Growing Children

Dreading the idea of spending your day with a bored and restless 3-year old? It’s hard to keep ‘threenagers’ entertained and busy. 3-year-olds haves a lot of energy a very short attention span. When it comes to keeping your toddler busy, you want to make sure that the activities are not only fun for them, […]

Claire walked around the house with my MacPac the other day. Granted, it was empty but she still walked like she was an old woman. The sad part is, her own bag is ginormous too. That got me thinking about toddler backpack sizes. It’s not one-size-fits-all so there must be a size system. There isn’t

According to Claire, every toddler needs a backpack or three these days. As her mom, I initially disagreed until I realized she could carry her own little water bottle. But Claire isn’t a big for a 3-year-old. On my hunt for a backpack that won’t break her back, I realized that measuring her up for

When Claire was a year and a half, we got one of those monkey backpacks with a leash. Whether or not putting your kid on a leash is acceptable is a discussion for another day. Regardless, she hated it, pulled at it and fell down. The monkey has a seat of honor at the bottom

We bought a pink kid’s backpack for Claire when she started going to day care. It was never meant for her though. It was for us to carry her day care stuff in. Claire, being Claire, started insisting on carrying it. The first time she carried it, it was so big and heavy for her

Other than ‘no!’, Claire’s current favorite words are ‘why?’ and ‘mine!’. She’s a happy camper when it comes to her backpack because when she says ‘it’s mine!’ it’s actually true. 3-year-olds and their parents love toddler backpacks. They are fun and your toddler gets to carry their own food and water. All you have to

Due to peak hour pick-up traffic, we park on the road when picking Claire and Tommy up from daycare. This works out fine most times. But it’s a problem when it pours. By the time we get to the car, we are all drenched. And their bags and the contents within? Soaking wet. Unfortunately, most

Claire is currently obsessed with Princess Elsa and bright pink. If she had her way, everything will be pink and have Elsa on it. She has a Frozen dress, a Frozen water bottle and a Princess Elsa jumper. I drew the line at a Frozen backpack. Mostly because I was sick of Elsa and and

We don’t wear white anymore. We carry wet wipes with us everywhere. We even had to upgrade our fabric couch to a leather one. All thanks to Claire and Tommy’s slobber, messy eating and grubby fingers. Can you imagine the state of their backpacks if you have no way of cleaning it? Luckily, there is

We had Claire’s name written in bold black marker on her light pink backpack. How’s that for doing everything we shouldn’t do? Those were the days before I realized that having your child’s name plastered on their bag is a big no-no. Fortunately, there are countless other ways to differentiate your toddler’s backpack from the

The other day Claire wanted to pack her own water bottle and snacks for daycare. I said yes. And didn’t think to check. The morning was so chaotic I forgot. She missed out on her afternoon snack that day. When I looked in her backpack that evening, she had her blankie, her hat, a hard

Claire insists on carrying her own backpack. She’s only 3. Tommy imitates Claire and tries to carry her backpack too. He ends up lying on it instead. He’s just turned one. Like Claire, many toddlers have taken to wearing their own backpacks to daycare or preschool. While some parents may frown upon this, others are

Wouldn’t it be great if your kids carried their own backpacks when you fly? They get to feel grown-up and there’s just that little bit less for you to carry. And If you give them a backpack with a toddler leash, it will help make sure you don’t lose anyone. Check it out on Amazon

Claire was a runner the moment she figured out how to walk on her own two feet. In desperation, we bought a toddler backpack with a safety leash. Check it out on Amazon She loved the monkey backpack but hated the leash. In fact, she pulled on it so hard she sprung back and fell.

We bought Claire a beautiful red water bottle the other day in a random shop far out in the ‘burbs. She loved it until we brought it to daycare and I saw at least 2 others just like hers. As with water bottles, unless you make your own backpack, chances are that some other kid

You went through the effort of measuring your child for a backpack. You managed to choose one that she actually likes for more than 3 days. Then her teacher stuffs her precious artwork in her backpack, folded in half and crumpled. That was what happened to Claire when she first started daycare. We kept the

Growing up, the best part about going back to school was my new backpack It might have been poor quality or overloading it with heavy textbooks but by the end of the school year, my backpack was always torn and broken. Mom grumbled and complained but had no choice but to buy me a new

When Tommy started going to daycare at the tender age of 6 months, we bought him a backpack. We knew there was a list of things he needed to bring to daycare and a backpack was the best way to carry all that. Obviously, even though it was ‘his backpack’, we were the ones carrying

The pigeon holes at Claire’s ‘senior toddler’ class is filled with backpacks of all colors and designs. In the mornings, you can see all the preschoolers piling in with their parents, carrying their own backpacks. Once in a blue moon, you see a younger kid who has just been upgraded to the senior class walk

If you’re like me, no backpack is big enough. I always find more things that I absolutely need to stuff into my backpack. Obviously you can’t do that with your child’s daycare backpack even though there are so many things you need to bring everyday. There are snacks, water bottle, bedsheet, favorite toy, change of

I noticed Claire walking a bit lopsided the other day. It took me a moment to realize that it was because one of her backpack straps were just a little longer than the other, putting more weight on one shoulder. Kids’ backpacks should be comfortable and a proper fit is important to avoid muscle strain

Has your child ever had juice leak onto their crayons? Or did they open their backpack to find the cover of their lunchbox had popped off and their deconstructed sandwich was decorating their artwork? Unfortunately, dirty backpacks from spilled lunches are too common. That’s why some moms have taken to attaching lunch boxes outside of

Claire is only 3 years old and she is on her second backpack. Her first one was still working well but we bought her a new one for her birthday. Don’t worry, we have plans for her old backpack. It won’t go to waste. If you buy a good quality toddler backpack, it will last

We wrote Claire’s name on the front of her backpack in bold with a black Sharpie during her first days at day care. Little did we know about the dangers of doing so. Claire was fine because she was only a year old and was always in a safe environment. But in a bigger child,

In a day and age where there is a large focus on individuality, many parents feel the need to personalize their child’s backpack. They believe that by doing this, they are teaching their children from a young age that they are unique and special. However, there are also those who feel as though it is

We all know not to print our child’s name on their backpacks (Read: Should you put your child’s name on their backpack?). But it’s still important to have their names written somewhere so they know which backpack is theirs and daycare providers and teachers can locate your child’s items easily. A great way to identify

A new school year is upon us! Backpacks are fun and an important part of school. From neon green to red with black trim, there are so many colors to choose from. What color should you get for your child? It is important to choose a backpack that not only meets your child’s needs but

Toddlers are constantly learning and trying to figure out the world around them. They are constantly observing and taking in information. This is why it’s so important to help toddlers develop their emotional intelligence during this period in their lives. Emotional intelligence is the ability to understand and manage emotions. Toddlers who have high emotional

One of the most important things parents can do for their children is to help them develop emotional literacy. Emotional literacy is the ability to understand, label, and express emotions. It is a critical part of social and emotional development. Labeling your toddler’s emotions can help him understand and manage his feelings. It also helps

Children are often going through various emotional changes and challenges. As a parent, it is essential to be there for your child and show empathy. Empathy involves being able to understand and share the feelings of another person. When you are empathizing with your child, you are validating their feelings and letting them know that

In the early years of a child’s life, we parents have a big influence on our children’s emotional development. Children are not born with the ability to regulate their emotions. They develop this skill over time through interactions with us. Parental influence is critical during the early years when our children are rapidly learning the

All parents have been there – you’re out in public and your toddler has a meltdown because you said no to something they wanted. It can be embarrassing, but tantrums are a normal part of toddler development. When it comes to toddler tantrums, saying “no” can often be the trigger. Whether it’s being told they

Pre-schoolers are sponges, soaking up everything they see and hear and mimicking what they observe. Manners teach children respect and will help others respect them. Saying please and thank you shows appreciation, while displaying gratitude instead of entitlement will speak wonders about a child’s personality. Unfortunately, pre-schoolers can be a bit bratty and have a

It’s important to teach toddlers to apologize in order to help them develop an understanding of their own emotions and the emotions of others. Toddlers are developing their theory of mind and the ability to understand that others have their own unique feelings. By helping toddlers understand their own emotions and the impact their actions