A Few Must Have Baby/Kid Items To Buy From the Nordstrom Sale

There are some pretty big splurge items on sale in the kids/baby section of the Anniversary sale so i thought I would share 9 of them that I love and/or would recommend.

1. Nuna Mixx stroller - We did not get this stroller but looking back think we should have because we bought all of our car seats from Nuna. Having the matching stroller that allowed for the infant car seat to attach would have been great. I have heard great things about this stroller from a few friends of mine who have it.

2. Hooded towel - I buy Miles so many hooded towels because we use one every night after the bath and have since he was an infant. I just grabbed this one during the sale.

3. Sweatshirt and sweatpants set - The boys clothing selection wasn't as great as I would have hoped, but this set was one of my favorites. I like buying Miles full outfits because it makes getting him dressed so much easier.

4. High top sneakers - These leather high top converse sneakers are the coolest things ever!

5. Adidas set - Miles has a cute Nike sweatsuit that I bought him and he wears it a ton especially in the cooler months. This Adidas set is just as adorable.

6. Faux leather diaper backpack - I bought a backpack from Zara last year and it's the only thing I really ever use when I go out with Miles. This diaper bag backpack looks like a great option to carry all the things and be hands free.

7. Nuna Pipa car seat - We used this car seat when Miles was an infant and loved it. It's very lightweight and easy to carry.

8. Converse sneakers - I have these for Miles and they are perfect to wear with casual outfits or when we are going somewhere a smidge nicer and I want him to look put together.

9. Nuna Rava car seat - We graduated from the Pipa car seat to this Rava after much research. It came highly recommended to us and I bought this exact one from the Anniversary sale. We needed a second car seat for my mom's car and this was a great deal!

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A Healthy Smoothie Option For Toddlers

Maree's outfit: T-shirt | Shorts | Blender I use

Miles' outfit: Polo shirt | Shorts | Smoothie container

I shared this smoothie that I make for Miles on my Instagram recently and had tons of messages asking for an official recipe. To be honest, I use my hands rather than measuring everything out, but I regularly use the same combination of ingredients which I thought I would list below. Miles is entering the "fussy eater" phase and finding things he will eat that are nutritious can be a challenge. Anytime I was drinking a smoothie he would always want a sip so I thought about trying to come up with something that he would love. He has been a huge berry fan since he was an infant so I bought a frozen bag of berries to try and frozen pineapple happened to be sitting on the same shelf so I grabbed that too to make it a bit more flavorful. In order to sneak as much greens as I can into his diet, I like to put spinach in this smoothie and he never even notices. Ha! The yogurt and milk amounts change based on how thick or thin I am trying to make it, but I tried to give an estimate in the recipe below. If he is being very fussy and picky, I will add a drizzle of honey or a very ripe banana to the mixture to give it some added sweetness. I can normally get at least two or three servings out of this recipe and give it to him in this smoothie container which is perfect! It's easy for him to hold and is pretty spill-proof. Even though Miles loves this smoothie, it is also a great smoothie for adults so I end up saving a small cup for myself.

Here is what I use in his smoothie:

• 1 handful of frozen berries (I like a berry mix - blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, etc)
• 1 handful of frozen pineapple
• 2 handfuls of fresh spinach
• 3/4 cup of yogurt (sometimes more or less depending on how thick I want it to be)
• Almond milk (normally 1/2 cup or more)
• 1 spoonful of chia seeds (I estimate this is about 1/2 tablespoon)
• I use a drizzle of honey or one banana to add a bit of sweetness but he also loves the smoothie without either

I don't know how long he will continue to love this smoothie so I'm am taking advantage of it while I can. LOL I'll probably need to come up with another concoction at some point to give him options, but for now this is what I stick with. I like to make it for him at least once a week and he will continue to drink it for at least a day or two after. 

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Favorite Toddler Toys

We are in full toddler mode now with Miles and I thought I would share some of his favorite toys and ones that we will continue to use as he gets older. Some are educational or help with motor skills and others are simply fun for him.

1. Aqua drawing mat - This is the most recent toy that I got him and it's a no-mess coloring mat! It comes with pens and brushes that you fill with water and then when they write on the mat, the color shows up underneath. 

2. Shopping cart - This was one of the main toys that helped Miles learn to walk, and is still a toy he plays with daily. He loves to push it around the kitchen and family room, and will put things in and out of it all day long. I also bought him this box of fruits and vegetables to go with it, but he tends to play with those separately right now. I think over time he will find it fun if I set up a little store that he can "shop" at.

3. Slide - I pulled the wrong image for this slide as this is the one for older kids. However, I linked the correct slide that I just bought for Miles. It's much smaller and suitable for kids as young as 18 months. I think this slide will be a good way for him to be physical and exert some energy.

4. Push car - Best toy I've bought yet! We push him in this car around the neighborhood daily and he loves it. It's nosy as heck but he doesn't seem to mind. LOL

5. Hedgehog toy - I recently purchased this hedgehog for him after my girlfriend recommended it to me. It helps with fine motor skills and as he gets older will be great for teaching him sorting and colors.

6. Lawn mower - Ok to be honest, I wanted a toy that was simply an "outside" toy. We would bring things outside to play with and then I hated having them come back inside so I thought this lawn mower would solve that issue. And it did! He pushes it around, fills it up with sticks and mulch and then we can leave it in the garage. Yay!

7. Toy workbench - Miles loves to bang on things and make as much noise as possible. So I thought this workbench would be perfect. He loves putting the shapes in their respective holes and then opening the drawer to find them. It also makes a ton of different sounds which is fun for him (and super annoying for us LOL).

8. Magnetic tiles - When we recently visited a local children's museum, these were the only toys all the little boys wanted to play with. Miles enjoys picking them up and carrying them around, but he is a bit too young to build anything yet. However, I know these will be fun for him in the next few years.

9. Foam bath toys - I struggle to find things to keep Miles entertained in the bath because he is over it after a few days. #toddlers But I bought these foam toys because they will be great to use for the next few years. They are in the shapes of different animals and have letters cut out of the middle. I don't give him the small letters yet but he loves to put the animals up on the bath wall. I don't find that he wants to chew on them (though we never leave him unsupervised), but if your toddler likes to chew, this may not be a good toy yet. 

10. Turtle sandbox - Stan bought this for Miles but it was winter and we couldn't put sand in it and use it outside. So I filled it with plastic balls to make it a mini ball pit and Miles is crazy for it! And if we have any other kids come over the house, they immediately go to it. I decided to get a sand table instead for him this summer so he could still make a mess in the sand but not be sitting in it. 

11. Inflatable duck - I bought this when he was an infant to use as a bath for him at night, but soon found that he slipped around in it too much so I brought it downstairs for him to play with during the day. Well that was the best idea I've ever had! I don't think there is a single day that has gone by that he isn't rolling around in this duck. He puts his toys in it, he "reads" his books in it and he wrestles with it. I will warn you that this is our third one because somehow it always gets a hole. Very annoying but he loves it so I keep buying it. #sucker

What are your child's favorite toys? Any good suggestions? Let me know!