I’m sharing some photos from our bath and bedtime routine on the blog this week, which is something myself and Mr B like to keep as a constant for Dexter as it’s the one thing that ensures he has a settled night. Even if his whole routine through the day goes tits up (and it often does), as long as we keep his bedtime routine consistent we usually have no problems.

Once Dex has had his fun in the bath his mood has a tendency to be a bit hit or miss, but the one thing that will ensure we get a gorgeous smile out of him, is a bedtime story. He absolutely loves books at the minute (long may it continue!) and as soon as we get to the end of a story he throws a little tantrum so that we will read it for him again. This can literally go on alllll night if we let it and it’s so cute we can’t help but laugh each time (when we’re not holding our head in our hands or sticking our fingers in our ears to drown out the screams)!

At the moment we are reading The Lost Smile by Joseph Coelho which is full of gorgeous illustrations to keep Dexter interested, and the book is great as it carries an important message for us parents too; reminding us that although children give smiles so easily, we as grown-ups can at times forget to smile due to the pressures of every day life, which can often be picked up on by our little ones. The book is a result of Coelho teaming up with Wrigley’s Extra on their Smile Back Project which aims to spread the message on making sure we all smile more, and ensuring we protect those smiles too.

Dexter is 11 and a half months old now and currently has four whole teeth (way to go Dex!), though he is majorly teething as we speak…help! We made sure to get him used to the idea of brushing his teeth as soon as they showed up so that it becomes the norm for him as he gets older, ’cause we all know that teeth-brushing isn’t always the most enticing activity in the world. At the moment he absolutely loves doing it though! We make sure he gets them done twice a day (morning and bedtime), and although he pretty much does it himself anyway, I usually brush my teeth at the same time whilst he watches and copies; it was hilarious the first time he did that! I get in there and give them a quick scrub too if he let’s me just to make sure his smile is extra sparkly.

Brushing his teeth at such an early age is important for us not only to get him used to the motion/routine (you don’t even need to put toothpaste on at this stage if you’re not keen), but to protect his lovely smile for years to come too.

The Smile Back Project in partnership with The Co-Operative is giving away 6500 copies of The Lost Smile to areas where rates of tooth decay in children is particularly high. You can find more info about how to support the Smile Back Project through the purchase of The Lost Smile here. All funds raised through its sale will go towards supporting the work of Action for Children and the Oral Health Foundation.

I’ve teamed up with Wrigley’s Extra on their Smile Back Project, and this week I have got five copies of The Lost Smile to give away to some lucky readers and their little ones. All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning is subscribe to my blog, then head over to my Instagram or Facebook, like the competition post and comment below with the name of somebody you think would like a book too. I will be announcing the winners on Thursday 16th June.

Good luck!

A.x

*Thanks to Wrigley’s Extra for sponsoring this post.