Survival Day at Home Kit for Busy Parents

The holidays are hands down the busiest time of year for parents. On top of all of your normal parenting, household, work, and personal responsibilities, now there’s MORE. Events to attend, gifts to purchase, cards to send, holiday cheer to create… It can be overwhelming.

Thanks to our Stonyfield Organic Yobaby pouches, here is your Survival Day at Home Kit aimed towards parents of 11 to 15 month olds! Is your little one a bit older? I’m sure your 1 or 2 year old would also benefit from these ideas! 

Note: this post is sponsored by Stonyfield but all opinions are my own.

Why do you need a Survival Day at Home Kit?

This is for the day that you have way too much on your plate, and you have no idea how you’re going to tackle it all while also taking care of your sweet babe.

Obviously nap times help, but when does nap time ever feel long enough? There’s only so much you can do during those 1 or 2 hour stretches. Sometimes all you can do is shower or grab something to eat.

What’s inside the Survival Day at Home Kit?

I asked my Instagram audience what tips they have to make a day at home easier, and they over delivered! 

Their ideas completely blew me away. There’s a mix of things you can do to get your toddler to participate in the things you need to get done. Plus, ways to keep them fully occupied, entertained, and even learning while you take care of something else nearby.

And of course, snacks! While I love to purchase the big tub of Stonyfield Organic Whole Milk Smooth & Creamy Plain Yogurt, nothing beats the convenience of the YoBaby pouches for a survival day.

How to get your toddler to join in your to-dos

It can feel SO hard to get household tasks done when your little one wants your attention. But I got great ideas from moms about what works for them to get their toddler to participate with them. I wish I had these tips when my kids were this little! 

• Fold laundry together: they can help hand you clothes
  • Put on music while you do it, and if they get fussy, take a dance party break 
• Put them in a toddler-safe kitchen tower or in their highchair near you while you meal prep. 
  • Give them a few thin slices of vegetables and a bowl and tell them to put them in the bowl. They may eat some, but they will also be entertained trying to complete the task.
• Let them help water the plants
• Give them a paper and crayon so they can scribble while you write a to-do list or address holiday cards
• Give them dot stickers and plain envelopes while you put stamps on holiday cards
• Make a safe area to explore: a “yes” space
  • Make a space in the house where it’s safe for them to explore so they can check out all the fun “grown up” things that always seem more exciting than toys! But you know that there’s nothing they can get into that would be harmful or unsafe.
• Daily stroller walk habit
  • Make it part of the daily routine so you can get some time to move your body, they can look around outside, and you can even squeeze in some phone calls or listen to a podcast.

Throwback to Emilia at 11 months old helping me unpack groceries!

Water ideas to keep them busy

There were tons of amazing water play ideas, it sounds like that’s a favorite for your toddlers! Here are some ideas.

• Bath time in the kitchen or laundry sink with a few tupperware bowls to play with
• Bath time doesn’t have to be after dinner! It can entertain them for awhile in the morning or afternoon
• Bath time with bubbles and measuring cups
• Put them on a waterproof mat (like a plastic shower curtain from the dollar store) or in the shower with a small tub of water and scooping utensils
• Put the water table in the shower – I thought this was genius, if your shower is big enough!!
• Use water and a paintbrush to paint a cardboard box

More ideas to keep them busy without messy clean up

• Make a toy parade: show them how to line up their toys one by one, they take over and love making the parade.
• Bag of dried lentils, or dried pasta, plus measuring cups, spoons, and tupperware (put them on a towel or playmat so you can easily clean up
• Poke a dot books (my kids LOVED these!)
• Fill an empty baby wipe container or tissue box with blocks or puzzle pieces. One mom said her daughter spent a whole hour putting the pieces in and taking them out!
• Pom poms and an empty plastic water bottle: this one is from me! Teddy used to be so entertained by this. It’s fun to take the pom poms from a container and push them one by one into the water bottle
• Cut some slits in the top of an empty canister with a plastic lid. Think a tall container of nuts, or a can of formula. Give them popsicle sticks to push through the slits.
• Keep a bin of toys that you only bring out on occasion so they feel new and exciting.
• Fill a box with different items that they can sort. For example, use mega blocks and put down construction paper in each color so they can match the color by putting those blocks on the matching paper.

Snacks for a survival day kit

I love Stonyfield YoBaby for a survival day as a dietitian! Yogurt is a fantastic snack to help keep them in a good mood. This is because of the mix of nutrients that will help keep them full and satisfied! 

Something like puffs is fun, and can help take up time, but it won’t satisfy them like yogurt would.

You could pair a yogurt pouch with blueberries, thin sliced apples, strawberry slices, or even peas to keep them occupied and happy in their highchair for awhile!

Find Stonyfield in a store near you.

What have I missed?

Add your ideas for an easier day at home with your little one in the comments below!