Polls and Tips for Baby and Toddler Years

Afternoon tea time at a fancy hotel. Enjoy a decadant three-tiered array of goodies! But, you may want to confirm if the service offers a children's tea menu should you have a picky eater.

Special behind-the-scene museum/zoo/aquarium adventures or animal encounters. (E.g., shark feeding, penguin painting, etc.)

Doll houses are great for both boys and girls. It teaches them to be gentle as they try to set things up and play without knocking things over.

Placing letters on a letter board. I discovered this one by accident, but I love how it keeps my 4-year-old sitting quietly for long stretches of time while he tries to get the plastic letters to stay in my felt letter board.

Matchbox/Hot Wheels cars

Screentime while staying on the potty.

Disposable toothbrush: a toothbrush I'm willing to use for a couple nights then throw away at the hospital before I return home.

Cozy socks

Sturdy stair guards at the top and bottom of the staircase are a must once baby starts moving around!

I discovered that a heavyweight hairband looped around both door handles was just as effective (if not more!) at keeping my cabinet doors shut than those cabinet latches made specifically for baby proofing. Plus, they were way easier (and less annoying) for me to take on and off, making it more likely that I'd always keep it on. This only works on certain handles, though, like pull bars and knobs.

You are so beautiful - Joe Cocker

Edelweiss (The Sound of Music)

I have a full set of cleaning supplies (sponges/cloths, gloves, cleaning solutions/products) - in each bathroom and the kitchen, so whenever I have five minutes I can quickly wipe down a sink, toilet, counter, etc without needing to hunt anything down.

Robot vacuum! We have a Coredy robot and it gets plopped in various rooms almost daily. I’ll section off an area periodically and let it do all of the work for me. Our kids love picking up for it so they don’t have to sweep so it’s almost effortless for me and even has a mop option for our model. It’s not amazing but helps tremendously!

Add plastic/foam letters or numbers to the water and have kids “fish” them with a toy fishing rod, large spoon or spatula. If they are ready, you can have them fish for particular letters or numbers to help reinforce alphabet/number recognition.

Measuring cups of different sizes and shapes create ceaseless fun pouring and dumping; dumping and pouring for hours.