Babies, teething and hyperinflation

Right: I know the economy is in a mess, but there's something going on in the world of baby-rearing that makes the hyperinflation of Weimar Germany (when bank notes became so worthless they were used as wallpaper!) seem tame.

Babies are brilliant right- and then they get teeth and it all starts to go wrong - they scream, they bite, they drool, heck it even makes them poo funny! And there's a miracle solution - Ashton and Parsons powders. A tincture of Matricaria 0.002 ml in a lactose base ( who cares what it is, it works!). Thing is, for reasons nobody seems to be able to explain it is very hard to come by. I have heard everything from a fire at the factory to Boots having bought the license then failed to produce the product.

Imagine the excitement yesterday when my local chemist had a poster in his window : 'Ashton and Parsons now in stock!!!'. Brilliant I said, I'll take 5. "Aw by the way," he says, "they're £8.99 now...".

Okay so I first bought these 6 months ago and they were £3.20. So they're almost three times what I paid at the start of 2013. I decried my local chemist as a charlatan, but when I looked on eBay a box was going for £15 and even the good old Co-op are selling them at £5.35 with a restriction of one per customer! Should I contact George Osbourne and warn him of impending financial doom?!

Of course I still bought them. Just one packet though- there's a recession on! I would be very interested to build up a nationwide map of A&P prices and availability so if you've been ripped off post below!