Most Used | 2-3 Years

The terrible twos. The age of "I don't want to walk" but "I don't want to go in the buggy". The urgent cries of "I need a wee-wee" followed by a mad panic and no actual weeing taking place. A challenging year yet an amazing one. The year of long winded conversations and awkward observations in the most inappropriate of places. The emergence of people skills, kindness, turn taking, please and thank yous. A bright and brilliant time. Here's the things we've used the most throughout this wonderfully daunting year.

We loved our Mutsy Evo, it was the perfect pram for a new born but as Iris got older we needed something a bit more rugged and something a bit easier to get in and out of the car. We settled on the Joie Litetrax 3 Buggy and after over a year of heavy use it's still as good as new. It has a roomy basket for the essentials, large sturdy wheels that are removable for outdoors adventures and it is so easy to wipe- we had an in-buggy sick bug that helped test that aspect! 

If you've read our Gift Guide For Two Year Olds then you will know how much use Iris's Chicco Red Bullet Balance Bike has had. It's been ridden for miles both inside and outside. I fully recommend a balance bike. It's been fantastic for when we've been out and about and haven't taken the buggy. She gets tired if she walks but she will happily ride her bike for prolonged periods of time making family walks so much easier! 

Iris has been in her big bed for almost a year now. She moves so much in her sleep she was waking herself up banging into the cot side. A toddler bed didn't really work as we had the same problem of there not being enough space for her to move around in so we just went straight for a full size double and it's the best thing we've ever done! She sleeps wonderfully and we got this Safety First Bed Rail to ensure she didn't fall out. This bed guard is collapsible making it great for taking to the caravan when we go there for a few nights and when we visit Centre Parcs at Christmas. 

Toilet training is such a personal experience and if your child hasn't potty trained before 3 then please don't worry. Each child attempts it in their own time. We were fortunate that Iris showed willing from 2.5 years old. We bought a Summer Infant My Size Potty and kept it on view. She could pop on and off as she pleased. We got this Potette Plus 2 in 1 Potty and some spare Refills for when we were out and about and I fully recommend Flushable Toilet Wipes. They aren't the most eco friendly but useful for when you need to wipe a delicate bottom on the go.

In an attempt to encourage Iris to go on the 'big toilet' we bought the Ikea Forsiktig Step Stool and Ikea Tossig Toilet Seat Adapter. In hindsight we should have bought a few of these to leave at grandparents houses. Iris is quite tall and therefore finds ordinary potties uncomfortably low. These enable her to use the toilet and make cleaning up a bit more tolerably (for some reason I HATE emptying potties 🤢 yet I can cope with a dirty nappy no problem!).

It seems that the things we've used most this year have mainly been to do with potty training. It's such a big development in a child's life that it makes sense for it to dominate everything for a while but remember it's not the be all and end all and children will tackle it in their own time.

See you again next year for our Most Used | 3-4 years!

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