Toddler Gear: 10 Items That’ll Make Your Life as a Parent Easier
Being a parent is hard enough; here are ten things to help make the toddler years a little easier.
1. A High-Quality Car Seat
Choosing the best convertible car seat is vital when raising a toddler. Making sure your child is safe and comfortable every time you get in the car will make the ride goes smoother and give you peace of mind knowing your child is safe.
2. A Travel High Chair
A travel high chair is soft and collapsible, making it easy to take with you to someone’s house, a party, a restaurant, or anywhere else you will be eating away from home. The alternative is attempting to keep your toddler on your lap while you try to eat and feed your child. All mothers know this is not a simple approach and rarely works.
3. A Portable Changing Pad
A portable changing pad is usually the size of a large wallet. It unfolds into a large surface area offering a washable vinyl surface to lay anywhere and change your child’s diaper. Portable changing pads have pockets on either side that allow you to carry wipes and diapers right in the pad.
4. A Body Wrap
There are many different kinds of body wraps, but they all offer the same solution. When you are away from your house, your child will inevitably get tired of walking or refuse to go in the stroller and want to be carried. However, carrying a toddler all day can be exhausting. A body wrap allows you to carry your child while distributing the weight so that your arms or back do not get overly tired.
5. Colorful Books
Books are one of the best ways to keep a toddler distracted, entertained, and quiet. Picture books are especially ideal for young ones because they can look at colorful pictures without needing to know how to read. You can buy a colorful Jesus Storybook Bible for your toddler to look at during your church service for when they are too young to grasp what is happening.
6. No-Spill Snack Cups
No-spill snack cups have lids slotted lids that allow the child to reach in and grab pieces of food, but if the cup is dropped or tipped over, the food will not be able to come out through the slots. Toddlers are notorious for dropping and throwing whatever they are holding, which often includes plates, bowls, and cups. Parents are continually cleaning up after their toddlers, which gets exhausting.
7. Extra Wipes
Parents are used to using wipes when they have babies, but they are one of the most useful tools a parent can have. Wipes can clean bottoms when changing diapers; they can also clean hands, faces, tables and chairs, unknown sticky substances, as well as an endless array of substances and grossness. You will want to keep a package of wipes with you until your children are well into grade school and possibly beyond.
8. A Handheld Mirror
A handheld mirror is an easy well to settle a toddler down while in the car. Car rides can be very stressful because your child doesn’t want to be stuck in the seat, and there is nothing you can do about it. Sometimes you need something that will distract your child for a bit of time. A handheld mirror can keep your child occupied for a few minutes or a few hours, depending on the child.
9. A Super Soft Blanket
Toddlers want to be cozy and warm and feel safe. Keeping a super soft blanket handy can be lifesaving when your child is having a meltdown. Most tantrums are an indication that the child is tired, and the blanket can encourage sleepiness. However, even if your child is not exhausted, a super soft blanket can give them the comfort they need to calm themselves down.
10. A Durable Sippy Cup
Keeping a sippy cup with you will relieve the stress of going places with your toddler and having to maintain a death grip on their drinks or coax them to use a straw.