This post is for toddler moms! An 18-month old still uses some infant items but is moving into toddler stages. Plus it’s hard to differentiate what products are good versus necessary. It’s such a flooded market with new gadgets and nice-to-haves. There are also a billion versions of every necessity, like strollers and car seats.
Keep in mind that every kid is a little different for whatever reason, but here are the items that we used most in the first 18 months of Autumn’s sweet life. Sleep and food have been our #1 priorities. So I’ll start with those.
Sleep Must Haves
We are minimalists with Autumn’s sleep necessities. As an 18 month old, we are very consistent. I’ll tell you that its made it fairly hard to have naps on the run or at a friends house or in the car. However it’s a lifestyle choice that we’ve made.
- Sounds machine
- Black out curtains
- Aden & Anais silky blankets
- MAM pacifers (only at night; not during naps)
- “Squirrel Suit” (only at night; not during naps)
- Zebra Door Soundproof Rope Handle
- YI Dome Camera, 1080p HD Indoor Pan/Tilt/Zoom Wireless IP Security Surveillance System with Night Vision, Motion Tracking – Cloud Service Available (White)
- Burt’s Bees Baby – Fitted Crib Sheet
- Mattress Protectors Crib Size
Food
A separate post is coming on how to get a good eater from the start of food introduction. Most of the food that Autumn eats as an 18 month old is still made at home and from the ground. We love Trader Joe’s produce. Don’t forget to check out Autumn’s 18 months schedule, which includes a little more about what she eats.
On-the-go we always have:
- One or two of Sprout’s Organic Baby Food Pouches
- When we did use bibs, we loved these ones. Autumn was wearing them until we finished breastfeeding and she was done with any spit up.
- Disposable Placemats
- We keep this hook-on high chair in the car for all visits to restaurants, friends houses, etc.
Pumping Necessities
- No brainer – these are the best milk storage bags
- My drive to work is 30-45 minutes away. So if I miss Autumn’s feeding, I drive and pump to avoid a pump session at work. That means I need the pump car adapter
The Bigger Items
A couple huge factors we considered in priority order: safety, cost-efficiency, and size. We were on a tight budget due to some major home renovations we were forced into unexpectedly (another story for another post!) Moreover we have a very small space with minimal storage.
Carseat: At about 10 months, we switched to a big girl carseat. Autumn lasted a while in her infant car seat, which is exactly why we bought the one we did. When we moved to her big girl car seat, she is faced backwards still. <share facts from my trip to Michelin>
Stroller: We are obsessed with our one-hand folding stroller. It fits in a small trunk, and is not heavy at all! I found this to be really important because I didn’t know if I would have any health complications postpartum and wanted to make my life as easy as possible.
Infant Stroller Attachments: If you use our combinations of stroller with car seat, you’ll need/want the following attachments:
- Need – Car seat attachment
- Want – Mommy cup holder
Highchair: We have IKEAs white high chair with a plastic topper from Etsy
Diaper Bag: We picked a backpack that eventually Autumn could wear and carry her items herself. Sure enough, now she loves to strap the bag around her shoulders.
Baby Hygiene
Autumn didn’t have any severe skin conditions, but she did demonstrate some sensitivity to certain products that required more awareness. This sensitivity drove a number of our favorite products:
- The Honest Company Organic All-Purpose Balm – If I could rant and rave about any one product that has really helped skin/hygiene, its hands down this balm. At the onslaught of any diaper rash, a little extra of this balm and it was gone.
- Baby Dove Tip to Toe Wash, Rich Moisture
- HUGGIES OverNites Diapers – Autumn is still in size 3, but for night time we size up to 4.
- WaterWipes Sensitive Baby Wipes
- All free clear laundry pods became our go to for laundering
Toys
- Indoors Teepee: ($80) our favorite teepee
- Baby doll My mom bought her the cutest baby doll for her first birthday and her reaction was priceless.
- Soccer Ball She’s loves kicking the ball and learning to pick it up and walk around carrying the huge bulky ball
- The water hose! Need I say more!?
- Water bottles As an infant, I tried to give her real-life, practical objects to explore. The water bottle – empty and full – was her ultimate favorite.
