toddlers

Photo: ShutterstockThe pacifier is a wonderful thing. It helps our littlest ones soothe themselves to sleep when nothing else will quite do the trick. Eventually, though, you want them to be able to self-soothe. They grow from babies into toddlers and you pine for one picture without the binky in the mouth. And as tooth…

Photo: ShutterstockYou decided not to go overboard on gifts with your toddler this year. You asked (begged? demanded!) that your family members follow suit. They are still so young, you reasoned. They don’t even really *get* the whole Santa thing, you figured. They’re perfectly happy playing with a soup pot and a wooden spoon, you…

Photo: ShutterstockBest of LifehackerBest of LifehackerWhether we’ve made a complicated recipe absurdly simple, illustrated how to survive a natural disaster, or explained a political crisis in terms even your great-grandma would understand, these are some of our favorite stories from the past year.We wrote a lot about toddler tantrums this year. And chances are, we’ll…

When you have little kids, it can be tempting to go all-out for the holidays, stuffing as many gifts as you can under the tree, under the guise of creating family memories (that they’re unlikely to remember). But money is also finite; in fact, you may still be trying to pull yourself out of credit…

Photo: Shutterstock My favorite type of activity for little kids is something that keeps them busy and accomplishes another goal. Like when they help sort laundry or “prep” dinner with you. Kids like hands-on activities and they like to be helpful. And this mom scratches both of those itches with this simple toy-washing station: All…

Every now and then, you move to a new home or you rearrange the room of your current home and you find yourself with a bookcase that no longer quite fits in the new or updated space. So now what do you do with it? Well, if it’s a really nice quality, you may want…

Sensory activities are a great way for young kids to explore and learn, and I’m a big fan of looking for ways to create these activities with items you already have around the home. But sometimes, you need to switch things up or stock up on a few new items to stash away for a…

When my son was a toddler, we went through a very big “sensory activities” phase. Any new texture that he could squish or mold (and incorporate into his dinosaur battles) would keep him occupied for dozens of precious minutes. He loved regular Play-Doh, so I went in search of a homemade version that would be…

Photo: Shutterstock The thing about toddlers is that they’re mind-numbingly irrational. It’s not their fault, of course. It’s going to be a solid two decades before those brains are fully developed and able to offer up true logical reasoning to the world, but still. It’s frustrating. No parent enjoys the tantrum management that comes with…

Photo: Getty Images When my first foster son lived with us for a year, he was my constant shadow. That sweet boy followed close behind me wherever I went, especially when it was time to prep dinner. He was never interested in watching a show while I cooked; he’d rather be with me—as close as…