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0-36 Months Milestone Checklist
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February 15, 2025
Jordyn Koveleski Gorman
Last Updated on February 25, 2026 by Jordyn Koveleski Gorman
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Happy Saint Patrick’s Day! This holiday is small, but celebrations are always fun!
Here are some low-cost, fun, and functional Saint Patrick’s Day gift ideas for babies and toddlers. Be sure to see the cute outfits and pajamas at the bottom!
Avocado Stroller Toy: Sometimes babies can get antsy in the stroller or carseat, so dangling a little toy helps them stay content. It also promotes reaching, which starts to occur around 4 months of age. Perfect color scheme for St. Patty’s!
Moonjax Teether: This teether is great because it is easy to hold and has little nubs on it like fingers! The best part is that they can’t go too far back in baby’s mouth to elicit a gag, so they are great for chomping. Also easy to clean in the top rack of the dishwasher!
Olababy Training Spoons: I LOVE these baby spoons. They have a nice flexible bowl of the spoon that makes scooping easy when baby starts to try and scoop, and the short spoon is a great length for self-feeding a pre-loaded spoon.
Avocado Crinkle Teether: Baby can engage in sensory play with this little toy. Touch, grasp, and grab to hear the crinkle, feel the soft textures, or teethe on the silicone corner!
Cactus Baby Teething Toothbrush: A great first toothbrush for baby before their first tooth erupts. It’s easy to hold as it has two little handles, and the bristles provide nice texture to baby’s oral sensory system. I recommend introducing around 3 months of age, help baby hold at first, and then let them play and mouth it!
Alligator Musical Toy: Lay this toy on the ground to engage baby during tummy time! Have baby try to reach for it to feel the textured fabrics and crinkle noises. Mr. Alligator also plays music, rattles, and has a teether attached!
Sophie The Giraffe: An iconic teether! With her thicker head and body, she helps baby open wide – great for once baby can grasp toys well around 4-5 months! This is a great teether to have in play as baby mouths other toys, too.
Cactus Soft Book: A soft book, sensory play, and teether all in one! Baby will love the soft textures, tags, and pictures.
Nuby Teether: This is one of my favorite teethers that I buy it for pretty much every new mom I know. This bristles on this teether are soothing to baby’s gums, it doesn’t go too far back in the mouth, and it’s ring shape makes it easy to hold and mouth. It also comes with its own hygienic carrying case, which is just an added bonus.
Soft Rattle: This was a hit with both of Jenna’s babies. Easy to hold, it makes jingle and crinkling sounds, and it’s soft, so no ouchies!
Teethe & Pop Turtle: This silicone turtle offers various textures for baby to teethe on, and it’s center is a big pop-it bubble!
Hungry Caterpillar Teether Rattle: Offer this rattle to baby while you read the classic book! He jingles, crinkles, and has a teether. A great, soft toy for the car, too.
O-Ball Rattle: A classic gift for a little one under 6 months. It supports grasping (a skill we expect to emerge between 3-4 months of age and refine closer to 6 months), and doubles as a rattle for baby to start learning cause & effect. For just a few bucks, it’s a great toy!
Olababy Spoon & Fork: This set is great for a child approaching 12 months of age. Using a fork is not expected until spoon use becomes independent, and most start using a fork around 15 months. The harder silicone fork in this package is great since little ones won’t hurt their teeth biting down on it!
Ark Grabber: This grabber is very tough – making it great for babies who have recently started solids and are starting to chew more! The resistance helps strengthen baby’s jaw, and the shape of this teether makes it easy to hold! It’s a little longer, so it goes further back in baby’s mouth, making it a great teether to help push the gag reflex back and practice chewing in the back of the mouth. Great for 6 months + and into toddlerhood!
Olababy Straw Cup: This is one of my favorite cups! I love that it’s made from silicone, has a straw stopper so baby can’t pull the straw out, has a weighted bottom so it’s harder to knock over, is a great size for little hands, and doubles as an open cup. My FAVORITE part is that it teaches straw drinking!
Squeeze & Sip Straw Cups: These cups are an affordable option for teaching straw drinking. You get 3 cups for $13! You squeeze the cup, and your little one sips from the silicone straw.
Pop-Up Toy: This is a great toy for baby who has started sitting up with support or who is pushing up high in tummy time! They can easily push down the pop-ups and you can model functional words like “up, down, more, pop” and signs like up and down and clapping, too!
Avocado Guitar: A FAVE! Baby will love to try and spin the avocado pit, push the light up buttons, and hear the riffs on the guitar. It’s been a favorite for my littles from 3-18 months!
Zutano Booties: My favorite booties! They’re 100% cotton and never fall off! We love these. Perfect as baby gets to moving too, as they have little grippies on the bottom. So many colors, you can get festive!
Busy Baby Mat: This is a lifesaver. Suction it to the table, use the two inside sections as a place to put food, attach teethers or utensils to the strings and nothing will hit the floor. PRO TIP: If you’re having trouble getting the mat to stick on the table, put a few drops of water or coconut oil under them to help them stick.
EZPZ Tiny Bowl: This suction bowl is kind of like a plate and a bowl at the same time. I love that the sides of the bowl are low, which helps baby with scooping and seeing their food. I’ve had mine for 3 years and it’s held up great!
Mushie Silicone Bib: This bib has a nice and structured bucket to catch bites of food (and then you can re-offer or baby can go digging in their bib for pieces!) and the prints are adorable!
Whose Feet? Soft Book: This cute cloth book helps identify animals in a fun way – by their feet! This is a great book to start reading to your baby – they will enjoy it into toddlerhood!
Jelly Dog Teether: Easy to hold, and made with little nubs that make it easy for baby to bite on, it’s a great teether for baby. I recommend using around 4 months and continuing to offer in play as baby nears 12 months of age.
Silicone Bento Box: We love this simple silicone bento box with 3 sections. Perfect for aiming for a combination of fat, protein, and carb.
Colorful Snap Beads: These are fun and great for working on hand-eye coordination and hand strength! Model pushing them together to pop them into place and pulling them apart.
Bumkins Smock Bib: My all-time favorite bib! You can throw in the washer (a little baking soda helps get the stains out!), and the wrists have elastic to help protect baby’s clothes from food. And it’s a great bang for your buck!
Munchkin Utensils: This stainless steel utensil set is perfect for little hands. They wash well, and are a great transition set when your little one is ready to move off of silicone utensils! I recommend using ~18 months and older.
EZPZ Mini Mat: This suction mat sticks really well to most high chairs! It’s a great size and it divides food so baby can clearly see their choices. Plus, it’s great for toddlers, so you’ll get a lot of use out of it!
Thermos Funtainer: This is my favorite travel cup for littles 10 months and older since it’s very easy to open and shut and the straw is skinnier, so not as much liquid can be sucked through! It also comes in lots of sizes and colors so if your little one likes it, you have options for a long while! Great for water and milk!
Lalo Snack Cup: I love these containers for taking snacks on the go. They’re plastic-free and have a lid to stay air tight!
Toothbrushes: We love these toothbrushes! With soft bristles, a simple design, and fun colors – they get the job done! A very practical gift!
Soft Squeeze Building Blocks: These silicone blocks are great for working on stacking because they do not have to be lined up perfectly to complete a stack. They will motivate your little one to continue trying to stack more and more!
Honeysticks: These short, safe, and chunky crayons are great for first coloring activities. Work on holding the crayons with thumb towards the paper and making 1-2 scribbles on the paper.
Ark Grabber: Teethers are for toddlers, too – especially if your toddler likes to mouth things. This is a tough teether that’s great for building jaw strength.
Avocado Pop-It: Not only is it a perfect color for the holiday, it’s great for working on finger isolation (15 month milestone)!
Zutano Booties: My favorite booties! They’re 100% cotton and never fall off! We love these. Perfect as baby gets to moving too, as they have little grippies on the bottom. So many colors!
Elk & Friends Utensils: This stainless steel set is ideal for 18 months or older, as spoon and fork use become independent. We love this brand and the color combinations are so fun, too!
Finger Puppets: These colorful finger puppets can be used for pretend play, or you can use them as fun bath toys!
Sensory Pop Tubes: These are super low cost and super fun! Make funny noises, use as a megaphone, and even wear as a cool necklace.
Jupitearth Rocket Crayons: I love these toddler crayons because they make drawing and coloring feel like play!
Nuts & Bolts: Increase wrist rotation and color matching skills by matching and twisting these nuts and bolts together.
Silicone Squirt Toys: These make great bath toys. Squirt your little one, and have some fun! Open them to let them dry and no mold will grow inside. WIN!
Owala Straw Cup: This toddler water bottle has a pretty strong valve that requires biting to break the seal and suck liquid up. I don’t recommend for littles under 18 months- 2 years or so who are learning how to drink because we don’t want them to learn how to drink by biting! But once your little one can drink from a straw normally and is competent with drinking, using a valve is not a big issue!
Toothbrushes: We love these toothbrushes! With soft bristles, a simple design, and fun colors – they get the job done!
Tender Leaf Twist Toy: We love traveling with this plastic-free toy. It’s compact and works fine motor skills and encourages problem-solving.
Weesprout Divider Plates: These are great silicone divider plates for littles. They also come with lids, so great for traveling or packing for daycare!
Suction Bath Toys: Bring some heavy work to the bath while increasing hand strength, fine motor coordination, and bilateral coordination skills as your little one plays. Push them together and pull them apart – these bath toys are so much fun! Great for 2+ years.
Bath Crayons: We have these and LOVE them for bathtime. They make it much more fun! Introduce to your little one when they start showing an interest in drawing & coloring.
Weesprout Utensils: Another great set of stainless steel utensils for your toddler to use as they are more independent eaters! A functional gift with fun color combinations.
Soft Book: This is one of our favorite travel toys right now. It’s so engaging for toddlers. You can dress the doll on every page.
Elk & Friends 12 oz. Tumblers: These can be used as straw cups, can be sipped from the open spout on top, or function as food storage containers. They’re thick glass with a silicone sleeve, easy to clean, and come in great color combinations!
Spinning Snack Dispenser: This one is so much fun for travel and even for daily use! It’s a great way to offer choices for your toddler and take foods on the go. If your little one is in a food rut, try to spice it up with a snack spinner– a little change can really help!
Heads & Tails 2-piece Puzzles: Perfect introduction to jigsaw puzzles for your 2.5 year old! Work on using two hands to slide puzzle pieces together to complete the animal.
John Deere Sand Toys: These can be used indoors and outdoors and have great reviews. A tilting dump bed and lifting front loader make them function realistically at an affordable price.
Stacking Puzzle: Puzzles are great for problem solving, hand-eye coordination, and building fine motor skills. This is an affordable little gift that works on lots of good skills.
Cutting Fruit Set: This is one of the best cutting sets as the velcro sticks but isn’t super tight and the pieces aren’t too small to be too cumbersome. Perfect for 18 months and older!
Buckle Buddy Toy: These toys are great for working on fine motor skills. They’re also perfect to take on the go and play with in waiting rooms or in restaurants.
Playground Ball: A great size to kick, bounce, throw, roll, and play with – indoors or outdoors!
Sticker Book: You know that I LOVE these books. We also have the Animal Habitats and All Around Town and they are great for restaurants, doctor’s offices, waiting rooms, anything! So many pages, and each sticker page has a coloring page too- so it’s a coloring book and sticker book all in one.
Jupitearth Paint Sticks: Another arts and crafts supply we love! These paint sticks glide on like butter. They’re perfect for drawing and coloring with little ones.
Kid-Safe Knives: Getting kids involved in meal prep is fun and it helps little ones be more open to trying new foods. Let your 3 year old cut soft fruits for their own snacks (with supervision!).
Elk and Friends Stainless Steel Tumblers: We love these stainless steel cups for milk and thicker liquids like smoothies!
Chalk: Springtime is basically here and that means more time outside! This chalk set offers so many ways to play. Draw, practice writing skills, make a road for bikes on your driveway, etc.
Water WOW: These paint with water reusable books are SO FUN and perfect to throw into a bag for traveling, restaurants, doctor visits, or a plane ride! Use the included brush to reveal the image with just water! Leave the book open to dry so that you can use it again and again.
Fubbles: Springtime is just around the corner! Grab some new bubbles for outdoor fun. This brand makes a no-spill container which is genius for young kids.
Neon Gel Crayons: These gel crayons are such a fun addition to drawing and coloring!
Munchkin Utensils: We love our Munchkin stainless utensils! They hold up so well and are a great value. This set comes with a knife with an edge safe enough for kids to use. You can start to introduce how a knife can be used while eating in a no-pressure way if you wish!
Dino Doodle Board: The modern Etch-a-Sketch. This is so much fun for the car or anywhere your little one needs to wait.
Training Scissors: By the time a child is 3, they are learning how to hold scissors properly, move them up and down, and snip paper. These training scissors have an easy to grip handle and a special spring to help preschoolers learn how to cut. They are sharp enough but not too sharp since they have a blunt tip.
Owala Straw Cup: This toddler water bottle has a pretty strong valve that requires biting to break the seal and suck liquid up. But once your little one can drink from a straw normally and is competent with drinking, using a valve is not a big issue!
Elmo’s Lucky Day: For you Sesame Street lovers, this book is so cute! “Elmo” is such a great word to repeat to baby as it’s easy to imitate, too!
You Shamrock My World: Love a good play on words! This book talks about love and is a great book for bedtime with your little one!
Happy Leprechaun: Love these little finger puppet books! Stick your finger in the leprechaun to make him move about! Great for working on finger isolation, too for your toddler.
How To Catch a Leprechaun: The “How to Catch a…” series books are great and so entertaining. I’d recommend age 3+!
Five Little Leprechauns: This book can be read in a sing-songy voice, which is great for prompting imitation!
You’re My Little Lucky Charm: This series of books is also great for holidays and the every day. Colorful illustrations, raised pages, and fun rhyming.
The Night Before St. Patrick’s Day: A fun rhyming book about the anticipation of St. Patrick’s Day. Tim and Maureen set traps to catch the leprechaun!
Spot’s Lucky Day: Love Spot and all his hiding places! This book has big flaps where you can lift and find where Spot is hiding. Keeps your little one engaged the entire time!
Happy St. Patrick’s Day: This is a classic book you can bring out again and again each year!
Baby’s First St. Patrick’s Day: Labeling the items surrounding St. Patrick’s Day, this is a great book with one item per page and focuses on functional vocabulary!
The Itsy Bitsy Leprechaun: This one reads to the tune of “The Itsy Bitsy Spider” and is fun to sing along with.
Happy Saint Patrick’s Day Curious George: This tabbed book is perfect for any Curious George fan. Join George on his lucky day and read about all he gets to do!
Here are some of our favorite festive pajamas that are 90-100% cotton, cute, and cozy!
More festive outfits and accessories to celebrate this St. Patrick’s Day 🙂
Get even more festive by doing some St. Paddy’s Day crafts with your little ones.
Warmer weather is coming! Find all of our favorite toys for outdoor play – have fun while working those gross motor skills outside.
You can't fully understand feeding without input from both a dietitian and a feeding specialist. You can't properly address milestones without OT, PT, and SLP perspectives working together. That's why every Eat Play Say resource is created collaboratively by our entire team — giving you the most comprehensive guidance possible, all in one place.
MS, SLP
SPECIALIZES IN: Infant and toddler speech-language, play, and feeding development, and curating a team that provides expert help that feels like a reassuring text from that one mom friend
EDUCATION: Jordyn received her BS in Speech-Language Pathology from Bloomsburg University and her MS in Speech-Language Pathology from Towson University
FAVE PARENTING FIRST: “The first true smile, it’s the sweetest!”
MS, CCC-SLP, CBS, IBCLC
SPECIALIZES IN: Breast and bottle feeding, tongue ties, oral motor dysfunction, starting solids, infant and toddler speech, treating oral motor disorders
EDUCATION: Jessica received her BS in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Pennsylvania State University in 2015 and her MS in Speech-Language Pathology from Towson University in 2017
FAVE PARENTING FIRST: “Baby’s first wave! What a fun first communication gesture!”
MA, CCC-SLP, CLC
SPECIALIZES IN: Breast and bottle feeding, tongue ties, starting solids, infant and toddler speech development
EDUCATION: She received her BS in Speech-Language Pathology from Ball State in 2014 and a MA in Speech-Language Pathology from Ball State in 2016.
FAVE PARENTING FIRST: “My favorite baby’s first is their first true smile that just warms your soul knowing they are smiling at you. My other favorite is their first word. I love watching their language explode!”
MS, CCC-SLP
SPECIALIZES IN: Bilingual development (Spanish-English), supporting multilingual families, infant and toddler speech
EDUCATION: She received her BA in Communication Sciences and Disorders and in Spanish from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2014 and her MS in Speech-Language Pathology with an English-Spanish Specialization from Marquette University in 2016.
FAVE PARENTING FIRST: “It’s the first slobbery kisses for me!”
RDN, LD
SPECIALIZES IN: Infant and pediatric nutrition including breastfeeding, formula feeding, and starting solids. She also specializes in prenatal and postpartum nutrition.
EDUCATION: She received her BSc in Biology in 2014 from Life University, and her BSc in Dietetics from Life University in 2019.
FAVE PARENTING FIRST: ”The first time they say ‘mama!’”
From products to developmental toys – we round up all the best products for baby, toddler, preschoolers, & caregivers!
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