Shopping

Holiday Gift Guide 2025: Infants and Toddlers

| Mary Stoffel, MOT, OTR/L

October is behind us, which means it’s officially wish list season. Sorting through the avalanche of toys and games online and in catalogs can feel more than a little overwhelming. I’ll be honest: narrowing down our favorites wasn’t easy. So yes, our list is on the larger side this year. But in our defense, every pick earned its spot.

To make the Child(ish) Advice list, we researched:

  • Is it cool and new?
  • Does it support child development?
  • Does it stand out from all the rest?
  • What do the reviews say about durability and practicality?

This year, we’ve grouped our favorites by target age and by category. First up, infants and toddlers.

Continue reading →

Things We Loved: July 2025

| Patti Webb

It’s our last week of summer vacation. We’ve bought our school supplies, gotten our end-of-summer haircuts, and Open House is in a couple days. To close out the season, we’re sharing our end-of-summer Things We Loved before jumping into Back-To-School and regularly scheduled content next week.

Continue reading →

Things We Loved: May 2025

| Patti Webb

I’m not sure about Mary, but I’ve always liked the time between Spring Break and the end of the school year. It goes by so fast, the weather warms up, and the crush of the all the spring sports and activities start winding down. It’s busy for sure, but busy with end-of-the-year parties, award ceremonies, and bridging to the next school year. It’s also festival season in Atlanta, so we’re getting outdoors and switching up our weekends.

So for this last stretch of blog posts before our annual June blog break, we’re switching gears toward the summer and sharing Things We Loved.

Continue reading →

The Baby Registry – 5 Years Later

| Mary Stoffel, MOT, OTR/L

It’s incredible how much can change in just five years! When Patti and I first stepped into parenthood, the landscape of baby essentials looked entirely different. The must-have items evolved. Mamaroos became less of a must-have while baby slings took center stage. Even the reigning travel system brands, Britax and Baby Jogger, have made way for newer favorites like Doona and UPPAbaby. Also, an RIP moment for our beloved (and recalled) Fisher Price Rock and Play sleeper.

Yet, despite the shifting trends, one truth remains: babies need stuff. But what exactly do they need, and how much of it is truly essential? The answer is often subjective and changes if you get to your second or third pregnancy. That’s why for this post, we’re doing a refresh—what baby items proved indispensable, what turned out to be unnecessary, and the unexpected game-changers that saved the day.

Continue reading →

Things We Loved: February 2025

| Patti Webb

Fun Fact: Our Child(ish) Advice Amazon storefront actually made a commission! Oh, how our baby has grown. TBH, it’s only a little bit and it was on items that we haven’t actually promoted. The great algorithmic mysteries of life…

That being said, thank you to our audience and we’re happy you are reading our content.

It’s only been two weeks since our last personal check-in, but since November when we actually shared things we loved.

Continue reading →