Resource Round Up with Tess Belke
Through trial + error, dishing with other parents and scouring the internet, we all eventually figure out what works best for us. We curate a resource list of trusty go-to’s that help lead us through parenthood... then what?
One of our goals at Forty Wink is to share this priceless knowledge with others. Today we’re lucky to be joined by Tess Belke as she takes us through what some of her favourite resources were for her daughter Molly when she was two and a half years old!
A little bit about Tess
Instagram: @tessbelke
What do you do for a living: Graphic Designer
Age of children: 2.5 years
Top tip: Ask for help. Every time you feel isolated and tired, most likely there are others who have experienced the same. The best solutions and advice to any baby related problems have come from my mom friends + community!
Favourite children’s book: Here We Are, by Oliver Jeffers (but really you can’t go wrong with any of his books)
Favourite website/Instagram for tips: @busytoddler
Resource No. 1: Oball
This was one of the first toys Molly was able to play with because it’s so easy to grab. We still use it all the time for indoor play, since it’s so light I don’t worry about it knocking things over when it’s being kicked or thrown around the living room.
Resource No. 2: Giant roll of paper
We use our big roll of paper for so many things! So many crafts and activities can use! We pretty much always have our living room coffee table covered in a layer of paper so Molly can come and go to draw on it as she pleases. It was also great when she was just starting to draw and didn’t always keep her drawings on the page.
Resource No. 3: Cosmic Kids Yoga
There are so many videos in the series on YouTube and it’s one of the few activities Molly will do independently, even if it’s only for ten minutes. It’s great to get her moving inside in the winter without her tearing through the house.
Image source: Cosmic Kids
Resource No. 4: Public Libraries
We read so many books together, and while I love buying books for our home library it’s such a nice way to introduce new books and mix things up so we aren’t always reading the same ones. Libraries also have tons of programs for babies and kids that are definitely worth looking into your local branch to to see what’s offered.
Image source: Edmonton Public Libraries
Resource No. 5: Kitchen Helper Stool
Molly loves to help out in the kitchen and this lets her do so easily and safely. We try to bake something together once a week and Molly always helps with the dishes and clean up too. She gets to practice lots of developmental skills like scooping, pouring, and mixing and gets to learn lots about different foods.
Image source: Coco Village
