Shopping Recommendations for Children

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Children do not need many, but much. Much of our time, much of our arms, much of our soul, and sometimes, much of our … money.

I compiled this list using products that helped us tremendously or products that will be used in the future.

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  • The funpod from The Little Helper – this funpod was one of the most used, if not the most used, buy. It is very well designed so that the centre of gravity is as low as possible, and the tower is stable even if the little one is bending over the edge. In their instructions, they say that “Please ensure your baby can stand unaided and the top of the FunPod is level with your child’s chest.” We spent hours in the kitchen, cooking, baking, playing, doing experiments. It certainly isn’t small but can be moved around to make more space. All I really wanted was that she can stand next to me safely, away from potential dangers, and still see what is going on. This funpod fit the bill perfectly.

Babywearing

Please do your research regarding babywearing, as I have seen far too many parents that put their babies in snowsuits or carrying babies not in an M-shape position. I found some interesting guides here, here, or here.

I used a Manduca, a Boba wrap, an all-season cover, and a fleece overalls.

Wool

Wool is perfect for such a windy country like Ireland. Wool clothes are also quite expensive. At the same time, wool absorbs moisture, keeps babies warm and cosy, but will not make you overheat and, wool doesn’t get dirty quickly.

So far, all the brands I used were quite good: Disana, Joha, ManyMonths, Cosilana, or Tevirp.

I recommend buying a wool balaclava as it offers excellent insulation, is a 2-in-1 hat and neck warmer, and heads don’t get warm or sweaty. I have a Joha windbreaker fleece merino wool balaclava and Tevirp merino balaclava.

Another excellent advantage is that wool clothes seem to run on the more generous side: a stunning red boiled wool coat from Disana in size 98/104 (for children of 2-3 years) fits nicely at 4 years.

Wool clothes really do have a long life, as they can be reused by other children.

I usually buy them from kangaroo babies, Romanian shops, Aldi/Lidl promotions, or charity shops.

Solar Protection

This guide has more details about ways to prevent sunburn.

The products that I have used are: a summer multi cap, UV clothing from Decathlon, Bioderma Photoderm Kid Spray (recommended for children older than 12 months), and Bioderma Atoderm Cleansing Oil to remove sunscreen.

Out and about

Games

This is a very particular category, as kids have their own ideas of entertainment. I think we can all share stories about us, caregivers, overthinking which toys to choose for them, only for our children to leave poor toys in a corner so they could play instead with the wrapping cardboard boxes.

Over the years, I found that minimalism is best for children’s toys. If they have too many toys around, it is like they have none. They just can’t pick one to play with.

I also can’t forget about roleplaying games that require just a willing parent. I am not always in a mood to play a crying baby or a cat, but I remember these are the years where we plant and water the seeds in our daughter’s mind and behaviour.

Furthermore, I won’t discuss too much the classics: puzzles, Lego, dolls, cars, balls, animals (although, if you can splurge, Schleich has some excellent starter sets) etc.

Some of the most used games:

  • kinetic sand, a daily summer activity
  • Uno Junior – a classic game of cards. We skipped some penalty cards initially, and we let our daughter win. Until she started beating us. Consistently. Now, both of us play quite aggressively, and she still manages to win. This is an excellent game for a child to learn how to manage her frustration.
  • magnetic tiles
  • snap cubes or mathlink cubes
  • Jenga – she is not 6 years old yet, but she has good manual dexterity. Blocks can also be used to make a domino. One of our favourites.
  • games from Smart Games company – we started with Colour Code, a fantastic game to develop visual and spatial perception, with brain teasers to keep the whole family entertained. Then, I added IQ-Stars, down the rabbit hole, and I’ll buy some more games.
  • making experiments from science books (e.g. 365 Science Activities) with science kits.

For future years:

If you want to read more about some more recommendations, other articles are about: