With 33% of 4th grade public school students reading at or below the “Basic” level, it’s never too early to start working with your little one on letters and learning the alphabet.* Of course, there’s always the old standby ABCs song—which is a great way for your child to learn the alphabet—but  how else can you expose your child to letters in a fun and engaging way? Here are nine toys that we recommend to help your little one not only learn the alphabet but also start to visually identify letters and their correlating sounds.

Tag Junior Interactive Letter Factory Flash Cards, $10.99

LeapFrog Fridge Phonics Magnetic Alphabet, $15.88

Melissa & Doug Alphabet Art Puzzle, $14.99

Fun with ABC’s Magnetic Letters, $5.34

Munchkin Bath Letters and Numbers, $6.99

The Learning Journey Match It! Alphabet Memory, $9.99

Dr. Seuss’s ABC by Dr. Seuss, $6.04

Melissa & Doug ABC Blocks, $13.19

LeapFrog Lettersaurus, $19.99

I don’t know about where you live, but in DC it feels like we’ve jumped right over spring and landed in summer—it was 93° outside today! Luckily, we’ll be returning to true springtime temps by the weekend. With spring weather comes spring dresses for my little lady. She LOVES wearing dresses, but there’s no way I’m spending $50 on a dress she’s going to wear to daycare and get craft paint on. So I set out to find some seriously adorable (and affordable) toddler dresses. Here are five of my favs under $25!

Tea Protea Print Wrap-Neck Dress, $24.50

Target OshKosh dress, $15

Old Navy Pleated Sundress, $15

Gap Striped Terry Dress, $22.95

Carter’s Shift Dress, $13.20

Last year, I found a pair of green sandals for Olivia on clearance for $4 at Target. She got so many compliments every time she wore them that it kind of became this inside joke with us. Who knew that the cheapest pair of shoes she owned would be the most popular?!

I went back this year to see if I could find the same ones in a larger size but no luck. So I set out to find ones that could compete with the mythical green sandals.

There are some seriously cute sandals out there for toddler girls this year! I’ve rounded up six of my favorites.

Embellished Flower Jelly Sandals at Gap, $16.95

Wakely Sandal at Stride Rite, $30

Flower Sandals at Gymboree, $32.95

Cherokee Jumper Sandal at Target, $14.99

Strappy Neon Sandals by Carters, $16

Navy Espadrilles by OshKosh B’gosh, $18

Did you see the hilarious T-Rex shirts by Crazy Dog on Zulily last week?

How great are those?! Olivia loves dinosaurs. I can only assume it’s because she occasionally watches Dinosaur Train on PBS. When I saw those shirts on Zulily, it gave me the idea to do a girly dinosaur theme for her new big girl bedroom. So I set about researching to see how doable this idea would be.

Not surprisingly, most dinosaur decor was for boys—lots of blue, green, red, brown, etc. I did, however, manage to find a few girly dinosaur accessories. Here are a few of my favorites!

Etsy shop Designs by Amanda Lee, Dinosaur Print, $30

Alex Marshall Studios lamp from Jack and Jill Boutique, $176

Etsy shop Drummbelina pillow, $21

Rosenberry Rooms Dancing Dinos wall mural, $89.95

Land of Nod Rex plush toy, $24.95

Who says girls can’t be superheroes?!

These shirts from Old Navy are BRILLIANT. Mixed in with the Disney Princess, Minnie Mouse, and Hello Kitty T-shirts, you can now find Supergirl and Bat Girl shirts (complete with capes!) in toddler sizes. For some reason, they are not available online, but I was able to find them in store as recent as a week ago.

I love the message this shirt sends to my daughter … almost as much as she loved “flying” around all day!

Back in December, I started noticing that my daughter’s scalp was really, really dry. It looked a little bit like very mild cradle cap, but what two year old gets something that’s normally associated with infants? Apparently lots of them, based on what I found on Google.

I tried switching to Aveeno Baby Gentle Conditioning Shampoo, but the problem persisted. So I did what any desperate mom does these days, I took to Facebook. I asked fans of the Mom Machine page for their advice on dealing with dry scalp in toddlers. Lucky for me (and Olivia), they rose to the occasion!

One mom suggested Aquaphor Baby Gentle Wash & Shampoo. Several moms recommended massaging baby oil into the scalp and then shampooing like normal. California Baby Eczema Shampoo & Bodywash also made the list. But the most recommended treatment, by far, was Mustela’s Foam Shampoo for Newborns.

I decided to start cheap and try the baby oil method. It worked, sort of. Her scalp would be noticeably less dry for a little while, but the flakes would always come back. So I finally gave in, followed the advice of the majority, and picked up the Mustela shampoo. I’ll be honest—I was a little skeptical since it’s specifically formulated for newborns, but since nothing else had worked, I was willing to give it a shot.

We have been using the Mustela shampoo every other night for several weeks now and what do you know? No flakes! It took probably a week’s worth of use before we noticed a difference, but once the dryness cleared up, it hasn’t come back. A big THANK YOU to those Mom Machine fans who jumped in with suggestions—you’re the best! Olivia and I both appreciate it.

*Please note: this post is not a sponsored post, nor was I compensated in any way for writing it. The opinions expressed are strictly my own.

Before long, Olivia is going to be making the move to a big girl bed. I’ve been looking at our options, and I am absolutely in love with the Jenny Lind bed from The Land of Nod. It reminds me of my bed growing up, and it would look adorable with a colorful little quilt. The only problem? They’re freaking expensive! Call me crazy, but I’d prefer not to drop $550 on a kid’s bed.

So I set out to see if I could find a cheaper knock-off version, and you’ll never guess what store delivered … Walmart! And for $300 less than the nearly identical Land of Nod version! Granted, the Land of Nod beds come in fun colors, but it’s nothing an afternoon and a can of spray paint can’t achieve.

What do you think, pretty good right?!

Now to find a cute quilt!

I made these treats for a Valentine’s Day play date last year, and they were a smash with the little ones! Several of my girlfriends texted me later to say how much the treats were a lifesaver on the car ride home. This is a great option for little ones who aren’t quite ready for candy—and they’re a cinch to put together, so they’re mom-friendly too! 

Since all of O’s friends are around her age (i.e. not really old enough for sugary candy valentines), I started thinking of what we could do for Valentine’s Day that would be toddler-friendly. After walking through Target for about 45 minutes trying to come up with something brilliant, I found Quaker Whole Hearts cereal, which is basically heart-shaped Cheerios, lightly sweetened. Perfect! What toddler doesn’t eat cereal?! But it needed a little something extra. Then my husband suggested freeze dried strawberry slices. Even more perfect! Not only are the strawberries all natural with no added sugar, they add a pop of Valentine’s Day color and they’re (kind of) heart-shaped themselves. Done and Done. I think these turned out really cute! They aren’t exactly my most time-consuming or elaborate project, but I think they’ll be a hit with the little ones!

If your house looks like ours, you could probably give Barnes and Noble a run for their money. But if there’s ever anything I will encourage my daughter to want more of, it’s books! At some point (probably around the 10th or 12th time you’ve read The Napping House), you start getting new books for yourself as much as for your kids. Hey, sanity is worth something in this crazy world. Here are a few cute (and, bonus, non-sugary!) books to give your little one this Valentine’s Day.

Snuggle Puppy by Sandra Boynton

Elmo Loves You

Love, Splat by Rob Scotton

Henry in Love by Peter McCarty

Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch by Eileen Spinelli

The Yuckiest, Stinkiest, Best Valentine Ever by Brenda Ferber, Illustrated by Tedd Arnold

Cranberry Valentine by Wende and Harry Devlin

The Day It Rained Hearts by Felicia Bond

Sure, they might pass out by halftime, but your kids can still get in on the fun during the Super Bowl. Having plenty of kid-friendly snacks, fun football-themed activities for the little ones, and festive desserts will ensure a house full of happy fans (unless your team loses—in which case, good luck!).

Kid-Friendly Snacks

Keep it simple (and healthy) with lightened up versions of your favorite game day foods.

Healthy Seven-Layer Dip from FitSugar
Buffalo Cauliflower from yours truly
Pigs in a Blanket from Food Network
Cajun Crab Dip  from yours truly
Pizza Pretzel Bites from Two Peas and Their Pod
Roasted Garlic Hummus from Annie’s Eats
Turkey Sliders from Martha Stewart
Chili from Cooking Light

Game Time Activities

Chances are, little ones aren’t going to sit through an entire football game. Be prepared with these fun ideas!

Make Your Own Jersey: Buy a bunch of cheap tees, puffy paint, glitter, etc. and set up a table for the kids to decorate their own “jerseys.”

Football Word Search (Free download!)

Decorate the House: Put the kids to work decorating the house for the big game by letting them make footballs out of construction paper. They can even string them together using a hole punch and yarn to make a garland.

Commercial Bingo: Get the kids in on a game of Super Bowl Commercial Bingo! You can download the cards here, and have fun prizes for the winners.

Winning Desserts

Football Rice Krispie Treats from Rice Krispies
Chocolate-Dipped Strawberry Footballs from Domestic Fits
S’mores Cupcakes from yours truly
Healthy Whoopie Pies from Parenting (you can even roll these in sprinkles to match your team’s colors)
Mini Peanut Butter Brownies from Babble