Winstead Wandering

Prone to Wander

Free Mother’s Day Printables (for Grandma, too!)

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These adorable and FREE Mother’s Day printables make perfect inexpensive gifts! They’re a thoughtful keepsake Mom or Grandma will treasure, and they’re perfect for creating an annual tradition.

These adorable and FREE Mother's Day printables make perfect inexpensive gifts! They're a thoughtful keepsake Mom or Grandma will treasure, and they're perfect for creating an annual tradition.

Mother’s Day is this Sunday!

I created these fun and free Mother’s Day printables (with a grandma version, too) as a cute way to memorialize my kids’ thoughts about me and their grandmothers. It’s true that kids really do say the darnedest things, and who appreciates that more than moms and grandmas? Probably no one, which is why these printables make such great gifts.

These adorable and FREE Mother's Day printables make perfect inexpensive gifts! They're a thoughtful keepsake Mom or Grandma will treasure, and they're perfect for creating an annual tradition.

The pages are great for giving on their own, especially if you don’t usually buy Mother’s Day gifts for grandmas. They make wonderful gift-giving inspiration, too; let your child’s response to one of the blanks (“she loves to wear…”) serve as a starting point when it’s time to shop for presents.

To get this free Mother’s Day printable, as well as free access to all my printables, simply sign-up below for my free newsletter. If you’re already signed up, the link and the password you received in the original email are all you need.

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Pin these Free Mother’s Day Printables for later!

These adorable and FREE Mother's Day printables make perfect inexpensive gifts! They're a thoughtful keepsake Mom or Grandma will treasure, and they're perfect for creating an annual tradition.

Tips for Easy School Lunches

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This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #2Good2Bear #CollectiveBias

Does packing your kids’ lunches fill you with dread? It doesn’t have to! Check out these tips for easy school lunches.

Does packing your kids' lunches fill you with dread? It doesn't have to! Check out these tips for easy school lunches.

My two oldest kids started school this year. I went from only worrying about my own lunch to being responsible for the three of us (full disclosure: J makes their lunches sometimes, too). I started the school year with big ideas about what I’d pack them and how I’d make the process easier. Some of those ideas panned out, some of them flopped, and some have been tweaked to create what I consider to be a pretty streamlined system.

Tips for Easy School Lunches

Prep for the Whole Week on Sunday

Maybe you can relate to this: Sunday night brings the best intentions regarding school lunches. You’re going to pack well-rounded meals every day. Monday goes well, and Tuesday isn’t bad either, but things go downhill. By Friday, you’re raiding the pantry for combination of items that won’t draw judgment from you kids’ teachers.

Here’s my best tip for overcoming that weekly slide: do as much prep work as possible on Sunday. This can include slicing cheese, making sandwiches, cooking a batch of chicken nuggets or pasta and portioning it into containers. Basically, do in advance anything you can. Not only does it take little additional time to make five sandwiches instead of one, you’ll also save yourself the headache of doing the same chore four more times during the week.

Turn to Ready-Made Treats

I’d say at least 80 percent of what I send in my kids’ lunches is prepared in our home. I’m not talking homegrown produce or from-scratch bread, but instead of prepackaged cheese and crackers, we buy a box of crackers and a brick of cheese. We do this to save money and to make sure our picky eaters get meals we know they’ll eat.

Does packing your kids' lunches fill you with dread? It doesn't have to! Check out these tips for easy school lunches.

There are times I turn to store-bought snacks, though, because they’re convenient and because my kids love them. One of our favorites is TEDDY SOFT BAKED Filled Snacks. My kids love that they’re shaped like bears, and I love that they don’t contain artificial colors, artificial flavors, or high fructose corn syrup. They’re made with ingredients I’m familiar with, like eggs and milk (and, of course, chocolate!).

Does packing your kids' lunches fill you with dread? It doesn't have to! Check out these tips for easy school lunches.

Don’t forget to use ibotta to earn cash back when you purchase TEDDY SOFT BAKED Filled Snacks.  I grab them in the cracker/cookie aisle at Walmart when I’m stocking up on other school-lunch necessities. If you were there February 23, you might have noticed a fun demo featuring TEDDY SOFT BAKED Filled Snacks and GoGo Squeeze.

Use Your Freezer

A long time ago, before I had kids, I saw a tip about making and freezing peanut butter sandwiches. I thought it was ridiculous because peanut butter sandwiches are crazy easy to make. Then I had kids, and those kids started school, and I learned how naive I’d been. Sure, making a peanut butter sandwich may take two minutes, but that’s sometimes two minutes you don’t have.

Now, I buy a loaf or two of bread and use all the slices to make peanut butter sandwiches. I half them, freeze them, and pull them out one at a time as needed. I also use the freezer for berries purchased fresh in season and for pureed vegetables used to make our own pouches.

[Read more…]

What I’m Reading Lately: Children’s Books Edition

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Finding books that appeal to kids and parents can be tough. We’ve done it, though! Here’s what I’m reading lately: children’s books edition.

Between Christmas gifts and school book orders, we’ve been reading a lot of books lately. Often, the kids get hooked on a couple books that J and I don’t care for. I love that my children share my passion for reading, but it’s no fun to read (and read and read and read) books you don’t like. That’s why J and I are thrilled when we come across children’s books we enjoy reading.

Since I’m sure we aren’t the only parents out there in search of entertaining kid lit, I put together this list of children’s books we’re currently loving.

Finding books that appeal to kids and parents can be tough. We've done it, though! Here's what I'm reading lately: children's books edition.

What I’m Reading Lately: Children’s Books Edition

“The Day the Crayons Came Home“

Finding books that appeal to kids and parents can be tough. We've done it, though! Here's what I'm reading lately: children's books edition.

My four-year-old got this book for Christmas from my husband’s mom. We came home after opening presents that day and discovered my mom had gotten her the exact same book. So now we have two copies. Considering how much the kids love it, that might be a good thing. Not only is this story really cute, it’s full of puns and humor just for the grown-ups.

“Mother Bruce“

Finding books that appeal to kids and parents can be tough. We've done it, though! Here's what I'm reading lately: children's books edition.

This book is hilarious. The first time J read it to the kids, I couldn’t stop laughing at the random lines I could hear from the kitchen. The kids were cracking up, too. This story is one of those rare gems that delights parents as much as it does kids. There’s a second book, “Hotel Bruce“, that the kids and I are excited to read.

The Children’s Storybook Bible

Finding books that appeal to kids and parents can be tough. We've done it, though! Here's what I'm reading lately: children's books edition.

A few years ago, within the span of a couple weeks, I saw this story Bible recommended by several friends and trusted bloggers. I had to buy it, of course. Even three years later, it’s still our favorite children’s Bible. I love the doctrine and the kid-friendly writing, the kids love the bright pictures and the easy-to-understand story.

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Quinn’s Birth Story

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A VBAC, a premature birth, and a perfect baby girl: here’s Quinn’s birth story.

A VBAC, a premature birth, and a perfect baby girl: here's Quinn's birth story.

Several days before Quinn was born, J and I stood in the kitchen as I told him, “I feel like I’m going to have the baby soon.” I couldn’t pinpoint exactly why I felt that way but, even though I was five weeks from my due date, I did.

J and I attended a professional development workshop on Tuesday, June 28. I thought I was going into labor on the way there. My contractions were regular and fairly intense, but once we parked and walked in, they subsided and we went about our day.

On Thursday, June 30, I had a regularly-scheduled OB appointment. I got ready for my 10:30 appointment, all the while suspecting my water had broken. There wasn’t a big gush of fluid like I experienced with G and B, but I thought there was leaking. I brushed that intuition aside, though, convincing myself it was just another layer of the paranoia and anxiety I’d experienced throughout the pregnancy.

A VBAC, a premature birth, and a perfect baby girl: here's Quinn's birth story.

There must have been a small part of my brain that understood what was happening, though, because I took a few minutes to toss some last minute toiletries and clothes in my bag that was packed and sitting in the bedroom, waiting for the we needed it.

[Read more…]

Gifts For the Foodie

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Gifts For the Foodie: the best gift inspiration for the person in your life who loves to cook, bake, and feed family and friends.

This post contains affiliate links. That means, when you make a purchase through one of the these links, I get, at no additional cost to you, a small commission. You can view my disclosure policy for more information.

Shopping for a foodie- someone who loves everything food-related, from cooking to eating to baking- can be tough. Often, it feels like those people already have most of what they need when it comes to kitchen tools and gadgets. Here’s a list of products the foodie in your life might not own, but would definitely love to.

I hope you find something perfect for your foodie!

Gifts For the Foodie

Gifts For the Foodie: the best gift inspiration for the person in your life who loves to cook, bake, and feed family and friends.

 

  1. Rectangular Baker, $40 | For someone who loves to cook or bake, you can’t go wrong with cute bakeware. Most of us have a kitchen full of bland white Corningware or glass Pyrex. It gets the job done, but it isn’t as fun as some of the adorable options out there now. If the piece in the photo isn’t the right style, you might consider this pie plate or these ramekins.
  2. Graze Snack Box Subscription, $12 a month or give a voucher | You can read all about my honest thoughts on Graze boxes, but the gist is this: your food-lover will get 8 individually-portioned snacks delivered each month. They’re all unique and will be a fun change from the norm.
  3. Flour Water Salt Yeast Cookbook, $20 | Bread is the Everest of the kitchen for a lot of home cooks. Whether your foodie has conquered that beast or not, there’s a recipe in this book that will be just the right skill level.
  4. Decorative Cake Stand, $32 | Is your foodie still showing off mouthwatering cakes on a regular platter? Put an end to that by gifting a beautiful cake stand. Bonus: he might just love it so much he finds the need to show it off immediately by baking a cake from scratch.
  5. Hand Blender, $34 | If your foodie is anything like a lot of the foodies I know, she probably has a running wishlist of kitchen items she’d love to own. There’s a good chance an immersion blender is on that list. This stick blender is a super convenient way to puree sauces, soups, or dips without dirtying up a big blender.
  6. Flour Sack Kitchen Towels, $4 | If you’re on a budget, you can’t go wrong with an adorable set of kitchen towels like this one. Flour sack towels are versatile and especially convenient for those who do a lot of baking. Target has an unbeatable selection.
  7. KitchenAid Mixer Attachments, $40-$100 | Your foodie very likely has a KitchenAid stand mixer– if not, I highly recommend hitting up a few other people for a group gift- but did you know simple attachments can turn the mixer into a pasta roller or a spiralizer, peeler, and corer or a food grinder? Gift an attachment that will make life in the kitchen easier and, if your budget allows, throw in a related cookbook, too.
  8.  Whisk + Scraper, $12 | Anyone who spends time in the kitchen will have a deep appreciation for this whisk that also scrapes the sides of the bowl. If you’re looking for an inexpensive gift, a life-changing whisk like this one is going to give you the most appreciation per dollar.
  9. Kitchen Apron, $26 | Target has dozens of aprons featuring everything from macarons to landscapes to inspirational quotes. There’s got to be at least one that perfectly fits your foodie’s personality.
  10. Beverage Dispenser, $33 | Part of being a foodie and loving to cook is loving to feed others, too. This glass beverage dispenser holds more than four liters and has a subtle honeycomb pattern. It’ll be your foodie’s favorite thing to show off at the next gathering. Throw in some adorable drinkware to complete the gift.

 

What’s your go-to gift for foodies?

What’s in My Diaper Bag

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This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #BetterBottles #CollectiveBias

What’s in my diaper bag? The necessities and the unnecessary, as told by an experienced mom of three little ones.

What's in my diaper bag? The necessities and the unnecessary, as told by an experienced mom of three little ones.

So much has changed since I first became a mom. I remember so vividly how overwhelmed I felt when we first brought G home from the hospital. I had younger siblings and cousins, and I’d even cared for infants as part of my brief job as a daycare worker. But then we got home and it was just the three of us and the vastness of all the things I didn’t know.

I feel like I’ve come a long way in nearly six years. Baby number three, Q, is nearly four months old and, while I can’t say I’ve completely stopped texting my mom questions and consulting Dr. Google, I feel much more confident in my parenting than I did back then.

One of the dozens of things that has changed since G was born is my diaper bag packing skills. When he was a baby, I would fill a huge bag with all the “essentials”: a ton of diapers, several outfits, and way too many burp cloths and bibs. I also left out several items that would have been useful to have.

So what’s in my diaper bag now that I’m a more seasoned mom? Let’s take a look.

What’s in My Diaper Bag

The biggest mistake I made when packing G’s diaper bag was filling it with stuff for him- more stuff than he’d ever need in one outing- and nothing for me. Now, when I pack Q’s bag, I focus on both of us.

What's in my diaper bag? The necessities and the unnecessary, as told by an experienced mom of three little ones.

For Baby

Basically, baby just needs food and a clean diaper. I toss in a clean outfit or two, but mostly everything other than food and diapers is inessential. I pack one diaper for every hour or two we plan to be away from home, plus wipes and a changing pad. Unless we’re in the middle of fighting a rash, I leave the creams and powders at home. They just take up precious space in the diaper bag and I don’t need them. Same goes for extra clothes; one outfit is all you need, unless your little one is known for spitting up or blowing out.

I exclusively pump for Q, so I have to pack bottles and pumped breast milk. Finding bottles that worked for her was a little tricky this time around; she didn’t care for the two expensive brands we used for G and B. We ended up discovering that she prefers more affordable options, like these Playtex Baby™ VentAire® bottles (how fitting is it that my infant daughter is as frugal as I am? Do you think she knows that 3-packs of  Playtex Nurser 8 oz., VentAire 9 oz., and VentAire Color sat Walmart have a $3 off coupon on them?)

What's in my diaper bag? The necessities and the unnecessary, as told by an experienced mom of three little ones.

We’re enjoying these bottles for a few reasons. Some of the reasons are obvious, like the way the Anti-Colic Bottom Vent soothes Q’s tummy troubles, or the way the angled design promotes semi-upright feeding, which I just learned is supposed to help prevent ear infections (yes, please!). We also like them because the wide mouth makes it so easy to pour in breast milk or scoop in formula. That same wide opening makes the whole thing a breeze to clean, so much more so than some of those other bottles that seem to have a gazillion different parts.

[Read more…]

Anxiety After Miscarriage: A Womanly Wednesday Guest Post

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It’s not something you hear discussed often, but it’s something that’s very much a part of my life right now: here is my anxiety after miscarriage story.

It's not something you hear discussed often, but it's something that's very much a part of my life right now: here is my anxiety after miscarriage story.

I’m so excited and grateful to be sharing my story of anxiety after miscarriage as a Womanly Wednesday post on Sobremesa Stories. Lauren has featured so many strong, beautiful, courageous women as part of her Womanly Wednesday series; I’m thrilled she gave me the opportunity to contribute to that legacy today.

Anxiety After Miscarriage: A Womanly Wednesday Guest Post

I don’t consider myself a particularly anxious person. Yeah, I definitely have those, “My parents are calling after 9:00 pm- oh-my-gosh-who-died!?” moments, but I don’t typically lay awake at night worrying over things, and I’ve never had even a hint of a panic or anxiety attack.

That’s why I’m still surprised that, as I approach the final month of my fourth pregnancy- the time when baby is safe and would be healthy if delivered today- the anxiety I feel is at an overwhelming high.

I didn’t experience this anxiety with my first two pregnancies. They were both textbook smooth and, aside from an unplanned C-section with the first, both babies and I were healthy and happy. We grew our family at just the pace we had planned.

There aren’t words to describe the pain of miscarrying our third pregnancy at 12 weeks. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever experienced. It took my husband and I several months to decide we were ready to try getting pregnant again. When we succeeded a few months later, I immediately knew our fourth pregnancy would be different.

Gone was the carefree attitude of previous pregnancies. This time, I was conscious of every twinge of nausea and every new craving- every sign the pregnancy was progressing normally. It wasn’t until we passed the 12-week mark- the point we lost baby number three- that I felt able to take a deep breath and envision a future with a baby I was beginning to dream I might actually get to meet.

Head over to Sobremesa Stories to read the rest of my anxiety after miscarriage story.

It's not something you hear discussed often, but it's something that's very much a part of my life right now: here is my anxiety after miscarriage story.

What to Pack in a Toddler Carry-On

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Take it from a mom who travels frequently with young children: here’s everything you need to know about what to pack- and what not to pack- in a toddler carry-on.

Take it from a mom who travels frequently with young children: here's everything you need to know about what to pack- and what not to pack- in a toddler carry-on.

Flying is pretty routine for our children. G took his first flight at just over a month old, B when she was two weeks. Since then, we’ve traveled numerous times with both of them. I’ve lost count of how many times each has been on a plane, but I know G, who is five, has taken more than a dozen round-trips. By now, we feel like we’ve got a pretty good grasp on what to pack in a toddler carry-on to make the trip as smooth and, dare I say fun, for all involved.

What to Pack in a Toddler Carry-On

Take it from a mom who travels frequently with young children: here's everything you need to know about what to pack- and what not to pack- in a toddler carry-on.

What We’re Bringing

The picture is what will be in B’s backpack. I buy most snacks and activities in pairs, so G’s will be nearly identical.

  • Crayons and a zipper pouch (both from Dollar Tree): We have plenty of crayons at home, but these are fresh and unused and will make the kids’ day.
  • Coloring: Paw Patrol coloring activity (Toys ‘r’ Us), Jake and the Neverland Pirates coloring book (Dollar Tree), Frozen art set (Toys ‘r’ Us), and Jake and the Neverland Pirates activity (Target). These were all $1 each and they feature our toddlers’ favorite characters. The Frozen activity has stickers, and we’ll have fun coloring the rest.
  • Homemade playdough, a plastic spoon, and a cookie cutter (all brought from home). It’s a little unconventional as far as airplane activities go, but it holds B’s attention longer than any activity or TV show, and G enjoys it, too.
  • LeapPad (Amazon). I originally bought the pink one for G for $40 during a Black Friday sale and it’s since been passed on to B. We don’t have any expensive games or apps, but B has a blast using the built-in coloring feature and watching a few inexpensive videos. We’ve since bought a newer one that G will bring. It has a few math and reading games that he enjoys.
  • Snacks: baby food pouches (Big Lots, peanut butter crackers (Dollar Tree), and Peppa Pig cookies (Big Lots). These snacks totaled $5 and the crackers will be shared between both kids for both our flights out and our flights back. We love those pouches because they’re a mess-free, healthy, on-the-go treat.

There are, of course, some things we’re bringing that aren’t pictured:

  • Blankets: we bring one blanket for each kid. They both have an attachment to a particular blanket, so bringing those will comfort them. The blankets will also be nice if it gets chilly and when we try to convince them to nap.
  • Extra Batteries: this one is a no-brainer if you’re bringing electronics of any kind. We love rechargeable batteries because we can charge them during a layover.
  • Headphones: pack headphones if you’re bringing any type of electronics, but also if the airplane might have in-flight entertainment. Most airlines will sell headphones, but they’re expensive and ill-fitting. These are our favorite kid headphones.
  • Reusable water bottles: we have and love these Nalgene bottles and we always pack them when we fly. It’s so much cheaper to fill those bottles at water fountains or with free water on the plane than to buy several overpriced bottles. In addition to the reusable bottles, we also bring flavored water drops. The kids don’t drink juice, but they love flavored water.
  • Extra clothes: we pack two extra pairs of clothes for each kid. They’re still toddlers and you just never know what sort of accidents, potty or otherwise, might happen. It never hurts to throw in an extra outfit for yourself, too, just in case. In addition to those extra clothes, we also pack a few plastic grocery bags because, if anything gets wet or dirty, we’ll want somewhere to put it.
  • More snacks: we aren’t spending 12 hours traveling with only a few snacks for our kids. B and G don’t always care for fast food, especially when we’re traveling, so in addition to the snacks pictured we’ll bring a few bananas, Goldfish crackers, and granola bars.
  • Medicine: I always bring medicine in case one of the kids gets a fever during our travel day. We also pack Benadryl to give the kids before our longest flight, which is about three and a half hours (this is something our doctor suggested we do). The kids wouldn’t nap otherwise. I think we all appreciate the sleep they get.
  • Wipes and Sanitizer: Both are no-brainers when packing a toddler carry-on. My kids can make a mess eating just about anything, so between cleaning them and the surfaces around them, we go through a lot of wipes (when they’re younger we just use diaper wipes; as they get older, we mostly use Wet Wipes). My kids hate the sound of- and refuse to use- those loud hand dryers in the bathroom. If those are the only option in the airport bathroom, we skip it and use hand sanitizer instead.

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Potty Training Made Easy

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It seems I’m no good at potty training.

The entire process went poorly with G. At the time, I chalked it up to inexperience on my part and resistance to change on his part. Some kids are more difficult to potty train than others, I told myself.

And then it was time to potty train B. I’d say it went slightly better than it did with her brother. Part of that is because we had more experience under our belts, and part of that is because I got a little bit wiser.

Potty training doesn't have to be the exhausting battle it was for us. Here are the tips and tricks we've used discovered to make it easier on everyone.

Before I had kids, I wasn’t going to be a mom that bought Pull-Ups® Training Pants. I thought they were an unnecessary step between diapers and underwear. I thought they just prolonged potty training and confused the child about what the goal was.

I was wrong.

It turns out toddlers thrive on consistency and diapers don’t teach potty training skills like Pull-Ups do. Plus, they look and fit more like underwear, giving your child the independence to slide his pants on and off.

By the time we started the potty training process with B, I’d learned my lesson. With her, Pull-Ups were a big part of the process, and they were also why it was easier on all of us. We used Pull-Ups to help B make the transition from diapers to underwear. Thanks to Pull-Ups, B felt like a big girl because we no longer had to change her diapers, but J and I didn’t have to worry she’d have an accident while we were in public.

Pull-Ups are super easy to put on and take off; the stretchy sides make them way more convenient than any other options we tried. Even though we’re grateful we discovered them in time to take a lot of the stress out of potty training B, that doesn’t mean the process was without hiccups. She’s a super stubborn kid- strong-willed, we like to say- and she can’t be easily coaxed into doing anything she doesn’t want to do.

All of the mistakes we made potty training G and B have solidified my desire to do a better job when it’s time to train baby number three. Luckily, I found the Pull-Ups website, and it’s full of resources to help make the transition from diapers to underwear as smooth as possible for both parents and toddlers. Specifically, I found three resources I’m absolutely going to take advantage of next time around.

Potty training doesn't have to be the exhausting battle it was for us. Here are the tips and tricks we've used discovered to make it easier on everyone.

[Read more…]

How We’re Preparing Our Toddlers for a New Baby

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How we’re preparing our toddlers for a new baby: all our best tips and tricks and making a smooth transition to life with a newborn.

I recently wrote about why I’m glad my kids are close in age, but lately I’ve been feeling thankful for how aware and excited they are about this new baby. Whereas we weren’t able to do much to prepare an 18-month-old G for the arrival of his little sister, this time around we’ve been having real conversations.How we're preparing our toddlers for a new baby: all our best tips and tricks and making a smooth transition to life with a newborn.

G is five and B will turn four just days before the baby is born. Obviously, they can’t really comprehend all the ways their lives will change when we become a family of five- can anyone, really?- but we can take steps to make all of us as prepared as possible for the new baby.

 

How We’re Preparing Our Toddlers for a New Baby

We’re making changes now

It’s important to us that the kids don’t associate all baby-related changes with the baby. For instance, we recently moved B upstairs to make her old downstairs room available for the baby. We did the move more than five months before the baby is due because we don’t want B to feel like the new baby is kicking her out.

We hyped the transition as a move to her “big girl room,” and we discussed how fun it would be for her to sleep upstairs down the hall from her brother. Since the move, she’s stopped to look at her “baby sister’s new room” a few times, so I know she knows what’s happening, but so far she’s been only excited about her new room.

The other big change we’re making is moving G from his car seat in the second row of our car to a booster seat in the third row. This change is slated to happen in the next couple weeks because G, even more so than his sister, needs to be coaxed into change. He needs to be talked through the process before, during, and after it happens. He knows he’s moving and he knows the new baby will be in his old spot, but we’ve talked the whole thing up as a big-boy move because he’ll soon be starting big-boy school.

We call the baby by name

For the first twenty weeks of pregnancy, we were careful not to use any gender-specific pronouns when referring to the baby. We wanted the kids to realize we didn’t know the gender. We had a gender-reveal ultrasound at 18 weeks and found out we’re having a girl. Ever since, we’ve referred to the baby as “she” and as their “baby sister”. Now that we’ve settled on a name, we use it all the time so G and B can think of her as a person, as much as their toddler minds can.

They’re watching Daniel Tiger

If you’re a parent of a toddler and you’re not familiar with Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, you’re missing out. It’s an animated show that we watch via Netflix and it’s a loose spin-off of Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood. In every episode, Daniel faces typical toddler challenges: visiting the doctor, sharing with friends, trying new foods. For each scenario, there’s a catchy little jingle attached that Daniel and the other characters use to overcome the issue.

Daniel’s mom has a baby in the first episode of season two; many of the subsequent episodes confront typical big sibling drama: why does the baby cry all the time? why does she need mom and dad’s attention so much? why does the new baby get into my toys? G and B have been watching those episodes since before we got pregnant, but now we’re intentional about playing them.

If you don’t have Netflix, you can buy just the episodes about Daniel being a big brother on DVD.

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