Review: Matchstick Monkey Grey Gift Set
One Wiltshire family road tests the latest triple pack for teething tots...
Our daughter has shown signs of teething since she was around two months old and despite now being almost a year, only has two lower-front teeth to show for it. So what she has lacked in actual teeth, she has more than made up for in sore gums, fun (!) nappies and sleep-deprived nights. We’ve tried numerous tactics to combat what seems to be an incredibly resilient enemy. So, when a gift set arrived with a triple-pronged attack, we were delighted.
Firstly, we have the teething toy. We have tried chilled / frozen teethers, frozen veg and more traditional methods, but nothing seemed to stay in little one’s mouth long enough to be of benefit. Whether it was temperature, texture or just discomfort we just couldn’t seem to find anything to help. The Matchstick Monkey Dancing Monkey seems to have an advantage over other solutions in that it has a number of different textures and sensations so when she moves it around in her mouth there’s always something different. Now don’t get me wrong, there were still sleepless nights and the fun nappy explosions, but at least the Monkey seemed to keep her distracted enough from the pain for reasonable lengths of time – which as any parent will tell you can be a god-send.
The knitted hanging toy has, unfortunately, seen less action in the first year. However, the Velcro hands create no end of amusement when deployed, mainly because she likes to try to wrap them round her father’s wrist. The rattle inside helps keep her interest for a while, but as she isn’t massively into cuddly toys yet I think this will be one for the future, once she can start to attach the Velcro hands to all sorts of things (the cat, the dog…)
Finally, the organic cotton muslin has been an absolute revelation. The silicone tab spends a LOT of time in her mouth but the muslin itself is now an essential part of her bedtime routine. As we said before, she isn’t much of a cuddly toy fan right now so she will more often than not be found hugging the Matchstick Monkey muslin as she falls to sleep in her cot. She just seems to like the feel of the fabric on her skin and doesn’t have the same attachment to any other muslin we have. The two of them are inseparable and I’m dreading the day when it goes missing somewhere or we go away and forget it. It’s very well made and shows no signs of wear and tear, despite all the attention it gets. The same can be said of the Dancing Monkey Teether which we’re really pleased about, as there’s nothing worse than finding a good teether then having to replace it every four weeks as its worn out!
While the muslin is certainly the long-term star of the show for us, the Matchstick Monkey three-piece gift set covers enough of the bases to be worth its price tag. As Meatloaf once sang, Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad and if our experience is usual then you can probably get enough benefit out of two of the items to not worry if the third is a slow-burner. Plus, their durability means you get more than your money’s worth in our view.
Anon, Wiltshire.
Matchstick Monkey Gift Sets are £29.95 each and available in Blue, Green, Grey and Pink.
