Toddler Gamechangers

It's Friday...and we all know a Friday after a long weekend is just a little bit sweeter. At least it comes along quicker, so it's got that going for it.

We don't have too much planned this weekend, which sounds great to me because next weekend I'm heading to Austin for my best gal's bachelorette party. I'm quite excited.

I thought I'd change things up today and chat a little about some of our favorite Toddler things. I mean, we have a ton of Cruz's "things" that we like, but I'm talking love here. We are major fans of the following and they are little man's go-to...meaning he didn't tire of them after 5 minutes, which by toddler standards deserve a couple giant gold stars.

{ONE}
Land of Nod Teepee.  The grandparents got this for Cruz for his 2nd birthday after I fell madly in love with it (hello...black, white and stripes? my faves.) and it has remained one of our favorite things to play in. We've used it as a fort, a hiding place, movie watching, pretend camping (let's be honest, I don't do the real thing), a tiger's den when we are crawling around the floor roaring at each other, reading nook, No Girls Allowed tent (definitely not my idea...), you name it, this thing covers it. Literally. And it folds up and stores easily, although I'm not sure why you wouldn't want this thing on full display all of the time. But just in case.

{TWO}
Mad Pax Backpack. My nephew Aaysen was the first to carry one of these bad boys and I knew when we were looking for a backpack that Cruz needed one. Enter Mad Pax. I love how different all of their backpacks are and that you can get two sizes. Cruz has the half pack and as you can see it's still a bit big on him but we tote it everywhere. On the every day, I've even taken to tossing my wallet, phone and keys in and using it as my bag. I mean, it's already stocked with wipes, snacks and all the toys a two year old would ever need on the go, so why not?

{THREE}

Dripstik. The Dripstik not only holds a popsicle, BUT flip it over and it holds a cone. The cup area catches drips. And since the bottom is flat you can set it on a flat surface when your kid tires of it. I thought it was cool when we first bought it, but wanted to make sure it wasn't just a novelty. Since it's made it through the summer and continues to impress, I'd call it kid tested, mama approved.

{FOUR}
Boon Glo. Nightlights are essential for little ones. I swear we have about 30 scattered throughout the house, but one that has stuck around is the Boon Glo. Not only am I the biggest fan of Boon products (another major staple of ours was this one), but this one really rocks. It sits on his nightstand, but I love that he can bring the lit-up balls into bed with him and they aren't hot to the touch, but make him feel like he's scaring away the big bad monsters.


{FIVE}
Sands Alive Sand & Sandbox. So I found this on my last Vegas trip at the new Kitson. I needed something to bring little man home and after I sat playing in this for a good 20 minutes, I knew this was it. Is it sand? Is it play-doh? It actually seems more like a mix...and we love it. He literally has played with this almost every single day since we got it. And everyone - kid and adults alike - get sucked in playing with it every.single.time.

And not only are all of these things great if you're a mama yourself, but if you have nieces and nephews, these turn out to be great gift ideas. I can't tell you how having had my kid test a variety of things throughout his 2 1/2 years has helped me when buying gifts for new mamas and mamas to toddlers. If we love them, we buy them for others. If they don't stand the Cruz test? Then lucky you, you won't get a crappy gift. =)

So there you have it. Do you have your own toddler faves? I would love to hear about them.

Linking up with the Farm Gals, Karli and Amy,  and Amanda on this lovely little Friday.