4 tips for wearing Special Occasion jewellery when you have a grabby baby!

You might remember that last week I wrote about these adorable outfits for the boys and the upcoming special occasion we are going to in July? Well, it got me thinking, as I am going to be a bridesmaid, I would like some pretty jewellery to go with my dress. That’s normal, right? Unfortunately, Edie is going to be at, what I call, the ‘grabby’ stage. She will grab my jewellery, pull it, twist her fingers in it, try to bite it and so on. So what can I wear that will make me feel dressed for a special occasion, glamorous and confident, that she won’t a.) break, b.) choke on and c.) pull my ear lobes to shreds with?

I thought I’d put together my top tips for jewellery wearing mamas and how to still wear jewellery when you enter the grabby stage!

1.) Dangly (drop) earrings? Not if you want to keep your ear lobe.

Sorry fellow jewellery loving mamas, this is officially a no-go zone now. Big dangle earrings are just another way of saying ‘grab me and pull’ to a baby that is exploring their new awareness of your sparkles. Anything that dangles more than a centimetre from your ear is going to cause you trouble and once those strong, healthy, grubby little mittens get hold of them, its going to be hard to come away without some blood involved!

2.) Surprisingly, long chains are better than short.

If you want to wear a necklace then you are much better opting for a long drop necklace (I know, I wouldn’t have thought that either!). Reason being, if your child grabs hold of a shorter chain that sits around your collarbone or just at the top of your breasts, then you are much more likely to find it tugged and broken than you would be if you had a long drop necklace that they could play with easily without having to tug to investigate. On the flip side, if you are feeling like a return to the 90’s then you can easily get away with one of those god-awful tight chokers that seem to be back in fashion (yes, I hate them because I’m old enough to have worn them the first time).

3.) Try to avoid to much shimmer or shine when it comes to the ears.

You know those gorgeous diamond earrings you inherited from your Great Grandmother? Stow them away for another year or two, because they will be of great fascination to any fiddler with grabby hands. Even now, if I wear something really sparkly in my ears Toby will want to grab it and investigate and he’s 2 1/2 years old! It’s new and exciting for your children, so avoid it! Why not try simple silver/gold earrings or maybe even a duller stone like a ruby? If you are thinking for a special occasion like a wedding, I always think pearls are super pretty, but won’t be so bright as to tell your child they must be grabbed!

4.) Bracelets are friends, but remember three’s a crowd.

Your hands and wrists are something that will be grabbed, used and held constantly. This is the perfect place to wear something that can’t be broken or easily pulled off your hand! Hooray for bracelets. And the best thing is, I have found in my experience, the more jazzy, sparkly, intriguing the better because it can double as a ‘toy’ or entertainment feature during a special occasion when you need bambino to be just that little bit quieter than they would usually be. I’ve mentioned a few times my love for glass and silver charm beads, they are something that anyone can wear, but I have never really mentioned how much my kids looooove them!  They spend ages examining them, twisting the beads to see every angle and intricate design… Reuben has even started doing what I used to do with little charms and making stories about the figures! The only thing I would say, don’t go crazy layering up, if you have a little one of Edith’s age or just a bit older, you still have to lean them against your forearm to feed and you don’t want to have anything dig into them.

So there you go, my top tips (based on my previous experiences – I’m hoping to be prepared this time) for wearing jewellery for a special occasion!

Harriet x