Teach Mom Learn

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All other links are not sponsored, I just want to share my favorite things with you!

Toddlers are the busiest little people, and trying to keep up with them is a full-time job (sometimes on top of your full-time job!).  They are physically incapable of staying still for more than 3.5 seconds, and you need to be ready for anything they (literally) throw your way. 

Because of this, toddler moms need all the help they can get to stay on top of things.  These 11 must-haves will make your life so much easier!

1. Coffee (and a great coffee maker) –Everyone deserves a special treat in the morning.  For me, it’s coffee, but maybe for you, it’s tea, fruit juice, or even an exceptionally delicious smoothie. 

Whatever your morning pick-me-up, make sure you have it in your home at all times and that whatever you need to make it is reliable and efficient. 

That’s why our coffee maker has become one of my favorite things in the entire house -no matter what kind of coffee I buy, I know that my caffeine fix will be perfect every day.  And it saves me a fortune during the week!

2. Air Fryer –Speaking my favorite things in the house, the air fryer is a life saver! It cooks almost anything in a matter of minutes, it’s super easy to use, and it makes everything delicious and crisp. 

If you don’t have one, you need one.  Ours is a GoWise, and it even came with its own cookbook!

Plus, there are literally thousands of fantastic air fryer recipes on Pinterest, so you will never run out of dinner ideas.  Since we got ours at Christmas, we’ve used it a minimum of twice a day.

3. The Right Leggings -The right leggings are magic. 

They need to be a solid, matte fabric so that they can transition from office to gym to rolling around the playroom floor with your toddler. 

They need to be thick enough that nothing shows through and snug enough that everything is pulled into place. 

If you’re looking to splurge, Lululemon leggings are the gold standard. They’re so comfortable, and they stretch enough to take you from 9 months pregnant to years postpartum.

I bought a pair 6 weeks into my pregnancy, wore them to the delivery room, and am wearing them right now. They’ve fit perfectly ever single time. It’s like The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants, except I’m all the girls.

Lilly Pulitzer Luxletic leggings are perfect for a pop of color under a tunic. if you get them during the After Party Sale (every September and January), you can save about $30-$50 per pair!

If you’re looking for something more affordable, I love American Eagle and Aerie leggings.  My students and I both wear them, and they work on any size at any age. Their super soft, fleece-lined leggings kept me warm this entire winter!

4. Slip-On Shoes with Grip -It is legitimately impossible to zip tall boots or lace sneakers while carrying a toddler, a diaper bag, and your work bag.  Slip-on shoes are a lifesaver. 

To pick the right ones, look for something that won’t come off easily if you happen to run. 

Have you ever run out of your ballet flats? I have, and when you’re chasing a toddler (or a young student), the last thing you want to do is stop to grab your shoes. 

Personally, I love my Sperrys.  They’re comfortable, cute, and match everything.  I bought Tom a pair years ago, and he’s so obsessed that he wore them hiking a mountain. I’m not kidding.

And Lilly Pulitzer makes great slip-on sneakers.  If you wait until the semi-annual After Party Sale, you can get a really good deal!

5. Really Good Hair Ties –Keeping your hair out of your face is essential for all of the things you need to do every day.  While sunglasses make a great makeshift headband, nothing beats a really good hair tie. 

If you have thick hair like me, your hair will slip out of a pony tail every time you turn your head, a little at a time, until your pony is a sloppy mess. 

My friend got me Teleties in a when I first had Rae, and they are amazing.  I’ve been using them for over a year, and I haven’t broken one yet (normally I break a hair tie after 4 uses). Plus, they don’t leave a mark in your hair even after a whole day of use!

The shiny, sparkly ones make your mom bun or pony look much fancier than usual, and the neon ones are great for adding some color to a more basic look.

6. Mini dust buster -I don’t know how I lived without this for the first year of Rae’s life.  But after reading Kallie Branciforte’s Favorite Finds -Fall 2020 post on But First, Coffee, I went to Target the next day and bought the cheapest one I could find. 

It is by far my favorite tool (it might even beat out the air fryer!).  Toddlers are so messy, and being able to just grab a little vacuum instead of lugging my huge one out of the closet and up the stairs makes life so much easier. 

Rae has become completely obsessed with it, and after every meal, she drags the dust buster over to me and proceeds to point and “dadadahh” at every crumb until I vacuum it up. 

7. An Exceptional Stroller Toy (or, in our case, an exceptional stroller book) -Going for walks with babies is so relaxing.  They fall asleep within 2 minutes of being in the stroller, and you can walk or run for as long as you’d like while they get their nap in. 

Then they learn to walk, and the last thing they want to do is stay still in the stroller while you get your workout in. 

I’ve tried almost every toy we own in the stroller, and Rae has wholeheartedly rejected them to the point where I typically end up carrying her half a mile home in one arm and pushing the stroller with the other. It’s a fantastic workout, but not the one I was hoping for. 

And then, Pat the Bunny changed everything.  Rae spends the entire hour-long walk flipping through the pages trying every single interactive activity. 

It’s a small miracle, but one that I greatly appreciate.  Please, do yourself a huge favor and pick up Pat the Bunny or any other interactive book you can find.

8. Many, Many Gates -I love a good baby gate.  It saves hours of initial baby proofing and years of struggling with drawers and doors. It’s much easier to block off an entire room than to wrestle with childproofing tools!

We have four gates in our house: one to gate off the playroom, one to block off the stairs, and two to close off the kitchen from Rae (that way, we don’t have to babyproof most of our cabinets, although we still lock up anything with chemicals in it just to be extra safe). 

The gates are the only thing that make it possible for me to take a shower, do the dishes, or cook a meal.  Rae can roam freely and safely through large areas of our home, and because those areas are fully toddler-proofed, I don’t have to worry.  Here are the gates I love most:

9. A White Noise Machine -Toddlers go to bed long before their parents, and living in silence should not be a requirement to keep them asleep! A white noise machine is a great way to peacefully drown out background noise while your child sleeps.

That way, you can FaceTime friends, watch TV, play video games, clean up, or do whatever you need to do without worrying that even the slightest noise will wake them up.

I’m married to one of the loudest humans on the planet, and he likes to game with his friends using noise cancelling headphones, which makes him somehow even louder. If we didn’t have our white noise machine, Rae would wake up at least 15 times each night.

I’m more than a little obsessed with ours. It has a built-in nightlight and so many different sounds to choose from. Listening to it over the monitor every night helps me sleep too!

10. A Comfy Utility Jacket – I didn’t discover the magic of a utility jacket until this past fall. I picked up a J. Crew Downtown Field Jacket on Poshmark for 1/4 of the original price, and ever since, I’ve been obsessed.

Utility jackets are essential because not only are they warm, stylish, and comfortable, but they’re super comfortable. They have enough pockets to hold your keys, credit card and license, cell phone, and at least 6 other items without needing to carry a purse.

When you have a toddler, the fewer things you need to carry in your hands, the better. Having your hands open makes it easier for you to catch them before they get into too much trouble. Plus, having a pocket for everything helps you stay organized!

I highly recommend purchasing a good quality one secondhand on Poshmark or ThredUp. Amazon has some highly rated ones under $30 too!

11. A Tide To Go Pen –This was an essential for me long before I had Rae because I’ve never been able to eat messy food without making a mess of myself.

It’s especially great for toddler moms because those adorable, chubby little hands are almost always covered in something! And they are definitely drawn to your clothes, usually right before you’re about to walk out the door and when you’re already running late.

These pens are amazing. They can take stains out of almost anything, or at least make them far less noticeable.

For more Must-Haves, check out my Favorites & Resources.

What are your essentials? What products can you not live without? Please share in the comments below!