The Mule

A supplier of Amber Teething Necklaces on Ebay, Wee Rascals , has had to recall some of their products due to safety concerns, I learnt today. The company has recalled all of its necklaces and ankle bracelets for babies and children, because they failed a safety test instigated by the Buckinghamshire County Council Trading Standards Department. The tests found that, “The product failed to satisfy BS EN71-1:2011 (Safety of toys – part 1: mechanical and physical properties) when tested in accordance with paragraph 8.7 (Impact Test), in that several beads shattered and detached. The bead fragments fitted wholly inside the small parts cylinder of dimensions specified in paragraph 8.2. These components pose a potential choking/inhalation hazard to a child under 36 months.” How do I know this? Because I bought one of the damn things, and like many of the various bits of baby tat I've been suckered into purchasing over the years, it turned out to be a complete waste of money. Of co...

"What kind of woman breastfeeds a toddler?" : this question has been asked this week in a variety of tones, ranging from total disgust to mildly shocked curiosity. Much has been made of the fact that Jamie Lynne Grumet, the woman pictured nursing her three year old son on the cover of last week's Time , is 'young and pretty'. There's apparently been some shock that a woman who looks like a trendily dressed model would behave in such a way. It seems like a lot of people associate extended breastfeeding with a very different kind of woman - stereotypically larger, rounder, hairier, hippier, older, uglier and weirder it would seem. This got me thinking. What kind of woman actually nurses her child beyond one? This week I've put the word out and asked mothers who do to send me a picture and a few details about themselves, including their reasons for keeping on breastfeeding. The Time cover, for all its faults, has in many ways paved the way for other women t...