My favorite things for baby, toddler, kid & me! Think of this like a link tree of sorts for the products that I am always raving about. I’m only including here the products that I truly love and would shout from the rooftop about. This page will eventually include some local favorites (most local businesses I obsess over are service based) as well as some affiliate links that earn a small commission following a purchase, but rest assured items wont be added unless I have used and love them and they will never cost you a cent more through my direct links! I’ll break the items down by category to keep this all to the point.
Baby
No-Spill Food Pouch Tops– this is a must have if you like to use any baby or toddler food pouches on the go. They stay on pretty well and work wonders in preventing squirt-splosions! Equally awesome is it is reclosable and you can toss the pouches’ choking-hazard lid immediately after opening.
Water Wipes– It’s never too late to switch to Water Wipes, and if you care to ask me about it I say you should… I cannot stand the smell of other baby wipes one bit and all of the added ingredients in other wipes are so unnecessary. Also these are perfect for every single purpose on the go from baby to adult.
All-Terrain Wagon– I understand this is a big ticket item but when I tell you I cant live without this, I mean it! I researched wagons for several months (no joke) and ultimately decided on this one because it checked every single box. It is better than any wagon on the market, rolls like a breeze, and comes with lots of bells and whistles. Believe me when I say you will get your money’s worth. I bring my 2 kiddos and all of our gear to the beach solo with this wagon- and everywhere else for that matter. Really though, just buy this one! Or upgrade to the 4-seater version if you need it- we find the 2-seater to be more than adequate with 2 kiddos and our gear.
Pop Tubes– If you don’t have these yet for your baby or toddler, they make a great gift starting with the first birthday! Kids love them (I do too).
Suction Cup Spinners– We saw these first at a local playgroup and my daughter loved them and she was new to standing but they were perfect for her to stand and work on her balance! I like putting them on our glass patio door and my daughter has it as part of he daily rotation. We purchased them as a 1st birthday gift.
Mosquito Stroller Net– this sizable, mesh net can be placed over any of our strollers and even the wagon and I keep these in a pocket on each of those items, just on case.
Roshambo Baby Sunglasses– These polarized sunglasses are made for kids of all ages and are indestructible. We’ve had our pair for over 5 years! They also come with ear adjusters and a baby-safe head strap to help keep them on!
Baby Playpen Fence– We set this up around 4 or 5 months and keep it through early toddlerhood. It’s a large contained play area that is the ticket to laundry change-overs and dinner prep in my house! The key here is to keep the area super fun by rotating toys often and not over-using the space. My daughter also gets lots of time to explore the rest of our living space, of course. I also spend time each day playing with my baby inside our space so she doesn’t associate it as being a drop off spot. For me, this is a must-have for baby safety and mama sanity! We have 2 large dogs and an older sibling and while I can’t control everything, this space is always baby-safe free of small toys, older sibling snacks and animals and their dirty paws!
Baby Mat– Each of my girls have this mat. For the baby, it covers the flooring area where the baby fence is used. The same was true for my older daughter until her baby play area was retired around 18 months. After that it was used beside her crib to protect her from a fall and to this day I have it beside her loft bed to soften her landing if she should fall. I really got our money’s worth on these mats!
Skip Hop Baby Activity Center– This one toy will last you for years… starts out as an amazing play center for babies as young as 4 mos and it ends up as a basic kids table you can use for years to come. My 5 year old still uses hers as a craft table almost every day. I highly recommend purchasing the chairs that go with the table as well at the same time- this way you wont forget to turn it into the table once the baby outgrows the inner portion. I have spent many hours myself on those little chairs and they are great quality.
Mini Baby Balance Bike– I just discovered this mini version of a balance bike after receiving as a gift and immediately categorized it as any other baby ride-on… but then I realized it can tip over. Honestly, if it were my first kid’s, I probably would have panicked and put it away but with baby #2 I gave her the chance to experiment on a mat and she was balancing on it in like 5 minutes. Very recently I watched my 5 year old go directly from a balance bike to a pedal bike without training wheels in just a couple of days with no training wheels so I am all about starting early… and being a ski family, we always appreciate some balance training! Use and purchase at your own discretion, of course!
Baby Delight Outdoor Chair with Canopy and Tray– This folding chair is the best to bring along for baby through little kid (up to age 8). With the option to buckle in the real little ones as young as 3 months in a full harness, and a transition to a basic kids chair it features a snack tray that we use often, as well as a full personal canopy for the sun that easily pops on or off. It’s great at the beach or park. It wont tip over due to the slanted footing. Many people with littles have purchased this on the spot after seeing ours, it’s that awesome.
Silicone Food Mat– Another product I’ve been using from years. It’s great to bring along with your baby or toddler to a restaurant to avoid them having to eat directly off a table or having plates crashing to the floor. It sufficiently covers these space they use and stays in place well, catches food before it drops in their lap and then can easily roll up to be stowed in your diaper bag.
Wubbanub– My family is team pacifier. If that is you too, these are a great way to help baby keep track of their pacifiers. As they learn to self-soothe, they can more quickly locate these dropped pacis themselves in their crib, and they rarely slip through the slats of the crib. These have always been a must have for us.
Snack Catcher Cups– In a pinch, on the go, some puffs or cheerios in a snack cup like this can be a great way to avoid snack spills while also limiting how many snacks they can grab at once.
Hatch Baby Rest– This is a combo white noise machine, nightlight an “ok-to-wake” light that can be set to a schedule and also managed from an app on your phone. It’s simple and effective. Both of my kids have this machine in their room and we use it every day! I loved these so much that I bought the mini version just for travelling – this way I don’t have to rip these out of the kids rooms on the way out the door!
Air Purifier– It wasn’t until we had a mold scare in my oldest daughter’s bedroom a couple of years ago that I realized I needed and wanted to better manage and monitor the air quality in her room with a hepa purifier. Now I swear by these in both girls’ rooms because what’s more important than the air we breathe? This is a great baby gift that people don’t realize they should have.
My 5 Year Old
It’s a 10 Conditioner– People ask me all the time how we manage to keep my daughter’s hair so long. We swear by this conditioner and the leave-in spray product. This routine releases the tangles and replenishes moisture after long days of play! I’d be lost without it!
Wet Brush– When paired with the above products, this brush is absolute magic!
Mom’s Favorite
Sandals– not only are these a Birks look-a-like but they form to your feet just the same for way cheaper! My first week with these I wore them all day in 2 theme parks schlepping the kids around and they were so comfy, no issues what-so-ever. So glad I went with these.
Underoutfit bras– These bras are so comfortable I never take them off. I’ve never found an underwire-free bra that offered the right combination of comfort and support but also didn’t me give a uni-boob. You have to try this to believe it, truly- and they give you 180 day to try it. I guess I am keeping mine because I threw all the other ones out.
Alterna Caviar Cream– I have a lot of flyaways, especially with all of the regrowth after having babies… and a little of this cream goes a long way in taming them. I like that is virtually weightless, non-greasy and doesn’t leave your hair looking wet or slick like a gel or mousse often will. This is great to have in your purse to help a bride keep their hair in check at a wedding when the heat or humidity takes over (used for this purpose at my wedding and my sister’s)!
Crown One Touch Canopy– Unlike many other easy up style canopies, this one does a decent job keeping the rain out. I think you’ll also love the ease of set-up. It comes in a perfect bag an has wheels that make it easy to roll. I have put this up and down myself each time and I absolutely love it! It comes in other sizes as well. This is great for shade too and is the right size to fully shade our kiddy pool for the baby.