Cynical Parent

Kids love imaginary play.  Whether it’s playing “house”, driving a racecar, or building a fort, they love anything that seemingly connects them to what they see from adult, in books, or on TV.  Our kids absolutely love their play kitchen, which prompted us to do a little bit of research on the best wooden play kitchen for kids.

Why wooden? Wooden toys have a few key benefits over plastic or metal:

They are more durable and last longer, they are safer for kids, they’re environmentally friendly, and over time, wooden toys are less expensive (because they rarely need to be replaced).

Let’s take a look at what’s out there.

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The Nugget is currently one of the hottest kids’ products on the market.  It appeals to all ages – babies, toddlers, younger and older kids, and even adults.  It became so popular, that it spent most of 2020 sold out.  Every time it would come back in stock it would sell out in seconds (which prompted us to write an article about Nugget couch alternatives).  But we’re here today with our official Nugget couch review.

Personally, we own two Nuggets at home, so we’re prepared to give you both the good and the bad, from first hand experience.  We’ve also been connected with dozens of parents who own the Nugget and have seen how different families use it.

We’ll start with this – the hype is real and it’s there for a good reason. But there are still a few things you should know before deciding to get one.

Let’s get into it.

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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’ve been lucky enough to snag a Nugget couch, you might find yourself wondering about what you can do to enhance your Nugget play experience. We’ve written at length about various Nugget accessories, but what if you want to make some changes to the way your Nugget looks?

The company that makes the Nugget does sell extra cover sets, and as you may know, they have a pretty wide variety of colors.  The problem is, outside of special, limited release cover sets (that typically sell out right away), all of the designs are solid colors. 

They’re nice, no doubt, but if you were looking for a special pattern or a color they don’t have, you’d normally be out of luck.

Fortunately, we’ve done a bit of research and have tracked down some places where you can buy custom Nugget covers that are different from the official standard colors.  (Keep in mind, these are designed and manufactured by third parties, not the Nugget company itself.)

Here’s what we were able to find.

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I read somewhere recently that non-furry pets were becoming more popular again with kids, so I started doing some research around which types of pets are recommended (mostly reptiles).  For this post, I’ve decided to focus on the best snakes for kids to keep as pets, because snakes are often a pretty polarizing reptile. 

Some are poisonous and life-threatening; others are harmless and perfectly fine for a pet.  (There are actually over 2,500 different species of snakes, which I had no idea about!) 

If you’re considering a snake for a pet, there are a few important things you need to know.  Keep reading, and we’ll cover all of that including which are the best snakes for kids.

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Peace and quiet…something all parents can appreciate.

When you have a preschool-aged child running around, however, those moments are few and far between. Some kids are non-stop until bedtime.

While it’s tempting to sit them down to watch TV or a movie – and don’t get me wrong, that’s a good idea sometimes – it’s nice to find something a little more engaging for them to do.

So, as we usually do, we searched the depths of the internet and found over 20 great, and more importantly, quiet activities for preschoolers.

Check out the full list below!

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Fall is in the air, and there’s nothing like a cool weather that gets me excited about cooking.  Slow cooker meals, soups, stews, you name it – it’s all good for fall.

With all the junk that comes along with this time of year (Halloween candy, baked goods for the holidays, etc.) it’s good to figure out some meals that are not only healthy but that the whole family, especially the kids, will enjoy.

So, we took a deep dive into all the healthy fall recipes for kids and came up with a good list to share with you.

Let’s go!

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Sleep is precious.  And if your baby isn’t getting it, neither are you.

It’s one of the reasons some people are willing to shell out nearly $1,500 for a bassinet (the Snoo) that supposedly helps your baby sleep better.

I’ve tried the Snoo – we rented it for a month when our 3 month old would only nap in our arms.  It’s impressive in the way that it works, and it’s a stylish looking piece of furniture.  

But ultimately, we returned it for 2 reasons:

1) It was too damn expensive.  Not that we couldn’t afford it, but it didn’t seem worth the money.

2) It didn’t seem to do much for us over other similar (less expensive) options.

With all of that said, I know some parents rave about the Snoo, so I’m not going to say it doesn’t work or that it’s not worth the money.  Lots of parents praise its effectiveness and I know it has helped infants sleep better.

What if we told you there are some good Snoo alternatives that won’t break the bank? 

Granted, you aren’t going to find anything exactly like the Snoo for less money, but there are bassinets out there that work just as well.  

We did the research. Let’s check ’em out.

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With many of us stuck either homeschooling our kids or putting them in an at-home, remote/virtual learning environment, the home learning space has never been more important.

Today we’re going to tackle kids homeschool desk ideas; after all, this is where the learning happens.  (If you’re looking for an overall room setup, check out the post we did on homeschool room design ideas.)

This post is going to be about everything from ideas about the actual desk to use, to the types of things you can get for your desk to keep it better organized.

Remote learning may never be quite as good as live and face-to-face with a teacher, but we’re doing the best we can!

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More than ever before, many parents are faced with a situation where their children will be learning from home, as so many schools temporarily shift to a virtual learning model. And if you’re in this situation, you may find yourself looking into homeschool room design ideas.

There’s no way to sugarcoat it: this is a tough situation for so many parents.

Not only do some families have both parents working during the day, but most parents have never had to deal with formal education in their home.  Depending on the age of your kids, it can be a real struggle.

We’re not about to tackle the issue of balancing your work with your children’s remote learning, but sometimes half the battle is the environment.  

If your kid can’t physically be in a classroom, how can you create an environment that tries to simulate that experience?

That’s what we’re going to figure out here as we look at some really awesome and effective homeschool room design ideas.

Let’s get to it.

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