible Animal care for Over 50 Years. You can count on Nylabone products to provide quality well being for your dog, no matter what sized-dog you have. Proudly made in the USA.

Fruity Teethers $3.95 These Fruity Teethers soothe baby with the bright, fruity-shaped charms offering multiple textures. Lightweight and easy to grasp for little hands.

Vullie 616324-300198 Sophie Giraffe and Pink – Natural Teethers $28.95 Made in the French Alps with natural rubber and non-toxic paint, Sophie has been safely cuddled and chewed for over 40 years! She is soft, light, and easy to grasp and fits perfectly into little hands. Sophie is loveable and amusing. She even makes a happ

Nylabone Rhino Puppy Teethers Rubber Dog Toy $2.85 Nylabone Rhino Puppy Teethers Rubber Dog Toy

First Years 2049 First Keys $5.21 First Years 2049 First Keys First Years 2049 First Keys Features: A toy that’s truly a classic Five brightly colored keys on a ring swing freely to make a lively click-clack sound Each one is a different shape, a different color; all have rounded edges that babies love to teethe on Numbered Use them to teach colors, counting, and number recognition Dishwasher-safe Carded

Vullie 616324-300197 Sophie Giraffe and Chan Blue – Natural Teethers $28.95 Made in the French Alps with natural rubber and non-toxic paint, Sophie has been safely cuddled and chewed for over 40 years! She is soft, light, and easy to grasp and fits perfectly into little hands. Sophie is loveable and amusing. She even makes a happ

First Years LC23145 Bendy Rattle $7.56 First Years LC23145 Bendy Rattle First Years LC23145 Bendy Rattle Features: Bendy rattle Watch the colorful character dance with every shake Fun for babies and caregivers Comes with a Blue bonus link 3+ months

The First Years Infant Car Seat Base $39.99 The First Years Infant Car Seat Base

first years teethers

Learning Curve Fruity Teethers $1.25 Learning Curve Fruity TeethersThese teethers soothe baby with fruity-shaped charms that offer multiple textures. They are lightweight and easy to grasp for little hands.Product Dimensions (inches): 2.75 (L) x 2.25 (W) x 5 (H)Age: 3 to 24 months…

Baby Banana Bendable Training Toothbrush, Infant $5.53 Baby Banana Teething Toothbrush for InfantsAppealing handles are irresistible to babies (and their parents). Babies love to hold this brush on their own, under parental guidance. Loop a binkie strap through the handle. 100% medical grade silicone. Dishwasher safe for santitizing….

Fisher-Price Bath Center …

Baby Buddy Baby’s 1st Toothbrush $7.99 Good oral hygiene begins at birth! Pediatric dentists recommend cleaning your baby’s gums – even before the first tooth appears – with a soft infant toothbrush and water. Properly cleaning teeth and gums with dentist-designed Angel Brush helps remove sugars and bacteria that can lead to future decay. And kids love it! Available in Clear, Pink and Blue. 100% Silicone – BPA, Lead & Phthalate Free! i…

Manhattan Toy Winkel $5.26 Engage and amuse your baby with the fascinating Winkel. Babies will have a ball playing with this tangle of bright colors and fun textures; or parents can refrigerate the Winkel to turn it into a cooling and soothing teether. Measures 4.5″….

The First Years Learning Curve Star Teething Blanket $5.99 Your little star is sure to love this star! Our Star Teething Blanket offers multiple teething surfaces?soft terry cloth, crinkly satin, and chewy soft textures?for maximum relief. It’s lightweight, easy-to-grasp and features an attach-a-loop for portability. And for extra fun, there’s a squeaker in one of the points! Recommended Age: birth and up Measures: 11.50″ x 0.50″ x 12.00″…

Lamaze Garden Bug Wrist Rattle/Foot Finder Set $10.20 …

The First Years Ignite Stroller Red Plus Pacifier Wipes and First Keys Teether On the Go Baby Bundle

A Christening Gift, a Silver Spoon and a Charmed Life

We all know somebody who was “born with a silver spoon in his mouth.” That lucky friend who inherited money or to whom wealth, health and happiness came without any effort on their part. And, admit it, we are just that tinsy winsy bit jealous.

Well, how did family wealth and easy good fortune become associated with a commonplace eating utensil?

Spoons have been around for thousands of years. Most early spoons were wooden spatulas or even re-worked seashells. The Greeks and Romans did manufacture the occasional spoons of gold, silver and bronze, but the most common materials, as in the later Medieval period, were wood, pewter and bone.

It is probably in the 15th and 16th centuries that the link between fortune and spoons became established. By Tudor times, it was not uncommon for godparents in wealthy society to present their godchildren with a Christening gift of silver Apostle Spoons. A set of twelve spoons, each with an image of one apostle on the handle was a prestigious Christening gift. An alternative was a set of four spoons representing the evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Silver spoons are still given as Christening gifts and Baptism presents today, but Apostle Spoons are less common and more difficult to find.

In the sixteenth century a silver spoon was still pretty rare, so any child receiving such a Christening gift would have to come from a wealthy background. Moreover, if some recent medical research is correct, they were also blessed with a bit of luck. Silver spoons and teethers have been popular for centuries, but it is only in the last few years that the antibiotic properties of silver have been recognized. To put it bluntly, the wealthy Little Lord Fauntleroy teething on a silver Christening spoon had a better chance of survival than a pauper sucking on a lump of pewter. I rather poo-pooed this idea of silver’s miraculous properties until I remembered my granny dropping a silver thrupenny bit into the milk churn to “stop it turning.”

As with so many of our current customs and traditions, the Victorians have had a large influence on Christening gifts. By the mid nineteenth century the Christening gift of a spoon was commonplace amongst the middle and upper classes. Often these were combined with teethers and rattles, so, once again, a well off godchild could be seen with a silver Christening spoon in his mouth.

We cannot be certain of this etymological link between Christening gifts and the phrase “to be born with a silver spoon in his mouth,” but there is obviously something way back in our subconscious that associates spoons with success, or the lack of it.

For example, “The Wooden Spoon” is a symbol of failure. Sports teams that come last in a tournament or league are handed “The Wooden Spoon,” a tradition that goes back many centuries. There is also reference to it in the distant past at Cambridge University where the “Junior Optimes” – the graduates at the bottom of the order of merit – were presented with a wooden spoon. And what did the more successful honor men receive? You’ve guessed it … a gold or silver spoon.

Similarly, there used to be an expression in the Royal Navy describing a young officer who received preferential treatment and accelerated promotion as “born with the silver spoon.”

So, the jury is still out as to the exact origins of the phrase, but the romantic in me would like to believe that it finds its origins in silver Christening gifts.

So the next time you talk about someone “born with a silver spoon in his mouth,” you’re allowed to say it with a touch of jealousy, just a hint of that little green-eyed monster, but also a touch of smugness … at least you may know where the phrase has come from.

About the Author

Richard Hoare is a director of ASSERgerrard Limited, owners of CHRISTENINGsilver.com where you will find the perfect sterling silver Christening Gift and Silver Christening Spoons including silver Christening cups, egg cups, cutlery sets, napkin rings, rattles, jewellery, bibles and, of course, silver spoons.