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If you’re new here, my daughter, Amelia, is turning TWO on September 1st! I’ll save all the sobbing about how fast she’s growing for another time (babies don’t keep! Waaahhhh!), and distract myself by sharing some of my favorite items we’ve purchased during her year as a one-year-old.
If you haven’t already, check out our plans for Amelia’s Taco TWOsday themed birthday party and a second birthday gift guide inspired by our girl.
All items listed below are things we used regularly in the past year and I would use again. I did not include apparel as I recently posted about a few favorites here.
Hair & Body
Our daughter has eczema and long, fine hair, so I’ve spent lots of time figuring out the right products for her.
Honest Company detangler has been amazing for getting out tangles and combing through the various sticky substances Amelia somehow coats her hair in regularly. Bonus: it smells amazing!
Small hair elastics are perfect for doing my girl’s very fine hair and it (mostly) staying put! These ones come in a cute container that I leave out on her dresser.
Mustela Stelatopia Emollient Cream is seriously the only lotion I’ve found that doesn’t just moisturize her eczema prone skin but actually clears up and prevents breakouts. Unlike all the (many) other products we’ve tried, this one doesn’t feel oily or greasy and sinks in thoroughly. We’ve used their body wash as well, but the lotion is what made the most difference for Amelia.
Boogie Bottoms Diaper Rash Cream Spray is the greatest invention ever. When you have a wiggly toddler with a painful bottom, this stuff is a life-saver – and I don’t have to get diaper cream all over my hands.
Meal Time
The Munchkin Any Angle Click Lock Weighted Straw Cups are leak-proof, spill-proof, and can stand being tossed across the room. These ones also have a flip over lid that makes them diaper-bag friendly too.
Munchkin Stay Put Suction Bowls make it a lot less stressful when you’re teaching a clumsy (and mischievous) toddler how to feed herself.
Bumkins Silicone Grip Dish Suction Plates serve the same purpose as above, but I love these ones that come in lots of cute shapes and colors!
Munchkin Snack Catchers are used every single day in our house. They don’t completely prevent crumbs on the floor, but they help me from not crushing whole Goldfish crackers every other step I take.
Bedtime
I’ve already talked about our Marpac DOHM Sound Machine, so I won’t go on and on, but we have multiple in our house because they create the best white noise and I think Amelia’s going to take hers to college someday.
We use these Himalayan Salt Lamp Night Lights for the perfect, warm glow in her bedroom at night.
Amelia sleeps with a lovey blanket and her Playskool Glo Worm every night. I’ve even seen her wake up, light him up, and play herself music before falling back to sleep late at night on the baby monitor.
We switched not too long ago to the Lollipop baby monitor and I LOVE it. The image quality is amazing and it’s so easy to move around the room or travel with as needed. I was reluctant to get a monitor that I would need to use my phone as the parent unit, but this one has the ability to run as an audio-only monitor in the background to save some battery and not have to stare at the screen the whole time, so I can do other things as needed.
Gear
Amelia hated her bucket car seat as she got closer to one, despite still being well within the height and weight recommendations for it, so we transitioned to the Graco Slim Fit 3 in 1 Convertible Car Seat after her first birthday and suddenly my girl enjoyed car rides! This seat will grow with her for a long time, too, so I considered it a worthwhile investment.
Not an Amazon find, but the IKEA Antilop High Chair is much easier to keep clean now that Amelia is feeding herself, and the tray comes off so I can pull it up to the table so she can sit with us and eat.
Entertainment & Toys
First Years Stack Up Cups have been one of her favorite toys this past year. I like that they help develop fine motor skills, but also imagination, as these have been used for everything from pretend-drinking to a pretend phone that she puts to her ear and answers “hi?” We’ve lost a few along the way so I’d buy a spare – they’re certainly cheap enough to keep some extras.
The Spike the Fine Motor Hedgehog was a Christmas gift last year and she was obsessed with it for months, and still likes to play with it now. I loved watching her get better and better at putting the pegs in the holes, and we use it to practice colors, too. I also love that the pieces store right inside the hedgehog for easy clean-up.
The LeapFrog Little Office Learning Center was a nice prop when Amelia was learning to stand and cruise just before turning one, but even after learning to walk, she returned often to play music, dance, and answer the pretend phone. At almost two, this toy is still a favorite and lives in our living room where it gets used daily.
Books are Amelia’s absolute favorite entertainment. I don’t even have to read them to her – she will often grab them when I’m busy with her sister or household chores and sit in her rocker or in a corner and point to the pages and “read” to herself. This past year she’s loved lift the flap books like Where’s Baby’s Bellybutton, and musical books like the Frozen Musical Note Sound Books.
I hope you found something your one-year-old will love! If you like posts like this, check out my newborn essentials as well as some Amazon apparel favorites for babies and toddlers.
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.