The toddler years are arguably the most important years for learning and development. Their physical, emotional and cognitive development is in over-drive as they grow from a tiny baby to an active toddler.

It can be an intense time for both parents and children, so providing fun and flexible play options is one of the best things to support their growth and development.

Here are a few amazing small business brands that will help your toddler (and you!) get the most out of these short years.

Language skills

Supporting your child's language development is so important. Plus, it is just beautiful to watch them learn new words and start putting them into sentences.

We absolutely love Two Little Ducklings flash cards at our house.

I have been using the Two Little Ducklings flash cards with my son, Fredrik, since he could sit. We started with the alphabet cards and I was amazed how quickly he learned both letters and the names of the items associated with each letter.

We also love the emotion cards – perfect for toddlers!

Most recently we have invested in the space flash cards, as he has been showing an interest in the world (and universe) around him. It's so nice being able to nurture their curiosities!

http://twolittleducklings.com.au/product-category/flash-cards/

Dinner time

Dinner can be hard at the best of times with toddlers. That's where our beautiful range of silicone tableware comes in. We are here to make meal times fun and easy.

Our range of placemats keep the dinner table protected and stop dinner from running away. Plus our dinnerware is oh-so-gorgeous and practical - they are oven, microwave and dishwasher safe. Hooray!

If you haven't already, do yourself a favour and check out our range of kids tableware.

https://www.wemightbetiny.com.au/collections/all

Messy play

We absolutely love play-dough in our house. It's the perfect stress reliever, and helps to encourage creativity with your toddler.

The naturally scented play-dough by Happy Hands Happy Heart is the bomb. Each pot is beautifully scented (no yucky smells here!) and all natural colours too. We also have a set of letter and number stamps, which are perfect for learning too.

https://www.happyhandshappyheart.com.au

Role play

OK!Dolls introduce kids to real world professions and the awesome women that do them. By creating dolls that are aspirational, they inspire kids to dream big through play.

These dolls are just beautiful and all handmade in Australia too!

https://okdolls.com

On the move

Before bubs was born, I treated myself to an expensive over-the-shoulder nappy bag thinking it would be with me for years to come. What I learned quickly was that the bag was a burden when I had to pick up bubs, or do anything (try bending down with an over-the-shoulder bag!).

That's where the amazing ‘On-The-Go Parent Backpack’ comes in! 

Both hands can be free, and you can fit everything in it for a day out. And no, it doesn't need to have your child's favourite movie character on it (no Lighting McQueen on this gorgeous bag!)

https://kooshykids.com.au/products/kooshy-kids-nappy-backpack

Record it all

Make sure you don't miss a moment by recording every precious memory in Blueberry Co's monochrome toddler book. It is the perfect toddler diary to record every amazing milestone and all the hilarious ones too, with plenty of space for photos and to add your own personal touch.

http://www.blueberryco.com.au

Want to win it all?

We’re running an amazing competition so you can win the ULTIMATE TODDLER PRIZE PACK!

Visit us on Instagram from July 19-22 to enter: www.instagram.com/wemightbetiny