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20+ of the best things that we like and recommend (for moms and kids)
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my whole disclosure here.
I often get questions about the resources that we use or about the books or toys that we buy for our son. And the truth is that I also get inspired by other moms who share their recommendations and help me make good choices when it comes to the things that I buy for me or my son.
This is why I decided to gather all our favorite resources in one list that I will constantly update. I hope that you’ll find some good inspiration on my list. If you have any suggestions or recommendations I would be happy to find them out!
All the things on this list were tested by us and are things that I would gladly recommend to any friend. I will try to add new things to the list as we discover them and I’m pretty sure that you’ll find here something to inspire you!
Positive parenting
photo credit: Africa Studio / shutterstock.com
Positive parenting books
1. Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids: How to Stop Yelling and Start Connecting by Laura Markham
2. No-Drama Discipline: The Whole-Brain Way to Calm the Chaos and Nurture Your Child’s Developing Mind by Daniel J. Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson
3. Unconditional Parenting: Moving from Rewards and Punishments to Love and Reason by Alfie Kohn
4. How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish
For kids
Subscription boxes
I am a big fan of educational subscription boxes so we tried many of them along the time. Here are the ones that we enjoyed and would gladly recommend.
1. Early Explorers subscription (a monthly educational subscription box from Little Passports) – We had this subscription for more than a year and it was an awesome way to teach our son about the world and make nice activities together.
2. Bookroo offers a nice book subscription box that brings new books to your house every month. We have this subscription for some months and my son loves to receive new lovely stories in the mailbox!
3. Kiwi Crate is the educational subscription box that we chose to replace our Little Passports subscription. We took this decision not because it is better than Little Passports but because it is different. After a year of receiving monthly boxes from Little Passports, we wanted a change and Kiwi Crate was a great choice! They offer hands-on activities for kids and we have a lot of fun with their projects.
photo credit: Photographee.eu / shutterstock.com
Educational kits and toys
1. Creativity for Kids Grow ‘n Glow Terrarium (a nice botany science kit)
2. Learning Resources Primary Science Lab Activity Set (a great science kit for kids with experiment ideas included in the set)
3. Magnetic Tiles – an awesome toy that encourages kids to be creative and use their imagination (we have this set)
4. Count Your Chickens (a fun game for preschoolers)
5. The Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel Game (a lovely game for toddlers)
6. Melissa & Doug Band-in-a-Box Drum! Click! Clack! – 6-Piece Musical Instrument Set (a great set if your child loves music and you don’t mind the noise)
More recommendations here:
12 smart and easy games that will bring fun to young kids
preschoolers: 20 awesome smart toys that preschoolers will love {+ a bonus}
toddlers: 20 of the best educational toys that are great for toddlers
babies: 15 of the best smart toys that are great for babies
Supplies for activities with kids
photo credit: Africa Studio / shutterstock.com
We like to do activities at home and we recently started our home preschool, so we had the chance to discover many interesting resources. Here are some of our favorite supplies.
For planning and organizing
1. printer (this has been a game changer for me because now I am able to print activity sheets and use them right away)
2. laminator and laminating pouches (having a laminator at hand helps me make the printable resources more durable and reuse them over and over again)
3. 10 Drawer Craft Organizer Cart (to help me organize all the activity sheets and other small supplies)
Supplies for play and activities
1. manipulatives
Mathlink Cubes (great for a lot of activities)
Bear Family Counters (we use them in many activities)
2. Dab & Dot Markers (I found many activities that can be done using these markers)
3. Learning Resources Alphabet Acorns Activity Set (a nice set for teaching the alphabet in a playful way)
4. colored copy paper (I like to print activity worksheets on colored paper because they look nicer)
5. Play-Doh Shape and Learn Letters and Language (another great resource for teaching kids the alphabet using a hands-on approach)
6. Crayola Washable Kid’s Paint (our favorite art supplies)
7. Jungle Animal Counters (a great set that can be used for many activities – you can find a similar set of farm animals here)
Practical things for kids
1. Stearns Puddle Jumper Basic Life Jacket (in my opinion this is the best life jacket for young kids)
photo credit: Africa Studio / shutterstock.com
Children books
1. “The Kissing Hand” by Audrey Penn (a wonderful book to prepare kids for the first day of preschool / school)
More recommendations here:
10 great children books about personal hygiene for toddlers and preschoolers
13 children books about manners that are great for toddlers and preschoolers
7 children books to help your child prepare for the first day of preschool
Family travel
photo credit: Africa Studio / shutterstock.com
1. Trunki products – They are high-quality, practical, and kids love their design! We have the Trunki ride-on suitcase (this model), the tote bag, and the travel pillow and blanket set (similar to this one).
2. CozyPhones Kids Headphones (in my opinion these are the best headphones for young kids – they have limited volume and they have a headband that prevents them to fall out of the child’s ears)
3. Kids Travel Tray (we use it all the time during road trips)
4. Travel ID Bands (we use them when we travel to crowded places and I like that they are waterproof and discrete)
5. Kalencom 2-in-1 Potette Plus (a practical travel potty for kids)
6. Melissa and Doug On the Go products – This collection includes many activity pads that are great for traveling. They are fun, mess-free, and easy to pack. Our favorites are the Water Wow activity pads.