Lizzie's Guide to a Rad Toddler

It's been awhile since I posted a guide. Now that Liv is an official toddler, it's a good time to share my must-haves for any soon to be parents of a non-stop talking, hyper ball of never-ending energy, not quite fully potty training toddlers. So here it is.



As I said before. Nothing beats the quality and style of Oeuf Classic furniture set. There will come a time when your little bitty bebe will begin to pull themselves up in their crib. First you will spazz out because you can't believe they are already trying to stand. Then you will panic because your crib suddenly becomes a death trap and you worry your bebe will bump their precious head on the crib. I would observe Olivia trying to crawl her long legs over the side of her crib attempting to escape with my heart in my throat. She never made it over but she would come dangerously close. Last February, it was finally time for the crib to convert to a toddler bed.

We love her toddler bed. It's aesthetically pleasing and keeps her from rolling out. Comfy for Liv and plenty of room for all her pals.

So when is it potty time? It depends on your kid. While we were at the hotel in San Diego for Liv's first birthday, she wandered in the bathroom and told us she had to go potty and we helped her out of her diaper and she did her business. From then on, she was using her potty pretty regularly. It helped she started so soon since her preschool requires they are potty trained. So far, so good. She had one accident on her first day of school but no more since. Her school has bathrooms in every classroom with toddler sized amenities. At home we use the Boon potty/step bench.

Liv is happy with it and it's much easier to clean than I anticipated. I use bleach spray for #2s *sorry, gross*. I no longer stock it with toilet paper after Liv emptied the entire roll more than once. This is an item that may require more trial and error. Some kids use the toilet seat attachment which is great for traveling but Liv prefers to sit on her own potty. It's served us well but I may have to buy a seat attachment for when we are out and about. Although how do parents carry this guy, I wonder? I have heard of a foldable one. So far I just hold her up over the toilet when we are must use a public restroom. I stopped carrying a diaper bag for a long time now so I am back to a smaller purse. Seems pretty bulky to tote around.

My next must have is the infamous sippy cup. I have tested quite a few and I found this guy to be our favorite. It doesn't leak, easy to clean and Liv can hold it easy peasy. I bought mine at Whole Foods.

Of course Liv's first sippy cup was a novelty personalized cup.

Totally impractical, only holds like 3 ounces and tough to clean. This is the most important element to consider when buying a cup. Liquids like milk and orange juice are absolutely rank if you don't rinse them immediately. I still have to remind Antz certain cups like Liv's dinosaurs are water only because they are hard to clean the built in straw even with these guys.

I'm no expert in this field, we still use a plethora of different sippy cups and also regular kid cups. Liv was about 15 months when she started using her Brobee cup, but 16 months before she could drink with without spilling.

P.S. Anything cute with a character on it will fade from millions of washings. There is no Brobee left on her cup. Soap will eat everything kid-related.

Speaking of eats, your dryer will eat all your kids socks. No use tying them together or paper clips won't save them. I've tried binder clips and only ended up burning myself when taking them out of the dryer. Bite the bullet and buy socks in bulk, and deal with the fact that you will lose 2 out of 3 of them. Liv rocks these and now only has orange, red, and black left. I think one green sock is in the backseat of Antz car.

So while we're discussing footwear, here's my faves for the wee feet.

See Kai Run. One of the best brands for little growing *faster than I can afford* feet. One of the most important factors for me in shoes is how easy are they to put on and take off *those with toddlers know how traumatizing putting shoes on can be* Liv can put these on unassisted and they don't get that dirty. Ugh, I can't stand dirty shoes on kids, it totally grosses me out. I just bought these cute pair for Liv but I bought one size larger so she probably won't wear them till next year.

Similar to See Kai Run is Livie & Luca. They are rad! I get the most compliments on these guys *and that skirt too*.

Pio Pio in brown

I would buy more of these shoes but their website is always sold out of her size. I was lucky to find this pair on sale at Kumquat *one of my fave shops* They are pricey but I don't do cheap shoes. I think growing feet need the right support and comfort.

So you want affordable, adorable and charitable? Toms are your best bet. If Liv's feet didn't grow so fast, I'd buy a pair in every color. I get sad with every pair she outgrows. These are so versatile, I'm buying the same color once she outgrows this pair.

Lastly, I adore Saltwater sandals. They are a must have if you have a daughter *I have a pair for myself*. Liv is on her 3rd pair but they are sooo worth it. They are her "dress shoes" and the tan color has worked well as a neutral shade. Sadly, they didn't have Liv's size in tan so this time I got red which I think will be lovely. I love how they fit and can be dressy or casual. Can you believe she has gone up 2 shoe sizes since her birthday?

I'll post another guide for holiday toys and goodies soon. Did I mention I'm heading the craft committee for Liv's preschool Winter Solstice? I plan on making these pom pom ornaments. I love her school so much!

Nightys!