Does your baby fidget while feeding? Or maybe he or she just loves to play when you want to snuggle. If so, you are not alone! Babies love to play when they are nursing or bottle feeding, and even when they are just being held. They may play with Mom’s hair, skin, clothes, jewelry…anything within reach (and sometimes even things out of reach!). Unfortunately, sometimes babies can get a little rough and can pinch and grab to the point of pain. My daugher was content to twirl my long hair while she was nursing, but my son was not so gentle! 
One local Huntersville mom has created a solution that will allow a baby to grab and play without subjecting Mom to pain. The CuddleTug is a stretchy ribbon necklace for Mom to wear. It is lined with bright-colored ribbon loops that capture the baby’s attention and give Mom’s hair and skin a break. Moms (and dads) can wear it while holding or feeding the baby to decrease the chances of skin-pinching, jewelry grabbing and hair pulling. It is fun for baby and helps Mom out, too. CuddleTugs are made locally by mom-inventor, Jennifer Stevens, who lives in the Huntersville area with her husband, Rob, and two boys. She works part time as a pediatric speech therapist, part time as a CuddleTug creator, and full time as a wife and mommy! CuddleTug is perfect for newborn babies up to 12 months. Mom wears the CuddleTug, so it is visually stimulating for newborn babies up to 3-4 months of age. When babies start grabbing, the CuddleTug really becomes useful and entertaining. It can also be strapped to strollers, jumpers, exersaucers, and high chairs.
The inspirations behind CuddleTug are Jennifer’s two boys, now ages 3 and 1. When her first son was nursing, he would pinch her skin and tug on her necklace. She realized that he needed something of his own to tug and pull. She tried several different toys and blankets but nothing seemed to work. Then her second son was born, and he began doing the same things. Jennifer headed to the fabric store, tried all kinds of materials and ribbons, and finally came up with the first CuddleTug. It worked like a charm!
CuddleTug solves many common issues for both nursing and bottle feeding moms. It cuts down on how much the baby pulls long hair, pinches skin (ouch!), and grabs jewelry. It also helps babies pay attention to the "right" area when breastfeeding, especially when they are at the stage where their eyes are wandering and they are easily distracted. CuddleTug is soft, safe, fun, and economical. Additionally, it is great thing to wear while in a restaurant, church, temple, or public place to keep baby busy, because it won’t fall and get dirty.
CuddleTugs can be purchased online at http://www.cuddletug.com/. You can also find CuddleTug on Facebook and Twitter.
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