3 MUST HAVE ITEMS for Back to School!

Back to school prep can be so stressful! There are so many products available and so much on the market, it can be tough to figure out where to start and what products are the best! I hope these 3 simple tips help you get your kids ready for their first day at school quickly and easily so that you can get back to enjoying your summer.

My oldest son will be going into his second year at school and my youngest is starting pre-k so it’s not the first time (or the last) that I’ll be preparing them for their first big day and lucky for you, if you’re reading this, I can let you in on a few secrets that I’ve learned (mostly through trial and error)!

1. COLLE À MOI SCHOOL LABELS are a MUST. I’ve tried other brands, and nothing compares (I’ve unfortunately had to find out the hard way that not all brands are the same quality when it comes to school labels)! Colle à Moi labels stay stuck and will outlive most of the school supplies you stick them on! They’re dishwasher safe, self-adhesive, washer and dryer safe and are super easy to apply to just about anything (we use them on markers, crayons, pencil cases, shoes, clothes, backpacks, water bottles and more!).

The fun designs will have your kids begging to help you label everything which is a win for me because it means I have helpers to label school supplies. This year I chose the Dino theme for my youngest, since he’s currently in a T-rex obsessed phase and chose the Cool theme for my oldest! Colle à Moi also makes it easy to figure out how many stickers to order thanks to their School Combo packs! It will give you more than enough labels to cover everything you need, but if for some reason you need more, Colle à Moi always offers free shipping in Canada which I obviously love! 

Use code TOVAH10 to save on your order!

2. A LIGHT AND COMFORTABLE BAG is next on my list of must have items for back to school! Kids will come home with snow pants, lunch boxes, water bottles, rocks that they’ve collected and more so the lighter the bag, the better the chance that it will end up on their back instead of dragged behind them on the floor because it’s too heavy. 

My tip is to find a bag that your kids love but that is light weight and can be easily carried. Once you’ve found that bag, don’t forget to label it! Nothing is worse than trying to replace your kid’s favourite bag halfway through the school year when they lose it! We love the Colle à Moi bag tags – they’re a thick durable plastic that can be easily seen in case the bag gets lost and left behind somewhere.

3. DURABLE BENTO BOXES & WATER BOTTLES is the last of my recommendations! I can’t think of any items that get used, thrown, dropped, washed and dried more than my kids’ food containers and water bottles. I generally search for a metal water bottle and have found that they’re much more durable than the plastic ones for my kids so although they can be a bit more expensive, they are worth the investment and with Colle à Moi labels on them, they’ll always find their way home (or to the lost and found) if my kids leave them at school. 

For food containers, I always search for ones that close securely because the last thing any of us want is to open our kid’s bag and to find leaking food all over! A must have feature for me is also being dishwasher safe so that I can easily clean them every day. We always label our food containers for school with Colle à Moi labels because they’re dishwasher safe and I was pleasantly surprised when last school year, every single label was still perfectly stuck by the end of the year!

If your containers come apart (like a thermos), don’t forget to label the top and the bottom!

I hope my tips help you feel better prepared for back-to-school prep and guide you in the right direction! You can use my code TOVAH10 to save on your order at Colle à Moi!

If you have any other tips that you think I should add, leave your suggestions in the comments! 

Must-Have Amazon Toys for Kids!

Where are my Amazon Prime mamas at? Here are the must have toys this season from Kidzlane to keep your kids happy, entertained and give you a few hours of quiet! The best part? They won’t break the bank! You’re welcome :)

1. Laser Tag Set

The most fun and exciting Laser Tag set that you can use at home! It comes with 4 guys, 4 chest pieces and even a moving target for your kids to practice with. Click here to shop.

2. Pull Back Cars

Perfect for 18months +, they’ll love the sound of the pull back cars and it will help them with their fine motor skills and dexterity. Click here to shop.

3. Color Changing Tea Set

Just add water and watch the magic happen with this fun and amazing color changing tea set! Perfect for hours of pretend play! Click here to shop.

4. Shark Bath Toy

These fun shark bath toys jingle when you shake them and will never tip over! Your kids will be amazed! Click here to shop.

5. Karaoke Machine

Hours of fun is guaranteed with this awesome portable karaoke machine! Complete with a microphone, speakers and pre-programmed songs! Click here to shop.

6. Kids Tool Set

The perfect toy for a little builder! They’ll love the battery operated drill and will feel like a real handy man (or woman)! Click here to shop.

7. My Body Puzzle

The perfect educational puzzle that won’t make your kids feel like they’re learning! Puzzles are available with girl and boy anatomy and are made from study wood. Click here to shop.

5 Awesome Crafts for Kids Using Dixie® Cups!

Thank you Dixie® Cups for sponsoring this post. Check out how versatile these 5 oz. multi-purpose cups are!

Thank you Dixie® Cups for sponsoring this post. Check out how versatile these 5 oz. multi-purpose cups are!

With the kids home more often, so many parents are looking for ways to keep their kids entertained and busy! I’m sharing 5 fun arts & crafts activities that you can easily do with kids using Dixie® multi-purpose 5 oz. cups! We always have them in our home and I love how versatile they are. We use them as snack cups for the kids, water cups while we’re at the park, we make popsicles with them in the summer, and they can also be used for arts & crafts! They’re an easy way to prevent the spread of germs and, especially now, that’s definitely a priority for every parent! 

They’re designed to last and perform, which comes as no surprise since they’ve been around for over 100 years, so they’re the perfect cup to use with kids! They’ll hold their shape, are the perfect size for their hands, they easily stack inside of each other to pack on-the-go, they won’t break when your toddler drops them on the floor, and they come in the most stylish colors and patterns!

I rounded up our 5 favorite crafts for kids using Dixie® multi-purpose 5 oz. cups that will promote fine motor skills, dexterity, counting, letter recognition, and more! 

Counting Caterpillar

What you’ll need: 

• Pipe cleaner for the antennas

• Eyes and a nose, or markers to draw them on

• Long piece of string

Start by making the face of your caterpillar on a Dixie® cup with markers or pompoms, or any other items you have! With a pair of scissors, make 2 holes on the top and loop the antenna pipe cleaner through! Take a piece of tape and secure the thread inside the caterpillar’s head.

Now for the body! Take a marker and draw a number on the side of each Dixie® cup. We did numbers 1-10, but if your child is older, you can add more! With a pair of scissors, pierce a hole in the bottom of each Dixie® cup.

My son is only 3, so I did a lot of the prep work myself, but if your child is older, they can help write out the numbers and make the face on the caterpillar!

Now, it’s time for your child to practice their numbers! Give them the caterpillar’s head and string and ask them to add the cups in order, starting at #1, by pulling the string through the hole on the bottom of each Dixie® cup! This is an activity you can do over and over again. When they finish adding all the cups to the caterpillar’s body, you can take them off and store them away for another day.

Classic Telephone

This is one that I’m sure you all remember from when you were younger! Your kids will love decorating the cup and will be amazed that they can hear your voice through the Dixie® cup.

What you’ll need: 

• 2 Dixie® multi-purpose 5 oz. cups

• A long piece of string

• Art supplies to decorate the Dixie® cups

• Dixie® multi-purpose 5 oz. cups

Decorate your Dixie® cups to start. Pierce a hole in the bottom of each cup and insert your string through the hole and knot it so it won’t slip out. That’s it!

Music Shaker

What you’ll need: 

• 2 Dixie® multi-purpose 5 oz. cups

• Uncooked macaroni or penne

• Tape

• Art supplies to decorate the Dixie® cups

Decorate both cups with the art supplies that you have! Fill up one cup halfway with the uncooked macaroni. You can turn this into a counting game by asking your child to count how many they are putting in. 

Tape another cup on top of the one with the macaroni and make sure they are well secured together. 

Add some final decor to your shaker and you’re ready to dance!

Flower Pot

This craft is great for dexterity and fine motor skills. It seems like such a simple craft, but it will keep your kids busy and entertained! 

What you’ll need: 

• Dixie® multi-purpose 5 oz. cups

• Pipe cleaners

• Art supplies to decorate the Dixie® cups

Start by making holes in the Dixie® multi-purpose 5 oz. cups with scissors or with a hole punch. You can do them only along the rim or all over the cup. 

Decorate the Dixie® cup and then ask your child to take the pipe cleaners and weave them in and out of the holes that you made on the cup. This is a really great activity that will have them concentrating and practicing so many different skills. Once they’ve finished, you can make some flowers with pipe cleaners, or you can go outside and pick some real ones!

Alphabet Tower

What you’ll need: 

• Dixie® multi-purpose 5 oz. cups

• Markers or paint for the letters

Start by asking your child to draw or paint a letter on each of the Dixie® multi-purpose 5 oz. cups. If they’re too young to write, then you can draw the letter! You can also decorate the cups if you’d like, but I find them so nice looking as is!

Next is the fun part. Build a tower, build a fort, or stack them one on top of the other — as long as they’re doing it in the order of the alphabet! This is a great way to make practicing the alphabet fun. You can do it with upper or lowercase letters, or a mix of both. 

I hope your children love these crafts as much as mine do! We always make sure to have Dixie® multi-purpose 5 oz. cups at home for all our daily needs! Whether you’re doing a craft or using it to give snacks to your kids, they’re a simple and easy way to prevent germs from spreading so you can focus more on your family and worry less about keeping them safe. They will really give you peace of mind, which is something that we could all use a little more of. 

PAW Patrol to the Rescue this Easter!

This post was sponsored by PAW Patrol as part of an Integrated Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.

With Easter approaching, I knew I had to find a super special toy to keep a smile on my son’s face. I love setting up a hunt for eggs that the Easter bunny left behind and the trail always leads to a big surprise at the end!

Like every child his age, my son’s world revolves around PAW Patrol and the Mighty Meteor Track Set was the perfect big surprise I was looking for (and the best part is you can order it online from Target or Amazon and have it delivered before Easter). PAW Patrol also has 2 other awesome toys that I think would make great Easter basket gifts as well: the Mighty Pups Charged Up Chase Transforming Vehicle and Charged Up Deluxe Vehicles.

For the ultimate Easter egg surprise hunt, I started by filling up a bunch of plastic eggs with chocolate and candy! These treat-filled eggs will lead my son right to his PAW Patrol surprise! I also used rabbit foot prints to lead the way and make it that much more exciting.

Now let's talk about this PAW Patrol Mighty Meteor Track Set. I’ll start out by saying that it is just insanely fun. The story behind the toy is that Harold Humdinger has taken the mighty meteor with his robot and it’s up to you to launch Chase in his charged up vehicle to save the day! It’s a SUPER interactive toy which my son loves and keeps him busy for hours! To help Chase save the day, you load him and his vehicle on the Team Jet Launcher, you push down on the back of the aircraft and Mighty Chase propels in the air and flies around the Lookout Tower! He pushes the meteor out of the robot’s hand before safely landing on the ground and saving the day. It’s such a blast and I guarantee your kids will freak out when they figure out that Chase flies!

My son was thrilled when he first saw his gift, but when I showed him how it worked, he squealed in delight. I haven't seen him this excited about a toy in long time. It also comes with a Mighty Chase car and a detachable Team Jet Launcher that he can play with separately as he pretends Chase is flying through our home!

Order your PAW Patrol products now so that they arrive in time for Easter! They're available at Target and Amazon.  Click here to shop!

If you're looking for other PAW Patrol gifts to put in your Easter basket, the Mighty Pups Charged Up Chase Transforming Vehicle is just as fun! It transforms from a car to a hovercraft so your kids can have hours of fun being heroes and keeping Adventure Bay safe! The Transforming Vehicle has lights and sounds and a projectile launcher for even more fun! Your kids will be running around and laughing while they help Chase glide through the air in this awesome and fun toy! It’s great for kids ages 3 and up and the lights and sounds will make them feel as though they’re on a real mission!

The Charged Up Deluxe Vehicles are great Easter Basket Stuffers as well! With lights and sounds and a removable Chase figurine, the smiles and laughs will be endless. And don’t worry! They have Rubble, Skye, Marshall, Zuma and Rocky too so make sure to get them all so that the whole PAW Patrol gang can save Adventure Bay together because, as Ryder says: no job is to big and no pup is too small! 

Planning A Superhero Birthday Party!

My son, Zane, recently celebrated his 3rd birthday and we threw him the coolest superhero birthday party and I can’t wait to share all the amazing vendors that made it possible! If you don’t know where to start, use my party as inspo and start from there. Confession: I don’t actually enjoy planning parties but I do loveseeing my son’s face light up, so I promise everything I did is super simple and can easily be replicated! Whether you’re planning a superhero birthday or a Frozen themed one, the vendors I used were INCREDIBLE, professional, reliable and understood exactly what I was looking for. I’ve linked them all in this blog post!

For custom invites, loot bag tags, cupcake toppers, centre piece accessories and candy bag stickers, there’s no one better than Julia from Funkissd. She has a shop on Etsy with a ton of options, but can also make something custom for you. I’m not even exaggerating when I tell you that I sent her a few pictures from Pinterest for inspiration and let her do the rest. What she created was absolutely perfect (and so affordable)!

Click here to shop FUNKISSD.

Loot bags can be so tricky! Often kids aren’t all the same age and finding something adorable can be tough. I opted for TY beanie ballz! They’re soft and plush (so perfect for the younger kids) and are fun to throw around indoors (which the older kids love) without damaging walls or furniture (which the parents love)! They come in so many different characters. The TY site makes it a bit hard to find them, so I recommend finding the character you want (in my case, the regular spider man), click on it and then scroll down - it will show you all the other formats of that character, including beanie ballz!

Click here to shop TY Spiderman Beanie Ballz

For the table decor, I kept it simple and stuck to primary colors. Red and blue table cloths with red and blue cutlery, napkins and plates! I picked up awesome toddler capes, masks and snap bracelets and set them up at the table so that every kid could be a superhero! I wavered back and forth on whether I should get “girl” version of the super heroes, like Wonder Woman and Catwoman, but ultimately decided that the point was for the kids to dress up and have fun and to be honest, the kids didn’t mind one bit. In fact, I’m not even sure half of them even knew who they were dressing up as! They just LOVED putting on the cap and mask! Amazon Prime came to the rescue for all of this decor!

Click here for CAPES & MASKS

My favorite part was definitely the sweet table. I ordered a super cheap superhero backdrop from Amazon ($22 shipped prime) and decorated it with THE MOST gorgeous balloon garland from Balloonia. They were such a pleasure to deal with, again, completely understood what I was looking for without me having to spend hours sending pictures. They showed up early (that NEVER happens!), were super competitive with their price (in my opinion, for the amount of balloons and for how large it was, I think they actually offer a better value than their competitors) and they were a pleasure to deal with.

Click here for Backdrop on Amazon
Click here to visit BALLOONIA on Instagram or email Melissa for info: info@balloonia.ca

For the desserts, I worked with Laura, from Yum Creations. It was my first time but definitely not my last. She’s the original creator of the Cakesicle but she made us so much more. Instead of a typical fondant cake, we opted for a large number 3 decorated with custom superhero items and candy! It was SO delicious. We also got cake pops, mini cakesicles (perfect for little hands) and custom cookies. Each dessert was more delicious than the next.

Click here to visit YUM Creations on Instagram or email Laura at: info@yumcreations.com

Finally, we finished off the dessert table with a candy bar! This was probably the biggest headache. I didn’t properly gauge how much candy to buy to fill up the containers so I made multiple trips to the candy store and then when I finally had enough, I ate half of it one night and had to go back yet again for more! I stuck to the same colors as the party for the candy and used my custom stickers from Funkissd to decorate the candy bags! I recommend choosing your containers and brining them with you to the store!

Zane LOVES to dance so it was a no brainer to contact Tania from Funtastik Boogie. She literally does it all. Sings, dances, brings a bubble machine, a disco light machine, can bring in mascots and can literally plan any party under the sun for you. Our little superheroes in capes had a blast playing and dancing with her!

Click here to check out Funtastik Boogie on Instagram or email Tania at tania@funtastikboogie.ca

For the location, we had the party at Le Rinque. It has full catering on-site, a bar area if you want to have alchol and we were able to rent one of their indoor arenas for a sporting activity first, followed by music in the party room and then food! They have a vast menu with a ton of options for any budget!

Click here to check out Le Rinque

For the sporting activity, we used Sport Ball! Zane already takes classes with them every week and the coaches are just phenomenal. They bring the equipment (depending on which sport you want your kids to play) and the coaches keep them entertained for a full hour! They specialize in coaching kids of all ages so they were able to adapt the activity to ensure that all the kids had fun!

Click here to check out everything Sportball offers
(choose your location at the top right of the site to find activities near you)

Any other questions? Drop them below and I’ll do my best to answer them!!!

Gifting STEM Toys This Holiday Season (Copy)

This year I’m making a conscious effort to gift smart! You might be wondering what I’m talking about. I recently discovered the world of STEM toys and was a bit disappointed that I hadn’t learned about them before. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math but STEM toys focus on so much more. Although they look just as fun as regular toys, they’re actually tools that help kids develop their abilities while they have fun and learn. STEM toys generally consist of board games, building blocks and science kits and are available for children as young as toddlers all the way to teens!

We tried out and are sharing 3 STEM toys that can all be found in the GIFT WHIZ tool that was created by Learning Resources and we loved the toys so much that we’ll be using it to make informed and personalized choices for gifts for all the kids on my holiday shopping list this season!

Click here to check out the GIFT WHIZ.

Counting Surprise Party

This toy is the gift that keeps giving! Your little ones will be thrilled to discover presents that are filled with surprises! This gift will help them learn their colors, to count and to identify objects such as robots, cats, guitars and even a plane! It’s priced at under $20 so it’s the perfect gift for any 3 year old on your list!

Click here to check out the Counting Surprise Party

Hoot the Fine Motor Owl

Hoot the Fine Motor Owl helps your kids strengthen hand-eye coordination as well as an introduction to colors, shapes and number recognition skills. Your children will drop the coins in a slot on the owl’s head and use scissor skills to flap the wings and the coins come tumbling out!

Click here to check out Hoot the Fine Motor Owl.

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1-2-3 Build It!™ Construction Crew

There are 3 different ways your little engineers can put this toy together! They can build a digger, a dump truck and a bulldozer with easy and big snap together pieces. This toy helps to develop and strengthen fine motor skills, hand strength, coordination and other skills that help prepare them for preschool! Your kids imaginations will run wild while they learn and have fun playing with the 1-2-3 Build It! Construction Crew.

Click here to check out the 1-2-3 Build It! Construction Crew.

The GIFT WHIZ will guide you and help you choose the best gift for the children in your life! It takes all the guesswork out of holiday shopping! Click here to check out the GIFT WHIZ by Learning Resources.

Gifting STEM Toys This Holiday Season

This year I’m making a conscious effort to gift smart! You might be wondering what I’m talking about. I recently discovered the world of STEM toys and was a bit disappointed that I hadn’t learned about them before. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math but STEM toys focus on so much more. Although they look just as fun as regular toys, they’re actually tools that help kids develop their abilities while they have fun and learn. STEM toys generally consist of board games, building blocks and science kits and are available for children as young as toddlers all the way to teens!

We tried out and are sharing 3 STEM toys that can all be found in the GIFT WHIZ tool that was created by Learning Resources and we loved the toys so much that we’ll be using it to make informed and personalized choices for gifts for all the kids on my holiday shopping list this season!

Click here to check out the GIFT WHIZ.

Counting Surprise Party

This toy is the gift that keeps giving! Your little ones will be thrilled to discover presents that are filled with surprises! This gift will help them learn their colors, to count and to identify objects such as robots, cats, guitars and even a plane! It’s priced at under $20 so it’s the perfect gift for any 3 year old on your list!

Click here to check out the Counting Surprise Party

Hoot the Fine Motor Owl

Hoot the Fine Motor Owl helps your kids strengthen hand-eye coordination as well as an introduction to colors, shapes and number recognition skills. Your children will drop the coins in a slot on the owl’s head and use scissor skills to flap the wings and the coins come tumbling out!

Click here to check out Hoot the Fine Motor Owl.

---

1-2-3 Build It!™ Construction Crew

There are 3 different ways your little engineers can put this toy together! They can build a digger, a dump truck and a bulldozer with easy and big snap together pieces. This toy helps to develop and strengthen fine motor skills, hand strength, coordination and other skills that help prepare them for preschool! Your kids imaginations will run wild while they learn and have fun playing with the 1-2-3 Build It! Construction Crew.

Click here to check out the 1-2-3 Build It! Construction Crew.

The GIFT WHIZ will guide you and help you choose the best gift for the children in your life! It takes all the guesswork out of holiday shopping! Click here to check out the GIFT WHIZ by Learning Resources.

7 Toys Under $30 from Amazon!

Buying your children educational, good quality and fun toys doesn’t have to break the bank with Kidzlane! The holidays are expensive enough, between holiday outfits, the food, the cost of travel - don’t make toys one of them! I’ve rounded up a bunch of my faves that will have your child smiling from ear to ear without you needing to spend hundreds of dollars! And the added bonus - most of them can be shipped Amazon Prime!

Magnetic Fishing Game for Kids (ages +3)

This game is fun, simple and a classic. The inside of the box becomes an underwater adventure and your child gets to practice hand-eye coordination, colors, numbers and matching! This is definitely a toy can can grow with your child as they learn more and more.

Kidzlane only uses high-quality wood and non-toxic paint. This toy is sure to please a toddler on your list and at $12.99, how can you not smile about it too?

Click here to shop

Wooden Building Blocks (Construction & City) (ages +3)

This will be a favorite in your home, I can promise you that! We got Zane the Construction Site Building Blocks and the Wooden City Building Blocks! He spends hours building a little city and playing pretend school bus driver and dump truck driver! These pieces from Kidzlane are made from durable high-quality wood with non-toxic, BPA and lead-free paint and come with adorable containers to store the pieces in when they aren’t being used. I am obsessed with not only the quality of these blocks, but the detail on them as well! The cement truck spins, the dump truck can dump, the wheels turn - it’s never ending imaginative play that helps your kids develop motor skills, coordination and confidence while learning about colors and shapes! For $24.99, it’s a STEAL!

Click here for the Wooden City Building Blocks

Click here for the Construction Site Building Blocks

Gear Head Wooden Building Toys (ages +18 months)

My love for wooden toys and Kidzlane continues! This is an amazing gift for preschoolers and toddlers 18 months +. It will encourage them to use their imagination, to learn design, STEM engineering and there are so many different ways to assemble it, they won’t get bored. The colors are bright and vibrant and it’s made with real wood! I was surprised to see a price tag of only $16.99 on this!

Click here to shop!

Kids Doctor Kit with Electronic Stethoscope

Does anyone else have a child that loves to play pretend? This Doctor Kit from Kidzlane takes pretend to the next level! With Electronic Stethoscopes and a thermometer with moving numbers, your children will get lost in a world of imaginative play! For only $23.99, watch you child laugh and be entertained with a cell phone that beeps and a stethoscope that makes a real-life heartbeat and coughing sound! And don’t worry - the pieces are easy to clean and store away in a convenient little briefcase!

Click here to shop!

Pretend Veterinarian Doctor Kit (ages +3)

The perfect gift for the animal loving child is here! It’s a 17 piece veterinarian kit from Kidzlane that includes a plush dog, carrier, phone, clip board, dog house, exam table, stethoscope, glasses and more! This is one of the cutest sets I have seen after playing with this, my son keeps chasing my dog around trying to take care of him too! For $29.99 you won’t regret getting your hands on this!

Click here to shop!

Binoculars for Kids (ages +6)

This is the ultimate stocking stuffer! It’s priced at $16.99 and can be used all year round: Adjustable Binoculars! Your outdoor loving child will love taking this to the park and playing outside with it in the summer and your indoor loving imaginative child will love using it in your home to play pretend. It’s perfect for so many different age groups and can be used at sports games, on road trips and even on vacation! It has rubber around the eye cups to protect your child’s eyes and it was designed with your child’s size hands in mind. They’ll be able to adjust the focus and hold it perfectly! The best part? It’s damage resistant and comes with a carrying case so your little explorer will be able to continue enjoying it day after day!

Click here to shop and to see other toys from Kidzlane!

Sorting & Matching Educational Egg Toy (ages +18 months)

The cutest gift in the funnest packaging! It looks like an egg carton filled with plastic eggs, but when you open it, the eggs come apart and it becomes an educational matching game that teaches your children about colors and shapes. The eggs are the perfect size for their little hands (but large enough to not be a choking hazard) and it doubles as pretend food for playing groceries! It’s priced at $17.99 so it’s perfect for any toddler on your list!

Click here to shop!

Bonus!

Floor Piano Mat: Jumbo 6 Foot Musical Keyboard

So this one didn’t fit the Under $30 list, but it is honestly the coolest gift I’ve seen in a while so I had to include it! It’s a new release from Kidzlane and it will get your kids moving and singing! It’s a perfect gift to help them get out all their energy during the cold months when they’re often stuck inside and it will be a favorite in your home for years to come! It’s a 6 foot long piano mat with touch-sensitive keys and 8 different instrumental sounds that they’ll be able to skip and hop on! It includes 10 classical songs and comes with cards that can teach your kids how to play the songs! Is there anything better? They’re learning music, being active and having fun. It’s made from toxin-free material that can easily be wiped clean and is durable enough to withstand all the fun your kids will have with it! It’s $49.99, so VERY reasonably priced and I guarantee you will have as much fun playing on it as your kids will!

Click here to shop!

7 Toys Under $30 from Amazon!

Buying your children educational, good quality and fun toys doesn’t have to break the bank with Kidzlane! The holidays are expensive enough, between holiday outfits, the food, the cost of travel - don’t make toys one of them! I’ve rounded up a bunch of my faves that will have your child smiling from ear to ear without you needing to spend hundreds of dollars! And the added bonus - most of them can be shipped Amazon Prime!

Magnetic Fishing Game for Kids (ages +3)

This game is fun, simple and a classic. The inside of the box becomes an underwater adventure and your child gets to practice hand-eye coordination, colors, numbers and matching! This is definitely a toy can can grow with your child as they learn more and more.

Kidzlane only uses high-quality wood and non-toxic paint. This toy is sure to please a toddler on your list and at $12.99, how can you not smile about it too?

Click here to shop

Wooden Building Blocks (Construction & City) (ages +3)

This will be a favorite in your home, I can promise you that! We got Zane the Construction Site Building Blocks and the Wooden City Building Blocks! He spends hours building a little city and playing pretend school bus driver and dump truck driver! These pieces from Kidzlane are made from durable high-quality wood with non-toxic, BPA and lead-free paint and come with adorable containers to store the pieces in when they aren’t being used. I am obsessed with not only the quality of these blocks, but the detail on them as well! The cement truck spins, the dump truck can dump, the wheels turn - it’s never ending imaginative play that helps your kids develop motor skills, coordination and confidence while learning about colors and shapes! For $24.99, it’s a STEAL!

Click here for the Wooden City Building Blocks

Click here for the Construction Site Building Blocks

Gear Head Wooden Building Toys (ages +18 months)

My love for wooden toys and Kidzlane continues! This is an amazing gift for preschoolers and toddlers 18 months +. It will encourage them to use their imagination, to learn design, STEM engineering and there are so many different ways to assemble it, they won’t get bored. The colors are bright and vibrant and it’s made with real wood! I was surprised to see a price tag of only $16.99 on this!

Click here to shop!

Kids Doctor Kit with Electronic Stethoscope

Does anyone else have a child that loves to play pretend? This Doctor Kit from Kidzlane takes pretend to the next level! With Electronic Stethoscopes and a thermometer with moving numbers, your children will get lost in a world of imaginative play! For only $23.99, watch you child laugh and be entertained with a cell phone that beeps and a stethoscope that makes a real-life heartbeat and coughing sound! And don’t worry - the pieces are easy to clean and store away in a convenient little briefcase!

Click here to shop!

Pretend Veterinarian Doctor Kit (ages +3)

The perfect gift for the animal loving child is here! It’s a 17 piece veterinarian kit from Kidzlane that includes a plush dog, carrier, phone, clip board, dog house, exam table, stethoscope, glasses and more! This is one of the cutest sets I have seen after playing with this, my son keeps chasing my dog around trying to take care of him too! For $29.99 you won’t regret getting your hands on this!

Click here to shop!

Binoculars for Kids (ages +6)

This is the ultimate stocking stuffer! It’s priced at $16.99 and can be used all year round: Adjustable Binoculars! Your outdoor loving child will love taking this to the park and playing outside with it in the summer and your indoor loving imaginative child will love using it in your home to play pretend. It’s perfect for so many different age groups and can be used at sports games, on road trips and even on vacation! It has rubber around the eye cups to protect your child’s eyes and it was designed with your child’s size hands in mind. They’ll be able to adjust the focus and hold it perfectly! The best part? It’s damage resistant and comes with a carrying case so your little explorer will be able to continue enjoying it day after day!

Click here to shop and to see other toys from Kidzlane!

Sorting & Matching Educational Egg Toy (ages +18 months)

The cutest gift in the funnest packaging! It looks like an egg carton filled with plastic eggs, but when you open it, the eggs come apart and it becomes an educational matching game that teaches your children about colors and shapes. The eggs are the perfect size for their little hands (but large enough to not be a choking hazard) and it doubles as pretend food for playing groceries! It’s priced at $17.99 so it’s perfect for any toddler on your list!

Click here to shop!

Bonus!

Floor Piano Mat: Jumbo 6 Foot Musical Keyboard

So this one didn’t fit the Under $30 list, but it is honestly the coolest gift I’ve seen in a while so I had to include it! It’s a new release from Kidzlane and it will get your kids moving and singing! It’s a perfect gift to help them get out all their energy during the cold months when they’re often stuck inside and it will be a favorite in your home for years to come! It’s a 6 foot long piano mat with touch-sensitive keys and 8 different instrumental sounds that they’ll be able to skip and hop on! It includes 10 classical songs and comes with cards that can teach your kids how to play the songs! Is there anything better? They’re learning music, being active and having fun. It’s made from toxin-free material that can easily be wiped clean and is durable enough to withstand all the fun your kids will have with it! It’s $49.99, so VERY reasonably priced and I guarantee you will have as much fun playing on it as your kids will!

Click here to shop!

Stumped For Toys? I've Got You Covered!

With the holiday season around the corner, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed with the endless possibilities of toys for kids! It seems as though everywhere you look, there’s a new trend, a new fad, and what’s cool today may not be by the holidays! Don’t worry! I’m here with a few stellar recommendations for toddlers and babies!

For the Babies

Let’s talk about the 6 month old+ ! This baby has started to roll over, can see clearly, loves tummy time and may even begin sitting up! My go-to brand has always been B Toys, for a few obvious and maybe not so obvious reasons! For starters, the quality. I have toys from B Toys that my older son Zane played with day in and day out and they are still in perfect condition and are now being passed on to my second son! There’s nothing I love more than that. Secondly, B Toys cares about our earth and children. Did you know that their packaging is 100% recyclable, reusable and recycled? They also go a step further and donate a portion of their sales to WE, the largest network of children helping other children. And finally, my kids are OBSESSED with everything I bring home from B Toys. Our current obsession is the Roly-Poly Owl! It’s a soft and colourful owl that wobbles and bobbles, plays 5 songs and 4 silly sounds and keeps their attention with a super fun light show! My son laughs and giggles and can’t get enough of this toy.

Click here to learn more about Roly-Poly Owl

A few of my other faves from B Toys are:

Zany Zoo (we’ve had this since Zane was a baby and it’s honestly the best)

Stroller Wiggle Wrap (this is always on Boss’ stroller! It keeps him entertained in the car and when we’re on the go in his stroller)

Musical Octopus (the sounds are so fun, the songs are catchy and the buttons are easy enough to push that my 6 month old can do it!)

For the Game Playing Toddlers

Toddlers are a special bunch! It’s an age where they get distracted easily, love challenges and are so eager to learn. I brought home Pixxo Junior over a month ago and it’s been a daily favourite in our home ever since! It’s a 2-in-1 game that will grow with your child as they develop! It starts out as a colourful game that encourages hand-eye coordination and pattern recognition as a unique type of puzzle!

There are 15 coloured sheets and circular tokens that you drop into the game and try to match the colours to the image! Once your child is a little more advanced, it becomes a strategy game with 2 players, similar to tic tac toe, but with coloured tokens that you drop into the game and first person to get 3 of the same colours in a row wins! I love Pixxo Junior for a few reasons. First, because there are 15 different coloured sheets, it keeps my son busy for much longer than a traditional puzzle.

Once he finishes with one image, he can simply swap it out and start on another! Second, there are so many ways that this game helps my son learn! We get to practice his colours (as he’s putting the tokens in the game, I get him to tell me the colours out loud), he identifies what animal or object is on the picture and he’s practicing his dexterity and hand-eye coordination as he drops the tokens in the game! Once we start playing the Strategy Game, he’ll be using reasoning and cognitive skills to anticipate my moves, choose his next move and identify when he has 3 in a row! Finally, because it can grow with my son, it’s one less thing I’ll need to buy down the road! I love finding toys that my kids won’t outgrow in 5 seconds.

Click here to shop for Pixxo Junior

Stumped For Toys? I've Got You Covered!

With the holiday season around the corner, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed with the endless possibilities of toys for kids! It seems as though everywhere you look, there’s a new trend, a new fad, and what’s cool today may not be by the holidays! Don’t worry! I’m here with a few stellar recommendations for toddlers and babies!

For the Babies

Let’s talk about the 6 month old+ ! This baby has started to roll over, can see clearly, loves tummy time and may even begin sitting up! My go-to brand has always been B Toys, for a few obvious and maybe not so obvious reasons! For starters, the quality. I have toys from B Toys that my older son Zane played with day in and day out and they are still in perfect condition and are now being passed on to my second son! There’s nothing I love more than that. Secondly, B Toys cares about our earth and children. Did you know that their packaging is 100% recyclable, reusable and recycled? They also go a step further and donate a portion of their sales to WE, the largest network of children helping other children. And finally, my kids are OBSESSED with everything I bring home from B Toys. Our current obsession is the Roly-Poly Owl! It’s a soft and colourful owl that wobbles and bobbles, plays 5 songs and 4 silly sounds and keeps their attention with a super fun light show! My son laughs and giggles and can’t get enough of this toy.

Click here to learn more about Roly-Poly Owl

A few of my other faves from B Toys are:

Zany Zoo (we’ve had this since Zane was a baby and it’s honestly the best)

Stroller Wiggle Wrap (this is always on Boss’ stroller! It keeps him entertained in the car and when we’re on the go in his stroller)

Musical Octopus (the sounds are so fun, the songs are catchy and the buttons are easy enough to push that my 6 month old can do it!)

For the Game Playing Toddlers

Toddlers are a special bunch! It’s an age where they get distracted easily, love challenges and are so eager to learn. I brought home Pixxo Junior over a month ago and it’s been a daily favourite in our home ever since! It’s a 2-in-1 game that will grow with your child as they develop! It starts out as a colourful game that encourages hand-eye coordination and pattern recognition as a unique type of puzzle!

There are 15 coloured sheets and circular tokens that you drop into the game and try to match the colours to the image! Once your child is a little more advanced, it becomes a strategy game with 2 players, similar to tic tac toe, but with coloured tokens that you drop into the game and first person to get 3 of the same colours in a row wins! I love Pixxo Junior for a few reasons. First, because there are 15 different coloured sheets, it keeps my son busy for much longer than a traditional puzzle.

Once he finishes with one image, he can simply swap it out and start on another! Second, there are so many ways that this game helps my son learn! We get to practice his colours (as he’s putting the tokens in the game, I get him to tell me the colours out loud), he identifies what animal or object is on the picture and he’s practicing his dexterity and hand-eye coordination as he drops the tokens in the game! Once we start playing the Strategy Game, he’ll be using reasoning and cognitive skills to anticipate my moves, choose his next move and identify when he has 3 in a row! Finally, because it can grow with my son, it’s one less thing I’ll need to buy down the road! I love finding toys that my kids won’t outgrow in 5 seconds.

Click here to shop for Pixxo Junior

Outings With a Toddler? Contours Bitsy Has You Covered!

As a soon to be mama of 2, lightweight, durable and practical have become my 3 fave words to describe children’s products (and it doesn’t hurt when they’re over the top gorgeous too!). Carrying around a 2 year old and a diaper bag isn’t always easy (ok it’s never easy) so I’ve turned to light weight travel strollers to save the day 🙌.  

As we prepare to go to the hospital to deliver baby #2 in just a few days, our Contours Bitsy Compact Fold Stroller will be an item we don’t leave behind. It will make navigating the hospital hallways much more enjoyable for Zane (and my husband) and it’s lightweight enough that we can easily carry it too If my son decides he wants to walk!

Whether it’s for hospital visits, park visits or just lunch at the mall, the right stroller can make or break an outing!  I always look for a few MUST HAVE features in strollers and the Contours Bitsy Compact Fold Stroller checks off every box!

1. Easy to open and close. If you have groceries in one hand or a yelling toddler (much more probable), the last thing you want is to be battling with a stroller that’s complicated to open. The Contours Bitsy Compact Fold Stroller opens with the squeeze of a button and you can do it with 1 hand because it’s so light! 

2. Large compartment underneath. A lot of the travel strollers make you compromise storage for a lighter weight which means you’re carrying a diaper bag on you (kind of defeats the purpose of a stroller.... no?). The Contours Bitsy Compact Fold Stroller can fit my large backpack diaper bag underneath with ease along with my wallet and water bottle, making it the perfect companion anywhere we go!

3. Durable. No one wants to replace a stroller everytime your child spills something or everytime you hit a bump on a sidewalk, so a well made stroller is KEY. The Contours Bitsy Compact Fold Stroller has durable and soft gliding wheels that work on pavement and grass. The material is soft but wipeable and easy to clean so it will last spill after spill.

4. Comfort. Nothing will ruin an outing faster than an uncomfortable toddler. Believe me. So when I get a huge smile or my son BEGS me to get in a stroller, I know it’s a keeper! I also look for strollers that can recline, which allows my son to take a nap on the go 🙌.

if you’re on the hunt for an affordable, practical, durable and GORGEOUS stroller (that comes in an array of colours!), have a look at the Contours Bitsy stroller! It’s available at Contoursbaby.com or Toys R Us.

Baby and Toddler Gift Ideas from Kidz District!

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again… good quality toys for kids is really hard to find. I was super lucky to discover some of my favourite brands when Zane was younger so I know which ones to stick to the second time around! If you’ve been following me for a while, then you know that I’ve been getting toys from Kidz District since Zane was only a few months old! His first toy was the Dolce Musical Giraffe (read my full review here) and it’s made it through 2 years of love from Zane and will be passed along to baby #2 :).

I got my hands on a few more of their toys and think that these need to be on all of your holiday shopping lists if you don’t already own them!!!

VERTIPLAY WALL TOYS

You can say “bye!” to clutter on the floor thanks to this GENIUS line of Vertiplay Wall Toys that stick to your walls (without damaging the paint!). We tried out the Tree Top Adventure and the Musical Rail Track but there are many others! Appropriate for ages 2+, these toys will keep them busy and occupied while leaving your floors clear of toys! They’re stimulating, educational and fit in with any decor! Click here to see the entire collection.

ORIBEL PORTAPLAY - WONDERLAND ADVENTURES

If you’re looking for an activity centre that can REALLY grow with your child, this is it! This PortaPlay is good for ages 5 months - 5 years! It easily converts from an activity centre with a ton of educational and stimulating toys, to a flat top table for colouring and other activities! Don’t forget to add on the matching stools (they come 2 in a pack!). A bonus? The activity centre and table have easily folding/collapsible legs so it can be transported and folded away. Check out the activity centre here. 

Dolce - Pull Along Elephant

If you’re looking for a cuddly new entertaining bestie for your little one, look no further! The Pull Along Elephant from Dolce will help your mini develop relationship skills while walking and having a blast with their new best friend. The elephant has a squeaker in his tummy and crinkly ears that your toddler with love, along with a teether and wheels so that he zooms across the floor! Thankfully, the wheels easily come off, so your toddler can bring their best friend with them for nap time! Click here to learn more or click here to see the entire Dolce Collection.

I only covered a few of my favourites from Kidz District! Click here to visit their website to see everything else they offer!

Gifts That Give Back All Year Round

With the holidays around the corner, I think it’s more important than ever to try to give back this holiday season and it can start with what’s on your shopping list! This year I’m making an effort to be very selective with the companies that I choose to buy gifts from and My B Toys is one that made the cut. For starters, they care about our earth (which is an initiative that I haven’t seen from any other toy company). They scrutinize every piece to ensure its impact on our children’s world is as light as possible - they use recyclable materials and their boxes and packaging are designed to be reused and some can even be reversed to become gift wrap! Even the ink on their packaging is soy-based and their varnishes are water-based. They then go a step farther and give a portion of every sale to Free The Children which has built over 650 schools in communities around the world, providing education to 50,000 children every day. If you still need another reason to support them, their toys are just THE CUTEST. Below are the items that we chose for Zane and for our newest addition that’s due in April! Their toys are available at Target and Amazon.

Ribbit-tat-tat

Recommended for children 2 years +. it’s won multiple awards and is a frog inspired drum! There are beats from around the world, Ribbit-tat-tat from B toys is a frog-inspired toddler drum set and the winner of multiple awards! With its sturdy, toddler-proof construction, this frog toy drum is the perfect way to introduce music to babies and toddlers. There’s a retractable microphone where you can sing along, a voice changer and other games programmed in it! It will keep you and your mini entertained for hours :). Click here for more info!

Fire Flyer

This isn’t your ordinary fire truck! It lights up, vibrates and moves on it’s own! It has an extendable fire hose and even a ladder that goes up and down! Zane looooves trucks and cars so this was a no brainer win for us! Click here for more info!

Wonders Above

This is an acitivity that I am SO excited for. Whenever you shop for a new baby, there are always a few things you find that you can’t believe you lived without before. This is one of them! We had an activity for Zane but it was hard and often I felt he was uncomfortable on the floor when he was on it. This one is SO quilted and soft that your mini could even take a nap on it! It has 5 sensory toys hanging from the arc and it’s machine washable! Click here to learn more!

Magical Mellow-Zzzs

This is mobile any expecting mom NEEDS this season. It’s a musical mobile with a magical light show that will have your baby soothed and calm. The light show covers every hue of the rainbow with the sweetest melodies. You can take it along and hang it from a car seat, an activity mat or a crib! The bonus? It’s SAFE! This baby musical mobile toy is BPA and phthalates free. Made of a Super soft and safe fabric! packaging is recyclable and recycled, with soy-based inks. Click here to learn more!

Chewy Chews peace

This is the perfect firth teether for your little one! It has an adorable peace sign shape, is a beautiful color and will easily be held by your mini! It’s only available in stores!

Gifts That Give Back All Year Round

With the holidays around the corner, I think it’s more important than ever to try to give back this holiday season and it can start with what’s on your shopping list! This year I’m making an effort to be very selective with the companies that I choose to buy gifts from and My B Toys is one that made the cut. For starters, they care about our earth (which is an initiative that I haven’t seen from any other toy company). They scrutinize every piece to ensure its impact on our children’s world is as light as possible - they use recyclable materials and their boxes and packaging are designed to be reused and some can even be reversed to become gift wrap! Even the ink on their packaging is soy-based and their varnishes are water-based. They then go a step farther and give a portion of every sale to Free The Children which has built over 650 schools in communities around the world, providing education to 50,000 children every day. If you still need another reason to support them, their toys are just THE CUTEST. Below are the items that we chose for Zane and for our newest addition that’s due in April! Their toys are available at Target and Amazon.

Ribbit-tat-tat

Recommended for children 2 years +. it’s won multiple awards and is a frog inspired drum! There are beats from around the world, Ribbit-tat-tat from B toys is a frog-inspired toddler drum set and the winner of multiple awards! With its sturdy, toddler-proof construction, this frog toy drum is the perfect way to introduce music to babies and toddlers. There’s a retractable microphone where you can sing along, a voice changer and other games programmed in it! It will keep you and your mini entertained for hours :). Click here for more info!

Fire Flyer

This isn’t your ordinary fire truck! It lights up, vibrates and moves on it’s own! It has an extendable fire hose and even a ladder that goes up and down! Zane looooves trucks and cars so this was a no brainer win for us! Click here for more info!

Wonders Above

This is an acitivity that I am SO excited for. Whenever you shop for a new baby, there are always a few things you find that you can’t believe you lived without before. This is one of them! We had an activity for Zane but it was hard and often I felt he was uncomfortable on the floor when he was on it. This one is SO quilted and soft that your mini could even take a nap on it! It has 5 sensory toys hanging from the arc and it’s machine washable! Click here to learn more!

Magical Mellow-Zzzs

This is mobile any expecting mom NEEDS this season. It’s a musical mobile with a magical light show that will have your baby soothed and calm. The light show covers every hue of the rainbow with the sweetest melodies. You can take it along and hang it from a car seat, an activity mat or a crib! The bonus? It’s SAFE! This baby musical mobile toy is BPA and phthalates free. Made of a Super soft and safe fabric! packaging is recyclable and recycled, with soy-based inks. Click here to learn more!

Chewy Chews peace

This is the perfect firth teether for your little one! It has an adorable peace sign shape, is a beautiful color and will easily be held by your mini! It’s only available in stores!

Start Your Holiday Shopping With Funrise Toys!

With the holiday season just around the corner… I’ve decided to help you all out by rounding up some awesome gifts well before the madness of shopping begins so you can get a head start on your shopping!

Zane is almost 2 years old so he’s at an age where I buy him a cool and fun toy and he ends up being more interested in the box (parent reality). So I’m always pleasantly surprised when I find a toy that catches his attention and that becomes a favourite of his! I couldn’t wait to share with you Zane’s current obsessions (which I know your minis will LOVE too!). He lives, breathes, eats and would sleep (if I let him) with these toys!

HERODRIVE™ DC Super Friends Collection and TONKA Power Movers.

They are sturdy (Zane-proof) toys that light up, move and have his imagination running wild. He can pretend to be Batman as he zooms around the house with his bat mobile! It features lights, engine sounds, and music that bring the action to life! The Batmobile transforms into race mode by pushing the windshield forward to make the wings pop out. Zane can push the logo on the hood for unique Batman sounds, then push it again to send the Batman Racer racing forward with its cape flying behind!

Zane can also be the master of a construction site with his new dump truck that has lights, real engine sounds and even a realistic backup sound! The rugged Dump Truck features new Motion Drive Technology allowing for fun and intuitive play that brings the action to life!

They’re fun to play with, they were easy for him to figure out how to use and they are big enough that they don’t fit under my couch (mom win)!!!!

You can check out the whole HERODRIVE™ DC Super Friends Collection here.

And the TONKA Power Movers here.

Make sure to tag me in the pics of your minis playing with their new toys! There’s nothing better than a smiling, happy and entertained toddler.

Start Your Holiday Shopping With Funrise Toys!

With the holiday season just around the corner… I’ve decided to help you all out by rounding up some awesome gifts well before the madness of shopping begins so you can get a head start on your shopping!

Zane is almost 2 years old so he’s at an age where I buy him a cool and fun toy and he ends up being more interested in the box (parent reality). So I’m always pleasantly surprised when I find a toy that catches his attention and that becomes a favourite of his! I couldn’t wait to share with you Zane’s current obsessions (which I know your minis will LOVE too!). He lives, breathes, eats and would sleep (if I let him) with these toys!

HERODRIVE™ DC Super Friends Collection and TONKA Power Movers.

They are sturdy (Zane-proof) toys that light up, move and have his imagination running wild. He can pretend to be Batman as he zooms around the house with his bat mobile! It features lights, engine sounds, and music that bring the action to life! The Batmobile transforms into race mode by pushing the windshield forward to make the wings pop out. Zane can push the logo on the hood for unique Batman sounds, then push it again to send the Batman Racer racing forward with its cape flying behind!

Zane can also be the master of a construction site with his new dump truck that has lights, real engine sounds and even a realistic backup sound! The rugged Dump Truck features new Motion Drive Technology allowing for fun and intuitive play that brings the action to life!

They’re fun to play with, they were easy for him to figure out how to use and they are big enough that they don’t fit under my couch (mom win)!!!!

You can check out the whole HERODRIVE™ DC Super Friends Collection here.

And the TONKA Power Movers here.

Make sure to tag me in the pics of your minis playing with their new toys! There’s nothing better than a smiling, happy and entertained toddler.

The Only Stroller You Need To Read About!

I’ve been lucky enough to test out my share of light weight strollers, so I’d like to think of myself as an expert when it comes to choosing the best one! When I had the chance to test out another, I obviously jumped at the opportunity! With baby #2 due in April, I’m always looking to discover the best of the best baby products (plus it gave me an opportunity to play pretend-big brother with Zane and let him push around a stroller). I’ve been using the Bily Compact Easy-Fold Stroller for over 3 weeks - and there is not one thing I would change about it. My 6 fave features are below! If you’ve tried it, I’d love to hear about yours! (scroll to the bottom of my post for outfit details - including my hat that you can use with a ponytail!)

1. You can fold and unfold it with only one hand

2. It’s SUPER compact and light weight

3. It has a HUGE storage space under the stroller that is easy to access (not the case in most compact strollers)

4. It fully reclines so your kids can stay awake for the fun or take a nap while you shop lol.

5. There is a handle bar that you can clip on toys to (none of the one’s I’ve tried before have had this)

6. The lock and unlock feature for the wheels is easy to activate

This stroller is hands down my favourite. If you’re looking for a light weight stroller that you can easily carry with one hand, bring on a plane and push around for hours without getting tired, this is the one for you! Click here to learn more or to shop!

The hat I’m wearing deserves special attention too! It’s the first hat I’ve found that you can wear with a pony tail or mom bun! It has an elastic at the top so you can keep your messy mom bun in tact and still keep your ears warm (how cool?!). It’s from My Gear Online and is so practical and cute! It’s an awesome gift for the holidays for anyone in your life with gorgeous locks.

The Only Stroller You Need To Read About!

I’ve been lucky enough to test out my share of light weight strollers, so I’d like to think of myself as an expert when it comes to choosing the best one! When I had the chance to test out another, I obviously jumped at the opportunity! With baby #2 due in April, I’m always looking to discover the best of the best baby products (plus it gave me an opportunity to play pretend-big brother with Zane and let him push around a stroller). I’ve been using the Bily Compact Easy-Fold Stroller for over 3 weeks - and there is not one thing I would change about it. My 6 fave features are below! If you’ve tried it, I’d love to hear about yours! (scroll to the bottom of my post for outfit details - including my hat that you can use with a ponytail!)

1. You can fold and unfold it with only one hand

2. It’s SUPER compact and light weight

3. It has a HUGE storage space under the stroller that is easy to access (not the case in most compact strollers)

4. It fully reclines so your kids can stay awake for the fun or take a nap while you shop lol.

5. There is a handle bar that you can clip on toys to (none of the one’s I’ve tried before have had this)

6. The lock and unlock feature for the wheels is easy to activate

This stroller is hands down my favourite. If you’re looking for a light weight stroller that you can easily carry with one hand, bring on a plane and push around for hours without getting tired, this is the one for you! Click here to learn more or to shop!

The hat I’m wearing deserves special attention too! It’s the first hat I’ve found that you can wear with a pony tail or mom bun! It has an elastic at the top so you can keep your messy mom bun in tact and still keep your ears warm (how cool?!). It’s from My Gear Online and is so practical and cute! It’s an awesome gift for the holidays for anyone in your life with gorgeous locks.