The 8 best Amazon Prime Day deals, according to a mom
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One of my fondest memories of pregnancy is my partner saying, soon before the arrival of our twins, "They’re babies. They don’t need that much stuff.” Ha! Two cribs, two bassinets, two high chairs, two bathing tubs, two swings, two play yards, two dozen stuffed animals and roughly 200 onesies later, I think we can both admit he was...misinformed. Kids, as it turns out, need a lot of stuff, and when you’re the one tasked with acquiring everything they need you quickly get very practiced at finding good sales.
That's why I'm here to tell you that if you're a mom on a budget (and who among us isn't?), Prime Day is THE moment to scoop up a slew of must-have and could-use supplies. There are also plenty of amazing bargains that fall outside the realm of kid duty.
The deals below are exclusive to Amazon Prime members. Not yet a member? No problem. You can sign up here for a free 30-day trial and take advantage of them — plus get free shipping, discounts at Whole Foods and all sorts of other Prime benefits.
Here are my favorite super-practical problem-solving mom finds on sale for Amazon Prime Day.
There’s never a bad time to snag a good set of packing cubes. I have four sets already, and they are invariably always in use carrying kids' toys, organizing items in my duffel go-bag, acting as drawer dividers in the dresser, holding spare clothing in a diaper bag, acting as a mail sorter for bills, carrying toiletries in my giant crossbody purse.
Eagle Creek's Specter Cube Set comes in a set of three, each with handles. They’re available in three colors including a bright blue or green that should be easy to identify inside a bag. The soft sides make it easy to stuff them full of whatever you need to pack up; they’re perfect for separating items inside a large backpack or diaper bag for day use. They also make longer distance travel easier when added to a suitcase. Eagle Creek has a good reputation, and these packing cubes come with the company's lifetime warranty.
Wrestling twin toddlers long enough to get an accurate reading on a standard digital thermometer isn’t great fun, as it turns out. I manage to avoid this frustration entirely because I recently started using a temporal thermometer. Now I can just take my kid’s temperatures by swiping a wand near their forehead. I don’t even have to make direct contact with the skin. And that means I can take readings even when they’re sleeping.
Most forehead thermometers can keep track of their readings as well; Disen's No-Contact Thermometer will automatically track the last 35 measurements. It get an accurate reading from 1-3cm away from the skin and features a color-coded fever alarm. It reads temperatures in as little as a single second and can be switched between Celsius and Fahrenheit. It comes with a carrying case and the LCD display is easy to read in the dark. Here's a digital readout we can all appreciate: It’s discounted 57% for Prime day, down to $13.
A travel play yard gives you the ability to make a baby-safe area anywhere you go: a park, the beach, a friend’s house, your backyard, an outdoor concert…. The power to dedicate a space for your young one means you can relax nearby while they nap or play. It can even act as a portable crib when traveling, if your baby is amenable.
Graco's Pack n' Play Travel Playard is 27 x 28.5 x 37 inches and includes a removable dome bassinet with a UV 50 canopy. The bassinet can be folded up and has its own carry case, so it's easy to bring along anywhere. The Playard also has built-in storage, an easy to clean diaper changer, wheels and a push-button fold (a huge convenience for moms). Graco has a solid reputation for sturdy, reliable baby products so this should stand up to plenty of use.
Children of all ages are masters of creating an incredible amount of mess, which is why I own approximately 78 burp cloths (yes, I counted). They’re handy for spit-ups and spills, for wiping down sticky hands and faces covered in chocolate milk, and even for when I capsize my coffee cup all over my lap. It’s nice to have a dedicated set of cleaning cloths for the kiddos so they’re not getting mixed in with household cleaning cloths or general-use washcloths.
Of the dozens of burp cloths I have, I tend to reach for the Comfy Cubs ones first — they’re really soft, and absorbent, and the colors and patterns make them easy to identify in the omnipresent mass of toys and clothes on my floors. They feel nice and they’ve stood up to a consistent amount of abuse since we brought the twins home. For Prime Day, the six-packs are discounted 40% to $15 —that's less than three bucks each!
With temperatures already hitting truly punishing numbers across many states, it’s time to throw everyone into a pool. An inflatable pool is perfect because it’s easy to enjoy during the heat waves and lout of sight the rest of the year. It’s great to teach younger kids how to be safe in water, great for older kids who just want to stay cool and a treat for pets who may want to join in on the fun.
Oxsaml’s inflatable pool is 98 x 71 x 22 inches and holds 153 gallons of water, which means it’s large enough to hold several people. It also has a sprayer feature to mimic the water features on full-sized pools and an overflow design for safety. It can be inflated within three to four minutes using an electric pump. Best of all? It's now over 30 percent off for Prime Day!
Sometimes when you have kids, you’d like to be able to, you know, do literally anything without having to pull their tiny little hands away from plugs, sharp objects and hot surfaces. To that end, a good baby gate has helped me out many times when I needed the twins to play away from our stone fireplace or a hectic kitchen countertop.
The Tokkidas Auto Close baby gate has an auto-close hinge that's easy to operate with a single hand. It also has a visual red/green indicator that will let you know when it's closed securely. It stands 30 inches tall and fits openings from 23.6 to 79 inches wide. The panels can be reconfigured into different set ups so it's easy to use in a doorway or around a stairwell. Because it needs to be anchored to a wall, you can be assured it'll be securely attached and not simply pushed out of the way. And now it's 22 percent off.
Of course, once you have a play yard set up you’d probably also like to put down a padded area to keep your little one as safe as possible inside of it. You'll want any mat you choose to be non-slip, soft enough to cushion falls and, most important, easy to clean.
YOOVEE’s baby play mat folds up neatly and comes with a carrying case, so it’s miraculously simple to bring along wherever you may need it. It measures 76 x 57 x 0.4 inches and is made from a high-density foam. It’s also reversible, which the kids really seem to like. It can be wiped down with a damp sponge or cloth, but if you're pressed for time you can also use a hand vacuum to get rid of crumbs and toddler debris.
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The 10 absolute best deals on Prime Day 2021 are live! Get them before they sell out
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