15 Must Have Toddler Items
1. Aqua Magic Mat - This right here is a game changer. Every kid is so impressed when I pull this out! Q and I use it weekly. Atlas is just starting to enjoy it more. At first he just wanted to pour water all over it.
If you saturate it too much, it takes a while a dry. But that’s only when it gets doused by a whole cup of water – not from normal use! We have been working on our letters, so drawing and writing activities are super fun right now.
2. Play kitchen sink toy with running water - UMMM every kid that comes over excitedly asks me, “Ale, did you know this is real?!” I obviously always pretend I didn’t know and let them show me and tell me about it. It’s so freaking cute!
Q and A used this so much that I was changing the batteries every morning for a week straight. The hype is gone, but we still play with it multiple times a week. Trust me when I say set it up outside and leave it! Water gets everywhere. Dishes are a messy job, but someone’s got to do them.
3. Melissa & Doug Smoothie Maker Blender Set- Do you have copycats following you around like I do? My girlfriend, Q, has to do exactly what I’m doing these days. So it’s been fun to see her jam a stick into the pitcher and shake everything around. She watches me use and abuse my cheap blender every day. Haha. Don’t worry, Costco is having a sale, and I’m getting a new one this month!
4. Bubble camera music player - I don’t know if there is an item that brings Q more joy. It’s like she is surprised every time a bubble comes out. The camera linked is not the exact camera we have, but it will get the job done!
5. Whale Bubble machine - Any bubble machine is the bomb dot com when you have small children. This one is nice cause they can never find the button. LOL. Gives me some control over the situation.
6. Bluetooth microphone with LED lights - This is a fan fave. You can use it to play music from your phone and sing along. There are actually a lot of other cool features too! Okay, an important note. This is a REAL microphone. We have broken a couple kid ones, so I splurged with this one. OMG, girlfriend thinks she’s a real super star.
7. Garden Wagon & Tools Toy Set - We have had so many garden kits! I love this one the most out of all of them because of the wagon. Have you ever seen a toddler tryin’ to carry 10 tools to each flower in the yard? It’s just stressful. The wagon eliminates Q dropping tools everywhere and getting pissed about it.
8. Bouncing riding horse - Q has this horse and A has a cow. They bounce and bounce like there is no tomorrow. Q somehow gets hers to race. She starts at one end of the house and bounces to the next. I DO NOT KNOW HOW. LOL
9. Universal silicon lids - These fit on most cups, and they are the best for smoothies! The ones I linked are the ones I have, and I swear by them. They aren’t available on Amazon right now for some reason. There are other options, but I have not tried them personally!
10. Reusable silicon straws - I really like these. I’ve had them for 2 years and they don’t stink, they look brand new, and we use them every day. I’ve never had other silicon straws ‘cause these have been so great!
11. Denim toddler couch - My original plan was to iron patches onto this couch, since Q has grown out of two patched jean jackets already. But I have had it for two years and I have yet to iron on a single patch! Still lots of fun. It folds out into a bed so they can lounge and relax on it. We use this every day, multiple times a day.
12. Remote control cars - I got these on some crazy sale day. Maybe Black Friday. Oh man, they do not disappoint! I buy so many toys on Black Friday and Prime Day. Then I save them and give them as gifts or just open them when we need some new action throughout the year. I definitely opened this one on a day when we needed some new action.
13. Pink ukulele - Q and A have so much fun with this. And the noise isn’t too bad. I really need to take a basic lesson, because Q makes me play it while she dances sometimes and it’s so hilarious. I have no clue what I’m doing, but she LOVES every second it. She was born to rock. LOL
14. 3D fabric bedtime activity book - I am a SUCKER for things like this. This was another sale day purchase! It's Q’s fave (mine too). You help the little bunny get ready for bed.
15. I recently picked up a few new books that promote diversity. Here are 4 that we read daily. I bought about 10 new books, and these 4 are our favorites. I always wonder what makes a good toddler book. It’s so interesting to me which ones end up being Q’s faves.
Okay, I feel like I am rambling! I probably could have made this list a lot longer, but these are our favorite toddler toys right now. I hope they bring you as much joy as they bring us.
Have a great day!
Always and Whatever
xo