My 15 Favorite Toddler Must-Haves

If you find yourself constantly saying “No, don’t touch that”, “Slow down!” or “Come back here, please!” you’re likely to be in the presence of a toddler. Lucky you!

Having a toddler in your life is one exhausting and emotional experience. One minute they are all hugs and kisses and then the next they are having a world-ending meltdown because you said “no, you can’t play in the street” (craziness I know). All of a sudden, ‘big kid’ things are more of a reality and the items you received just over a year ago for your cute little newborn/infant are useless to you.

As your toddler gets older, you want to start teaching them to become their own independent person. Just don’t forget to cherish the extra snuggles, the requests for another story, and to play with your littles as often as you can. Because soon you’ll realize that those were the moments you never want them to grow out of.

Below is a list I’ve compiled of some of best toddler items needed in your life! These items won’t break the bank but will help you and your toddler get through these terrible twos and threes together, smiling (hopefully with as little tantrums as possible).

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15 Favorite Toddler Items for Every Parent

As your child transitions from an infant to toddler, everything is brand new to them and their curiosity & independence are at an all time peak. This is the era of ‘I can do it!’. Below items will help your toddler gain their independence and nurture their natural curiosity all while doing it safely and keeping momma/daddy sane.

For the Kitchen/Bathroom

A step stool is a great tool for your toddler that is starting to want to be involved in everything. This helps them with their independence and is also great for getting them involved when they want to ‘help’. We have this stool in our kitchen, it’s great because your child can climb up on their own and then help you while you’re cooking dinner. The one we have in our bathroom is awesome because not only does it help him reach the sink but once we start potty training it’ll also help him be more comfortable.

For our family, bath time is hit or miss…some days he loves it and others…well it’s a battle to get him in. However, once my little guy is in the bath he doesn’t want to leave. He could spend hours in there and all he does is transfer water from cup to cup. These cute little buckets from SKIP HOP are great for that purpose, I actually keep 2 for outside play as well.

This bath spout cover from Skip Hop is amazing because it helps me make sure that he doesn’t bang his head, which he does a lot lately because he does NOT pay attention to his surroundings.

In these crazy times, you’ll want to make sure that you have a thermometer you know will give an accurate reading. This one is great and right now it has a coupon code for you to use! The contactless thermometer is great if your kid doesn’t like things going in his/her ears, however, it does require they sit still (only a few seconds, I promise!)

Another great addition to your bathroom is this faucet extender by Munchkin. Right now, Cam LOVES to ‘wash hands’, which is great, but constantly lifting him up so he can reach was getting tiring (the kid is almost 40 lbs!). With this extender, he’s able to reach the water on his own (with the help of his step stool) it helps promote good hygiene. This one is great because it comes in a two-pack so you can either have a back up (let’s be honest, toddlers aren’t really gentle) or use in either another bathroom or your kitchen.

Before you know it, your little one is sitting in their highchair/booster seat, feeding themselves! I know, time is flying, this silicon plate is perfect! As we all know and probably have experienced, children LOVE, LOVE to throw things…this plate has a suction bottom, so as long as it’s on a flat surface, your toddler will have a tough time throwing it around…now you just have to watch out for the food! My favorite part about this is that it comes in tons of colors and there are a few bowl options too!

For the On-the-Go Momma

For the toddler on the go, this snack catcher/cup combo is AMAZING! The top part is the snack holder part and then the rest of it is a spill proof cup with a straw.

This portable night light/sound machine is awesome if you’re family is traveling. It plugs right into an electrical outlet & fits easily in your diaper bag. This is a great travel item, it even has an app you can download to choose different sounds and control the volume.

A staple in my diaper bag is SNACKS! My kid is the SNACK KING…I have been using TheGerberStore.com” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener nofollow sponsored” class=”ek-link”>Gerber products since my little guy was born. Right now he is absolutely loving the yogurt melts & cups. He can legit eat an entire bag of the melts in one sitting.

I also like to have a few toys hidden away in the diaper bag, just in case I need a quick distraction. I usually go for something small & portable like this tablet or Donald Duck car; this is a pack of 3 cars…we have this playset at home, so I’ve just hidden 1 of them in the diaper bag for on-the-go fun.

Every parent has a steady supply of wipes in their diaper bags…personally, I have 3 types (HAHA), I have boogie wipes, all over face wipes & diaper wipes (which can double as face wipes if you’re in a pinch). The boogie wipes are great, especially in the winter when it seems like your toddlers nose seems to always be running. The all over face wipes that we use, Johnson & Johnson, are super soft & have a great smell to them, they’re perfect for a quick wipe down of the hands and face.

For the Bedroom

Everyone tells you that you need to have a humidifier in your kids room, especially if you have extremely dry air. My home has steam heaters so in the winter when the heat is on constantly, his room becomes unbearable. I went in search for a humidifier, I found the Frida Baby 3 in 1 Humidifier. This thing is a godsend! It is a humidifier, an oil diffuser & a nightlight, which is great if you don’t like a lot of clutter of things for your toddler to touch!

The time has come for your little one to go into a big kid bed. We are almost getting to that point (I’m dreading it and will put it off for as long as possible). But, I’ve already started my research and have found this safety guard to be one of the better options out there. It is machine washable (awesome feature for any mom) and is easily ‘installed’, it fits right under your child’s fitted sheet & you’re done!

If getting your little one ready and off to bed has become a struggle (anyone else’s toddler think that bedtime is the time for dance parties?!) then a sleep trainer is for you! I purchased this sleep trainer a few months ago and it has made bedtime SO much easier, it has so many settings and features! It has a night light, sound machine, and nap timer to name a few. You can set a WAKE-UP & GO TO SLEEP time & the little face will ‘wake-up’ or ‘close its eyes’. Right now, we use it mainly for ‘go to sleep’, so when its eyes close, Cam knows that it’s time to go in his crib.

The last item that has honestly been a life saver for us is the Alexa Dot. We literally use this every day. Right now, it’s summer, so we have his AC hooked up to a smart plug & can control it from our phones. I also play lullaby (Disney of course) music while he sleeps. I also ask her the weather every day before he gets dressed.

Hopefully, these items help get you through the early stages of toddlerhood with ease. Remember, this too shall pass and before you know it, they will stop asking for one more cuddle or dance party.