The 5 Best Easels For Toddlers

All children are artists, and by the time your baby is a toddler they are ready to try their hands at drawing, painting, and more. The best easels for toddlers offer at least two ways for your little one to color or play for maximum versatility. They'll also come in the size you need to work with your space.

Easels for toddlers come in either tabletop designs or those that stand on their own. A tabletop version is more affordable, portable, and easier to store, but they are smaller so there's less of a canvas for your little one to work on. An easel stand gives toddlers more space to be creative, and these typically are double-sided so they can accommodate two small artists. Look for one with handy bins or a tray to hold crayons, paints, and more. Keep in mind you’ll need to set aside dedicated space for these larger, stand-alone models. Fortunately, some are foldable to help with storage. It’s also worth noting that most easels made with toddlers in mind are suitable for ages 3 and up because they contain small parts, but I made sure to include a great pick for smaller toddlers, as well.

Painting may be the first thing that comes to mind with easels, but those made for toddlers usually offer other ways to spark creativity. Chalkboard or dry erase surfaces are easier for beginning artists who are just learning to draw or color. Magnetic surfaces offer a mess-free way to practice recognizing letters or animals with fun magnets. A quick note on easel frame materials: they’re usually made of wood or plastic; both are durable, but keep in mind that while wood makes an attractive option, it can be easily stained while plastic easily wipes down.

Now, here are the five best easels for toddlers, plus a few nice-to-have accessories for your budding artist.

1. A High-Quality Tabletop Easel For Toddlers

• Dimensions: 15.4 x 10.2 x 11.9 inches (length by width by height)

The best tabletop easel for toddlers is attractive, practical, and highly rated with over 1,000 reviews. The stability of this sturdy wooden pick’s design stood out amid other tabletop easels, and its compact size is a great starter easel, especially if you don’t want to give up a corner of your living room to more kid gear.

This foldable easel features a magnetic board with a dry-erase side and a chalkboard side; plus, you can pull a paper roll over the board (a starter paper roll comes with it, though there's no clip to secure it. The recommended age is three and up and toddlers can have fun arranging the included accessories: wooden magnetic letters of the alphabet and numbers, as well as 25 wooden magnetic shape blocks that come with 20 pattern ideas on cards. Conveniently, this kit also comes with a dry-erase pen and eraser and a drawstring bag to store small pieces.

A helpful review: “I was pleasantly surprised by the size of this easel! [...] The board itself is very easy to switch from whiteboard to chalk since it just has to be slid in, out, and flipped. [...] We've been going over the alphabet, numbers, shapes, colors, he can practice writing, and also just play w/the magnets! I've also let him draw freely on it because it also has a paper roll! This is a toy that is going to last us for a while with many purposes and is definitely worth it.”

2. An Award-Winning Easel Stand That Grows With Your Toddler

• Dimensions: 17.7 x 21.85 x 43.5 inches (length by width by height)

This standalone easel for toddlers is one they can use to draw or paint on from age 3 all the way to 8, thanks to its adjustable height (from 37.5 to 43.5 inches) and multi-purpose surfaces that make it comfortable and intriguing for your toddler as they grow. The double-sided easel features a blackboard for chalk and a magnetic whiteboard for dry erasers, plus a paper roll that is easily pulled down over the easel and secured via screw-down clamps.

With over 4,000 reviews and a 4.7-star rating on Amazon, there's a lot to love about this kid's easel. Its design allows two kiddos to color and play together, which is especially convenient for siblings or playdates. A storage tray on the easel holds their tools, and it comes with three color-coded sealable paint pots and a starter paper roll. This pick is the recipient of the 2014 Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Seal Award.

Keep in mind you’ll want to commit to finding a dedicated home for this one since it doesn't fold away for storage, but your toddler will love the accessibility for play and you'll love the beautiful wood finish that blends in easily with home decor.

If you're searching for a similar adjustable wooden easel that your two-year-old can enjoy, this pick is shorter in height and comes with numerous accessories.

A helpful review: “I checked out a bunch of these but they were all missing a different feature that I wanted. This had everything and it's adjustable. Totally worth spending a little extra. My daughter loves it. It's built solid and stands sturdy. [...] You'll want to order an extra roll of paper as this only comes with what seems to be starter roll."

3. An Easel That Converts To A Desk

• Dimensions: 29 x 23.75 x 26 inches (length by width by height); stool is 11.75 inches tall

Here's an easel that converts to a desk for a one-stop entertainment center for arts and crafts with lots of built-in storage. Designed for ages 2 to 8, your toddler can spend hours creating art in this special space.

This pick, with a 4.7-star rating and over 1,500 reviews, can be used as a standing easel or as a desk surface with a matching plastic stool. The easel surface is a magnetic dry-erase board that also comes with an art clip to secure paper for drawing or painting, though paper is not included with this pick. Though not foldable for storage, the multiple bins, tray, and caddies built into this easel-desk combo hold art and craft supplies, coloring books, paper, and other supplies all in one easily accessible spot for both your and your toddler. Keep in mind you'll need to fill those bins with supplies since accessories are not included.

A helpful review: “It is one of the best purchases I have ever made for my three year old. She loves everything to do with art and it keeps all of her supplies in [one] convenient place. She loves that she can reach everything herself and spends hours coloring and drawing on the desk. She loves to use the easel for painting and practicing her numbers and letters on the magnetic whiteboard. I like how sturdy it is and that it is big enough for my daughter and [...] son to work on together.”

4. A Foldable Easel Stand For Easier Storage

• Dimensions: 27.2 x 27.8 x 44.1 inches (length by width by height)

A foldable easel stand gives your toddler plenty of room to color but also is convenient to stow away when not in use. This one is designed for kids ages 3 and up, who can use both magnetic sides of the board at the same time to draw on a white or blackboard with dry-erase markers or dry-erase crayons.

A large clip on each side of the board can also be used to hold any paper in place to draw or paint, though the paper isn't provided. A tray wraps around all four sides of the easel to hold art supplies. With the easel, you'll get 32 magnetic letters, four dry-erase crayons, an eraser cloth, a sticker sheet, and three magnetic toy gears.

A helpful review: "Very sturdy two sides two children can play with it at the same time love the little shelves around it for crayons markers toys [etc]."

5. This Affordable Tabletop Easel Under $20

• Dimensions: 12.5 x 12.5 x 16 inches (length by width by height)

For an affordable tabletop easel that you won't lose sleep over if it gets banged up or dirty, this one is highly rated with over 2,500 reviews. And you'll love how lightweight and simple it is; it folds completely flat to store or tote anywhere you need it.

Though made of cardboard and not as durable as other wooden and plastic easels, this pick features two magnetic whiteboard sides for drawing with dry-erase markers. This tabletop easel is suitable for ages 3 and up. You might even find yourself borrowing it for jotting down a to-do list. I

f you prefer a paper tabletop easel, this one comes with two pads for countless hours of creativity.

A helpful review: “High-quality collapsible easel that works as magnetic or whiteboard. Easy to clean and sturdy for toddler use. Folds down flat for easy transport.”

Also Great: A Mess-Free Coloring Tablet To Take Anywhere

• Dimensions: 9.8 x 6.9 x 0.24 inches (length by width by height)

This toddler writing tablet is a bit of a cult favorite with over 11,000 reviews, and it's easy to see why: it's lightweight so you can take it anywhere — like to a restaurant or on a road trip — and it's completely mess-free.

Like a reusable doodle pad, this one-sided plastic tablet will entertain your toddler, and it's slim enough to fit in your bag. The attached pen won't get lost, and your toddler will love using it to create multi-colored lines on the board (more pressure creates thicker lines). Just push a button to erase a drawing for a blank slate. This pick comes in four colors, including yellow and blue.

A helpful review: “Amazing!! My toddler absolutely loves it. It’s small and portable and a wonderful distraction during a road trip or pretty much anything!! Definitely recommend to any parent looking for a great, mess-free drawing board!”

Nice To Have: Refillable Paper Rolls

Go ahead and stock your toddler's new art space with this set of easel paper rolls, and your little one will be set for creating art with paint, pencils, markers, and crayons for a while. Each of the three rolls fits standard easels and holds 25 yards of heavyweight white bond paper.

A helpful review: "This is good quality paper and can withstand excessive moisture with the paint. My little one likes to paint and while it's still wet, he may go back over the painted area with another color, most paper would tear at this point, but this paper does not. If you'll compare to individual sheets of paper for your little artist, this is a great deal and I like that you can adjust the size you want and tear, it cuts back on waste."

Also Nice: A Painting Smock

A durable easel will help keep colorful messes off your walls, and this toddler art smock will keep paint and stray marks off their clothes. It's made of machine-washable polyester with long sleeves designed to fit toddlers age 3 to 5. Three pockets on the front of the smock offer convenient spots to hold art supplies, and the back is adjustable with hook-and-loop closure. Choose one in your toddler's favorite color: yellow, red, blue, or pink.

A helpful review: "Best smock ever for my 3, almost 4 year old. He will be able to use this for at least another year! I love how the sleeves have the stretchy cuff to ensure a great fit and the Velcro in the back to hold the smock together is nice and strong!"

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Casual Sex Was A Pandemic Parenting Lifeline For Rebecca Woolf, A Single Mom

J was the last person I matched with before I deleted the apps from my phone. How do you date during a pandemic? And besides, I was already in love with someone else — a woman who lived on the other side of the country. I told him there was someone else when we matched, information he received eagerly, explaining that he was still hung up on his ex.

“I am nowhere near emotionally available right now,” he wrote.

“Great,” I replied. “Same here.”

We exchanged numbers and made plans to meet.

Hooking up with strangers in a pandemic is understandably frowned upon. For single parents, there’s even greater risk: Not only are we putting ourselves in jeopardy by connecting with others in person, we are putting our children at risk as well. To complicate matters even more, I am a widow and my children’s only surviving parent. That means: one, I can’t die; and two, I have been with my kids, who range in age from nine to 15, nearly every waking moment since March.

I expected that parenting during COVID was going to be intense, which is why I ended a serious relationship at the start of quarantine. I didn’t have the emotional capacity to be a girlfriend as well as the mother of four children while simultaneously working from home with zero alone time. But maintaining a serious, in-person relationship and needing intimate physical contact with another adult are two very different things. I knew that to preserve my sanity, I needed to find a person.Someone I could trust and felt safe with, a sexual companion with few emotional demands.

J and I discussed this when we met for the first time. We agreed that, to keep each other safe, we’d stay monogamous, which was unusual for both of us. The logistics were simple: He was a single man who lived alone. I would come to him.

Maintaining a serious, in-person relationship and needing intimate physical contact with another adult are two very different things.

Our compatibility was the product of mutual need more than anything else. We were like two people who meet at a bar and know they will go home together but not spend the night. Together we would get each other through the long winter. Plug ourselves into one another’s bodies and feel a charge.

When I leave my kids to see him, I do not lie. I tell them where I’m going. They know who he is and have seen pictures. They know his story and various details about his life.

Since their father died, I have been transparent about who I’m dating, but I’ve kept more casual interactions to myself. In this case, I am candid and unapologetic, but I am also their mother.

“I need this,” I tell them. “But if you need me, my phone is always on and within reach.”

He lives 15 minutes away, and because his house is the only other place I really go besides the grocery store, my car automatically draws a map between our homes the moment I turn on the engine.

We do not see each other daily. More like a few times a week. I park behind his car in the driveway and whisper knock knock knock against the door until it unlocks. Sometimes I see him in the afternoon. Other times, we do evenings after I feed my kids dinner.

“Come,” he says, holding my hand through the hallway. “And don’t forget to turn up the ringer on your phone.”

He knows that I have left my kids to be with him. He knows that even when I’m here, I’m on call. He knows what I will leave and go home to a life where he will not so much as attempt to belong.

Being with him is like leaving one island for another. Except when I’m with him, on his island, I feel free.

I dress up for our first few in-home dates. I put on my good jeans and do the thing where you scrunch your hair on the bottom. I straighten my bangs, wear lingerie. He is cooking for me, after all. Big, beautiful meals we eat by candlelight in the dining room, like we are something other than the nothing we agreed upon.

In his bedroom, we take off our masks. “Spit in my mouth,” I say, as if germs have become my kink. Is this what happens when you can’t kiss or hug your friends?

In the beginning, the point was to make each other come and let each other go. To remind each other, amid the purgatory of COVID, that we were still alive. Just a couple of strangers closing each other’s eyes as the world caved in.

Being with him is like leaving one island for another. Except when I’m with him, on his island, I feel free.

Over time it has become something else. I guess when you have gone weeks and then months without touching another adult, a connection cannot help but form, a bond that doesn’t know it's circumstantial.

There is an urgency to our exchanges that reminds me of an affair, but the point isn’t risk or transgression. It’s that after months of isolation, we each glimpsed another person through a space in the trees. Crawling into his bed and pushing our bodies against each other is like remembering our own kind.

We are not together but he is, in this very specific way, all I have.

One night, while lying there in a heap, he takes off one of his bracelets and puts in on my wrist. “Here,” he says, and I swoon like we’re teens at summer camp. Like this means something, deeply.

When I look closer, his arm is covered in bracelets that look the same. He will not miss this one, of course he won’t.

I know that nothing that happens here will make sense out there, when there is an out there again. Still, my very next thought is whether he will think of us when this ends. When we are rescued from our island by vaccines and in-person schooling, free to go about our lives as they were before all of this. Thrown back into the safety of the wild. If we meet somewhere outside of his house, will we recognize each other? I wonder. Will we even want to?

It’s the end of February now. There’s no longer a citywide curfew in Los Angeles, but the one I set for myself, I have broken. I will come home to my oldest two children watching TV in my bed. They will have waited there for me, knowing where I was and when I was coming home.

“What’s up?” I will say to them, blinking. My face flushed, eyes bloodshot and raccooned.

“You’re late,” they’ll say. “You have fun?”

“I did.”

And then I’ll strike the pose of an interloper back on dry land, before disappearing into the bathroom where I will shower off the traces of a man my children don’t know and join them as their mother just in time for late night TV. But I will not wash my hair.

Not yet.

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The 10 Best Card Games For Kids

If you’re seeking an engaging, screen-free way to pass the time, the best card games for kids can certainly do the trick. The best options for you will be age-appropriate for your kiddo (pay attention to the manufacturer’s suggested age range for help determining this) so you can be sure your child will be challenged but not too challenged so it's still fun. Most importantly, the games should be engaging, so think about the types of play that your kid enjoys.

There are a lot of card games out there, which means there should be something to suit every taste. Party card games are crowd pleasers meant for multiple players, which can make them perfect for family game nights. Strategic card games challenge players to think critically and plan their moves, while educational card games can help your little one gain knowledge on a particular subject area. And, of course, you can’t go wrong with the classic card games that have remained popular over the years.

Beyond choosing the right type of game for your child, there are some logistical considerations. Consider the number of players you'll want to participate in the game (the manufacturer usually supplies this info) as well as how long the game takes to play. Some card games can be played in a matter of minutes, allowing you to sneak in a quick match before bed, while others can last for hours.

With thousands of positive reviews on Amazon, these 10 card games are truly the best of the best for kids. And luckily, they’re all $30 or less — with many of the options priced under $10 — so you and your child can enjoy these picks while on a budget.

1. A Wildly Popular Party Game For The Whole Family

• Ages: 7+
• 2 to 5 players

With a whopping 59,000 and growing reviews on Amazon and a solid 4.7-star rating overall, it’s clear that Exploding Kittens is a wildly popular card game that reviewers just can’t get enough of. The party game is simple to learn; the basic rules are that you take turns drawing cards, and if you choose an exploding kitten card you lose (unless you play a card to avoid it!). Game play lasts only about 15 minutes, so you can sneak in a bunch of rounds on your next family game night.

Many Exploding Kittens expansion packs are also available, including one that makes the game suitable for up to 10 players, as well as a version not intended for kids.

Enthusiastic Amazon review: "I was skeptical at first of this game, but then some friends invited me to play and I was amazed at how fun it is. Normally, when I find games that my 7 year old can enjoy, they are not nearly as fun for us parents, but this is completely different. The rules were simple enough that my son picked it up after one game, it kept everyone's attention (each round is fairly short), and the game was full of laughter from everyone! I have played it with 3-5 players, and with every group size it has been a blast. This really is a must have for any family that likes playing games."

2. A Multipack Of Classic Card Games For Kids 3+

• Ages: 3+
• 2+ players

Sometimes you can’t beat the classics, and this card game multipack has a six classic favorites including Memory, Go Fish, Slap Jack, and Matching. The best part? The card games are all super easy for kiddos as young as 3 to play, but they’re totally enjoyable for older kids and even adults, too. And the game-specific cards are much cuter than your standard deck.

Amazon reviewers indicate that all of these classics can be played in 15 minutes or less. They give this pick a solid 4.6-star rating overall after more than 9,000 reviews. If you aren't looking for six entire games in one package, a four-pack is also available.

Enthusiastic Amazon review: "I gave this as a gift to a 5-year-old and it was perfect. Right away she wanted to learn card games instead of being on her tablet. I call that a WIN! Amazingly the older kids wanted to jump right in and play too. Her mom was very pleased (no noise, no batteries)."

3. A Quick 2-Player Card Game

• Ages: 7+
• 2 players

Accurately named, Mattel Games’ Blink card game can practically be played in the blink of an eye… or at least in less than two minutes. The two-player card game is simple yet highly entertaining. Players attempt to match the shape, count, or color on their cards to either one of two discard piles. Play all the cards from your draw pile to win the game.

While Mattel states that this game is suitable for ages 7-plus, many Amazon reviewers indicate that their younger children were also able to play, since the cards have large, colorful symbols that are easy to recognize. Reviewers give the card game a knockout 4.7-star rating overall on the site, among 8,000 and growing reviews — a true testament to their love of Blink.

Enthusiastic Amazon review: "Bought this in a whim because of the high ratings, and I am so glad that I did! It has been a super fun game to play with my husband, but also with our eight-year-old and our six-year-old. [...] When it says this game is fast, I did not realize how truly fast it is. I think it probably takes about 30 seconds to a minute for my husband and I take complete a round."

4. An Educational Guessing Game

• Ages: 8+
• 2 to 6 players

Whoever said that an educational card game can’t be fun clearly never played Skillmatics’ Guess In 10, which is the ideal combination of strategic, educational, and engaging. But don’t just take my word for it, Amazon reviewers are thrilled about this game, too, hence the solid 4.7-star rating overall they give it on the site, after more than 10,000 reviews across all the topics.

Guess In 10 is available in a variety of subject areas including Cities Around The World, Animal Planet, Legendary Landmarks, and Inspiring Professions, and the premise is that players get to ask up to 10 questions in order to figure out the word(s) that are listed on the card. Extras like Clue Cards and Bonus Questions can be utilized to help. The first player to get seven cards wins the game. Amazon reviewers indicate that the game time varies based on the number of players and the players' knowledge of the different subjects.

Enthusiastic Amazon review: "Great family game! It has become one of our favorites. My boys are aged 8 and 10. We have a lot of fun breaking into teams and guessing. Some are a lot harder than you think which makes it [entertaining] for us parents too!"

5. A Party Game For Older Kids

• Ages: 10+
• 4+ players

Party games are always sure to please a crowd, and this Kids Against Maturity card game is the perfect pick for older kids — but parents on Amazon indicate that they get a hoot out of it, too! The game is simple to learn and even simpler to play; each player takes turns asking the queries on the blue question cards, and other players submit the white answer cards they think are the funniest. The question asker chooses the best card of the bunch, and the player whose cards are chosen most often wins the game.

Kids Against Maturity takes anywhere from 30 to 90 minutes to play, largely dependent on the number of players. The set comes with a whopping 500 question and answer cards, so there are certainly plenty of unique games to be had.

Enthusiastic Amazon review: "Got it for my teenager and pre teen for Xmas. We played it and it is hilarious. May be a bit much for small kids, but older kids it's great with Answers like 'Your Mom' 'Miley Cyrus' 'Fart Bingo' and so on. Our kids loved it and we didn't find the answers offensive or way over their heads. There were some subtle innuendos that the 12 year old [didn’t] always catch made it even funnier [...] for my husband and I."

6. A Card Game For Car Rides

• Ages: 7+
• 2+ players

This Scavenger Hunt card game from Briarpatch is a great way to pass the time when stuck in the car — and trust me, the whole family will want to participate! The card game is super simple to play: Each player take five cards from the deck (the game comes with 54 cards in total) and tries to locate a variety of roadside objects. There are also other cards like “Hear It”, “Feel It”, and “Smell It” to encourage kids to use all of their senses, too. The game comes in a compact box, so it’s easy to carry with you on all of your travels.

This game's play time isn’t listed, but it should last through a good chunk of your long car ride.

Enthusiastic Amazon review: "This game is SO MUCH FUN! My 8 year old used to complain about being bored in the car. After we get tired of telling her to look out the window, we usually hand her the iPad to keep herself entertained. But now we have this awesome game! We keep it in the back seat and play any time our car trips last more than 30 minutes or so. We usually pair up so the driver can play too. We all end up laughing and being silly...it truly creates some wonderful family memories. Even my 17 year old enjoys playing!"

7. An Educational Alphabet Card Game For Younger Kids

• Ages: 4+
• 2 to 6 players

This Alphabet Go Fish card game from Better Letter will help your child recognize, identify, and learn their upper and lowercase ABC letters, all while having a total blast. Described as "an alphabet version of the classic kids' game Go Fish," the card game is supremely easy to learn and play. Many parents on Amazon indicate that they also use the deck as flash cards to further work on letters with their child. They give this pick a solid 4.7-star rating overall with more than 300 reviews.

The set comes with 104 total cards, and the game length isn’t listed, but it varies based on the number of players and your child’s familiarity with the alphabet.

Enthusiastic Amazon review: "My daughter loves this game to learn her alphabet. I like that the letters have a different animal picture on the pairs (ex. One R has a rainbow picture and one has a rhino). That way I can work on different sounds and if they match the card you know they matched the letter and not the picture."

8. A Classic Strategy Game For Up To 10 Players

• Ages: 7+
• 2 to 10 players

When it comes to classic strategy card games, it really doesn’t get much better than UNO. And with a whopping 4.9-star rating overall on Amazon, after more than 26,000 reviews, it’s safe to say that reviewers on the site agree.

If you or your child haven’t had the pleasure of experiencing a game of UNO, it’s actually quite easy to master. To play, each player takes turns matching one of their cards' color or number with that of the current card shown on the top of the deck — the player that gets rid of all of their cards first wins the game. Strategy is a major factor in this card game, as you can secure your winning title with the help of special action cards like Skips, Reverses, Draw Twos, and color-changing Wild cards.

This set comes with with 112 cards (including 32 action cards) that are stored in a tin box for safe keeping. The play time varies based on the number of players.

Enthusiastic Amazon review: "I love Uno and wanted to teach my son how to play it. It was one of my favorite games when I was a child. I love that this comes in a reusable tin so the cards don’t get lost. If you have not played Uno with your child and family then I would greatly suggest you give it a go. It will give you years of lasting great memories."

9. A Fun Card Game That Can Be Played Solo Or With A Group

• Ages: 8+
• 1 to 5 players

It’s rare to find a card game that's actually fun to play solo, but The Game from Pandasaurus Games is loads of fun, whether you play alone or with a group. The card game takes just 5 minutes to learn and only 20 minutes to play. Each player places one or two cards on one of the card stacks counting up to 100 or counting down to 1. If you play all of the cards in the deck and your hands, everyone wins so it’s truly a collaborative effort when played with multiple players.

Enthusiastic Amazon review: "This game is great because you can play it as a group or as an individual. Bonus is that you all have to work together if you want to win. Very easy to learn, I taught my 8 year old nephew and my 86 year old grandpa how to play and they loved it."

10. A Strategic Card Game Based On A Classic Board Game

• Ages: 8+
• 2 to 5 players

With more than 20,000 reviews on Amazon and an impressive 4.8-star rating overall, this Monopoly Deal card game gets the stamp of approval from reviewers since it’s fast-paced, highly strategic, and incredibly fun. The card game requires players to collect three complete property sets in order to win, which may sound simple in theory, but you’ll have to do a bunch of wheeling and dealing in order to pull it off.

The game can take two players anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes to play, three players anywhere from 15 to 25 minutes, four players approximately 35 minutes, and five players up to 45 minutes. Regardless of the number of players, it's still much quicker than a traditional board game of Monopoly.

Enthusiastic Amazon review: "I work as a camp counselor in the summers and camp has many boxes of this game. The kids LOVE it. They ask me to play it all the time. I carry it around in my bag everywhere and bust this out anytime the kids need a time-filler or distraction. I love how small and compact it is so I can carry it around. It's a really fun version of monopoly but without all the pieces, and it doesn't take 10 hours to finish a game like the board game version does. I've played it with kids as young as 8 years old and they are able to pick it up and learn how to play pretty easily. Recently I introduced this to the young adults at Thanksgiving, and they loved it too! Great for all ages."

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When Can Toddlers Drink From An Open Cup? Time To Give Up The Sippy Cup

Baby bottles take up a lot of very valuable cabinet space, so it's not surprising so many parents are eager to transition their kiddo to something else. It's an exciting thought, but before you pack things up, make sure you're definitely seeing signs that your toddler is ready to drink from an open cup. The last thing you want to do is pack (or throw) away all of those bottles too early and have to dig them back out in defeat.

Truth be told, you may find yourself freeing up cabinet space sooner than you think, because your tot will likely start signaling they're ready for a cup before their first birthday. Here's what to look for.

Your Toddler Can Drink From A Graduated Bottle

"Toddlers may be ready to drink from a regular cup if they can drink from a level 3 or 4 bottle nipple without difficulty," pediatrician Whitney Casares, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.A.P., tells Romper via email. Based off Dr. Brown's nipple progression chart, this typically happens when the baby is between 6 and 9 months old.

Remember this is a process, and every baby develops at their own pace. If your tot isn't showing signs its ready at 9 months, don't stress. However, you "definitely want to try to wean from a bottle to a cup by 12-15 months" to ensure proper oral and palate development, says Bonzani.

They Can Sit Independently On The Floor

It seems like as soon as a baby can sit on their own, they're suddenly able to do all kinds of other things. While independent sitting isn't a certain sign of readiness for drinking from an open cup, it is a prerequisite. "The child should be able to sit independently on the floor and sit well in a high chair" before they start drinking from an open cup, pediatric occupational therapist, Lilie L. Bonzani, OTR/L, tells Romper in an email.

They Can Hold A Cup Without Help

"Children who can hold a cup without assistance from an adult are often able to drink out of an open cup easily," Dr. Casares says. However, that doesn't mean they'll innately know how to do it (without waterboarding themselves, at least), you'll need to be patient and teach them how to use it. "Parents can help their toddlers learn to drink from an open cup by demonstrating the action themselves," explains Dr. Casares. When you're working on this skill, try using an open sippy cup that has handles because they "allow parents to train their little ones to tip a cup upward and learn the physical motions required to handle liquids from an open cup."

They Have Good Head Control

"Strong head control is another physical sign of readiness to use an open cup," Dr. Casares notes. So, if your toddler is sitting solo and has good head control, get ready to teach. "As with all motor skills, [your child will need] plenty of practice," Bonzani says. "To encourage using a cup independently, offer water from a cup in the bathtub where you don’t mind getting messy," Bonzani suggests. Or, she suggests, put just a small amount in the cup and hand it to your baby/toddler to bring to their mouth independently.

They Reach For Others' Cups

Toddlers are notoriously bad at keeping their hands to themselves, but in this case it's a good sign they're ready for an open cup. "Usually around 9 months or so, babies start reaching for their parent's cups," says Bonzani, "This is a good time to offer formula, breast milk, or water via an open cup." Just remember to start off slow. "Usually we start with a small cup –a small juice glass, a toy cup, or even a shot glass," Bonzani says. "Initially all the liquid may dribble out of the mouth but with practice, the baby will start coordinating her mouth to close her lips around the cup and swallow the liquid."

One final piece of advice? "Don't worry about the mess," says Bonzani, because there are definitely going to be spills in the process. So, grab a stack of towels and a change of clothes, and with every puddle of water you clean up, think about all of that open cabinet space you'll have when this is all over.

Experts:

Lilie L. Bonzani, OTR/L, Pediatric Occupational Therapist at Duke University Health

Dr. Whitney Casares, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.A.P., author of The New Baby Blueprint: Caring for You and Your Little One

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The 5 Best Baby Soaps For Eczema

Dealing with baby eczema can be tough, which is why it's always important to speak with an expert about how best to treat your baby's extra-delicate skin. So when it came to narrowing down the best baby soaps for eczema, I got in touch with pediatric dermatologist Dr. Karan Lal, D.O., who suggests sticking with products that are free of potentially irritating ingredients like "fragrance, fragrance mix, geraniol, cinnamaldehyde, hydroxycitronellal, cinnamyl alcohol, a-Amylcinnamaldehyde, isoeugenol, eugenol, and oakmoss." The five gentle, fragrance-free baby washes featured below fit the bill. Additionally, these washes have all received the seal of approval from the National Eczema Association (NEA), a nonprofit organization that supports people of all ages with eczema.

To soothe eczema-prone skin, Dr. Lal suggests the "soak and smear" method, which starts with giving your baby a daily bath, because she recommends keeping your baby's skin moisturized with ointments and creams, and you don't want all that product to accumulate over time. "The only areas that require soap are [the] armpits, groin, and feet," Dr. Lal says. "The rest of the body can be cleansed with just water." After the bath, while your baby's skin is still wet, apply an unscented, petrolatum-based ointment to lock in moisture, then "pat dry so there is no sticky feeling, which can happen when you apply ointment to dry skin."

With those key tips from Dr. Lal in mind, scroll on to shop five of the best baby washes for eczema.

1. The Overall Best Baby Soap For Eczema

Made with nourishing ingredients like filaggrin, shea butter, sunflower seed oil, colloidal oatmeal, and glycerin, and made without harsh soaps, this creamy body wash from Cetaphil won't strip any moisture from your baby's ultra-delicate skin. Like all of the products on this list, it's fragrance-free and boasts the Seal Of Acceptance from the National Eczema Association. For just under $10, you get 5 ounces of product housed in a handy, pump-top bottle.

2. Runner Up

This cleansing gel from Mustela is part of the brand's Stelatopia collection, which was created exclusively for eczema-prone skin. This fragrance-free gel, which also features the NEA Seal Of Acceptance, is safe for use on all ages, including newborns. Like the Cetaphil cleanser, it's made with shea butter, sunflower oil, and glycerin, but instead of filaggrin, the hero ingredient in here is avocado perseose. The formula is soap-free and tear-free, but unlike the Cetaphil cleanser, this is a gel, so it's not as creamy. It'll set you back a few more dollars, but you do get nearly 2 more ounces of product.

3. The Best Oatmeal Soak

Dr. Lal says that oatmeal is an extremely soothing ingredient, and tells parents to make their own oatmeal bath by soaking their baby for 5 to 10 minutes in lukewarm water mixed with steel-cut oats. “I call it making baby oatmeal,” she jokes. An easier and less messy option is Aveeno's Baby Eczema Therapy Soothing Bath Treatment, which comes with five, individual packets of colloidal oatmeal-based powder. The formula is soap-free, fragrance-free, and tear-free, and yes, it also has the NEA Seal of Acceptance.

4. The Best Travel Set

This collection of travel-sized products from Evereden comes with a fragrance-free shampoo and body wash, as well as two moisturizing lotions — one that's fragrance-free and another that has a mild jasmine scent. The baby shampoo/body wash and unscented lotion both have NEA seals, and are made with nourishing ingredients like colloidal oatmeal, calendula, kakadu plum, and several plant-derived oils. Meanwhile, you can keep the lovely jasmine lotion for yourself.

5. The Best Bubble Bath

This packet of TruKid Eczema Bubble Podz is admittedly a lot more expensive than most typical bubble baths, but unlike most bubble baths, these pods are fragrance-free and made with colloidal oatmeal and allantoin to soothe and nourish dry skin. Plus, your purchase gets you 60 sudsy pods that make it easier to convince reluctant toddlers and older kids to get into the bath every day.

Expert:

Dr. Karan Lal, D.O., member of the Society for Pediatric Dermatology and a dermatologist at UMass Memorial Medical Center

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Breast Milk Left Out Too Long? Here's How To Tell If It's Still OK To Feed Your Baby

Breastfeeding is touted as the most natural way to feed your baby; still, that doesn’t mean it’s always easy. Not only is the act of nursing itself very complicated, but so are all the guidelines and procedures that go into pumping and storing your milk. Remembering all the details of proper milk care, like time limits and leaving your milk at room temperature, in the fridge, or frozen isn't simple. Like, what if some of your breast milk is left out too long? Do you have to dump breast milk that smells OK? Pouring out liquid gold that could still be good is not something any breastfeeding mother wants to do.

How Long Breast Milk Can Sit Out

But there is a time limit to how long your breast milk should sit out. Dr. Jessica Madden, medical director at Aeroflow Breastpumps, tells Romper that pumped breast milk can be at room temperature for up to eight hours before it goes bad. Still, she adds, “It’s best to use it or store it within four hours.” And if the temperature in your house is very warm, it’s even less time. “Milk needs to be stored sooner than four hours if an environment’s room temperature has been higher than about 85 degrees Fahrenheit.”

And if it’s frozen, that changes things as well. “If thawed from a frozen stash, it needs to be treated like regular food practices — up to two hours at room temperature before needing to be refrigerated," Ashley Georgakopoulos, IBCLC and Motif Medical lactation director, tells Romper.

How To Tell If Your Breast Milk Has Spoiled

But what if your breast milk has been sitting out for about six hours, and it looks fine and smells perfectly fine? How do you know if it’s still good, and if it’s still OK to feed it to your baby? The advice seems to vary. Georgakopoulos recommends not feeding it to your child if it’s been out for longer than four to five hours, saying, “Foreign pathogens and bacterial growth cannot always be detected immediately.” She notes that while you can still use it for topical purposes, like ointments or baths, it shouldn’t be used for feeding.

However, Leigh Anne O’Connor, IBCLC, tells Romper that it depends. “I encourage my families to taste breast milk and get a sense for what your personal milk tastes like. If the milk smells fine and tastes fine, it is likely fine,” she says. If you want to be on the safe side, you can follow Georgakopoulos’ advice, but if you think it’s fine, then go with your gut, mama.

Keep in mind that giving your child contaminated breast milk isn’t a fun experience, to say the least. “The biggest concern with using breast milk that has gone bad is bacterial contamination, which puts your baby at risk of getting sick with an infection,” Madden explains. This can cause diarrhea and vomiting, and she adds, “It’s especially risky to give breast milk that’s gone bad to preemies and/or babies with fragile immune systems.” If you have doubts that your breast milk is still good, then tossing it is the best way to go.

How To Properly Store Your Breast Milk

To make sure you’re not in a situation when your breast milk goes bad, make sure you’re storing it properly. Georgakopoulos says that freshly expressed breast milk can be kept in the refrigerator for four to five days. “At that point it needs to be used or frozen,” she explains. “If thawed from a frozen stash, it needs to be used within 24 hours and kept in the fridge between use.”

Madden recommends keeping it towards the back of your fridge, rather than the front or on the shelves on the door, so that it stays as cool as possible. You should also date it so you don’t get confused. “It’s important to put the date you pumped your breast milk on every storage bag or bottle,” she says. “Use the oldest milk first, if possible.”

She also says you should store milk in small portions, like no more than 2 to 3 ounces at a time. “This prevents you from thawing out too much milk at once,” she says. Georgakopoulos adds that using milk storage bags is a great way to do this, since it makes it so easy to measure. And if you’re pumping at work and you don’t have access to a fridge for storage, Madden says, “the second best thing to do is to keep it in a cooler bag with ice packs.”

I know, that all seems kind of confusing and complicated. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) offers this conservative and easy to remember guideline to help you keep track of your milk — follow the rule of fours. Four hours at room temperature or four days in the fridge is best for keeping milk safe and fresh.

Keep in mind that your own individual milk can have different spoiling days than the norm. For instance, your milk's taste might begin to change after the fourth day instead of the fifth. Doing regular taste tests can help you figure out when exactly your milk is starting to turn, so you can offer it to your baby or freeze it before it goes bad.

If you are thoroughly confused (as I was) about the best methods for expressing and storing breast milk, getting in touch with your pediatrician or local lactation consultant is always the best option.

Experts:

Dr. Jessica Madden, medical director at Aeroflow Breastpumps

Ashley Georgakopoulos, IBCLC and Motif Medical lactation director

Leigh Anne O’Connor, IBCLC

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Why Do Breasts Leak Milk When Baby Cries? Experts Explain

My boobs were hyperactive when I was breastfeeding my babies. Basically, a whisper of a suggestion that they were nearby and hungry — or any baby really — and they would literally react. My boobs would leak breast milk as soon as a baby cried, and let me tell you, this isn't uncommon. In fact, as inconvenient as it is at times, this phenomenon is more than bizarre.

Your Breasts Are Basically Having A Milk Let-Down

“The sound of a baby crying — any baby, not just your own — can trigger what's known as MER, or milk ejection reflex," Kathleen Butler, a lactation consultant (IBCLC) and postpartum doula in Maryland, tells Romper. "This is more commonly known as having a let-down. The actual science part of it occurs when the auditory stimulus of crying causes the lactating person's body to send a signal to the brain that it's milk-making time. Of the two main hormones that produce milk — oxytocin and prolactin — oxytocin is produced more quickly. It causes the myoepithelial cells in the breast that surround the alveoli — the space where the milk is stored — to contract, causing the milk to begin to flow. So it's acting upon the milk that's already there.”

Butler confirms this is a totally normal occurrence, albeit uncomfortable. “Some people can feel when they're about to have a let-down and may experience a kind of buzzing or tingling sensation. For others, there's no warning at all. While it may be inconvenient if it occurs when you're out and away from your baby, it's nothing to be concerned about. Being prepared by using breast pads to absorb any leakage or breast collection shells so as not to waste a precious drop of that liquid gold can be helpful,” she explains.

A study published in Neuropsychopharmacology found that women with the most stable, strong bonds between themselves and their infants experienced a greater than average release of the hormone oxytocin. The article stated, "Mothers with secure attachment showed greater activation of brain reward regions, including the ventral striatum, and the oxytocin-associated hypothalamus/pituitary region." Fascinating, right? But how long can this phenomenon last?

How Long Will This Reaction Last?

“The good news is that for many people, leaking lessens after the first six to eight weeks postpartum," says Allyson Murphy, a lactation consultant (IBCLC) in New Jersey. "That's because milk supply regulates — meaning it stops being hormonally driven — and functions on supply-and-demand. It's also really important to know that leaking, or not leaking, is not a sign of an inadequate milk supply. You can make all the milk your baby needs and not experience leaking. Everybody is different — some bodies leak a lot, some bodies leak a little, and some never leak at all.”

The female body really is pretty amazing, isn’t it? Hopefully, if this happens to you, you'll have your baby nearby for some relief — and most importantly, the knowledge that there’s nothing wrong with you or your milk producers.

Experts:

Kathleen Butler, lactation consultant (IBCLC) and Postpartum Doula (among other roles) with Your Baby Butler

Allyson Murphy, a lactation consultant (IBCLC) in New Jersey

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