Disclaimer: Some of the following products were sent for the purpose of testing them out for review. These products are highlighted by the use of an asterisk (*) beside them. This post also contains affiliate links which are indicated by the use of a dagger (†). All review words and opinions are my own. All photos are copyright property of Me Becoming Mum.

Toddlers are interesting little creatures... and it has been a massive learning curve for me trying to figure out how to keep my daughter busy, safe and cared for; especially now that we have a baby to think about too! I have decided to compile a must have list of things that we wouldn't be able to go a day without; to help other parents out on their own parenting journeys.

Must have toys

When it comes to having a toddler like mine, who is an excitable little girl full of life, it is important to prepare for them to get bored very easily and want to move on to something else.

Farm and accessories

Some of Squidgy's favourite toys are her farm complete with tractors and trucks. To be honest she loves the tractors and trucks more than most of the other items with her farm.

We picked up the Eichhorn wooden farm for her at Christmas from Amazon, and her tractors have come from various places including the farms we have visited recently.

Role play kitchen

As well as her farm, Squidgy has her Chad Valley role play wooden kitchen which my grandmother bought for her from Argos.

She also has a range of products which she has been gifted by various family and friends on birthdays and Christmas to go with the kitchen such as her plastic fruit and vegetable cutting set† (which provide endless fun!) and my personal favourite, the wooden baking and cookie set†.

Duplo

My husband's family have all pitched in at various Birthday and Christmases to build up a selection of Duplo for Squidgy; and we love it. Until she is old enough to play with Lego, the Duplo allows her to build (and more often than not, smash things down!) as much as she would like, safely.

We have a few sets including the DUPLO® "My First Farm" set† and the amazing DUPLO® Disney princess collection† which is by far my favourite!

Don't get me wrong, my daughter's favourite colour is purple, she loves Disney princesses and enjoys wearing dresses as much as the next girl but I really hate gender stereotypes when it comes to toys.

Other toys that are great to have around when you have a toddler include books, a football, a rocking horse (we have the Rocket Bunny® Deluxe Rocking Horse)†, and a TOMY Aquadoodle (for example the Paw Patrol one† that we have). Finally educational toys such as the Orchard Toys range (we have the Red Dog, Blue Dog† and Flashcards† boxes) are as important as imaginative play.

There are so many options when it comes to toys for children, and I think it's nice to allow them to express themselves in whatever form they wish! Therefore I have no problem with her loving tractors and playing ball just as if we have a son in the future I will happily let him play with dolls and kitchens.

Must haves for around the house

A decent high chair

We have the amazing Obaby 'Combination' highchair† which you can purchase on Amazon here†. We have found it invaluable in all its forms. We have used ours as a high chair with its tray, a chair that reaches the table at the right height so that our daughter can eat dinner at the table just like daddy and mummy, and also as a chair and table which she enjoys doing her colouring on.

A bed guard

There comes a time at which your toddler no longer needs to be in a cot, for some children that day may come later than others. For our daughter we made the decision to take the side away from her cot bed just after her first birthday, mainly due to the fact that she was putting herself in danger constantly climbing out and falling from the top of the side.

Just because they no longer have the side on the cot (or cot bed in our case!) doesn't mean that you do not need to take safety precautions. We have a pink Lindam bed guard† which you can also purchase in neutral colours on Amazon†. We have continued to use it, even now when she has moved into the bottom bunk of her 'up down bed' as she likes to call it!

Must have items for going out

As much as some days we would all love to stay in the house because it would be so much easier than having to go out, sometimes we need to go out, or I would go stir crazy with cabin fever. When that is the case there are a few items that I make sure we always have with us.

Clothes labels

When we go out it is highly likely as some point Squidgy will drop her clothes somewhere along the line. Most of the time this wouldn't matter but chance are she'll do so at nursery and her clothes will get mixed up with the other children's.

We have been using our awesome labels from My Name Tags*. Once they've been left on for twenty four hours you can wash the clothing without needing to attach a new name label. With the amount of mess that my toddler manages to get herself covered in, from mud to tomato ketchup, this is perfect and it means I don't have to worry about the labels when I wash the mess away!

A pushchair / stroller

We picked up our Silver Cross Pop stroller at Mothercare and it is one of the best investments we ever made.

toddler in silvercross pop stroller © mebecomingmum

Now that she's a bit older she loves to walk but I know that she won't walk the whole time we're out; plus having a stroller means you always have somewhere to put shopping or other items you have when you go out.

A scooter

For those short trips when I'm on my own with the two girls, I prefer to take Little L out in the Doona rather than baby wear and Squidgy loves to take a ride on her scooter.

The one we have is an awesome Scooters® three wheel scooter† that she was given by by sister-in-law and family for her third birthday; but Amazon do have a variety of different models at different prices.

Miscellaneous must haves

A tablet

Oh yes, I'm going to start the oh so controversial technology debate aren't I? Oh well, it happens! On days when Squidgy is under the weather, or the weather outside is awful and we are stuck in doors, having my iPad or my husband's Kindle Fire HD† can be a life saver, keeping her both occupied and quiet. You can buy Kindles on Amazon† so cheap these days, and they are definitely a must have!

For more posts about must haves for kids, check out the category here. check out the posts below. If you have any questions about any of the products included within my gift guide, which I have not covered in this post, feel free to ask in the comments section below.