Best Gear, Part III: Ages 2-5

Previous Best Gear posts: Part I (the first 8 months) and Part II (the first 2 years - including a few newborn ones I’d forgotten)

Time Timer

Classrooms often use time timers so kids have a visual reminder of how much time is left before transitioning to another activity. I began using it like that so James and Julia would know how much time they had left to play, but they transitioned so well I stopped using it. However, it still has been super useful. When my kids are eating particularly slowly and we have to be somewhere, I’ve put it on the dining table to let them know that when time’s up they have to stop eating. (“Hey kids, you’ve been sitting here not eating lunch for long enough. You have five minutes and when the red is gone we’re leaving for school.”) It also has worked well for time outs.

What it’s been invaluable for, however, is quiet time. No longer do I have kids yelling, “Is quiet time over yet?” Instead, much like a Ronco Rotisserie Grill, I can set it and forget it, and they don’t bother me from my busy schedule of watching What Not to Wear, photo-editing, and checking Facebook. I even bought one for each kid. So worth it!

Similarly each kid has a cheap digital clock in their room so they can look at it instead of calling out, “Is it time to wake up yet?”

Time Timer. $23.99 on Amazon.

Responsibility Chart

The Melissa & Doug chart includes responsibilities that are applicable for 3-year-olds on up to high schoolers. Right now my kids can achieve circles for “No whining,” “Set table,” and “Get dressed,” among others. Effective parenting is supposed to be more positive and reward-based. With the chart I can dangle a reward for them - a circle (yippee!) - so they’ll do what I tell them to. And once they’ve collected enough, they can redeem circles for prizes. Their preschool basically does the same thing - when the kids got enough pretend M&Ms in their jar they chose to have a pajama party.

 

 

Melissa & Doug Deluxe Magnetic Responsibility Chart (shown above). $17.99 on Amazon.

(My friend Sara created a version, too: Stinkerpants Reward Chart and Magnets. $12 on Stinkerpants.com.)

Aqueduck

My kids (or at least Julia) can’t reach the faucet without dragging over a stool. I got sick of the stool dragging so I had Mark install Aqueduck. Basically it’s a faucet and handle extender. It confuses anyone else who doesn’t live here, but it makes our lives easier and stool-dragging free.

Aqueduck the Original Faucet Extender. $9.99 on Amazon.

Aqueduck Faucet Handle Extender. $15.64 on Amazon.

Potty Seat Overlays

If I had to do it over again, I would skip the little potties and go straight to having the kids use the big potties with stools. The little potties always just cluttered up the bathrooms and were kind of gross since we had to empty them out each time. There are little boy overlays (with splash guard) and little girl ones. And if you’re really enterprising like Mark, you can install a new toilet seat that includes a seat for a little girl.

 

The First Years Soft Grip Trainer Seat (shown above is the one for boys that we have). $8.80 on Amazon.

BEMIS 583SLOW Round Toilet Seat with NextStep Built-in Potty Seat, Whisper Close (Mark installed a similar one). $44.99 on Amazon.

Sunglasses and Hats

Start putting sunglasses and hats on your kids as early as possible. The earlier you start the more likely they are to wear them. (I wish I’d taken this advice with Julia with regards to pigtails since she refused them until she was four.) Everyone knows why hats are important (UV rays on the skin, duh), but cataracts come from cumulative lifetime exposure. Why not eliminate all those years of exposure from their childhood when they’re outside all the time? (Okay, public service announcement over.)

Make sure you find good quality sunglasses that protect against UVA and UVB rays. I discovered My First Shades and bought those as the kids’ first sunglasses, and there are lots of colors, patterns, and styles to choose from. One option is to have a soft, elastic, adjustable velcro band so the glasses actually stay on the kids’ heads. The band is a little big for two year olds but I just wound it around itself several times. James still wore his until age 4 and he has a gigantic head, so I think you can pretty much wear them from ages 2-7. Recently he graduated to a pair without the band. The velcro strap didn’t work so well with Julia once she started wearing pigtails so I bought her a pair of different sunglasses at REI.

As hats go my favorite sources are the San Diego Hat Company (often via my mom who goes to their clearance sale near San Diego and scores hats for $5 each), REI, Gymboree, Wiggy Studio, and Hanna Andersson.

My First Shades

Plaid banded bucket hat from Gymboree

Wallaroo Petite Nantucket Rainbow Tones hat

Wearing hats early on and matching Papa: Julia at 1 ½ and James in his first hat at 6 months.

James at 2 ¼ at Gymboree in one of his San Diego Hat Co. hats.

Julia at age 4 in a Wiggy Studio hat (purchased on Zulily)

People can always tell my kids are twins - not because they look alike (they don’t), but because they’re the kids wearing the sunglasses and hats. Julia is wearing her rainbow hat and James is in his plaid bucket hat (details for both below).

My First Shades Ages 0+.  $12.95 at Real Kid Shades.com (also carried at Ambassador Toys in Palo Alto)

Plaid Banded Bucket Hat. $5.99 at Gymboree.com

Wallaroo Petite Nantucket 2.5” Rainbow Tones girl’s hat. $20.95 at Swimtowin.com. (We purchased ours at REI.)

Car Bed

What kid doesn’t want a novelty bed? Unfortunately there aren’t nearly as many novelty beds specifically for girls. We got James’s car bed on Craigslist for under $100.

The official Little Tykes car bed photo. (Not James.)

James playing in his big boy bed for the first time!

Jumping together on the bed

Little Tykes Sports Car Twin Bed. $448.95 plus shipping at Amazon. (Get it on Craigslist!)

IKEA Bandaids

Kid’s bandaids usually run $3 for 20 of them. At IKEA you can get a box of 50 cool rocket ship ones for under $1!

Patrull bandaids. 50 for $1 at IKEA.

Gerber Training Pants

When you’re starting potty training and about to make the transition to underwear, invest in Gerber training pants. They are much thicker than typical underwear, and if your kids pee in them the pee doesn’t always saturate their clothing. Hanna Andersson sells something similar but you can’t beat the price of Gerber’s.

We got these blue and pink ones but the prints now are different.

Modeling training pants while playing Elefun.

Julia models her training pants around her ankles.

Gerber Baby-Girls Infant 4 Pack Training Pants. $13.99 - $18.99 on Amazon.

Gerber Baby-Boys Infant 4 Pack Training Pants. $13.99 - $18.99 on Amazon.

Other Gerber training pants options available on Amazon. Prints have changed since ours were purchased.

Kids’ Yoga Videos

It may seem super granola-y but kids’ yoga videos are great, and so much better than cartoons. It’s adorable to see my twins run excitedly to get their yoga mats. The videos help give them body awareness since they have to follow directions on moving their bodies. That’s something that’s not totally second nature at this age, and it’ll be helpful when they play sports. It also encourages mindfulness - good for helping them calm down on their own - and targets their balance and strength. Some nights I have my kids get all ready for bed, and then they do yoga so it’ll relax them before tuck in.

Plus, seeing your kids sit cross-legged saying, “namaste” is pretty ridiculous and cute.

I’ve heard Yoga Kids is a good video. We just use the free Cosmic Kids Yoga Adventures on You Tube. Each video lasts around 15 minutes.

A typical Cosmic Kids Yoga Adventure complete with Aussie instructor.

Doing yoga in pjs

 A Cosmic Kids Yoga Adventure! Episode 1 - Squish the Fish

Badger Baskets

Everyone loves those Land of Nod Storagepalooza wooden toy storage containers with good reason: they’re attractive and hold a lot. I wasn’t so sure about the $199 price tag, and when I asked around online someone directed me to these cheap knock-offs. Badger Baskets aren’t quite as nice but are a good deal. The only small problems have been the brown screw covers coming off and a little paint melting onto a few toys. (This sounds worse than it is.) Anyway, really I’m writing this in favor of Badger Baskets. Really!

Badger Baskets. $62.00-$71.27 (depending on a 2-bin or 3-bin configuration) on Amazon.

Portable Potty

During that first year of potty training it’s good to have a travel potty for when you’re out and your kid suddenly needs to go. It takes a lot less time than finding a bathroom (which they might not get to in time anyway.) Basically you set up the potty so that they essentially pee in a trash bag (which isn’t nearly as hobo-like as it sounds). I was so happy we had this on our drives to San Diego since the bathrooms near I-5 in the Central Valley all had industrial strength hand dryers (which frighten the kids) and long lines.

Julia happily uses her portable potty outside Children’s Fairyland.

Kalencom 2-in-1 Potette Plus. $11.89 on Amazon. (We have the Fisher Price 2-in-1 Portable Potty but it’s no longer available on Amazon.

Baby Gear I Couldn't Live Without: Part 2 (a.k.a. Don't Be Surprised if I Give You These Things as Baby Gifts)

Here's Part 1.


For Birth and Beyond

Blackout Curtains
We put up the first set of blackout curtains in James's room when the babies were around 19 months old, and in Julia's room two months later. Oh, how I wish we'd done it sooner. James immediately started sleeping in an extra 30 minutes. Everyone should have these up in the nursery from day one.

A Big Plastic Mirror

I'm pretty sure it's not the prettiest or cheapest one in the world, but our soft alligator plastic Fabler mirror from Ikea is the only one I know of. We haven't mounted it yet so sometimes we lean it against the wall and sometimes we put it on the ground. It's great that the babies can play with it. I took this idea from my friend Derek, and my friend Kashi saw ours and got one too.

Julia wants to admire the pants on her head in her mirror. (16 months)

Sing Along with Putamayo CD
It's only the best CD for kids ever made. You could play the first three tracks in your car and would be able to successfully pass them off as non-children's music. Then the fourth song, Old MacDonald, would kick in and your passenger would have a big clue, even though the song's a jazzy version. Not only do I love this CD, so do Mark and my parents. And the twins particularly love the first two songs. Putamayo is known for their great CDs that appeal to kids and adults. We also have Putamayo's Jazz Playground which is pretty great but not as amazing as this one. Our two Raffi CDs, Baby Beluga and Singable Songs for the Very Young: Great with a Peanut Butter Sandwich (thanks, Leslie!) are much loved by the babies. In fact their very favorite song, period, is Baby Beluga, and when they hear the first notes (well, technically whale noises) of it they excitedly jabber "Baby! Baby!"

Best kids CD ever.

Summer Infant Tiny Diner mat
We bring these plastic mats with us whenever we dine out. The little plastic suction cups adhere to the table, there is a little trough to catch errant pieces of food, it is easy to roll up and transport, and you can just wipe it clean when you're done. Kiddopotamus makes a similar one as well. (Thanks to my friend Kashi for recommending them!)


James and Julia using their mats for the first time. Apparently Mommy wants to starve them and only feed them peas. (21 months)

Photo Book for Baby with Pictures of People They Know
This may seem like an odd thing for a baby to have, but ours LOVE their Sassy Look Photo Book. They can see Mommy and Daddy and be reminded of their relatives that live far away.

I made a collage of the twins' baby friends using Picasa for the their photo book. Now they point to the other babies wanting to know their names and Mark says, "I don't know your baby friends."

For 0-4 Months

Swaddle Me's
My kids easily broke out of blankets, which if you think about it can be kind of dangerous since you aren't supposed to give loose blankets to babies. Then we discovered Swaddle Me's which are essentially velcro strait jackets. Schweet.


Julia as Hannibal Lechter. (2 months)


For 4 Months and Up

Bumbo Seats
My kids loved sitting in their Bumbos. Well, James did anyway. Julia often tried to hurl herself backwards to escape (see video here). I fed the babies in these for a couple months and read to them this way, too, because they could sit up without assistance. We didn't have the versions with trays which I regret because they would have come in handy for feeding and giving them toys or books to read. (Without trays, food can fall in their laps, and with regards to toys and books they constantly dropped them and I had to keep picking them up.)


A typical feeding: Julia tries to escape from her Bumbo halfway through. (7 months)

Jumperoo
Just watch Julia in this video and you'll see why you should get a Jumperoo. Both my kids loved it. You may want to have them do a test run at someone's house though because my friend Sara's daughter wasn't as big a fan. Ours was the Fisher-Price Rainforest Jumperoo.


Julia having the time of her life in her Jumperoo. (11 months)

Pottery Barn Kids (or Land of Nod) Chairs
Yeah, they're expensive (think $100 apiece or more) so buy them used. I did and saved 75%. My friend Kashi wanted hers so badly she got some used that were embroidered with other kids' names! Thankfully I found some that hadn't been personalized. These chairs are so much nicer and better made than the kids' chairs you see at Toys R Us, all of which are covered with cartoon characters.



It doesn't matter that there are two chairs, the twins always want whichever the other's in. (20 months)

Snack Traps (and Lids!)
We got a Snack Trap as a hand-me-down from April and it's great when you're on the go or at a playdate. The snack stays in and comes out (hopefully) only when their hand reaches in. I think it's easier for babies to get their hand inside this one compared to similar products. One key thing: the lids are sold separately. Make sure you buy them though, otherwise you might find Cheerios in the bottom of the diaper bag.


Once Julia got her Snack Trap, she lay here eating contentedly for the rest of the playdate. (19 months)

Sippy Cup Leash
Make sure you have one of these. It doesn't matter the brand (here's ours by Booginhead) - just GET IT. Otherwise their sippy cup will be on the floor of restaurants and other places you don't want it to be.


Julia's pink and blue sippy cup is only on the footrest of the stroller instead of Pinkberry's floor, thanks to the sippy cup leash. (18 months)

Bath Cups
I'm trying to restrict this list to gear and not toys, but not only do the babies love these Early Learning Centre / Stacking Faces bath cups (thanks Bubby!), I HAVE to use them to convince them to go into the bath. Each cup has different types of holes (tiny holes for water to come out like a sprinkler, a spout like a watering can, etc.) for water to flow through. I often have a baby upset to go into the bath and then I show them how much fun the bath cups are. Anything that makes bath time easier is a necessity in my book!


A Chinese Crested hair do-ed Julia plays with her bath cups. (20 1/2 months)


For 12 Months and Up

Vital Baby Straw Cups
I am in love with these cups and I evangelize them every chance I get. Here's why: they are one of the only ones on the market where the straw portion is on the inside of the cup. That means your little one isn't going to chew through it causing you to 1) hope they don't choke and 2) have to buy replacement straws. The straw cups we had before these cups were awful. They didn't have volume markings and there was always an ounce or so of liquid that couldn't be reached by the straw. Not problems with the Vital Baby cups. Vital Baby cup tip: The clear hinged lid can be removed. I recommend only using it when you're on the go and need to seal the cup-- otherwise it's just one more piece to clean. Also, always make sure the internal plug part is in securely - otherwise it might leak milk. (Don't let that deter you from buying the cups. If you follow my directions they are great!) Vital Baby also makes great silverware that color coordinates with the cups.


Julia with her cup. (20 months)


Apparently there is a room in my home of only blue objects and James and his cup are inside it. (20 1/2 months)


Honorable Mentions

Superyard
You will probably want a superyard to use as a playpen, or as we called it, The Zoo. Our friend April passed two sets of the North States Superyard Classic XT Gate (which link together) down to us. If the grandparents are over often, you may want to consider a superyard with a gate since they might find it hard climbing over to get to your baby, and it's more convenient for you too. We still use our superyard to block the TV and call it The Great Barrier Reef.

James looks forlornly from inside The Zoo. (10 1/2 months)

James cuddles his horsey while wearing 15 bibs (you can't see all of them) and a hat. Meanwhile the Superyard in the background is configured to protect the TV (and hold excess toys). (21 months)

Baby Gate
Everyone seems partial to their own baby gate and can't open other people's. That said, I do love our Regalo Easy Step Walk Thru Gate.


When we first put the gate up Julia acted like she was stuck in prison. Too bad I didn't get a picture of the time she banged a tin cup against the bars. (16 1/2 months)

Crib and Crib Mattress
I can't complain about our $100 IKEA crib and our $39 Walmart SweetDreams crib and toddler mattress (both have high ratings in Baby Bargains).


Daddy puts Julia's crib together again when it's moved to another room. (21 1/2 months)


Julia acts like she can't get out, despite the crib not having a back.

Julia and James have fun testing out the mattress. Apparently it passes their all-important jump test. (21 1/2 months)