What to Do When You're Invited to a Christening

Being invited to a christening is nice, but it can give a feeling of dread to those involved. You may not want to go, worry about what to wear, or whether it’s important to buy a gift. This guide is going to cover all of that, so you know exactly what to do when you’re invited to a christening!

Decide What You’d Like to Do

Decide what you’d like to do. Bear in mind that if you’ve been invited to the christening, then of course it is appropriate for you to attend. If you weren’t wanted there, you wouldn’t have been invited. Also, it doesn’t matter what religion you are so long as you are respectful of the service. If, for whatever reason, you don’t want to go, simply explain to the hosts that you appreciate the invite but you have other plans that can’t be changed. If you genuinely have something else to do, then just tell them the truth and they should understand.

Wear Appropriate Attire

Wearing appropriate attire to a christening is a must, after all, it’ll be held in a church. Some people have a party afterwards, so you might be able to get away with being a little more dressy. However, you shouldn’t show off too much skin. Mini dresses and skirts are not recommended for a christening. Tops that show off cleavage should be avoided too. You don’t need to wear a full nun’s outfit, but you must dress appropriately. Consider it similar to a wedding or another religious service. You should look your best but appropriate at the same time.

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Buy a Gift

It’s usually good manners to give a gift when you attend a christening. Taking it into the actual service with you may not be a good idea, so either give it before or after. If a party is being held afterwards, there may be a table where you can place your gift. Bear in mind you don’t need to spend a fortune to buy a decent gift! If you’re a godparent or an immediate family member, buying a nice gift could be advisable. Christening silver looks great and can be kept forever. However, you could also buy a book, a piece of art, or something personalised. You could even make something yourself if you like to craft. Maybe the host would prefer help with the party food rather than a gift? Think of the things you’re good at and offer a service if you don’t have a large budget! It’s quite different to buying birthday gifts. Some people like to stick with a religious theme, but it isn’t necessary.

Be Respectful During the Service

During the service, you must make sure you’re respectful. This means no talking, and you must pay attention. Try to follow the service as closely as you can, even if you’ve never attended one before. Afterwards, make sure you thank the hosts for inviting you.

Now you know how to handle that christening invite, you should feel more at ease. Good luck!

Dexter's First Birthday Party

The time has come where I have to start thinking about Dexter's first birthday party. I can't believe he's eleven months, and time really has flown. I know I need to make his birthday special, but as he's only one he won't really remember it, so I'm not going overboard with it. I've decided just to keep it to family only, and we're having a little Woodland theme going on. The cake obviously has to be a caterpillar one as well, that's really for me! I'm not making one this year, although I've had my eye on a few ones on Pinterest. I can always leave that for another year. 

I can't remember what I was Googling but I came across the Party Delights website run by Tesco, and fell in love with their themes. You can buy everything direct from them, and know it will all match. That's definitely a load off my shoulders. I know I said I wasn't going overboard, ahem. This is what I have so far, in the Woodland theme. I think I have everything I need serving wise?

Now I just need to think about the food! If anyone has any suggestions I would be really grateful. I'm buying a caterpillar cake so that's sorted. I was thinking sandwiches and little cakes, maybe a tea party? Help a lady out here please!

Things you forget | First Aid kits*

There are so many things you have to think about when you first have a baby; the main question over and over again is 'do I have everything I need?' and you will most surely think yes. What more could you need? You have a million and one baby grows, numerous toys, nappies and baby wipes are checked, so what more could there be? You've probably forgotten about the first aid kit, and yes, rightly so as it's not on your list of priorities for the time being, but it actually should be. You probably won't need this until your child is older and toddling about when they start getting scrapes, but what about for you too? Baby brain kicks in an whoops you've just poured a kettle of water all over yourself and put baby milk in your coffee. That happened to me numerous times...

I dread to think what is lurking in the back of my 'first aid/medicine' cabinet. Oh no, it's not a small bathroom cabinet with lotions and potions, but a whole kitchen cupboard full of out of date serums and medication. I'd rather not look to be honest. No doubt in my head that there won't be the essentials though.

I couldn't possibly think of what I would need in a first aid kit? Plasters, bandages, creams? And the little things that you will probably forget such as eye wash and tapes. It's much easier to buy a first aid kit really, and that's where this nifty little gadget comes in. This kid's first aid kit from Premier Healthcare & Hygiene covers everything, and comes in a neat little bag making it ideal to have in your car, in your cupboard, or even in your handbag! (It's small and compact).  

Contents: 

2 x alcohol free wipes

9 x creature plasters (these are awesome!)

1 x 5cm conforming bandage

a pair of vinyl gloves

1 x 5cm x 5cm low adherent dressing

1 x triangular bandage

1 x 1.25cm x 5m microporous tape 

2 x 20ml eye wash pods 

You really have everything but the kitchen sink in here, and there is extra room in the bag itself to put a few essentials in that you might require. I've popped a pair of small scissors and an antiseptic cream in (just in case).

The kid's first aid kit was sent to me free of charge. Opinions in the review are my own. 

Yollies Yoghurt Lollies* | Review

New to Dexter's list of foods have been fromage frais and yoghurts which he absolutely loves, so when we came across the new Yollies yoghurt lollies* from the makers of Cheese Strings we had to give them a try. They were extremely hard to find when they first came out although I was advised that they should be on offer in Asda stores across the country and readily available. It took at least three weeks before they appeared in our store, and unfortunately were only in stock and on offer for £1 for a few weeks. They are currently on offer at Asda at £1.50 per pack of four, or two packs for £3.

Yollies are designed to be a fun way to get well needed calcium and vitamin D into your little ones. The yoghurt is very thick which enables it to stay on the stick itself, and come in several fruity punching flavours; strawberry, raspberry and apricot. As Dexter is only 11 months old it was pretty funny to try and watch him eat them, but they are an absolutely fantastic product for toddlers. He found it really easy to hold the stick and eat the yoghurt, although he had a tendency to put the whole lolly into his mouth.

They are the ideal size to pop into older children's lunch boxes or picnic bags too making them an ideal go-to product when little ones are out and about as they don't product much mess at all. Except for with a sticky fingered toddler.

We were sent a fantastic adventure kit to orienteer and hunt bugs out, but unfortunately Dexter is a little young for this so we're planning on using the bag as a travel bag when we head off to China in a few weeks. The kit will definitely come in handy next summer though, for me more so than him probably!

The folks over at Kerry foods also have a 'Brave Bones Club' that you and your little ones can join. The idea behind this is to encourage little ones to be more adventurous with their play showing that they can grow up to be stronger and more confident. I really love this idea, and as for someone like me who is absolutely terrified at the prospect of Dexter climbing trees etc, it can teach me a thing or two!

The adventure kit and vouchers were sent for purchasing the Yollies yoghurt lollies, but all opinions are my own. 

Hello, and welcome!

Hello and welcome to our very first blog post at Little Bug and Me. 

I'm Michelle, blogger at Satchels & Pearls, and I decided that I would begin an adventure with Dexter and start our own blog. As Dexter grows more and more into his own little person, and expresses himself a lot more, I thought it time we had space dedicated to him. This will include product reviews, our life journey, along with regular updates so our family all over the world can see how he grows. As he gets bigger (and trust me, he's certainly doing that!) and can stand/walk I'm hoping to feature outfit posts too. 

I haven't felt wholly confident blogging much about our lives on Satchels & Pearls with it predominantly being a fashion, beauty and lifestyle blog, but I'm hoping to grab some of my followers to come join us on this new adventure!

Little Bug & Me x