Life with a Toddler

The Problem

Aubrey is an early riser - mommy is NOT an early riser.

The Solution

Several months ago I brought a bunch of toys and books into our bedroom so Aubrey could play in our room, while I try to rest in bed awhile longer.

The Problem

Our room began to look like a disaster area. Toys everywhere and nowhere to store them.

The Solution

We had Aubrey's port-a-crib in our room so I could put her in it to play while I got ready in the morning. Jeff began storing all of her toys in it at night time.

The Problem

Aubrey couldn't get to her toys, so one of us would have to get up and get them out for her, totally ruining the whole resting in bed while she plays bit. Also, the port-a-crib got so full, she could hardly fit in it herself!

The Solution

I found these lovely, cheap storage bins to store Aubrey's things in and they are low enough for her to reach them herself. This was a wonderful solution for a few weeks.

The Problem

Aubrey discovered that the above storage bins also doubled nicely as step stools. So this last week, within minutes of being up she would empty the entire contents of all three storage bins and stack them together and use them to get up at whatever she wanted. (If she wants to reach the light switch, one bin is not quite tall enough, so she must stack multiple together to get at it. She's too smart for her own good!)

So for the past couple of weeks I had two choices 1) Spend all day picking up Aubrey's toys. It seemed like a fruitless waste of time, since the moment I picked them up she would once again need a step stool, and would empty everything out again. OR 2) Risk breaking my neck every time I walked into my bedroom. Neither option seemed like a great one to me!

The Solution

I got out our step stool for her to use.

The Problem

It is quite a bit taller than the bins and Aubrey has trouble getting down on her own. Also, it is too heavy for her, so she can't lug it around to wherever she needs it to be. So, yesterday she spent the whole day fussing at me because she was either stuck on top of the stool, or she couldn't get it to where she needed it to go.

The SOLUTION

Thank you Rubbermaid. We went to Walmart this morning and found the perfect stool. I even took Aubrey out of the cart to try it out.

It is the perfect height, exactly the same as her stacked storage bins. So she can reach the light switches to her contentment! And she can get up and down it by herself.

It is super light weight, so she can carry it around with ease all throughout the house. Since, it's been home she's carried it from the family room to her bedroom and then back out front to the kitchen.

Hurray for good solutions! I am sure this too will bring problems of it's own - but for now I will glory in my success! Oh how fun life is with a toddler!