Product Recs for Parents & Babies, Volume 6 - Britney Recommends, Part 2!

📝 Britney, CPST and babyark Advocate

Britney gave us a first round of recommendations, and we loved her focus on quality across the board. Because she’s a CPST with tons of professional knowledge and a mom with tons of insight, we asked Britney for more recommendations.

Feeding:

• Bumkins plates: I love these plates - they hold lots of food, clean up great in the dishwasher, and are very durable. Great for that transition from a sectioned plate to a "big kid" open plate.

• Bumkins little dippers dip cups: My kids LOVE dips. Ketchup, soy sauce, barbeque sauce...you name it. And these little dip cups are a perfect way to keep it from sliding into the rest of the food on their plate. They hook right onto the Bumkins plates and keep all the sauces contained! In my first blog of recs, I recommended a product by Bumkins as well - what can I say? I have brand loyalty (and do not get commissions, I promise.)

• Re-Play toddler utensils: I don't know about you, but my toddler utensils seem to get sucked into a black hole and I'm constantly losing forks/spoons. I love that these are durable, made of recycled materials, and also inexpensive! 

Bedtime:

• White noise machine: Both of my kids like having some white noise while they sleep. It plugs into the wall but also has batteries if you want to take it on the road! It's functional, not fancy, but it does the job.

• Sleepy time playlist: We created a sleepy time playlist to help signal that it was time to fall asleep. We still play it every single night - even now that my oldest is 5! The playlists are just 20 minutes, but they help to cue that "it's time to sleep" feeling. My oldest's playlist has a bunch of different songs, my youngest has 20 min of the same song! 

Potty Training:

• Wooden Step Stool: This is great for helping kids get up to the sink to wash their hands and to help them get up onto the toilet! Not super heavy and looks nice in the kids' bathroom, plus it's tall enough to help even my petite oldest kid be able to comfortably wash hands.

  

• Toilet Lock: Toddlers have large, heavy heads and it's easy for them to tip over and not be able to get back up, which can be dangerous if they tip over into water! Once your child is on the move, make sure your toilet isn't a hazard by using some kind of toilet lock!

And, of course, the CPST in me is here to once again address recommendations for the car! Check your car seat manual and always make sure to follow those instructions. Be sure to not attach anything to your car seat, including snack trays, activity centers, and mobiles. What can help keep your kids happy in the comfort of their babyark convertible car seat is child-friendly toys that are not a danger of becoming projectiles in case of a crash. 

Soft and Lightweight Car Seat-Friendly Toys: 

• Silicone pop-it: A car toy that both of my children love - it can be a steering wheel, a command center, a pattern-making game, or just a fidget toy. Possibilities are endless and they come in so many fun shapes/colors.

• Sensory books: For infants or young toddlers, a soft sensory book can be a great car toy. When my youngest was going through a "cranky in the car" stage, we stopped and bought one of these at a toy store while we were out and about and it gave us some moments of quiet! Bonus - many are machine washable (like babyark car seat fabric covers, subtle plug)  in case of spit up or mess. 

• Small stuffies: Have a bunch of small stuffies at home that aren't getting enough attention? Bring a couple in the car! Soft toys are a great car-toy option - kids can create stories with them or they can be a snuggle buddy for their journey. "Mr Turtle" was a beloved car stuffy when my oldest was a baby, and now my youngest has adopted him! 

Have Your Own Recommendations?

Have your own that we missed? Got something from one of our past blogs on product recommendations that was better than you guessed? Drop your feedback and faves in the comments below.

Intrigued by the world of CPSTs?

Follow the babyark CPST Instagram account Britney runs with great tips and tidbits.

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