When daylight savings time hit recently (turning the clock back), we suddenly found ourselves waking up at horrifyingly early hours with our 3-year-old.

She’d start yelling on the baby monitor, or worse, charging down the stairs, between 5 and 6am.

It was still dark out.

Desperate for something that might help us keep our toddler from waking up too early, I started looking into sleep trainers, alarm clocks, and wake-up lights.

I was a little skeptical at first, and I didn’t want to spend $50+ on something I wasn’t sure would work. So I wound up getting the budget-friendly and relatively simple OK to Wake clock from Mirari.

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You’re not really a parent to a toddler until you’ve thought:

“What the heck am I supposed to do with my kid all day?”

The easiest ways to keep a toddler busy and wear them out usually involve going outside. Going to parks, riding bikes, playing in the yard, etc.

But what if you’re stuck inside with a toddler? What are the best toddler activities you can do at home?

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When you’ve got a baby on the way, there are SO many things to buy.

• A crib
• A stroller
• Bottles
• Clothes
• Diapers, diapers, and more diapers

You’ll also need to get a really reliable and safe car seat.

So how much should you set aside in the budget for a car seat? How much does a child car seat cost on average?

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There’s no concrete age when kids and toddlers can start showering alone.

But most experts agree that somewhere around 5 or 6-years-old is when they’ll start getting close.

(That’s also about the time they might start wanting more privacy.)

You’ll have to be sure they can handle the responsibility, and really drill them on the safety rules!

But when your child is still a baby or younger toddler, they still need you to wash them. There may be times when you just can’t bathe them in a bathtub for whatever reason, so it makes sense to clean up in the shower.

How do you bathe a toddler or baby in a shower? (Without them screaming the entire time, and actually getting them clean!)

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Baby on the way?

Better get to baby-proofing the house!

Beyond setting up the nursery, this is one of the most involved and time-consuming aspects of getting your home ready for a baby.

Seriously, you’d be amazed at how many things need attention and could be dangerous if not addressed.

There’s the TV and TV stand. Electrical outlets. Doors. You name it.

Then, of course, there’s your kitchen and kitchen cabinets. You can drill some simple hardware directly into the cabinets themselves, but there are lots of good reasons you might not want to do that.

So how do you baby-proof your kitchen cabinets without drilling?

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Toddlers.

They can be pretty gross sometimes, right?

They tend to get snot everywhere, never cover their mouths when they cough, and accumulate massive amounts of dirt under their fingernails.

And if you ever look inside a toddler’s ear, you’ll likely be pretty horrified!

Yes, even their ears can get surprisingly filthy.

But do you need to clean a toddler’s ears? Is it safe? What’s the best way to clean a toddler’s ears?

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Ah, the baby stage.

When your child can barely move, hold their head up, or roll over on their own.

Those are the days!

Unfortunately, they don’t last long. And soon your baby will grow into a toddler that’s forever trying to hurt, injure, or maim himself.

Crawling out of the crib is one of their favorite ways to do it! And sometimes they figure it out way faster than you’d expect.

What do you do when your toddler starts climbing out of his crib, but he’s NOT ready for a toddler bed?

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The moment your toddler falls asleep is a magical time for some parents.

It can also be a very precarious time!

After all, toddlers have all kinds of problems falling asleep, staying asleep, and waking up too early.

So when they do finally zonk out, the last thing you want to do is ruin it.

But what if they fall asleep before you’ve finished the bedtime routine, like while watching a movie?

Do you need to brush your toddler’s teeth while they’re sleeping? Or wake them up to brush?

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I’m pretty sure 99% of parents have been there.

You’ve had a long day at work, and you go to pick up your toddler from daycare.

You’ve missed them! You’re excited to see them!

And when you first walk through the door, they’re all hugs and smiles.

But as soon as you get into the car, it’s meltdown city.

Tears. Wails. Screaming.

Sound familiar?

Why are toddlers so cranky after daycare?

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Stop me if you’ve heard this one…

You’re all done setting up your new baby swing.

You’re excited and desperate, hoping it will finally help baby get to sleep.

(So you, in turn, can get some sleep. Or get some chores done in peace for once.)

You turn it on.

And it starts making an awful sound.

What do you do?

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