Alec turned one in December so it is all about self-feeding, walking-practice (he is not walking on his own yet), playing outside and just keeping ourselves busy all day. Here are some of our favourite things right now:

1. BAMBINO SPOON. Our Alec has not been the fastest learner when it comes to eating with a spoon and drinking out of a zippy cup. Somebody recently recommended that we try Bambino’s “bent” spoon and I have to say it works really well. From the first try, Alec was able to scoop food with a little help and bring the spoon to his mouth to eat all on his own. BUT I have mixed feelings about this cutlery since the spoon is only right-handed! We think that Alec is left-handed and I feel bad forcing him to eat with his right hand. I am still on the hunt for something similar in a left-handed version – stay tuned!

2. BÉABA SIPPY CUP. In the quest to find a zippy cup that would inspire Baby A to actually tilt the cup back instead of just picking it up and sucking air out of the spout, we have tried pretty much every sippy out there. And, as usual, the first one we ever bought has actually turned out to be the best one. Béaba’s cup is three-stage, so you can use it as a bottle, then a sippy, then a regular cup. Smart. And it has held up very well through travels, countless dishwashings, and a few trips to the floor.

3. TEUTONIA POLAR BEAR HAND MUFF. I am almost always freezing so this hand muff has been a life saver this winter. On less freezing days I don’t bother with gloves since the muff keeps my hands warm enough (and you are always off and on with gloves a million times per outing anyway), and when it’s really cold I double up with gloves or mittens and the muff. Cozy.

4. WINTER CLOTHES FROM POLARN O. PYRET. The baby clothes budget has definitely reached new heights since we moved back to a colder climate. To cope, we are trying to stick to H&M and similar for all the regular clothes. But for functional stuff, we do head to Polarn O. Pyret. The quality is really top-notch so you can uses the same clothes for younger siblings or re-sell it all when you’re done. Alec has been wearing red since I find the dark blues a little depressing for such a little kid, and he is always toasty warm while we are out and about.

5. MOCCASINS. Swedish kids wear moccasins. At nursery school, at home, anywhere you are playing indoors. Alec is almost always in his moccasins and it’s the perfect way to keep those feet a little warm while allowing for walking practice etc since the suede soles keep him from slipping. We keep a pair in our diaper bag for play dates and visits to the open nursery school.

6. BULLERBYN. Alla vi barn i bullerbyn is one of Astrid Lindgren’s classic stories about six children who live in a tiny village in Sweden in the 1920s. The movie itself was directed by Lasse Hallström and was released 1986. I love watching it with Alec because it is so slow! The kids will be walking through a field singing for several minutes. The scenography and soundtrack are lovely and it just feels so wholesome! I have looked and looked and haven’t found a link to anywhere you can watch it in English (although I’m sure you can somewhere), but very small children will find a lot to look at in the Swedish version even if they don’t understand.