My Top 5 Toddler Essentials
Anyone with a toddler knows they are super busy exploring and learning. It’s so incredible to watch them as they piece together the world. Supporting their learning and growth can feel overwhelming, so I’m sharing a few must-haves that make daily life with a toddler more meaningful and simple.
When we hear “must-haves,” we usually think of toys or products to buy—but I wanted to offer something different. These are things you probably already have the tools for.
A GOOD ROUTINE
Building a routine that is simple and easy for you to follow each day is a game changer. My daughter will move from one thing to the next in a similar pattern each day as she’s grown used to our routine. It has allowed me to find more opportunities to teach her and has helped her growth, especially vocab, immensely.
Now, don’t get stressed and start writing out a minute by minute schedule for the whole day. Be flexible and allow your schedule to change when needed, but try to find consistent pieces you can have as part of each day. For us, a non-negotiable is daily time outside. Right now it’s so hot and humid that we’ve started doing time outside right after breakfast or dinner, but when the weather is more mild, we like to play outside in the late morning and after her nap in the afternoon. Figure out your non-negotiables and you can build your (relaxed) schedule around those.
MUSIC
My daughter absolutely loves music and so do I. We listen to music often throughout the day and love to dance and sing together. It’s such a fun way to connect and is also a great learning tool. We have dancing songs (AKA my music) and then we have our learning + dancing songs. We love Wheels on the Bus, Hop Little Bunnies, and currently our “go crazy” song is APT.
Build a playlist you both love and when you need an activity, turn it on!
A LIBRARY
This can be a shelf or a stack in your home or a public library near you. Reading is a great opportunity to snuggle your toddler (nearly impossible outside of this) and to build speech, imagination, and connection.
Some of our favorites are:
- Brown Bear, Brown Bear
- The Crayons’ Book of Colors
- My childhood Mother Goose nursery rhymes book
SENSORY ACTIVITIES
I absolutely love pinning ideas for different sensory activities on Pinterest, but sometimes they’re a little more complicated than I’m looking for. Here are a few quick go-to sensory activities—and a couple that take a little more prep (but are totally worth it).
Easy
- Outdoor walk collecting leaves or rocks
- Mid-day bath with kitchen items
- Playdoh (we prefer in the highchair to keep the mess (slightly) contained)
- Our outdoor water table
More Complicated
- Make a fun toddler recipe together in the kitchen (smoothies, muffins, even a PB&J they help build)
- Themed spaghetti sensory bins
Find more sensory ideas on my Kids board on Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/momknowsmini
PATIENCE
This is of course easier said than done when you feel like you’re being pulled in a million directions and you have a little one that really craves connection with and attention from you. I’m certainly not perfect at this, but this is most definitely my top must-have with my toddler. Each day when I’m doing my quiet time reading the scriptures and praying, I pray for forgiveness for my impatience and ask for an added measure of patience with my toddler (and myself). The more I focus on being patient, the more I’m able to look past my frustrations and see parenting and raising a child as the gift it truly is.
