Weekly Recs #39: the best toddler scarf, baby led weaning via Trader Joe's & sick day activities
Plus - how to make a home a "haven" for kids
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I’ve been reading
’s Cup of Jo blog for over a decade now and I still remember one of her posts from years ago. In the post, she described how one of her sons was having a hard time transitioning to a new school and that she turned to advice from a Real Simple parenting column that talked about how home should be a haven for kids.Make sure that when my children walks in the door every day, they never doubt that home is the most comforting place for them to be… Home is a haven, a soft landing place, and no matter what happens in the outside world, they will always have that.
I was reminded of this post last week when all of a sudden Annie just stopped napping at daycare. She is almost three so it’s not totally unexpected, but she still takes two hour naps at home on the weekends and it is very apparent with the tired-induced post-daycare meltdowns that her body still needs a nap at school.
We had a few days of BIG feelings, but then I remembered Joanna’s article and we slowed down our evenings, made a whole new routine, and worked around the new situation.
Meals were simplified, dinner was prepped quickly before daycare pickup from whichever parent was working at home, dinner/bath timing was moved up 30 minutes, and more time each night was spent cuddled up in pajamas reading books in her bed. We made home a haven for her and worked around what she needed and nights have been so much better.
Meanwhile - here are three things we loved using over the last week:
Eat - pumpkin muffins: These Yummy Toddler Food pumpkin protein muffins are so good we’ve made them twice in the past two weeks. I leave out the protein powder and add extra chocolate chips and they are a huge hit.
Play - Hey Doodle placemats: I saw a mom online touting these placemats so I was excited to see one in a local toy store. The Hey Doodle mats are designed to be used at restaurants or on planes and they come with dry erase markers that kids can use to color them. And then all the drawings easily wash off with a baby wipe. We got the one with pictures of fruit on it and Annie loves it, but they have lots of other patterns.
Buy - H&M toddler scarf: It’s been so cold this winter so I was glad I stocked up on this scarf from H&M for Annie during H&M’s Black Friday sale. It’s a circle so it stays on, is sized for small heads, and it’s fleece so it is very soft and easy to wash. The purple color I got Annie is sold out, but they still have it in black.
I severely burned my hand around Christmas time and the recovery was horrible so now I am so sensitive to making sure Annie doesn’t get burned with anything. Safe Beginnings is the account to follow for all kid safety tips — including how to avoid burns.
Thermometers for kids are confusing and the rectal ones do seem to work well, but aren’t always easy to use. Ask the NP Mom breaks down the best types to use.
Parenting PSA for travel — always remember to unscrew your child’s water bottle lid once in the air to avoid spraying water everywhere! I’ve forgotten to do this twice and made a complete mess.
A car seat reminder from Safe in the Seat to always use the top tether anchor when the car seat is in forward facing.
If you need some low stimulation Valentine’s Day shows to watch this weekend, Wild and Well Blog has recs broken down by streaming networks.
WeeTalkers breaks down what to say to your toddlers when they are mumbling and you can’t understand them.
Somehow January felt like a million years long, but we are now almost half way through February and it’s now Valentine’s Day?! A few fun ideas for Valentine’s Day baskets I saw online for any last minute shoppers — mini magnetic building tiles themed for Valentine’s Day, a very cozy looking Valentine’s Day matching pants and top for kids under two from Target, and heart band-aids because all toddlers love band-aids.
And if you’d rather go for the themed book route for gifts, the five books I saw referenced most in posts the last few weeks — the Dinosaur’s Valentine’s Day, Happy Valentine’s Day Mouse, Love Monster, You’re My Little Cuddle Bug, and Little Blue Truck’s Valentine. Also how great is this reading nook from Life with Lainee!
Melissa & Doug does it again! This ice cream puzzle is magnetic so kids can “scoop” the ice cream out. Puzzles have never really held Annie’s attention, but this one feels more like a toy. As seen on Marissahtonm.
We are not a kinetic sand family, but I feel like it may be something we try in the near future as a Play-Doh alternative. Chloe_Duffy shared a new product that lets kids play with kinetic sand in water AND it changes colors. The carrying case becomes a mini water table which is also handy for containing mess.
If you are a Dr. Becky obsessed parent, she has a new children’s book coming out on April 1st called “That’s My Truck” that teaches kids how to share.
For parents that want a very active toy for bath time, this water cannon shoots out balls and has targets kids can aim at. It sounds way more violent than it actually is! Recommended by ThreeTimesthePlay.
Major upgrade for those with the Stokke Tripp Trapp high chair. They’ve redesigned their straps for the high chair to make them softer and easier to clean. I can confirm the old ones were very stiff and we often just didn’t use them. For families with the older version, you can purchase the new ones for $95 in their accessories kit. More info from BabyLedWeanTeam.
We made these cereal bar snacks from Yummy Toddler Food a few weeks ago and they were a hit. Just don’t skimp on the honey like I did or they won’t stick together.
For those in the thick of baby led weaning, Foodie Fun with Us has a yummy looking breakfast recipe for homemade soft granola that you can use to put on top of yogurt.
If you are deep in a DIY phase, the Bast Fam shares how to make homemade cake toppers out of just chocolate sauce and sprinkles.
Snacks with Jax has an easy toddler balanced lunchbox formula that you can try to make healthy and easy lunches for school or at home.
We don’t shop at Trader Joe’s very often, but they have lots of food items perfect for baby led weaning. BLW Meals App has a guide to the best products.
I’m starting to bookmark recipes for easy snacks after baby is born in a few months. ShanTripp has a delicious looking recipe for protein balls that can be modified for breastfeeding moms also.
I love that most of the baked goods Yummy Little Belly shares are all things you can mix together in one bowl ahead of time. These blueberry bars look like something toddlers would love.
A very handy chart to help you remember how many meals babies need.
A healthier banana bread recipe from Caro Chambers.
Lovevery has tips broken down by age to teach kids how to recognize colors.
Looking for a last minute Valentine’s Day craft, Big Little Feelings has hearts you can print out that kids can color AND you can use them to talk about how to manage their feelings.
Knowing how to play with babies is hard — they can’t do very much, but you have lots of time to fill each day. EatPlaySay has three things you should do with babies 3-6 months every day, including reading to them while facing them, babbling and making faces at them, and using teethers.
Magnatiles inspiration — how to build car ramps.
Another reminder from the OT Mom that spray bottles are one of the easiest, cheapest and best toys for toddlers.
The setup for this is a little more involved but for kids that are into science experiments, this rainbow soap bubble activity from the Goddard Fam looks fun.
Everyone is sick right now! Joy of Creative Play has cozy, low energy activities for sick days.
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And finally, my exact reaction to Annie finding the Sharpie I keep hidden in the kitchen.
I saw those doodle mats on Insta too and was holding off. I'll take your mention as an official sign I need to take off my save for later and add to cart ;) Happy Valentine's Day!
Oh man, protein balls bring me back to my postpartum middle of the night snacking! So good to have on hand