My Toddler Registry
a.k.a. all the things my one-year-old tries to destroy on a daily basis.
I didn’t realize kids are considered “toddlers” at age 1. I thought I still had a whole nother year with my baby.
Nope.
Don’t get me wrong – this age is FUN. But between the climbing-on-everything, throwing-things-and-saying-uh-oh, fake-crying-at-the-word-no, sharing-snacks-with-the-dog, constantly-running-everywhere, and hiding-mom’s-phone-under-blankets, I most definitely now have a toddler. And a rekindled love for wine.
So it’s time for yet another post featuring items I actually use and recommend, on the chance that this helps some other parent (with or without Ataxia) out there.
Click on a picture to be taken to that product’s page. As an affiliate, I may earn some income from your purchases at no additional cost to you.
Gates
Now that my kid can move much faster than I can, good baby gates were essential. So, basically, trust these recommendations because they’re currently my most prized possessions.
Toddleroo by North (103″ Extra Wide Swing)
We have a semi-open floor plan in that there’s an 8-foot opening between our living room and kitchen. Not only did I need an extra-long gate, but I needed it to easily open wide enough and with no threshold so my wheelchair could roll through it. This gate does it all. Plus, it looks nice and has so far stood steadily when Leo (pretty frequently, aggressively) shakes it.
Easy Baby Retractable Gate
Baby Proof Bumper Guard
Another safety gadget that’s now decorating a majority of my house. This stuff is also discrete, sticks on anything, and has literally saved my kid’s head numerous times.
Pikler Triangle
Nugget
Another popular toy that is honestly worth the hype (and cost… and wait time…). Believe me, I thought these were just so influencer moms could brag on social media, but I’m really glad I ended up buying one – Leo loves it. They’re basically big, well-made couch cushions that can be safely stacked and folded and climbed on and slid down and jumped onto and easily moved and manipulated… Check out this video to see it in action.
Fisher-Price School Bus
I really have no idea why this is Leo’s favorite toy, but it is, so I’m including it. He loves opening & closing the door 800 times, filling it with random objects, and flipping it over to spin the wheels. I love that one of the passengers that came with it is a boy in a wheelchair who can use the ramp in the back to get in and has his own little handicap spot inside. #RepresentationMatters
Ride-On Toy
The day Leo tried to put himself inside the toy bus, we realized we needed one of these. Not only is this great for riding on, but it can also store things in the seat (TV remotes, dog bones…) and it doubles as a walker thanks to the tall seat rest.
Outside toddler toy recommendations are coming your way as soon as New York decides which season it’s in!
Don’t have any little ones but always live reading your post! Love your sense of humor!
I loved your recommendations, but I have one more… My daughter loved a ball pit. So, I looked them up and they were quite expensive, so we created our own… We created a ball pit out of her pack n play and balls. After a few weeks she began throwing balls out…each time I said “no ma’am, do not throw balls” she got two times and then I started keeping the balls.