Toddler Gear Essentials
Over the years my wife and I have come across several items that we highly recommend as essentials with any toddler – we wanted to share some of these with you. Below are 4 items we highly recommend.
NALGENE BPA-Free Water Bottle/Sippy Cup
This cup/bottle is by far the best sippy cup we have come across. I wish we could have found these when we had our first kid but they did not come out until after we had number 4. This cup is by far the easiest to clean, it does not absorb the any of the liquid into the plastic (even if left forgotten under the couch for several days). It is made of Nagene’s new BPA-Free plastic that is almost indestructible (I personally have thrown a full Nalgene bottle over a rocky cliff face without breaking it). Also, it is a lot cheaper than other BPA-free alternatives.
Safety 1st Grow with Me Portable Booster Seat
We first bought one of these booster seat when we just had one kid (now we have 5) and we were going on a trip and needed a high chair for outside. We had some friends that had one and recommended it highly. Initially we just used it for camp outs, picnics, or trips to family or friends. For those uses it was well worth having; finding it invaluable on many occasions, and because it folds up so well it was easily storable. As time when on we began more an more to use it at home. It became a standard at the table as a booster seat for our toddlers, with its two height settings (flipping the seat over) it allowed our kids to grow into. Finally with our last child we totally got rid of our high chair and opted just to use this booster seat permanently strapped to a chair. It takes up less room – can be cleaned in the sink and can be folded up an put away when not needed. Definitely a must have… and we can and do still take it camping, on picknics and when we are visiting. Below is a picture of my oldest son on a camp out using the booster strapped to a folding camp chair.
Kelty K.I.D.S. FC 3.0 Frame Child Carrier
This backpack is not exactly like the one we currently have – the one we have was this one’s grandfather – we got ours in preparation for our first born almost 10 years ago it still is quite similar but Kelty has made many improvements over the years. For me this was a must have, that is why we got one before my daughter was born – I love hiking, backpacking and being in the outdoors and knew that I wanted to continue this with my kids. We have since used it on all the first four of our kids and will use it on the fifth this summer as she is now big enough to fit in it. I have loved this pack and have taken kids on long hikes, 10-15 miles, and they have performed for me as good or better than any of my backpacking packs. Also the kids have all loved being in them, even for those long hikes. In fact it was in this pack that my oldest daughter said here first word. I would take her hiking in the mountains every afternoon starting when she was about 9 months old. I would point out things that I would see, often there were birds and she would point at them too. It wasn’t long and out came, “bird” on one of our hikes. As a side note for those long hikes I would also rig up a camelback for the kid in the pack so they could have a drink whenever they needed one – highly recommended. Below are pics of my kids in our Kelty Pack, the 4 that have been in it so far.
The cougar bike trailer/jogger stroller/ski sled….. came out a few years after I started having kids. Since biking and running are a big part of who we are as a family having a bike trailer and a jogger were two items I felt were required when I had kids. So around the same time I bought our Kelty K.I.D.S. backpack I also picked up a nice bike trailer and a nice jogger (both of which we still use). Had the Cougar existed then I would have bought it instead of the two separate. I have 3 of my siblings though who have bought them and love them and all their attachments. They are really well made, using mostly aluminum (not steal like what you get at department stores) making them light and strong. Also what sets the Cougar apart from its competition is all the attachments. Do you like cross country skiing?…There’s and attachment for that. You want a jogger stroller?… There’s and attachment for that. You want a shopping stroller?… There’s an attachment for that.
All these items are items again that I highly recommend. You can purchase them new or you can, as I recommend, often find them on craigslist used. Let me know it there are any gear items you feel are essential and I will add them to the list.
Nester Dad out…
