Often, the best advice, insight and ingenious tips come directly from fellow moms and dads—the ones who are in the trenches and have been there, done that.
Thanks to our community of fellow parents, we’ve found some stellar product recommendations over the years for everything from baby gear to children’s books, healthy snacks that your toddlers won’t intentionally spit out and so much more.
It only made sense to recognize these ‘best-of-the-best’ finds and share them with our community and beyond, so last fall we officially launched the SavvyMom Awards. And after hundreds of submissions, a deliberation process and voting by a panel of (impartial) experts, our winners were declared!
Check out the products and brands that won our gold seal and silver seals of approval.
BEST ECO OR ALL-NATURAL PRODUCT
GOLD WINNER: Baby Grows Up, by organicKidz
We loved this Stainless Steel Bottle Kit because it grows with your child. It’s a durable baby bottle that then converts to a sippy cup and finally to a lunchbox-ready water bottle. Love it! Plus, it’s made from 60% recycled steel and is 100% recyclable.
$24.99 | Available Here
SECOND PLACE AWARD OF EXCELLENCE: Snottie
When it comes to babies, snot happens. A lot. Most parents agree that the Snottie is a game-changer in helping your little ones when they’re sick. This product keeps your baby’s stuffy nose unstuffed (or as comfortable as can be) and features a soft, silicone tip, an eco-friendly filter-less design and a case for travel.
$15.99 | Available Here
BEST SNACK OR PREPARED FOOD
GOLD WINNER: FreeYumm Oat Bars
FreeYumm came out of a mom’s desire to help feed her son who had a long list of food sensitivities. When she realized his snack options were limited, she started making goodies to fill the void. And today, FreeYumm bars are made with natural ingredients in a dedicated bakery where the top eight priority allergens are never allowed. Did we mention they’re also really yummy?
$5.30 | Available Here
SECOND PLACE AWARD OF EXCELLENCE: MadeGood Soft Baked Mini Cookies
MadeGood Snacks are a tried-and-true favourite at SavvyMom editors’ homes. Their snacks combine organic ingredients with a serving of vegetables and are made in a dedicated nut-free facility. They’re school-safe and kid approved. Perfect!
$4.47 | Available Here
BEST PREGNANCY PRODUCT/GEAR
GOLD WINNER: Maternity Wear Subscription Box, by Sprout Collection
This subscription service is a genius idea. It’s an online maternity wear rental service that provides pregnant mamas access to an unlimited, personalized luxury closet. Each month you select 4 pieces of clothing to rent, wear, receive compliments, return and repeat! Best of all, shipping and dry cleaning are free.
From $99 – $139/month | Available Here
SECOND PLACE AWARD OF EXCELLENCE: Elvie Trainer
Elvie Trainer is the award-winning Kegel trainer for your pelvic floor. (Finally, something to help us remember to do our darn Kegels!) Once you connect to the app, you’ll get real-time feedback as you exercise, through five-minute workouts to improve bladder control and postnatal recovery.
$199 USD | Available Here
BEST BABY GADGET OR GEAR
GOLD WINNER: Medela Sonata Double Electric Breast Pump
Oh, the value of a great breast pump. It just can’t be put into dollars and cents. While this one is on the expensive end, it’s got some great features, like the double-electric pump, which makes it fantastic for daily use. It’s designed for moms who pump several times a day. It’s also quiet, making it perfect for late-night pumping sessions.
$594.99 | Available Here
SECOND PLACE AWARD OF EXCELLENCE: HALO SnoozyPod Vibrating Bedtime Soother
Soothing sounds and an amber glowing night light with gentle vibration make this product a big-time winner to us. If there’s a product that will help lull babies and toddlers to sleep, it’s worth its weight in gold. This one is designed to fit most cribs, toddler and twin beds, and the sounds, along with the projection night light, creates a relaxing environment to help your child sleep.
$63.97 | Available Here
BEST PICTURE BOOK – BABY/TODDLER
GOLD WINNER: Other Life Lessons Series One
Other Life Lessons are a series of kids’ picture books that address uncomfortable real-life situations for kids and adults. With titles like Life’s Not Fair, Sometimes Someone Dies and Why Mommy Works, the honest books (created by two Canadian moms) use cute, bright illustrations and playful language to hit home and tell real stories.
$11.99/book | Available Here
SECOND PLACE AWARD OF EXCELLENCE: Little The Tree – Personalized Picture Book
This personalized book not only uses your family as characters but is also magnetic and comes with 9 photo-magnets of your own family members to put right into the story. How cute! Plus, it’s adaptable to any family structure.
BEST SKINCARE LINE FOR KIDS
GOLD WINNER: Live Clean Baby
We still use these products regularly, even now that most of our kids are past the baby stage. The shampoo & wash is especially great. It’s both gentle and unscented, so your kids will be clean but still retain that amazing baby smell.
$20 | Available Here
SECOND PLACE AWARD OF EXCELLENCE: Baby Care Line, by Weleda
Cleansing, soothing and comforting to a baby’s delicate skin is how we would describe Weleda’s Baby Care line. It offers the gentle benefits of both nourishing and calming calendula from head to toe.
Varying Prices | Available Here
BEST TOYS FOR BABIES
GOLD WINNER: Ollie the Owl
Ollie is a unique and adorable sleep aid with built-in CrySensor technology, helping baby (and Mom and Dad!) to get quality sleep every night. Ollie the Owl plays four soothing sounds and has a gentle warm glowing tummy with 3 sensory light levels. Love!
$59.95 | Available Here
SECOND PLACE AWARD OF EXCELLENCE: LeapFrog Shapes & Sharing Picnic Basket
This is a classic toy by a company that knows their stuff when it comes to good baby and little kid toys. We love this little picnic basket as much as our kids do. It’s great for pretend play and learning shapes and colours—and makes an awesome gift.
$24.95 | Available Here
BEST TOYS FOR TODDLERS/PRESCHOOLERS
GOLD WINNER: VTech Touch & Learn Activity Desk Deluxe
Another awesome toy that we can’t say enough about, this activity desk is super cute and features an interactive desktop with five pages to explore that are filled with letters, numbers, music, colours and more. Plus, a lot of our kids love it. Tried and tested!
$79.99 | Available Here
SECOND PLACE AWARD OF EXCELLENCE: Silicone Bath Toys, by Marcus & Marcus
Bath toys can get gross. But we love everything about these silicone rubber toys. They’re soft to the touch and easy for little hands to grasp. Plus, the dark blue silicone changes colour based on water temperature and goes white if the water is too hot. The best part is, they have a detachable design, so you can clean it easily and then allow it to air dry to prevent mold. AND they’re top-rack dishwasher safe.
$9.99 each | Available Here and Here
BEST TOYS FOR SCHOOL-AGE KID
GOLD WINNER: LeapFrog LeapStart 3D
The LeapStart 3D Interactive Learning System is great for visual or auditory learners because the touch and talk activities enhance your kid’s learning with interactive animations. Kids can work on math, reading, problem-solving skills and more with activities for two to seven-year-olds.
$59.99 | Available Here
SECOND PLACE AWARD OF EXCELLENCE: VTech Kidizoom Smartwatch DX2
This SmartWatch lets kids take pictures, videos, play games, tell time and more. It also features two cameras that allow your child to capture video and even selfies that can be customized in the Silly Me app and made into new watch faces. Super cute!
$69.99 | Available Here
BEST STROLLER
GOLD WINNER: UPPAbaby Minu
This awesome stroller is lightweight, compact and designed for your daily adventures and exciting excursions. It takes only one hand and one smooth motion to fold it up (amazing!) and we love the large, easy-access basket for all your stuff.
$399.99 – $429.99 | Available Here
SECOND PLACE AWARD OF EXCELLENCE: Bugaboo Fox
The Bugaboo Fox embraces the parent lifestyle, from outdoor activities to travelling and shopping with your little ones. Plus, with its advanced joint suspension, you can guarantee a smooth, and stable ride no matter the surface.
$1,449 | Available Here
BEST NEW MOM ENTREPRENEUR
GOLD WINNER: My Kindness Advent Calendar, Maran Stern-Kubista
Spreading kindness always gets top marks with us. With this unique advent calendar, you and your kids can choose a daily act of kindness from the stickers included. Things like Donate a Toy, Give Someone a Compliment and Make Cookies for the Neighbours help to make the season about giving instead of taking. The best part is, this beautiful calendar is also long-lasting! It can be pulled out year after year to make giving back a holiday tradition in your family.
$75 |Available Here
SECOND PLACE AWARD OF EXCELLENCE: West End Mamas, Sarah Mickeler
West End Mamas is Toronto’s only one-stop shop for perinatal health care. With Toronto’s most experienced perinatal experts, this incredible service helps mamas feel better during pregnancy, enables them to have the birth they want and recover and thrive postpartum.
Find More Here
Tagged under: products,savvymom awards,award winners,best products
Category: family-life
