Babybeads UK Breastfeeding Necklace

My husband and I walked through the fairground in our local park one afternoon and he kept looking at passers by, then looking fleetingly at my chest and grimacing. When I eventually asked him why he was behaving so strangely, he told me that he was concerned that people might think he was abusing me! I looked down to see what he could see and realised how right he was. The area between my neck and bosom was various shades of blues, greens and browns, with a few mean-looking scratch marks thrown in for good measure.

It wasn’t my husband mutilating me. It was my daughter. My then five month old. As much as I love breastfeeding, I am not a fan of the scratching and even less so of the pinching.

I decided something had to be done and found in my cupboard and old blue African string of beads, ribbons and stones, and decided to use that as a feeding necklace. It was a great idea, as it gave Ameli’s little hands something to do and freed my breasts from torment.

I was understandably thrilled, then, when Jo from Babybeads UK offered to give Diary of a First Child readers the opportunity to win one of her purpose-made breastfeeding necklaces.

Made from colourful and attractive beads, the necklaces are strung on waterproof cord and have been tested to withstand about a 100lb strain – more than enough for any baby!

The necklaces are intended for mothers to wear, but their non-toxic acrylic beads mean that they are safe for babies to touch and hold on to too. Babybeads believes that the necklaces are great for social interaction and bonding too, as older babies love the different colours, shapes and animals, making for great topics of conversation, play and entertainment.

I know that having a distraction for those little hands really improved my breastfeeding experience, and I’m sure it could improve yours too.

These necklaces sell for £12 each, and if you look at what other mums have to say, it is money well spent!  You can also receive news and special offers from Babybeads UK by signing up to receive their newsletter.

To enter to win a breastfeeding necklace for yourself or a friend, head on over to the website and choose your favourite boys, girls or unisex necklace then leave a comment here to let me know which you would prefer should you be the winner. I will draw a random winner using random.org. The competition closes on 2 July at 12 noon and the winner will be announced here on 3 July. The competition is open in the UK only.

For more information on breastfeeding and more competitions relating to breastfeeding, please see Breastfeeding Awareness Week.

Diary of a First Child is a blog about natural parenting and learning how to be a natural parent. If you like what you see here, please subscribe to my RSS Feed or become a friend on Google Friend Connect (sidebar on the right). I would love to hear from you, so please feel free to contact me by email on diaryofafirstchild @ googlemail.com or on twitter @diaryfirstchild. I look forward to chatting to you!

Small print:

Please leave an email address/blog address/twitter name where I can contact the winner. If I am unable to make contact within one week I will select a new winner and the previously selected winner will have no recourse to the prize.

Prizes are sent out by sponsors directly. Please get in touch if you do not receive your prize within four weeks of the closing date.

And the winner is:

Many thanks to Babybeads UK for sponsoring this giveaway.

Remember that you can still buy a necklace from only £12.00

Thank you to everyone who entered!