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The Best Toddler Activities & Routine for Easy Mornings

Inside: Want to keep your toddler busy? Find out the best morning routine and easy toddler morning activities to help keep your baby engaged and having fun!

It was 6:30 in the morning and my toddler was standing at the foot of my bed with Playdoh in her hands. She was eagerly ready to play…and I barely was able to keep my eyes open.

One thing I quickly learned about toddler life is — toddlers are so vivacious in the morning!

In order to keep my sanity, I started coming up with different toddler morning activities to engage her to learn but also keep her busy.

Because let’s face it, sometimes you have to keep your little one busy so you can get stuff done 🙂

If you’re looking for some fun and easy toddler morning activities and a rockin’ morning routine then you’ve come to the right place!

This morning routine, including the toddler morning activities, is the perfect mix of independent play and one on one playtime to help your toddler learn and keep your toddler busy.

To help create your own toddler morning routine, I created a free printable for you to download and follow along!

So let’s get down to it!

The Perfect Toddler Morning Routine

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please view Mastering Mom Life’s Terms, Disclosure & Disclaimer Policy and Privacy Policy. I wholeheartedly believe in all of the products I recommend and use them all!

I truly believe the success of any day with a toddler strongly depends on the routine. Babies love routine and predictability so once they get into a routine and rhythm they like, they thrive!

I’ve tested several toddler morning routines (with weeks of trial and error) and this one has been the best so far!

7:00 am: Wake

Your morning routine will fluctuate around what time your toddler wakes up. Some toddlers wake up at 6 and some toddlers wake up at 8. Time doesn’t matter—the routine can be followed no matter what time you start it.

7:30 am: Breakfast

I like to involve my daughter in the breakfast routine. She helps me get the bowls out and prepares her little table.

I’m a stay at home mom so she’s starting to see and replicate my “homemaking” qualities! So cute 🙂

8:00 am- 9:30 am: One on One Playtime

I usually try to fit 2-3 activities into this time. (See different activities below!)

I strongly believe in the bonding between parent and child and having 1-2 hours each morning where you are having one on one time with your toddler is so important!

It also boosts their mood and confidence, which is such a delight to see. Since I’ve started sitting with my daughter every morning to play with her for 2 hours, she has completely transformed. She listens to instructions SO much better!

Making playtime with your child intentional is like sowing a seed and seeing the fruit later. Those 1-2 hours every morning is going to pay off!

I use 30 minutes of our One on One Playtime for “learning time”. So we read books, go over the alphabet, colors, numbers. As Baby L gets older, I’m trying to incorporate learning into all of our one on one playtime activities. Be sure to see the exact activities I use below!

Just remember to make one on one time as special as possible. Try to turn off your phone and give your toddler your undivided attention. It’s really hard but so worth it!

BONUS: Get the FREE Toddler Morning Activity Routine Download so you can follow these activities! It also comes with a “create your own routine” template so you can write down your own morning routine! Click here to GET IT NOW!

9:30- 10:30 am: Independent Playtime

I love independent playtime because it teaches your toddler that you don’t have to be sitting next to them in order to play. Some toddlers will freak out if their mom walks away and then will follow her.

It’s great to start a healthy balance between playtime with mom and independent playtime.

When your toddler engages in independent play they are stretching their imagination and creativity.

Plus, it helps you get things done without your toddler clinging on to your leg the whole day!

See my fun independent activities below that you can fill this time with!

10:30- 11:00 am: Chores

I love to teach my children chores at an early age. Toddlers can start to help you around the house!

I like to include my toddler in easy chores that teaches her directions and responsibility.

Easy commands like…

“please take this napkin to the trash”

“help mommy pick up the clothes”

“put your toys in the basket”

…can really help your toddler learn new words and understand directions.

Some chores I like to teach my toddler are:

Toy clean up (I ask her to put the toys away in the bin)
Laundry folding (I ask her to hand each article of clothing to me)
Drying dishes (I give her a little towel and plastic dishes to dry)

There are chores she can’t help with, but I do those chores when she is having her independent play and take advantage of this time to show her how she can help around the house 🙂

11:00- 11:30 am: Educational Show

Some parents don’t allow their toddler any screen time or TV at all. That’s perfectly okay!

I personally like certain education shows because ever since Baby L started watching them, she has learned her nursery rhymes and sounds.

I really like the “Mother Goose Club”. You can find it on YouTube Kids for free or on Netflix.

I also really LOVE the LeapFrog Letter Factory. It’s a DVD that I ordered on Amazon that teaches kids the sounds of each letter of the alphabet. It’s so cute and so much fun.

In a matter of a week, my daughter was sounding A-D. I was so proud of her!

I use the educational shows to reinforce what I teach her during our one on one playtime and “teaching” time.

Do some research and choose educational shows that you like best!

11:30/12:00: Lunch

While Baby L is watching her educational show, I start to make Lunch. This schedule works perfectly!

12:30 pm: Nap

After lunch, we have a “wind-down” time to prepare for a nap. Then we do our naptime routine and she naps for 2 hours!

And that wraps up the morning routine!

Want to see what my full day looks like with my toddler?? Read all about my simple & awesome daily routine here!

Let’s dive into the different activities that you can do with your little one.

Toddler Activities:

You can use the activities for any time of the day, not just morning. I usually recycle some activities throughout the day to fill in any dead spots so she doesn’t get bored.

I found that bored/un-entertained toddler = tantrums

So, I like to keep my toddler busy with fun things to do all day! These are also EASY activities that won’t cost too much money or take up ALL of your time.

Reading

My family loves books! We started reading to Baby L when she was 4 months old. She loved to follow the pictures and words so we added book time to her bedtime routine and she’s been in love with books ever since. Every morning we read her favorite books and go over her favorite pictures.

I add reading/books in our one on one playtime and she plays with books for her independent time too!

Favorite Books:

Playdoh

I wasn’t always a fan of playdoh. When I was a teacher for 2-year-olds, all my kids did was eat and throw playdoh at each other.

So when I had my daughter, I swore I wouldn’t let her play with playdoh!

But we recently went away with the in-laws and my mother in law gave Baby L some playdoh to play with. She had so much fun!

So my heart has been melted and now I’m back on the playdoh train.

She only plays with it during our one on one playtime and not during independent play. I’m sure once Baby L gets older, she’ll be able to handle the playdoh by herself 🙂

These are our favorite Playdoh accessories:

Coloring

I love color time! We use a variety of different materials during our coloring time.

When Baby L was under 2, we bought her the Color Wonder Mess Free markers and coloring book so if she colored on the table or her clothes it wouldn’t show up.

You can find those materials here:

It’s seriously a gift from God to parents!

Now we use washable markers, coloring pencils, and crayons. Each week I’ll try to do a fun coloring activity to change it up a bit. This week we colored huge Disney Princess floor coloring sheets. Last week I bought a cardboard house that we built that she had so much fun coloring all week.

As a stay at home mom, you gotta keep it interesting so the kids don’t get stir crazy and rob your sanity!

Water Play

Baby L LOVED playing in the water. We don’t have a backyard or water table so I fill up the bathroom sink with some water and create a “makeshift” water table.

I bought her a play sink and play dishes and she pretends to wash dishes and plays with the water.

It can get a little messy so I always put a towel on the floor!

Educational Toys

I absolutely LOVE educational toys! From old wooden ones to Vtech alphabet laptops—Baby L loves them all.

I like to have certain playtimes to be without electronic toys, so she can use her imagination and learn to play with things that don’t always light up and talk. (This playtime is usually before her nap)

But then there are other playtimes that we give her educational laptops and keyboards. (This is usually after her nap.)

I found from experience that toddlers respond best when you give them a few toys to play with and choose from—and not ALL of their toys.

If your toddler has TOO many toys at once, playtime can become overloaded and unproductive. But only giving your toddler a category of toys per playtime can be really beneficial!

Here are some of my favorite educational toys:

Wooden Train

Play Kitchens

Play “working stations”

Alphabet laptop

Vtech Learning Table

Play Piano

Grab your Free Toddler Morning Routine Printable!

Want to follow this awesome toddler morning routine?? Don’t forget to download the Free Toddler Morning Routine Printable! It includes a printable toddler routine PLUS a routine template for your to create our own!

So there you have it! By using these activities and routine, I was finally about to keep up with my vivacious toddler!

Now you can keep your toddler busy every morning with this perfect routine and fun activities.

You got this mama!

Wait! Do you love free printables??

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15 Yummy, Healthy Mom Snacks to Skyrocket Weight Loss

Mom Life

Inside: Losing weight as a mom is hard! Find out these simple, healthy mom snacks to drop pounds without dropping snacks!

There’s nothing better than sinking your teeth into a gooey chocolate chip cookie or getting a brain freeze from a caramel sundae.

I am in love with snacks—can you tell??

But it’s also impossible to lose those extra “mom pounds” while indulging in every snack you can get your hands on!

That’s why my solution is not to AVOID snacks. (That’s right, you read that correctly!)

The key to dropping pounds without dropping snacks is to eat the RIGHT snacks. It’s all about finding the right snacks to satisfy your sweet tooth without compromising your weight loss goals.

When I finally decided to stop making excuses and push myself to lose weight, I was devastated because I thought eating “healthy” was going to be miserable.

But then I found some awesome healthy mom snacks that are delicious! After I started eating these snacks, I fell in love with them and my cravings for the super sweet, 2,000 calorie snacks were dead and gone.

I eat these snacks almost every day and have lost almost 10 pounds within 3 weeks!

Not only are these snacks healthy and delicious, but they’re also cheap—thank God! Because let’s face it, us moms are on a budget 🙂

Excited at the thought of losing weight while eating snacks?? Me too!

15 Easy & Healthy Mom Snacks

Rice cake with peanut butter

Rice cakes are delicious! If you have a sweet tooth, they can be a little bland, but if you add some peanut butter or almond butter—they are delicious!

You can try the flavored rice cakes too—they have caramel, white cheddar, apple cinnamon, and so many more flavors!

Pepperoni slices & cheese

This is one of my favorite snacks! If you are on a low carb lifestyle this is a perfect snack. You can get creative with the different cheeses you eat too!

Frozen sugar-free cool whip

Grab a container of sugar-free or regular cool whip and freeze it. Now you have a low calorie, low carb dessert!

Almonds, dried cranberries, and drizzled agave

A delicious twist on trail mix. Add as many different nuts as you like and even add more of your favorite dried fruits.

Carrots and ranch dressing

This snack was suggested by one of my dear friends! She loves ranch dressing and it is her “cheat” snack.

Watermelon & berries with feta cheese

A fruit salad with a twist!

Watermelon and feta cheese are my new “must-have” snacks. This combo sounded gross but then I had it and it was so yummy!

I make a little fruit salad with watermelon, berries and throw in some feta cheese—bam, done!

BONUS: Free 25+ healthy snack ideas — drop pounds without dropping snacks! The ultimate list of healthy mom snacks – CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD NOW!

Yogurt with granola

This is one of the most popular healthy mom snacks. You can add nuts or vanilla granola to your yogurt to give it an extra kick.

Sugar-free jello with cool whip

Are you a jello fan?? Jello is an easy, quick, tasty snack. You can make your own or buy those little pre-packaged cups for when you’re on the go.

Add some cool whip and it becomes a delicious guilt-free dessert!

Dried fruit

Need a healthy mom snack for on the go? There are awesome options like dried mangos, dried strawberries, dried cranberries, dried blueberries and so many more.

Trader Joes is my go-to store for all dried fruit because they are affordable and all natural.

Air-popped popcorn

Popcorn is another really great healthy mom snack! Minus the excess butter J

The best, low-calorie popcorn is air-popped popcorn. You can buy kernels and pop them in an air popper or you can buy the oven ready kernels.

Fast, easy and affordable.

Olives, cherry tomatoes, and feta cheese

Are a fan of the Greek salad? This is a little twist on the Greek salad and it becomes a mid-day snack.

Throw some of your favorite olives in a bowl, add some cherry tomatoes and feta cheese and you have a yummy, healthy snack (or even a side dish)!

Luna Bar

Luna Bars are my absolute favorite on the go healthy mom snack. You can get each bar for about a dollar or even less when you catch them on sale.

They have the best flavors and are low carb. Plus Luna Bars are one of the lowest calorie “energy bars”.

My personal favorite is chocolate peppermint.

Guacamole and Sweet potato chips

Love chips and salsa? Me too!

Tortilla chips can be quite oily and fattening. But I love salsa and guac…

So, I bought some sweet potato chips and made some homemade guacamole and it was DELISH.

I didn’t think sweet potatoes and avocados mixed, but I was wrong!

Give this snack a try.

Mozzarella, tomatoes, & avocado salad

I love mozzarella cheese! I purchase mini mozzarella balls, cherry tomatoes, and then throw in some avocado and basil and it’s the perfect little healthy snack.

Broccoli salad

Sounds weird but it’s SO good! I put some broccoli and cheddar cheese in a bowl and drizzle some olive oil and red wine vinegar and it becomes a great healthy mom snack!

Not a fan of olive oil & vinegar? Add your favorite dressing!

Dark chocolate, hazelnuts & raspberries

Chocolate? Yes!

Hazelnuts? Yes!

Raspberries? Yes!

This snack is a gold star all around 🙂

Free List of 25+ Healthy Snack Ideas

Don’t forget to get even MORE snack ideas! Download this list of over 25 healthy snack ideas and never feel like you are unsatisfied with your snack options.

Is your stomach grumbling for these snacks? Mine is!

Just because you are living a healthy lifestyle doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy snacks. These snacks will help you lose weight while still satisfying your sweet tooth!

So, when I’m craving that gooey chocolate chip cookie, I throw some dark chocolate and granola in a bowl with some almond milk and I have my own version of cookies and milk. The best part is—I can eat this while still trying to lose weight!

Remember, don’t avoid snacks—eat the RIGHT snacks 🙂

Check out these other awesome mom life posts!

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Quick and Easy Snacks for the busy mom: healthy mom snacks — Quick and easy healthy mom snacks for the busy mom

7 Killer Mom Makeup Products: How to go from Boring to Confident

Mom Life

Inside: Want to look fabulous without wasting the whole morning doing your makeup? Go from drab to hot mama with these affordable mom makeup products!

I am the epitome of a low maintenance, busy mom.

I have zero makeup skills and envy those amazing moms who are able to transform their tired, baggy eyes into beautiful cat eyes with just a whip of eyeliner.

But just because you are a busy mom doesn’t mean you have to forfeit looking fabulous!

Mornings are so busy. Every second goes to dressing your children and making sure everything is done before you step your foot out of the door. You can easily forget to focus on YOU!

Trust me, I know…

The busyness of mom life is broadcasted all over my face. My eyes have dark circles, my skin is dry, and I don’t have that “mom glow” you see on Instagram moms.

But I didn’t have time to learn exquisite makeup skills and I didn’t have a ton of money to blow at Ulta or Sephora. All I had was 10 minutes every morning in the bathroom and $25. And you know what—I found a way to make it work!

I’m going to share with you how you can go from boring to fabulous with 7 products and $25! These mom makeup products are essential for everyday life.

Good news is– you don’t have to spend a ton of money and time to look and feel great. Get the quick pick-me-up you need with these mom makeup products!

Now, you don’t have to feel like a mess when you’re strolling through Target. You can look like a million bucks without having to spend a million bucks.

Score!

Let’s talk about these amazing makeup essentials!

7 Mom Makeup Products You Need

Mascara

Let’s face it, mascara is the quickest way to make your eyes pop. So, it’s the first of the mom makeup products you need.

And it seriously takes 1 minute to apply. If you find that some days you don’t have 10 minutes and only 1 minute—just apply mascara. It’ll help!

CoverGirl Lash Blast mascara is cheap and has the same ingredients as those expensive mascaras!

I’ve been using this mascara for 3 years and it’s been a dream. It’s waterproof, stays on all day (through spit ups and teary breakdowns), and is not clumpy.

It’s the best mascara I’ve tried—and I’ve used some mascara’s that were easily over $25 for a tube.

Highlighter

The second mom makeup product you need is highlighter!

Like I mentioned, I am makeup illiterate. I have no idea what half of the makeup products even do. To be honest, 6 months ago I had no idea what highlighter even was.

I saw it on sale one day for 2 bucks and decided to get it just to have it. Then I used it and it was a game changer!

Highlighter does just that, it highlights the area of your face with a shine. I am by no means a master at highlighting my face. My niece showed me a 25 minute video of a woman using highlighter all over her face to create a slimming effect.

This isn’t what I do because I have no idea how to do it nor do I have 25 minutes to apply just highlighter.

I simply take the highlighter and put it under my eyebrows, in a swoop around my temples, and on the tip of my nose. That’s it!

It takes 1 minute and I’m done!

This is the best highlighter that I’ve used. It’s affordable and does the job well! It’s a stick so you can apply it straight to your face or you can use your finger. (I usually use my finger because I’m lazy).

BONUS: Get the FREE Step by Step Makeup Routine that will make you look fabulous in less than 10 minutes! Find out how to use these exact products to feel confident and look great every day. I use this exact routine every morning and it’s a miracle! CLICK HERE TO GET IT NOW!

Eye shadow

The next mom makeup product you need is eye shadow. Eye shadow is great because it adds some color to your eye and takes less than a minute to apply.

Some moms don’t like eye shadow because they think they have to be a makeup expert to use it.

Here’s some good news: you don’t have to create the perfect smoky eye every day!

My favorite way to apply eye shadow is to sweep the lid with a light color (preferably one that has some shine) and then take a slightly darker color and apply it to the ends of my eye.

That’s it!

Blush

Don’t underestimate blush! Blush can give you that mom glow within 30 seconds.

If you aren’t a blush fan then you can swap out blush for highlighter and apply the highlighter to your cheekbones.

I’ve been using this blush for 4 years and it’s never failed me! It has a nice shine without being too glittery and it’s not too loose of a powder.

It’s also extremely affordable—which is a major plus!

Eyeliner

Oooo…eyeliner.

I know a lot of moms who shy away from eyeliner because it can be intimidating. I originally avoided eyeliner because I couldn’t make a straight line or make the lines match on both eyes.

And honestly, I was too lazy to try. But all it took was some practice and getting used to.

One night after the family was sleeping I took 30 minutes to practice. I used 5 makeup remover wipes and about 25 Q-tips but I was ultimately successful!

Do not be intimidated by eyeliner:

Don’t worry about your lines looking perfect
Your lines will not match perfectly all the time
Try and then try again!

I use 2 different eyeliners, depending on the day. I have an eyeliner pencil that I use when I only have 5 minutes. This pencil is the best because the lines aren’t supposed to look perfect! It’s super forgiving.

Then I have this liquid eyeliner when I want to look a little fancier. It gives you that classic “Amy Winehouse look” with a pristine line.

Lip Gloss/Lipstick

The fifth mom makeup product to help make you look fabulous is lipstick or lip gloss. Having something on your lips instantly makes you look fresh and put together—the ultimate mom goal!

Every woman has their own lip gloss and lipstick preference, as there are millions of colors and brands to choose from. But my advice is to spend 5 minutes in a local beauty store and try on different colors. Then take note of the colors that look good on you!

Now you have a list of colors and shades that you know you love and you can try to purchase those colors at a more affordable cost.

Because as much I love Sephora, the reality is, I can’t always spend $20 on one lipstick.

Here are some of my favorite, affordable lip glosses and lipsticks:

Cover Up

I added cover-up to the list of mom makeup products that you need – but only as an honorable mention.

You can perfectly rock a glamorous look without the use of cover-up. But I know some moms who are a little self-conscious about blemishes so the easiest way to feel confident is to add some cover-up.

Cover-up can consist of a coverup stick, concealer or foundation. I am terrified to apply foundation because my skin is as sensitive as a baby’s bottom so I just use a cover-up stick on the blemishes that I find on my face. Then I use a light powder all over my face to blend in the cover-up stick.

Voila! Done!

It seriously takes me less than 2 minutes.

But if you on the go and don’t really care about little blemishes, you can just use the other mom makeup products I mentioned and you’ll still look fabulous 🙂

Additional Mom Makeup Products

It’s reaalllyyy hard to just narrow makeup essentials down to 7 products so I made this list of other beauty products that will help you achieve your mom glow in the easiest way possible!

Makeup Remover Wipes
Face Lotion
Eyeshadow Brush
Blush Brush
Lip pencil

FREE Printable 10 Minute Easy Make Up Routine!

Take the overwhelm out of looking fabulous! Feel confident & look great in under 10 minutes with this FREE step by step easy makeup routine that is specifically designed for busy moms. Get the instant downloadable Mom Makeup Routine now!

Remember, just because you are a busy mom (or even a low maintenance mom), it doesn’t mean you can’t look fabulous!

Let’s recap the 7 mom makeup products to help you achieve the perfect mom glow with less than $20:
Mascara

Highlighter
Eye shadow
Blush
Eyeliner
Lip gloss/lipstick
Lip pencil

Say goodbye to those weary, baggy eyes and hello to a glamorous version of yourself….even if you are the epitome of a low maintenance, busy mom – like me!

Now you can stroll through Target like it’s your runway 🙂

Wait! Do you love free printables??

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The Best Prime Day Deals for Moms

Mom Life

Inside: Looking to score the best Prime Day deals for mom to make life easier? This is the ultimate Prime Day Cheatsheet—Parenthood Edition to help you score the best baby deals and save hundreds!

Cue the music– “It’s the most wonderful time of the year”…uh oh, but it’s not Christmas…

It’s Amazon Prime Day — basically Christmas in July!

Let’s face it, kid stuff is expensive. Strollers, highchairs, changing tables, car seats, diapers, and clothes. The list can go on and on. Babies can cost a pretty penny!

But Prime Day is here to save the day! Stock up on epic mom & kid products — without breaking the bank.

In order to snag these great deals, you want to be prepared and know WHEN to find the deals. With thousands of items on sale, it’s easy to get lost in the shuffle.

Enter this life-saving post!

Right here, I’ll be posting live updates to the best Prime Day deals for mom & baby (plus deals on products that make parenting a breeze!)

Below, I will outline the best deals on:

children essentials,
household products,
pregnancy products,
baby gear,
everyday products to make mom life easier

This post contains affiliate links. Any purchases you make through these links, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you! Mastering Mom life is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please view Mastering Mom Life’s Terms, Disclosure & Disclaimer Policy and Privacy Policy. I wholeheartedly believe in all of the products I recommend and use them all!

But first…What is Amazon Prime Day

Amazon Prime Day is a GINORMOUS sale on Amazon that happens once a year. It’s even bigger than Black Friday on Amazon. Only you don’t have to go anywhere or wait in line! You can score these deals while sitting in your jammies in the comfort of your living room.

Amazon Prime Day this year is on July 15 & 16^th. It’s the first year that the sale is a complete 48 hours! It starts on July 15th at 12 midnight PT.

Let’s start saving money!

Don’t Forget to Become a Prime Member

Prime Day is a way of Amazon saying thank you to its Prime members, so in order to get in on these sweet deals, you’re going to want to become a Prime Member!

Mom Hack: You can easily become a Prime member for FREE and take advantage of Prime Day, without spending a penny on membership! Free is always my favorite price 🙂 Just cancel anytime within your trial period if you find Amazon isn’t the right fit for you.

BONUS: Get up to $25 when you sign in and shop in the Amazon App! The credit gets applied to a future Amazon purchase. ($10 for first sign in to the app, $10 for the first purchase, and $5 for the first camera and Alexa use)

Pro tip: Bookmark this page

This post is your Prime Day Cheatsheet, Parenthood edition!

To help you grab ALL of the deals that you are interested in, I created a COMPLETE list of Prime Day deals all related to parenting.

Note: Be sure to note THE TIMES I have listed below outlining WHEN an item is on sale and when the sale ends. You can also watch the deals you are interested by adding the item to your wishlist or click “watch this deal”.

Best Prime Day Deals for Mom & Baby!

These items are on sale during Amazon Prime Day 2019 on July 15 & 16^th at the times listed (be sure to make note of the date & time of the deals):

For Baby

Carseats & Strollers (Travel)

~~Graco Landmark 3 in 1 Car Seat ($80 off)~~
~~Graco SnugRide SnugLock Car Seat~~
~~Graco Sense2Soothe Swing with Cry Detection~~
~~Skip Hop Tropical Baby Activity Gym Mat~~
~~BABYBJORN Baby Carrier~~
~~Maxi Cozi Car Seats (30% off)~~
~~Maclaren Quest Stroller, light, compact~~
~~Emmzoe Universal Stroller Organizer~~
~~Sit Along Toddler Luggage Seat~~

Feeding/Pacifiers

~~MAM Pacifiers~~ ~~(breastfeeding pacifiers, newborn pacifiers)~~
~~Dr. Brown’s Original Wide Neck Nipples (Level 2)~~
~~Sunpow Diaper Bag Bookbag~~
~~Nuby Comfort Silicone Bottle~~
~~Baby Food Maker, Nuby Fresh Mighty Blender with Cookbook, 22 piece~~

Nursery

~~Baby Canopy Crib Cover Safety Pop Up Tent~~
~~Baby Video Monitor with Large LCD Screen & Night Vision~~
~~Waterproof Hypoallergenic Crib Mattress Protector (Zip & Block) Bug Proof~~
~~Aurora Light & Sleep Sound Machine~~
~~Pure Guardian Ultrasonic Warm & Cool Humidifier~~
~~SoundBub White Noise Machine & Bluetooth Speaker~~
~~Toddler Bed Rail Guard, Universal Fit~~

Accessories

~~CUTESAFETY Childproof safety locks for cabinets~~
~~Little Martin’s Baby Nail Trimmer Set: Safe Electric Nail Clippers Set~~
~~BABYBJORN Smart Potty~~

For Kids

~~Children’s Roller Skates: Adjustable, Indoor & Outdoor Sizes 12-3~~
~~JoJo 2-Wheel Aluminum Scooter~~
~~Little Tikes Princess Horse & Carriage Ride-On~~
~~Paw Patrol Might Pup Cruiser Transforming Vehicle~~
~~Little Tikes Lady Bug Ride-On Car~~
K~~ids Carpet~~ ~~Playmat Rug for Cars & Toys~~
~~Littlest Pet Shop Prep n Party Double Playset Toy~~

For Mom

Home & Kitchen

~~Instant Pot Smart Wifi Electric Pressure Cooker with Echo Dot (60% off)~~
~~Crockpot 6 qt Slow Cooker~~
~~Hoover SmartWash Automatic Carpet Cleaner~~
~~Keurig K-Mini Single Serve Coffee Maker with coffee pods (37% 0ff)~~
~~Better Homes & Garden 1 Year Subscription (90% off)~~
~~Rachel Ray Jumbo ChillOut Thermal Cooler XL: insulated for grocery shopping or transporting hot/cold food (35% off)~~
~~Chefman Air Fryer + Rotisserie + Dehydrator XL Family Size~~

~~Good Housekeeping Kids Cook Cookbook Hardcover (56% off)~~
~~Flameless Candles Battery Operated and Remote Control with Gold Rim Pack of 3~~

Beauty

~~Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder (2 count)~~

Other Prime Day deals I think are awesome:

~~Instant Pot Multi-use Pressure Cooker~~

~~HP Chromebook 14-inch Laptop with 180 degree hinge (40% off!)~~

~~Cricut Air 2 Fuschia Bundle (30% off)~~

Don’t miss out on any of the best Prime Day deals for mom and BOOKMARK this page so you can keep coming back to it!!

Happy shopping & saving money!

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20 Brilliant Sesame Place Tips You Need to Know

Family Travel

Inside: Visiting Sesame Place? Find out the 20 brilliant Sesame Place tips to save money, avoid the crowds, and have an awesome family fun day!

Are your kids crawling up your leg in boredom begging to go on vacation? Looking for a family friendly, low-cost destination is not an easy task!

I was pulling my hair out trying to think of a place I can take my family that didn’t cost me an arm and a leg.

But luckily, Elmo came to the rescue– hello 123 Sesame Street!

Sesame Place, located in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, is a great family theme park that is budget-friendly and can cater to everyone in your family. It’s a half water park and half amusement park, so you can enjoy the water in the heat and then dry off while hitting the rides!

If you’re looking to take your family on vacation or out for a family fun day and are thinking about a trip to Sesame Place, here are 20 brilliant tips to help you save money, avoid crowds, and make the most out of your day.

After these tips, you’ll be a pro on Sesame Street like Elmo!

20 Awesome Sesame Street Tips & Hacks

This was our family’s first trip to Sesame Place. We took my daughter to Sea World in Orlando for the grand opening of Sesame Street and she had a blast. But another trip to Florida from New York is out of our budget so I was bummed.

I was on the Sea World site looking for discounts when I saw the Sesame Place icon at the bottom of the page. My heart leaped! I completely forgot there was a Sesame Place!

Not only that, but it’s in Pennsylvania and was only 2 hours from us! So, I bought the tickets on sale and we ventured to Sesame Place for the first time.

Here are the secret tips that I learned!

How to score deals on tickets

If you were to walk up to Sesame Place right now and buy a ticket at the gate, you would get sticker shocked. Let’s be honest, no one is paying $80 to visit a baby park for one day.

The good news is, with the right research, you can score great deals on tickets that can easily save you hundreds of dollars!

First, take a look at the Sesame Place website. On the homepage, you’ll see different sales and promotional discounts. For more details, you can browse the Tickets & Passes page.

The only reason why we decided to take our first trip to Sesame Place is because we found a great ticket on the Sesame Place website. They were running an extremely affordable deal on a 2-day ticket for only $47.99. I saved $56 per ticker– score!

Sesame Place Tip 1: To stay in the loop with sales on tickets, you can sign up to receive emails too.

Don’t sleep on Groupon

Groupon runs deals on Sesame Place tickets too! Last week I saw a Groupon for a 2-day ticket with a free meal each day for only $69. That’s less than $30 a day!

If you are on a budget, I highly recommend for you to plan a Sesame Place visit around discounted tickets. If you’re solely visiting Sesame Place, I wouldn’t recommend booking a hotel before buying your tickets. Ticket sales change from week to week.

Don’t pay full price if you are flexible with dates. You may be able to find a cheaper ticket!

Season Pass Option

If you are planning on visiting Sesame place for 3-4 times before the year ends, consider a Season Pass. There are different pass tiers with different costs. Research your best options before purchasing your day tickets. You can also upgrade your day ticket to a season pass at any point!

Age matters

Sesame Place Tip 2: The second part of scoring good tickets is to know how many tickets you need.

Most theme parks (Like Disney World and SeaWorld) consider children’s tickets to start at the age of 3. Which means if your child is younger than 2 years and 23 months, then they are free.

Sesame Place has a different ticket policy. Children 2 and over have to pay for a ticket. Your child is free if they are 23 months or younger.

This was my first time ever paying for my daughter to enter a theme park. It hit me like a punch to the gut. Paying $50 for my 2 year old to run around and then nap? I thought it was a waste of money.

But Sesame Place is literally a theme park for kids. It caters to babies, toddlers, and children. I took a gamble by buying Baby L a ticket and I’m so glad that I did because she’s never had so much fun at a park before.

At sesame place, the park is dedicated to the little ones. So the cost was worth it for us, especially since we got that sweet deal 🙂

Day trip or mini vacay?

Sesame Place is conveniently located right outside of Philadelphia, PA. It’s about 2 hours from New York City.

Sesame Place Tip 3: If you live within a 2-hour distance from Sesame Place, then a day trip is more than possible.

Which can save you money on a hotel!

You can also go for a mini vacation and stay for 2 days and just book a room for one night, saving you on a flight to a vacation destination.

We planned to visit Sesame Place on a Sunday and left at 8:00 am. We stopped for a quick breakfast (no one like a grumpy, hangry toddler sitting in a car seat for 2 hours), and then went on our way.

We arrived at 9:45, just in time for the park opening at 10:00 am. We left at 6:30 pm and arrived back home at 8:45 pm. It was a great family fun day that felt like a mini vacation!

What to Bring

What do I need to bring? The age old family vacation question!

Sesame Place Tip 4: Pack the right items on your bag!

Don’t worry, I created a COMPLETE Sesame Place essentials checklist for you! I used this list when I packed for our trip and it was a lifesaver. I had everything that we needed and didn’t have to spend money on purchasing anything in the park.

Sesame Place is a water park and kiddie amusement park so you’ll need a couple of different things for a successful day.

In the Sesame Place Essentials Packing Checklist, I have a list of things you need for the water park and a list of things you need for the amusement park. It’s the perfect Sesame Place packing list from A to Z.

Get it now!

When to arrive

Summer = No school = A lot of People

The absolute best thing to do is to arrive when the park opens. Luckily, the park doesn’t open too early where you’ll be up at the crack of dawn.

Plan to arrive at the park 15 minutes before the park opens. Thankfully the parking isn’t like Disney where you have to take tram to the park entrance.

The Sesame Place entrance is literally right in front of the parking lot. You have to cross a street, but the pathway across the street is very wide and safe for park goers (and babies!).

If you arrive early, you can park in the front rows of the lot and are right in front of the park entrance. This is especially handy if you need to access your car throughout the day to drop bags off.

Sesame Place Tip 5: To save money on food, you can pack a cooler in your car with drinks and sandwiches and take a trip to your car for a half hour. If you arrived early and got a good spot then you’ll only have to walk 5 minutes to your car to grab a quick bite!

Also, at prime lunch hours, the eateries are jampacked. You can easily spend an hour waiting in line for your food. If you pack some food in your care you can save that time by exiting the park to eat in your car and then entering the park again to hit your favorite rides while people are in line and eating.

You save money and save time!

Where to Eat

One of the best Sesame place tips is regarding food…

Sesame Place is not the biggest of theme parks, therefore there aren’t many eateries. There are 2 main eatery locations which are indoors (hello AC!). One is Cookie Monster Cafe and the other is Elmo.

Then there are a couple of outdoor cafes that are open during the Summer. One of Abby’s located near the wave pool and lazy river and the other is Oscars, also located in the water park side of the park.

Sesame Place Tip 6: Eat at off hours! Don’t eat lunch at 12. Consider eating an early lunch or a late lunch. Avoid the busy eateries from 12-1:30 pm. We did now know this and learned the hard way that it would take 1 hour to receive our food.

Don’t make our mistakes!

Food you can bring with you

Sesame Place Tip 7: You can also bring in snacks with you in the park & mini soft coolers are allowed.

So you can pack cans of soda, juice boxes, and snacks for your family! I don’t think you can bring in full meals and fully prepared big sandwiches but you can definitely bring in smaller items.

(Even though I didn’t see them thoroughly checking the coolers and bags).

This can save you a ton of money!

How to plan your day

Another popular question is: do I start with wet rides or dry rides?

It depends on your family’s preference and your children’s overall schedule!

I’m definitely a planner so I like to have an overall game plan when we go to theme parks. But Sesame place is a lot smaller than your average theme park so I suggest to have an overall plan but also to go with the flow of the day.

Here’s what we did and it worked amazingly:

7:45 am: We hit the road and had breakfast on the road on the way to Sesame Place
9:45 am: Got a good parking spot, entered the park waiting for it to open.
10:00 am: Entered the park and put on our bathing suits/sunscreen to hit the waterside first. We had 2 hours of water fun!
12:00 pm: Changed to dry clothes to eat lunch
12:30 pm: Ate lunch
1:00 pm: Went on rides and went to character meet and greets
3:00 pm: Parade (we started waiting for the parade at 2:45 to get a good spot)
3:30 pm: Changed into a fresh bathing suit for some more water fun while the sun was at its hottest (played in the Count’s Water House)
5:00 pm: Had a snack and winded down
5:30 pm: Changed to fresh clothes for the trip home. Shopped around the stores
6:00 pm: Exited the park
6:30 pm: Before hitting the road, we stopped at an outside fast food restaurant because it was cheaper to have a meal outside of the park at this time. Outside of the park, there is a Chick-fil-a, Wawa, Burger King, Salad Works, and couple of more eateries.

Sesame Place Tip 8: Plan your day around what you want to accomplish! Check out the guide to see when your favorite characters are out to take pictures and meet the kiddies. There are also some pretty fun shows!

If you have older kids who like the roller coasters, you can hit the big coasters in the morning first to avoid long lines and then hit the popular water rides. I saw a lot of families who stayed in their bathing suit all day and never changed too.

Do what is best for your family!

Secure your valuables

Because most of the park is water, you’ll have to leave your bags and stroller by the chairs. Don’t leave your valuables in your unattended bags!

Sesame Place Tip 9: get a waterproof necklace case.

We purchased this waterproof case necklace and were able to take our phones and credit cards/cash with us at all times. We left our bags and stroller on our chair but it only had our snacks and clothes, nothing super valuable.

You can also rent a locker in the front of the park for $15-$20 but since we were trying to keep this a budget-friendly trip, we opted out of the locker and just bought the waterproof necklaces.

You find the waterproof necklace pouch here for a great price!

BONUS: Don’t forget to grab your copy of the Free Sesame Place Packing Checklist so you can be sure to pack everything you need for the day! Click here to get it NOW!

Camera ready

Sesame Place has a photo pass where you can purchase the prints or download of the professional cameras at the character meet and greets but if you aren’t keen on spending $20 for a photo print, be sure to snap a picture of your little one with Elmo on your phone.

Sesame Place is a GREAT photo op theme park. Everything is very Instagram worthy! From the cute character shaped bushes to the street signs.

Sesame Place Tip 10: Always make sure to have your camera ready to get that priceless photo of your kiddo in front of the 123 Sesame Street Door!

Stroller or no stroller?

Sesame Place Tip 11: beware of strollers galore.

Sesame Place is about the only place that I ever said to myself “I could have kept the stroller in the car”. My daughter is 2 and DID NOT want to be confined to her stroller. She had no problem running from ride to ride and pool and pool. We basically pushed around an empty stroller all day. She didn’t want to miss a thing!

We left the stroller in the car for the first half of the day when we were in the water side and then went to the car to get the stroller around 12. (See, parking close came in handy!)

My daughter usually naps from 12-2 but even though she was pooped from the water rides, she was fighting that nap tooth and nail.

She got really exhausted after her second round of water rides and then willingly sat in the stroller and napped. It was only for a half hour but she needed it! So, the stroller definitely came in handy in the late afternoon.

But if you have older kiddo’s, maybe they won’t need the stroller at all.

There were 3 stores where strollers were prohibited, so you’d have to park it somewhere for most of the day anyway.

You are permitted to bring in stroller wagons! So if your kids prefer to sit and nap in those, go ahead and bring it!

Kiddie approved entertainment

Sesame Place is FILLED with entertainment designed just for kids. It’s kind of amazing! Be sure to try to catch the parade (there’s usually one in the afternoon and evening), and try to get to a show or meet a character!

If you want to kill 2 birds with one stone, schedule an Elmo character breakfast and then you can eat AND meet Elmo and his friends!

Bonus Sesame Place tips: Know before you go

Here are some more bonus Sesame Place tips and secret hacks…

Parking:

As of right now (June of 2019) general parking is $23.

The best bathrooms/changing rooms:

Since Sesame Place is little kid central, they have amazing bathroom amenities. Seriously, I was blown away.

Here’s my quick list of bathroom details—

The bathrooms next to Snuffy’s Sweet Treats have changing rooms (with a bench), changing tables, kid toilets, regular size toilets, and extra-large family bathrooms.

The bathroom’s in front of Count’s Splash Castle have regular bathrooms, changing rooms, changing tables, and shower stalls.

Abby’s Magic Queue:

This is Sesame Place’s version of Disney’s Fast Pass or Universal’s Express Pass. It’s a paid feature where you skip to the front of the line. It’s about $30 per person for the day.

Upgrade tickets:

If you only paid for a day ticket and realized that you want to visit again, don’t forget that you can upgrade your park ticket at any time! Just visit the Guest Relations Desk in front of the park.

Refillable cups:

You will see Coke machines around the park that you can refill your cups with. Sesame Place sells Season long refillable cups and popcorn buckets. We paid $9 for a refillable popcorn bucket and got free popcorn refills all day. The regular popcorn bag costs $4.99 so we got our money’s worth after 1 refill!

If you aren’t a soda drinker, don’t forget to bring refillable water bottles and you can fill up your bottles with free ice water. It’ll save you money!

Family care station:

There is a family care station that has anything you need for your children, including nursing stations, bottle warming, and where to go for lost children (yikes!. Be sure to locate it next to Cookie’s Café,

Phone charger

As I mentioned, Sesame Place is a dream come true for picture lovers! Be sure to have a portable charger on hand in case your phone runs out of battery. Recording the parade alone brought down my battery 20%!

(Don’t forget to read my post about what to bring on your trip to Sesame Place! Find out how to pack the perfect bag!)

Secure your chair early:

Sesame Place has awesome lounge chairs throughout the park. They get taken pretty quick. If you arrive when the park opens, be sure to secure chairs in your favorite location. It’ll help to have a relaxing place to kick back when you’re tired and want to rest your legs!

Skip the fancy shoes:

Water shoes or sandals are the way to go! Since the whole park is practically water-related, everyone is walking around barefoot, stepping on the scorching pavement or in sandals or water shoes.

Free Ultimate Sesame Place Packing Checklist!

One of the greatest Sesame Place tips I can tell you is to make sure to pack everything you need! To help you accomplish the perfect park bag, grab your FREE Sesame Place Essentials Packing Checklist! It’s a downloadable printable so you can make sure to pack all of the essentials for the day. Don’t waste money on items that you could have packed!

Get the free checklist now!

I hope I was able to help you feel prepared for your trip with these Sesame Place tips! Family trips and getaways are so important and finding a family orientated, budget-friendly location is golden.

Now you can visit a great family theme park without wanting to pull your hair out!

Score!

Have any other tips? Feel free to let us know in the comments below!

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20 Awesome Sesame Street Tips & Hacks

How to score deals on tickets

Don’t sleep on Groupon

Season Pass Option

Age matters

Day trip or mini vacay?

What to Bring

When to arrive

Where to Eat

Food you can bring with you

How to plan your day

Here’s what we did and it worked amazingly:

Secure your valuables

Camera ready

Stroller or no stroller?

Kiddie approved entertainment

Bonus Sesame Place tips: Know before you go

Free Ultimate Sesame Place Packing Checklist!