Toddler Gifts Under $20

My daughter is turning 2 years old in less than two months from now.  I can't believe it!  I've been doing a lot of searching for gift ideas for family and friends (so we don't end up with Super Annoying and Loud Plastic Electric Guitar 3000!).  A frugal person myself, I don't like seeing others spend more than necessary, so I thought I'd share some great toddler gift ideas that are $20 or less.  

  "Animal Baby" Magazine Subscription from National Wildlife Federation - $19.95 for 10 issues. 

I just ordered this for my daughter today.  I came across these awesome little magazines while shopping at my local Depot for Creative Reuse.  I bought 6 used copies of the magazine (from 2004) for $0.25 each!  I didn't realize until I got home that they are actually a subscription magazine!  They have colors, shapes, vocabulary, counting, and nature-centered stories inside and they are wonderful.

 Finger Puppets from Ikea - $4.99 for pack of 10.  

Honestly, Ikea has a TON of awesome toddler/kid things that are under $20 - check out their website for more fun things!  I bought the people finger puppets awhile back for Olive.  I recently saw they were carrying the animal puppets and I had to scoop them up!  We keep them all in a container in her toy area and use them daily.  They are great for inspiring imagination in little ones and are just so darn cute!  And yes, they fit on adult fingers, too.

Red Plastic Rocker from Ikea - $9.99.    

Okay, I could be here all day listing fun things I've purchased from Ikea - this is the last one, I promise!  Sturdy, cheap, looks like a delicious slice of watermelon.  Need I say more?

Magic Towels - $1.00 each.  

If you don't know, magic towels are washcloths that have been compressed into a tiny little square, circle or other shape.  When you put them in water, they expand to normal washcloth size.  I remember getting these as a kid and LOVED them!  It was always so fun to be surprised by the picture on the washcloth (which is usually some kind of bright cartoon).  I have found this recently for $1 at stores like The Dollar Tree and the 99cent Store.  For that price, you could buy 20 of them and make some kid's day!

Book & Animal Combo from The Dollar Tree - $2.00-$7.00.  

It can be The Dollar Tree, The Dollar Store, The 99Cent Store - any store that sells things for $1.00 and under.  Check out their children's book section and the toy section to find a book and toys that go together.  For example, I purchased all of the items below from The Dollar Tree, for a total of $6.00.  All of the animals appear in the book.  You might not have these specific ones at your local dollar shop, but I'm sure you can find some kind of book/toy match!

Any of the wonderful Putumayo CDs - Average of about $13.00.  

Putumayo are compilation CDs that work with many different artists and span a wide range of cultures.  There are dozens of the CDs that are labeled as "Putumayo Presents: Kids", but honestly, I love listening to them as an adult.  They truly do provide music that the whole family can enjoy!  (Listen to a sample on Amazon or iTunes!)

Puzzles - The one below is $12.95 and can be found at Discount School Supply.  

You can find countless puzzles out there for under $20 and some that are really educational, too.  Discount School Supply has a number of great wooden puzzles as do Melissa and Doug.  Personally, I prefer wooden puzzles because they have a sort of nostalgic feel and they are much sturdier than cardboard puzzle pieces.  

  

Do you have any favorite toddler gift ideas under $20 that we could add to the list?

Being a "Yes" Parent

It's been awhile since I posted because I've been having slow Internet issues, but I also haven't been inspired to post anything.  And I figured, hmmmm, where better to go for inspiration than to my favorite blog, Play at Home Mom!  If you're a parent and love your child, you are missing out if you don't visit this awesome blog.  While I was reading through some of their latest posts, I thought to myself, "Wow, these moms are really the epitome of "Yes" parents.  They even post pictures with captions along the line of "Yes, you can.....".  I love it, but what do I mean by being a Yes parent, you say?

To me, being a Yes parent DOESN'T mean allowing your child to do whatever they want.  Of course, I wouldn't allow my daughter to stick her hand in a fire, or think that it's okay to hit her dad, or do anything else that is going to cause her or someone else emotional or physical harm.
To me, being a Yes parent DOES mean giving my child an environment to live in that allows me to limit my use of the word "no".  On the simple level, it means making the environment safe - outlet covers, gates in front of the fireplace, non-toxic plants in the garden.  On a play level, it means providing materials that Olive can manipulate as she pleases, without me telling her, "No Olive, don't do that" or "No Olive, don't push that down".  If I provide her with the proper materials, I will give myself the opportunity to say, "Yes Olive, you can push it that way" or "Yes Olive, that can go there".

To be honest, I can't always be a Yes parent as much as I would like to.  But, I try my hardest to create situations and an environment for Olive that will allow me to say yes as much as possible.  I thought that I'd look through some of my pictures to find examples of myself being a Yes parent.  I think I found some good ones.  And although I've been lacking in inspiration lately, I hope you find some inspiration through these pictures and that it leads you to put a little more Yes into your life.

Yes Olive, you stick you hand into the pumpkin....or just stare at it for a minute, make a gagging sound, and decide you don't want to touch it.  

Yes Olive, you can squeeze the berries on that plant to see how they pop and squish in your fingers.

Yes Olive, you can choose what you want to eat.  Yes Olive, you can dump it out all over on your tray 30 seconds later, mix it up, and still eat it.

Yes Olive, you can try it that way so you can figure out that the stairs are probably easier.

Yes Olive, you can feed Ming Ming the duck some string cheese.

Yes Olive, you can be silly and just be yourself - all the time.

Yes Olive, you can dig in that dirt. 

Yes Olive, you can eat that tomato.  Yes Olive, you can pick a green one to realize that it's not ready and way too sour.

Yes Olive, you can pet that goat and even give him a kiss if you want.

Yes Olive, you can climb that wall and I won't even stand right near you.

Yes Olive, you can decorate your body and diaper with paint.

Yes Olive, you can explore, create, get dirty and learn.

Week of Toddler Meals (17 months old)

My daughter has been eating real food and full meals for a while now (she's currently 17 months old).  But when she turned 12 months and we started transitioning off of formula, it was overwhelming.  Formula use to be her 100% nutrition.  Now I had to make sure:  Is she getting everything she needs?  I bought books, I researched, and finally, I calmed down.  I realized, as long as she eats healthy foods, most of the time, most of the week, she'll be fine.  But it took me a few months to get to that point.  I always wish that I had had a mom just say, "Here are some meal ideas to get you started."  So, with that in mind, I thought that I'd record everything Olive ate for a full week: breakfast, lunch, dinner, and some snacks.

A few notes:

1. Olive still gets whole milk twice a day: 12 oz when she wakes up and 8 oz before she goes to bed.  (I just didn't take pictures of it!)  She also gets water throughout the day when she wants it.
2. This actually took me about 10 days to complete because:  Some days were leftovers of the day before - not that interesting - and some days we were out and about and I didn't have my camera.
3. These are the meals I made for my daughter, not necessarily the meals she ate.  Truthfully, she has a good appetite and usually eats what I give her, but she's a toddler so she likes to be difficult sometimes! 
4. Sometimes she eats what we eat and sometimes I make her a different meal.
5. Yes, we eat a lot of bananas, flax meal, and sweet potatoes.  Hey, they're easy to make and healthy!  Also, you caught me on a week that I had a lot of grapes and pears.  On another week, you might see a lot of cantaloupe and peas or apple and green beans.  It just depends on what we bought that week! :)

Breakfasts

Bananas and Homemade Waffles (the waffles are made with flax meal, blackberries, and peaches)

Applesauce with Flax Meal & Potato Pancakes (made by Grandpa)

Bananas, toast sticks, scrambled egg

Egg, Cheese & Hash brown Burrito 

Greek Yogurt with Banana, Flax Meal, & Applesauce mixed in

Oatmeal with Banana, Flax Meal, Blueberries, and Applesauce

Diced Pears with Whole Wheat Pancake Sticks

Lunches

Peanut Butter Pita Triangles, String Cheese, Grapes

Greek Yogurt with Bananas and Garbanzo Beans 

Slurry (our name for smoothies in our house).  This one has:  spinach, carrots, sweet potato, kidney beans, cantaloupe, bananas, almond milk, flax meal, blueberries, mango, green beans, strawberries, applesauce, peas, and blackberries.  If you want to see me making a similar one, click here.

String Cheese, Diced Pears, Toast Sticks

Scrambled Eggs with Shredded Cheese & Peas

Almond Butter and Banana Sandwich with Organic Cheddar Cheese 

Kidney Beans and Dried Mixed Fruit

                                                Dinners

Pearl Couscous Mixed with Garbanzo Beans, Peas, Corn, Tomatoes & Spices

Sweet Potato and Turkey/Chicken Burger Patty

Sweet Potato, Cheese Quesadilla, Grapes

Turkey/Chicken Meatloaf, Sweet Potato, Roasted Cauliflower & Carrots

Grilled Polenta, Sauteed Spinach, Baked Pork

Taco Bake:  Ground Chicken/Turkey, Pinto Beans, Tomatoes, Crushed Tortilla Chips

Burrito:  Chicken/Turkey Mix, Cheese, Tomatoes, Flour Tortilla

Snacks (these aren't all the snacks she ate - just the ones I photographed)

Baba Ganoush & Pita (shared with Grandma) 

Grapes and Peanut Butter & Jelly sandwich (shared with Mama)

Hummus & Pita

For all the parents about to transition into full-fledged meals with their little ones, I hope this can help!  For all the parents with toddlers that are already transitioned, I hope this helps give you some fresh ideas.  And to all parents who choose to offer their little ones healthy choices, even if they don't always eat them...high five to you! :)