Cynical Parent

My playpen is one of my favorite things I own. It is so versatile and makes things like cleaning house, days at the beach, and traveling SO much easier.

But how do you know if you’ve got the best playpen for toddler fun and safety?

A good playpen can be used for all sorts of things.

Not only can it be a safe place to put your little one while to take care of some chores or a portable napping spots, but the best playpens can be used for safe outdoor play, days at the beach, homemade ball pits, and so much more.

That’s why it is important to know that your playpen will grow with your little one. One of the most important things to look for when you are shopping playpens is its long-term usage. I use my playpen all the time, even now that my son is 2 years old!

Not all playpens are created equal. Only four made it on my list of the best playpen for toddler fun and safety.

Let’s check ’em out.

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With Halloween around the corner, we’re trying to decide how to dress our little girl for her first “real” Halloween (she was a newborn during her actual first Halloween, so we don’t really count that one).

When your little one is just a baby, Halloween and the costumes are more for you anyway. She’s not going to remember it.

But what she will remember are the pictures you show her when she’s a little older… 😀

I have to admit, picking just ONE costume is going to be difficult, but let’s check them out.

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As a parent, summer time can be a challenge. Whether you’re a stay-at-home or working parent, the reality is, summer time is “fun time.” (big time air quotes there)

And fun time means…you need to find stuff for your kids to do.

Even if your kid is young enough to still be in daycare or you’re sending him or her to a summer camp, you will still undoubtedly find yourself with hours in the afternoon or on weekends where you need to find stuff for them to do.

And as much as I’d love to be running around after a long day or week of work (correction: NOT), sometimes it’s much less stressful and much more enjoyable to find some fun activities that your kids can do at home.

And let’s not forget another important factor: it’s a hell of a lot cheaper too.

So, without further ado, we’ve put together an amazing list of 12 super fun summer activities for kids at home.  Keep your kids busy, keep your own sanity, and keep your wallet from going empty.

These are the goals.

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As your little one enters “toddlerhood,” you’ll probably notice that he or she is becoming increasingly interested in reading books (or more accurately, having books read to them).

As you follow your child through this reading journey, you’ll likely come across what I think is one of the best parts of reading to your child – interactive books!  

We are going to look at 10 of the best interactive books for toddlers, many of which my own have read and thoroughly enjoyed. But why are we looking at them and what makes interactive books awesome?

Keep reading to learn more! (And while you’re at it, check out one of our other recent posts about teaching your toddler to read – it pairs nicely with this one!)

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Meltdowns, fits, tantrums – whatever you call them – they are exhausting for everyone involved.

However, they are a normal part of child development. They also happen to be great learning opportunities for both kids and parents. (Yay, I bet you’re happy to learn while dealing with a tantrum.)

Dealing with tantrums is no one’s idea of a good time, and kids who throw tantrums aren’t having fun either. It’s natural to be inclined to yell at the child, possibly even pop the child on his or her bottom, or put them in their room.

However, many of the traditionally accepted ways that parents deal with temper tantrums are not always particularly effective.

Let’s talk about some other ways to deal with toddler tantrums.

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Before our daughter was born, I’ll admit, we were pretty clueless about most baby products.

Like most people, we set up a baby registry and put a bunch of stuff on there.  Some of it was pretty straightforward – clothes, blankets, etc.  But there were definitely other products where we had no idea if we’d ever actually use them.

One of these mysterious products was a rock ‘n play sleeper.

Between the pack ‘n play, the crib, the bouncer, the bassinet, and everything else you could put a baby into, were we really going to use a rock ‘n play?

Yeah, sure, add it to the list.

Little did we know it would become not only our favorite purchase, but we would go on to buy a second one. A different one. It would end up being the very reason that we were finally able to get some sleep in our little girl’s first few months of life.

So which ones did we buy? And what we do we think is the best rock ‘n play sleeper? Allow me to explain…

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Let’s face it: most toddlers are picky as hell.  

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve made lunch or dinner for my daughter only to have her barely pick at it, push it away, and say “all done!” when she clearly needed to eat more.  

I hated doing it, but like many parents, I would give in and just end up giving her what she wanted, whether it was a pouch of applesauce, crackers, or some bread. 

I know, I know, parents shouldn’t do that.

And that’s why I set out to find ideas of what to make for lunch for picky toddlers.  You know, meals that they would actually eat so that I wouldn’t feel like I was just making food for the trash can (yeah, the dog would end up getting a fair amount of it too). 

So, keep reading, and I’ll share my top 10 ideas for lunch for picky toddlers that they will actually eat!

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You may have thought your little one’s sleeping problems were behind you.

Waking up with a newborn guzzler is no joke, but now your bug-eyed toddler seems to be going through the dreaded 2 year old sleep regression. And like me, you could be waking up with a kid’s foot in your face.

Although you may have thought this was the time to reacquaint with your partner, catch up on romance novels, or binge Netflix shows, think again!

But don’t worry – we’ve got some answers for you here.

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It’s that time of year again.  You’ve spent years dealing with Valentine’s Day with your significant other – some people love it, some people feel it’s just a Hallmark holiday excuse for buying cards and flowers.

And then, eventually, your kids enter this world. And they have to do Valentine’s Day too.  

I may be a little cynical at times (ha, yes, that’s the name of this blog), but I think Valentine’s Day is a fun opportunity for preschoolers and kids in general to do different crafts and start to explore the art of giving and receiving gifts.  It doesn’t need to have a romantic element.

Of course, we’re hot off of the holiday season, so your kids are likely well-versed in the gift receiving department.

With all of that said, we’ve rounded up a bunch of great (and easy) Valentine’s Day crafts for preschoolers that your kids will definitely enjoy.

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If you or your wife is giving birth for the first time, you’ve probably heard of the “push present.”

A push present is exactly what it sounds it like: a gift for pushing out the baby – to the woman who did all the pushing – typically given by the baby’s father.  Makes sense.

Giving birth to a child isn’t easy.  It’s an accomplishment of sorts; after all, it’s commonly referred to as a “miracle” (despite the fact that having children is incredibly common, and has been since the beginning of the human race).

Okay, I’m only kidding (a little bit); I don’t mean to downplay the monumental event that is childbirth. It is literally life-changing.  So naturally, it’s an occasion that may be worthy of a gift.

When is this gift generally given? What are the best push present ideas?

Where did the idea of the “push present” even come from? And why is it semi-controversial?

Relax, I’ll explain all of this – so keep on reading…

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