Snack Traps
Every morning my daughter, Catie, and I wake up together and watch Sesame Street during breakfast. While I’m sipping my coffee on the couch she gets busy flinging Cheerios off her high chair. Rather than continue to get frustrated at what is normal (and seemingly unstoppable) toddler behavior, I invested in a few Snack Traps.

These little containers keep her food contained (for the most part) while allowing her to get it out. Basically the way they work is that the lid is made of a really soft plastic with slits that allow her to pull the food out. Once she retrieves it, the lid automatically closes. The cups also have little handles so she can hold it herself. More importantly though, I can attach it to her stroller or high chair so she doesn’t decide to fling that at me too.

The packaging says that Snack Traps are for one-year-old kids and up but I started giving it to her around 10 months and she pretty much mastered it from the beginning. Snack Traps run around $8 for a package of three. I got mine at Babies ‘R Us but check here for a list of retailers.

Baby Buddy Secure-a-Toy
This is that miracle product that is so simple yet so clever. It is what I use to attach Catie’s Snack Traps, toys and whatever else she wants to be carrying in the stroller with her that day. Sometimes I wrap it around her cups since she has the tendency to let go of them when she finishes sipping. I liked these so much I bought several packages to use on both strollers and in both mine and my husband’s car.

I got mine at Buy Buy Baby (in the stroller section) and they run you about $3 for a set of two. Check the  Baby Buddy website for a list of nationwide retailers.

Munchkin Insulated Straw Cups
We rarely ever gave my daughter a bottle and at five months she took a real strong interest in cup-drinking (as in, out of our cup) so we decided to try a sippy with her. She was never a big fan but we would try on occasion. Then when she turned 6-months I stumbled across these straw cups from Munchkin. My husband thought I was crazy for even attempting it but she got it right away! At first she would take a sip and spit it out but she seemed to enjoy doing it so we let her. Once she got a little older I made her a yogurt smoothie, sucked it up halfway into the straw and let her do the rest of the work. I guess because it was a thicker drink she was able to get to it out with more ease. She has been using these cups ever since.

I like them because they are really spill proof and also because if you refrigerate them before going out, they actually stay cold for a few hours. The straws are a little bit of a pain to clean but at least they are dishwasher safe. My only complaint is that the little drawings rub off really quickly so they get old looking way before you are ready to replace them.

These cups are about $10 for a 2-pack and I have seen them at Babies ‘R Us and Target. Most recently I bought a 4-pack for a deal at BJ’s Wholesale club. If you really hate Dora they have them with the Spongebob characters too. I am told they have them in plain colors as well but I have yet to find them. Replacement straws are also available if you have a kid who likes to chew on her straws.  Read more about them on the munchkin website.

Table Toppers
Occasionally we’ll go out to eat and since I would never eat any piece of food that touches the restaurant table, I want to make sure my daughter doesn’t either. Still, since Catie now self-feeds, I also want to be able to put her food in front of her (and plates don’t work at this age since they’ll just end up on the floor) so we use Table Toppers. Basically they are self-adhesive placemats that come in cute designs (this month we have Elmo and Zoe; last month it was Dora). You remove the backing off of the edges (really not complicated at all) and stick it onto the table. Sometimes, if the table is round, I just kind of bunch the bottom together and wrap it around the edge so that it sticks underneath.

Table Toppers come about 20 to a pack for around $10. The come in a zip-lock bag so they are really easy to keep in your diaper bag. I got mine at Target but click here for more stores that sell them.

Pampers Pocket Bibsters Disposable Bibs
Though I prefer to use cloth bibs that I can wash and reuse (not to mention they absorb more) I will occasionally use disposable bibs if I think we are going to be gone for a long time or are going on vacation. I also will always keep a few in my diaper bag because there is always that inevitable time where I grab a bib only to find one from our last outing, still crusty, that we forgot to throw in the hamper.

I love the Pampers Pocket Bibsters in particular because they are really large (maximum coverage!) and have a pocket that catches all the food. They are also leak proof so when she gets really liquidy stuff like tomato sauce on herself, it doesn’t leak through to stain her clothing.

I have seen these at Babies ‘R Us, Target and Buy Buy Baby. They come in boxes of 32 and are around $7.  You can read more about them here.

-- Teba

What are some everyday products that make your life easier?