Today I’m sharing the top must-have items for busy parents. Because who doesn’t want to make life with kids easier?
As I like to keep things minimal in my home, I’m very intentional about each purchase I make. We really don’t need 50+ single-use gadgets.
So, here in this post I’ve linked the best items to make life with kids easier.
Please Note
As every family is unique – this list is not a one size fits all. These are items I personally think could be helpful for parents with babies and toddlers. Please, only purchase an item if it would genuinely be useful for you and your family.
For your ease I’ve separated them into categories which you can find in the table of contents below.
P.s If you’re looking for strategies to simplify life with kids you can find them here: 15 Ways to Simplify Life With Kids
For Mama
Baby Carrier: This Baby Carrier has been extremely useful. It’s made it so much easier to get my life together with kids.
I’ve previously mentioned in this post how much babywearing makes life significantly simpler as a mother.
Whether you’re wearing your baby on your chest or have a toddler on your back; this is by far the top must have product to make parenting life more manageable.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Make sure you are wearing your baby safely!
Play Time
Open Ended Toys: These are toys that can be played with in multiple ways and do not dictate how a child should play with them, such as:
Passive toys such as these help children to become active learners. This type of play encourages problem solving, creativity and imagination.
Sensory Materials & Tools: Sensory play can get quite messy, but is amazing for children’s development and helps to build skills in hand-eye co-ordination, fine motor and problem solving.
Materials:
- kinetic sand
- pom-poms
- playdough
- water or ice
Tools:
Sensory materials can be used in tubs like this.
Books: They’re wonderful for language development, concentration, fine motor (when turning the pages) and introducing new topics, and vocabulary.
Splash Mat: This mat is great for the messes made during sensory play or arts and crafts. To help save your floors and your sanity.
Meal Time
Cloth Wipes: These cloths are good for those adorable, messy, little faces and hands after meal times.
The best part is you can throw them in the wash after each use and avoid spending a bunch on packaged wipes.
Blender: It could be this one or this. But pretty much any (bpa free) blender will do really. They’re good for a variety of different things such as soups, smoothies and purees.
Kids Cookware & Dinnerware: When a child is using their own utensils to help with food prep, they’re more likely to try the meal. So these can be particularly useful for little ones going through a selective phase with food.
A child-size pouring jug helps to encourage independence. It’s also great for improving hand eye coordination and learning about capacity.
Stainless Steel Water Bottle & Smoothie Cups: A stainless steel water bottle is useful to keep your little ones hydrated. It’s durable (which is essential with toddlers especially), healthy, leak-proof and reusable.
Smoothie cups save you from purchasing store-bought smoothies (many contain added sugar). Smoothies are a nice way to get some extra vegetables and vitamins into your little ones’ diets.
Household
Step Stool or Learning Tower: Having a step stool like this or a learning tower allows children to explore and engage in activities that are otherwise out of their reach.
Baskets: A household essential, as they’re so versatile. I like these baskets for general storage and these ones for toys. They help to ensure each item has a home which makes cleaning and decluttering more manageable, even for kids.
Printer: A printer is a worthwhile investment if you’re a homeschooling parent or looking for screen-free ways to keep kids occupied and entertained. There are tons of learning resources and printable activities.
