toddler essentials

..and I’m back.  the combination of a quick work trip + sleep training my six month old had me exhausted last week, but well worth the last four days of her sleeping 7pm to 7am.  thats no joke.  more on that later:)
today I’m talking about toddler..err.. my three year old essentials + favorites!  I love these kind of posts and I haven’t done one for the big girls in a long time.  things have changed as these girls have grown so much in the last year and out side of their constant move from favorite toy to their new favorite toy to the must have favorite toy..
tiny my little pony figurines aka ponytails and peppa pig rule our life this week.
b u t
these essentials remain in our every single day!
the nuby step stool makes my life so much easier when the big girls are in a panic for the potty and I am three minutes away from getting Baker to sleep for a much needed and prayed for afternoon nap.  this stool is used for everything- including turning on the bathroom light (or the playroom) and for helping get themselves situated on the potty without taking a dunk in the toilet.
I’ve talked about l’il critters gummy vites  (here) and we continue to love taking our gummy vitamins on a daily basis.  they usually take them in the morning with breakfast …or if I forget (which happens often!) we take them with dinner.  just a little extra boost of nutrition, especially if its been a particularly off day and my babes are extra picky when it comes to mealtimes. Jo has become exceptionally sensitive when it comes to her skin.. which is so strange because Parker is the one with extra fare skin and we have taken a lot of care to make sure her skin is well nourished.. that being said- poor Jolie has had a hard time with random foods flaring up her eczema (mainly on her back and tummy) and we steer clear of pants and shirts that have a tag or panties with a thick elastic waistband- which, as a sidenote, brings me to another favorite- the carter’s stretch panties are super soft, tagless and have zero itchy waistband for Jolie’s sake.. 
..anyway, I had a fellow mama friend recommend california baby and when browsing their products I came across their eczema cream.  literally she sees relief within moments of application.
our pigtails have become a regular accessory and our favorite way to dress them up come from the lovely free babes.  she makes the most girlie and dainty hair clips (and bands for the littlest) and I LOVE them. the hand-tied look is so classic.  and her colors are amazing!
I cannot go without mentioning the oxo tot foldable booster.  We sold off the twins’ highchairs we used for three solid years and traded them in for these big girl booster seats.  while I can appreciate how much room I have in my kitchen since we got rid of those two chairs and just have one + boosters, the girls love their new place at the table.
while we are talking about mealtime (sort of..) the camelbak eddy kids water bottle  and smart planet lunch box have been AWESOME favorites lately.  I mentioned these lunch boxes in my preschool favorites post right before the twins started school back in august, but we use them much more than just for school.  I take these to the park with snacks and or pack a picnic lunch for while we are out and about.  I just throw a coupe of these ice packs on the bottom and we are good to go!  they are also easy to use and for the girls to eat out of while we are in the car.  as far as the water bottles are concerned.. my kids drink a lot of water.  Jolie will down 3-5 bottles/day while Parker is more like two or three throughout the day.  I like these bottles because they hold quite of bit of water and will usually last us through a trip for errands or while the twins are at school.  they also fold shut and don’t leak!  I do not look forward to being in the ‘leaky sippy cup’ stage with Baker… 
I know I didnt cover everything.. what are some favorites that you love for your toddler aged littles?

February 2, 2016

  1. Kelsi Salava says:

    Thanks for this post! What do you think of the smell of the California Baby eczema cream? I've tried their lotion before and wasn't nuts about the fragrance, but could use a really good cream for our baby girl. Also, we love the Camelbak eddy water bottles too!

    I can't wait to hear your experience in sleep training! We tried a few days ago and then my 6 month old got a yucky sinus infection, so we paused it for awhile.

  2. Lavakels says:

    I love all of this. My son is a couple months younger than your twins and my daughter is about a month younger than Baker so it's nice to get some recommendations. I wouldn't mind a post about favorite sippy cups for when Baker gets a little older. It's so hard to find a good one that isn't crappy!

  3. Kelly Smith says:

    Can't wait to hear your sleep training tricks!

  4. http://m.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3518177&eESource=CA_DF:3518177:TRUS

    I highly recommend this potty seat! Your girls could put it on the toilet themselves & it's safer 🙂