Must Have Items for a Toddler
Becoming a parent is weird. You are handed a baby and are suddenly expected to just *know* all the things that it needs. Truthfully, in any stage of parenting you don’t need a whole lot of stuff but as my daughter ages I am learning the things that are an absolute game changer for this season of life.
This sunscreen roller applicator is one of those products that has me going “why didn’t I think of that?”. You can fill it with your preferred sunscreen and the combined sponge and roller ball makes it super easy to apply sunscreen without making a big mess or toddler hands getting extra involved.
Upon my daughter learning to walk I suddenly had all sorts of feelings about wanting her to have the right shoes for her little feet to develop. For little walkers you want a wide toe and a sole that will bend. Stride Rite has become my brand of choice and these sandals are my daughter's shoe of choice. I kid you not, she posed for her dad to show them off the first time I put them on her.
Sippy cups were never my daughter's thing. We tried a few and nothing seemed to both satiate her and not spill. These contigo spill proof straw cups have been a game changer. She can feel “big” carrying around a cup that is similar to my Stanley and these things are near impossible to spill with. We have the above set and literally have one of them with us at all times. They are dishwasher safe and easy to clean.
Remember how I said kids don’t actually need a ton of “stuff”? This is also code for we don’t have a ton of space in our house for a whole new set of kid furniture. This high chair hooks right onto our dining room table and has a tray that clips on. I love that it allows for us all to eat together at the table and its compact design means we don’t have another piece of furniture in our tiny home. About once a week I take the cover off and wash it in the washing machine and its good as new!
My sweet girl is still nearly as bald as the day she was born. I have the rare child who will wear a bow pretty much all day and she has since before we even took her home from the hospital. Putting a bow on is now just part of our routine, as soon as I finish putting her clothes on she will reach over to where we store her bows and help me pick one out. Inevitably we lose them over time so I find we end up ordering a new pack of bows of various colors about once a quarter. I am pretty fancy in a lot of the things I love but for bows, I think the cheap ones from Amazon are perfect.
I have now broken two of the cup holders that are made by the brand of our stroller. At $30 a pop, we couldn’t justify continuing to buy something we continue to break so I instead purchased this much cheaper generic version and honestly, it’s perfect. It even has a little slot for me to put my phone.
When my daughter started daycare recently they sent us a list of things she would need for “school” including a cot sized blanket. We have about a bazillion baby blankets but nothing cot sized. I ordered this blanket in a pinch and truthfully, I am obsessed. The blanket retails for under $20 but looks high end and like something from Pottery Barn or a boutique.
Speaking of items needed for “school”, my girl needed her first lunchbox which sent me down a rabbit hole on TikTok researching the best lunch boxes for toddlers. The OmieBox Bento Box checks every box, it is a small business started by a mom, it is leakproof, and there are various temperature zones. And this lunch box is kind of an investment, the price tag is on the higher end but I haven’t regretted purchasing it even once as I pack her lunches or wipe it down at the end of the day.
For a kid with two parents who grew up doing musical theater, my daughter has quite the arm on her and I credit this ball (and my in-laws dog who loves to play fetch with her). The ridges on the ball make it easy for little ones to pick up and play with.
My daughter was gifted this bike by her bonus grandparents and she LOVES it. This little bike is great for developing fine motor skills and our girls loves to feel “big” zooming all over the house on it.
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