One third of British adults take a teddy bear to bed with them, according to a recent survey which also found that over half of the adult population has an old teddy bear in their home dating back to their childhood.  This makes the average age of teddy bears 27 years old!

Over 6,000 adults were questioned on behalf of the hotel chain Travel Lodge.  It found that a quarter of businessmen take a teddy with them on business trips because it reminds them of home!  Allegedly, the hotel chain receive hundreds of worried telephone calls each month from owners who fear they may have left their teddies behind in their bedrooms.

The survey also found that traditional teddies were most popular followed by Winnie the Pooh and Paddington.  It has also been said, by the American writer Christopher Andersen, that Prince Charles even travels with his childhood teddy.

Although we may claim to love our teddies and take them all over the world, we are not always that careful.  Over 75,000 Teddies are lost and reunited with their owners each year by Travel Lodge staff alone!

A collection of Stieff teddy bears and soft toys worth an estimated £1.2 million have been discovered at a collector's home in America and will be sent to auction.  The find has amazed experts who cannot believe that such a rare collection existed, some 1,300 items all in beautiful condition.

The teddies will all be auctioned next month by Christies.  The famous auction house has said that it is the best collection they have ever seen as some are over a century old and yet are in a good state.

One bear, a one off 'Harlequin Bear', is expected to fetch up to £110,000 in the sale and islikely to break the world record for the most money ever spent to purchase a bear. It is made of mohair and was crafted as an experiment by one of the employees at the company back in 1944. It's arms and legs move, and he used to have a growl when turned upside down but this has faded with time!

The collection includes all sorts of other stuffed toys including cats, dogs, lions and even frogs!  All of them have been made by Stieff, the  famous German toy maker, renowned the world over for the creation of beautiful stuffed bears and toys, each one hand-stitched and hand-stuffed.

Other unusual items in the collection include a 1910 hot water bottle bear said to be worth £30,000 and a Mickey Mouse figure estimated between £5,000 and £10,000.

So, for some early Christmas bargains, pop along to Christies on 13 October with a big and full purse!

People often feel pressured for their children's first birthday parties, especially for the oldest child; there's a feeling that they have to create an amazing spectacle that everyone will remember for years to come.  The truth is that your baby will never remember their first few birthdays, so don't blow a hole in your family finances, do something sensible and make sure you enjoy yourself as much as you hope your little one does!

For the first couple of years, you'll probably want to celebrate surrounded by your wider family rather than having lots of babies over.  The first birthday of your oldest child is a memorable milestone for you more than for your baby - you have survived your first year as a mother and no doubt achieved many new experiences along the way.  Invite your family around and celebrate your achievements with them.  Toast yourself with a few glasses of wine, and if you are still intent on blowing a hole in the family finances, lavish yourself with Champagne!

Eventually your little one will begin interacting with other children in playgroups and at nursery and you will want them to be able to share their birthday with a few of their own friends.  If you don't want to spend a lot of money, you can invite friends round for a playdate and hold a birthday tea for everyone.  If you have a budget and want to make a more memorable experience then there are all sorts of things you can do:-

• Hold a party at a local soft play centre, toddlers love clambering around play structures and soft play centres accommodate even the youngest party revellers
• Invite an entertainer into your home: look in the Yellow Pages or other local directories to find entertainers suitable for toddlers - clowns, magicians, face painters or balloon modelers may offer a show for your target age group
• Go to a restaurant: probably not suitable below the age of 4 because you need the children to sit still for the meal, and you won't find restaurants with high chairs for large numbers of babies, but a meal out can be a treat for little ones; some restaurants cater really well for children, for example Pizza Hut offer 'Make your own pizza' parties and the staff at TGI Friday are trained to keep young audiences amused with balloon modeling and just being generally fun!
• Go to the park: don't feel you need to hire a venue for a large party - if you have a 'summer' baby, organise a birthday tea picnic in a nearby park; organise a few games to play and invite all the other parents to stay to join in the fun
• Take everyone to a Saturday cinema club for children - although you may not get advanced warning of what will be showing and whether it will be suitable, so this may be difficult to commit to!
• There are several chains where you can hold 'make a bear' parties - each child chooses an empty teddy-bear template which can be stuffed and accessories added
• There are also many 'paint your own pottery' studios around - for really young children just putting handprints on a saucer or mug makes for a memorable gift that they can take back to their families; the only downside is that you can't leave your party with your art, you have to pick it up a couple of days later after it has been fired

We only offer a small selection of ideas for parties for children here, you'll find plenty more things to do in your local area.  Post your own ideas and suggestions here and tell everyone what you've done for your early parties...?