When it comes to paying professionals to watch your child so that you can have the privilege of going to work…

(I’m kidding. Sort of.)

… you have a lot of different childcare options.

• Grandparents
• Babysitters / Nannies
• Daycare
• And preschool

Free options are great!

But I definitely feel like we’ve gotten a lot out of having our daughter in structured daycare and preschool environments where she’s learned how to make friends and developed speech and learning skills at lightning speed.

What actually is the difference between preschool vs daycare?

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When you bring baby home, you have a few basic goals:

• Keep him alive!
• Feed him
• Change diapers
• And get him to sleep

The last one, you’ll find, will probably the most challenging.

It also has the most potential solutions. Put him in the crib? Get a bassinet? A swing? A cradle?

In this article, I want to break down the differences between a cradle vs crib and help you decide which one is right for you; and it might be both!

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I first heard about Wonderbly a few years back, while my wife was pregnant with our daughter.

The concept sounded amazing:

A personalized kids book, where your child was the star of the story! The books supposedly had your kid’s name and likeness woven into the story, so each book was completely custom.

At the time, my daughter was a long way away from being able to read on her own or even recognize her name in a book, but I knew I wanted to grab a few of these to keep for down the road.

As the proud owner of two of these awesome books, here’s my honest and hands-on Wonderbly review:

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My family recently took a two-week trip to the faraway land of Italy.

The logistics of traveling with a toddler were pretty complex and daunting.

But one of the biggest decisions my wife and I faced was this: Did we want to lug a car seat or booster seat around the whole time on our trip? Could we get by without it?

Wasn’t there a better option out there?

Then one day my wife sent me a link to this, the Mifold grab-and-go booster seat. It claimed to be the ultimate compact solution for safe traveling with a toddler.

So we decided to try it out. And after using it heavily throughout a full two-week trip, here’s my full Mifold booster seat review.

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Stop me if you’ve been here before.

You finally got the kids to bed.

And I mean, FINALLY. (There was a struggle.)

Now it’s, what, 9pm? And you’ve had a long day. You’re tired. The house is quiet (you can’t be too loud or you’ll undo your hard work getting the kiddos down).

You really don’t feel like doing much of anything. But you also don’t want to go right to bed like a lame.

So what are some things that parents can do as a couple or individually after the kids are in bed? (Other than flopping down in front of the TV and turning on Netflix.)

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My family and I are gearing up for an 11-day trip to Italy…

… with our 4-year old!

The logistics are mind-boggling. Where if I were traveling alone or just with my wife, we’d be winging it to a much higher degree, we’ve instead been planning out every detail and contingency.

And it’s led me to the question: What are the best toddler travel essentials you really need to have a successful trip with your kid?

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Kids… they grow up so fast!

One day you’re laying them down in the crib, the next you realize they’re ready for their very own toddler bed.

A lot of parents these days choose to go with a convertible crib from the start, one that can be turned into a toddler bed once your child is around 2-years-old.

But you might find yourself needing to buy a separate, standalone toddler bed for a number of reasons, and in that case, you’ll probably want to go with something that has safety rails on the sides.

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I remember moving when my daughter was about to turn 3 and buying a lot of new stuff for my place.

The question I had to ask, with her at such a crucial age, was should I buy a convertible crib or jump right into letting her use a toddler bed?

Every parent has to face this sooner or later! Whether your kid is starting to climb out of the crib, you need the crib for a new baby, or you just want to give them more room or responsibility.

But what exactly is a toddler bed and how big are they?

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Babies, and especially newborns, need a lot of support while they’re sleeping.

Not only that, a firm crib mattress is an absolute must when it comes to safe sleeping and SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) prevention.

But many parents, after a few nights, week, or even months at home with baby, start to wonder: Is my baby’s crib mattress too hard or too firm?

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There’s a time and a place for waterproof, silicone baby bibs.

But when you really need them, they’re an absolute lifesaver!

Rubber or silicone bibs are really excellent for bottle feeding, messy eaters, babies transitioning to solid food, and young toddlers who like to make a mess.

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