Can you believe it’s been TWO years already since this happened?? It’s been TWO years since I had what I felt like the biggest bump ever at my maternity shoot.
He’s learned so much in the past TWO years. According to Harvard, 1 million new neural connections are formed every second in their little brains. While I feel like I’m losing connections in my brain (#mombrain), I also have learned SO much in the past TWO years he’s made me a mom.
I’ve shared some of my knowledge with you including my maternity essentials but I’m trying to respond to a lot of what you guys have been asking to see in your Instagram DMs/comments, including what my favorites are when it comes to all things toddler.
Now that I’m kind of a pro at this mom thing—ha, who am I kidding, I’m learning something new every day—I’ve found some things that have made our lives so much easier and more enjoyable for our toddler. Whether you’re in the thick of it or just looking for gifts for toddlers in your life, here’s my round up of our favorite things:
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TOYS:
- If we only had to survive with one toy for him, it would be these cling-on stickers. It’s gotten us through traveling to Ireland.
- Okay, this isn’t a toy necessarily, but this step stool is perfect for our small NYC apartment because it folds up and he can stand at the window to spend literally hours playing with the stickers mentioned above.
- Brio trains are a favorite in our home and they also look so nice that I don’t mind them sitting out. They’re also interchangeable with Ikea train sets if you want to expand.
- The Gruffalo is our favorite book and our go-to gift for friends. It’s a beautiful fable and repetitive enough that we couldn’t go to bed without reading it for a while (I think he appreciated my voices for each character!).
- We can’t get enough of books, so we started making our own personalized books from Pinhole Press and giving them as gifts too!
- This is part toy and part a lifesaver for you: the OK to wake clock lets them know when it’s okay to get up. We’re still working on it but I have hope and at the very least it’s a great little night light.
- Every toddler loves crayons, but these finger crayons are awesome to start them out with because they’re literally edible (though hopefully no one eats them), they’re fun to stack and they fit on their fingers while they’re getting the hang of it. I always kept a few in the diaper bag for going out to eat.
- This light up car and track set was one of our favorite gifts ever received. We could watch him all day chase the cars around the track. The cars break easily unfortunately but it’s worth getting a few more as back up.
- I polled my local mom group on Facebook and this scooter was by far the favorite around my area so we got it for my guy’s 2nd birthday. We love the helmet we got for it because you can get cushions to adjust the size as they grow, but the best advice we got was to get your child fitted at your local toy store for the helmet.
- The personalized Scout doll may be his favorite stuffed animal of all time. He tells him about his day at bedtime and Scout sings to him with his name and favorite things. It’s one of my favorite gifts to give to toddlers as well.
- I’m on a mission to find beautifully designed toys that I don’t mind in my NYC apartment but my guy loves and it doesn’t get better than this play kitchen. We even got inspired to renovate our kitchen to match!
- We inherited old fashioned wood blocks and it’s keeping him as busy as I remembered playing with them as a kid.
- Speaking of blocks, these Tegu magnetic blocks have gotten us through MANY dinners at restaurants and the handy travel case makes it easy to throw in your bag.
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#TODDLERLIFE:
- Getting our little one excited to brush his teeth has been a struggle in recent months, but it’s become less of a fight with this fun musical electric toddler toothbrush from Nuby.
- This well designed Beaba potty is helping us ease into potty training. We’ve been letting him go in it on his own terms since he was 18 months.
- I’m sure we’ve been doing it all wrong because according to this book that a lot of moms have recommended to me, this is the best way to go about potty training.
- Beaba has saved us when it came to feeding our guy and we still use ALL of it. I even use the BabyCook to steam veggies for our dinner or hummus for the family.
- These caveman cups are awesome and the perfect size for a toddler but cool enough that you won’t mind having them around forever, unlike a lot of toddler items that only get used for a few years.
- These silicone covers are a great way to transition to a cup, including the cup mentioned above. You can even bring them to restaurants to convert cups without schlepping bulky cups.
- Munchkin snack cups are a staple to get toddlers to eat on the go—or when they’re too busy to stop playing to eat. In addition to using them for snacks, I love bringing them to restaurants or places that are challenging to get him to eat a meal.
- The Munchkin 360 is hands down the best toddler training sippy cup.
- I resisted toddler plates for a while, but these are just so pretty that I don’t mind them in my decor.
- Transitioning to a toddler bed (we have this convertible crib) was made SO much easier when we introduced this soft organic toddler pillow.
- Before converting the crib, we used to have a little escape artist who would get stuck in the slats of the crib. Bumpers are no longer deemed safe, but these safe Wonder Bumpers did the trick for us.
- When we had to give up the infant car seat it was a sad day, but this Cybex convertible car seat made the transition easy. It’s high tech and beautifully designed.
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HOME DECOR
- I love my toddler but I’m not sacrificing my home completely. I still want maintain somewhat a sense of design in my home. This toddler table and chair set makes me feel like all toddler things should be this beautifully designed as much as my child loves it!
- I searched everywhere for an affordable toddler-friendly coffee table for a small space (that doesn’t require padding!). This is the closest I could find and it even has storage for a blanket. He loves playing in it too.
- Toddlers destroy things as you may know, so when searching for an affordable and durable rug, this one was perfect and under $200! We also have this rug in his bedroom and get so many compliments on it.
- I resisted a high chair for SO long (we had a clip on one) and wish I had this Cybex Lemo high chair from his birth. It matches our decor so nicely, he loves it and adults can even sit in it!
- If by chance your little one does think your furniture is a canvas like mine does, this stain remover is non-toxic and gets everything out!
- My husband thinks I have a basket addiction but it’s really the most beautiful way to corral random toys around the home.
- If you’re looking for a minimalist way of storing bath toys, this is it. It doesn’t hold well so I recommend getting these hooks to go with it.
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TODDLER FASHION
- Cute and toddler shoes are words that rarely go together. The cool ones usually aren’t great for their feet or well made. We have one stylish pair that makes him walk like Frankenstein. These Vans sneakers are the only toddler shoes I’ve found that are extremely flexible, durable and easy to put / keep on.
- Our little guy requests to wear slippers like we do around the house and these are so good we had to buy 2 pairs so we could wash one between uses.
- These reusable swim diapers are so cute and are a lifesaver as well as environmentally friendly.
- Okay this is more for you, but this Uniqlo x Kaws x Sesame Street tee will make you the coolest parent EVER.
- My little one is practically a giant so we stopped baby wearing, but this versatile baby to toddler carrier got us through plane rides, hikes and trekking around the city so comfortably.
- Tevas are back for adults so your mini me can match. Even if you think they’re “fugly” they’re the most functional toddler water shoe and great for fitting their little chubby feet in.
- My guy grows faster than I can keep up with, so I can’t spend a lot on his clothing and am so grateful that Target has the best affordable toddler fashion that we get so many compliments on like this cool concert tee. Zara is another favorite for affordable toddler fashion. Both brands fit my big and tall guy well so they last longer than others that even cost more.
- The Cybex Eezy-S Twist stroller is a game-changer. I’m putting it in the toddler fashion category because it really is the most stylish stroller. It’s also so lightweight and easy to fold/unfold so it makes trekking around the city way less stressful for me!
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NYC EXPERIENCES
- Brooklyn Botanic Garden, especially during cherry blossom season. It’s also FREE on Friday mornings and children under 12 are always FREE!
- NY Transit Museum (FREE under 2!)
- NYC Ferry is the best $2.75 ever spent. It’s a quick boat ride around NYC and not as much of a commitment as the Staten Island Ferry in case of meltdowns.
- Seaglass Carousel is only $5 and one of our favorite things to do with kids in NYC.
- Brooklyn Bridge Park is one of my favorite places in the whole city and there are so many nooks with fun things for toddlers like a massive sandbox and water feature. You can grab pizza with a view of the whole city at the family-friendly Fornino.
- The NY Aquarium is so fun visually for young toddlers and fun for us to watch him point and say “fishy” over and over.
What are your favorite toddler things right now? I’d love to hear and share more!
Thank you Beaba, Cybex, Bambino Mio, Ergo and Tegu for providing product. All opinions and what I choose to write about is 100% my own opinions and choices.