If You’re A WFH Parent, These 25 Things From Target Will Help Make Your Summer A Little Bit Easier
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If You’re A WFH Parent, These 25 Things From Target Will Help Make Your Summer A Little Bit Easier
All the things to keep the kids occupied, minimize messes around the house, and maximize your productivity from the home office.
1. A 25-pack of jumbo sidewalk chalk with a case and holder (so messy chalk doesn’t get all over tiny hands) because nothing says time-consuming activity like creatively (and harmlessly) defacing neighborhood sidewalks and driveways with doodles and graffiti.
2. A bottle of Aveeno Kids’ hydrating detangling spray with oat extract that makes combing even the curliest of children’s hair as easy as scooping ice cream that’s been out in the summer heat for more than five minutes.
Target
If I didn’t have this, I don’t know how I’d ever get my daughter to school on time unless we both woke up hours earlier every day. This is truly a time saver, and her hair ends up looking (and smelling) great!
Promising review: “Makes my daughter’s fine curly hair so soft. I also use it on my son, who has thick, curly hair, and it works great as well. Has a great soft, fresh scent that I love.” —Jacqueline
Price: $7.99
3. A six-pack of Reel Paper bamboo paper towels for all of those times you forgot to go to the store for regular paper towels and you’re forced to use fast-food napkins and dish towels to blot out and soak up household messes.
Target
Promising review: “These exceeded my expectations. They obviously won’t be as absorbent or soft as Bounty, but for bamboo, they’re amazing! Go look at other bamboo paper towel reviews; you’ll quickly realize that these exceed the quality of any others. They’re strong, lint-free, and clean well. Yes, they’re not that soft, but they’re not wiping your butt, so you’ll be fine.” —Summer Wilks
Price $18.29
4. A Bentgo “durable and leakproof” lunch box because it’s just as much fun for parents to pack their kids’ meals in one of these as it is for them to open it up every day as they move from daycare to preschool and beyond.
Target
Note: While the tray is dishwasher safe, the case is not! It will melt the rubber elements and ruin the whole thing if not hand-washed.
Promising review: “I love this lunch box! It fits perfectly inside my son’s lunch bag and it coordinates with the blue shark design. My toddler enjoys the different compartments, it’s like a game to see which compartment he’s going to start with :)” —Live2Design
Price: $27.99 (available in eight colors)
5. A Graco Pack n’ Play so babies and toddlers can stay put. That’s it. Pop them in there, keep your hands free, and give yourself at least a few minutes to do what you need to do.
Target
Promising review: “Our daughter is in her ‘terrible 2s.’ She’s getting into everything and ensuring that cleanup is as difficult as possible. She recently discovered ‘mosh pits,’ as both of her parents are metal heads, and that’s when we decided we had to do something. Vacuuming with a 2-year-old is hard enough without them throwing an elbow right into your knee. Since we got this, she can disrespect her surroundings without actually disrespecting her surroundings. We can vacuum, sweep, etc. without it disrupting her precious play time. 5/5 recommend.” —DRSARSSRS
Price: $59.99 (available in four colors)
6. An 80-piece Johnson & Johnson first aid kit for any boo-boos that might happen (and they will). This pack has it all and you should probably get one to live in your car, too.
Target
Contains 30 adhesive bandages in assorted sizes, 21 sheer adhesive bandages, hand-cleansing wipes, 10 gauze all-purpose dressings, and one full-sized Neosporin antibiotic ointment.
Price: $13.79
7. A pair of Cat & Jack slip-on-slides because who’s got time for lacing sneakers all summer? Velcro? Still too much time. Kids can slip ’em on and slide ’em off, and when they’re dirty, into the wash they go.
8. A 2-in-1 foldable under-desk treadmill so you can be “that co-worker” who’s always moving during the Zoom call. You can even connect your phone through Bluetooth to listen to music and use the phone holder to watch videos or take meetings. Just try not to sweat too much on camera.
Target
Promising review: “I was really surprised at the quality of this treadmill for the price! I have been using it with my standing desk, and the wheels make it easy to roll in and out of position when I want to use it. My co-workers cannot hear it on meetings (using with noise-canceling headphones).” —Bettina
Price: $239.99 (available in seven colors)
9. A Roku Ultra streaming device for super fast and seamless TV streaming in 4K/HDR/Dolby Vision while you’re “doing work.” The rechargeable voice remote is almost impossible to lose; just say, “Hey Roku, where’s my remote?” and it will make a sound. Bonus: Plug your headphones into the remote or use the pair wirelessly feature so your kids can’t hear all the bad words from your favorite shows.
10. An Oxo Tot manual grape cutter because, honestly, who has the time to cut grapes? There’s just so many of them! If your kids were bigger, they could just eat them. But no, they’re small and precious, and they need their grapes or cherry tomatoes. Now you know how those birds who regurgitate food for their offspring must feel.
11. A water table to take the fun of bath time outdoors (or in the garage during winter) with rearrangeable maze pieces that create new waterfall effects (but mostly for splashing about without making a mess).
12. A two-pack of Munchkin faucet extenders for making already difficult (and messy) tasks like handwashing and teeth brushing easier for the little ones. It fits standard and gooseneck faucets; no tools are required!
13. A six-pack of reusable water balloons that only requires a bucket of water (or even a sink or tub) to load up. No more being asked to fill up and tie a dozen balloons that’ll just end up in tatters on your lawn minutes later. Get those minutes back in your day.
Target
Promising review: “These beat regular water balloons — hands down! I couldn’t believe how well these work. We set up two five-gallon buckets full of water and had a great water fight — adults included! Where were these in my childhood?! Great invention!” —Leslienoel
Price: $12.99
14. A puppy-shaped bubble maker because if all it takes is just a few bubbles to capture a child’s attention, then imagine what a whole jar and this robo-dog can do. Bubbles, do your thing!
Target
Requires four AA batteries.
Promising review: “Amazingly easy to set up and makes a ton of bubbles. My 4- and 5-year-olds love it! It does go through the bubble liquid quickly, so buy the big bottles but it’s still worth it, especially for the amount of bubbles it makes. There’s a small lip so when you’re done you can pour the leftover back in the bottle, no waste.” —BusyMom
Price: $10
15. A 7-ounce bottle of no-mess Gold Bond powder fresh spray made with aloe and ginger root to cool you down, absorb sweat, and generally keep the funk down while you’re trying to work and manage kids in summer heat.
16. A pair of Bose QuietComfort Bluetooth wireless headphones with 24 hours of playtime, the ability to switch between music and phone calls, and “Quiet” and “Aware” modes for full or partial active noise cancellation. Hear the kids. Don’t hear the kids. You’ve got options.
Target
Promising review: “I have hearing loss, and even with my hearing loss, these are the best headphones; I have had other ones from Bose that I loved, but my daughter took them for college, and she loves them, so when it was time for me to buy another pair I immediately went back to Bose. I love the noise cancellation, although with hearing loss, it is almost a moot point lol. I love the color and the charge lasts.” —Zajori
Price: $249.99 (available in four colors)
17. A 790-piece Lego Classic brick box to start or add to any budding Scandinavian building block collection. It includes bricks in 33 different colors and the ever-important brick separator tool! Fun for the whole fam, but especially for the kiddos as you chug along on your laptop.
Target
Promising reviews: “Got this for my 8-year-old daughter and she enjoys it. I wanted one that had a lot of pieces so she can create whatever she wants without being limited. Great tub to keep all the pieces together.” —Gorjes
“Played this with my 4-year-old grandson for hours. His words, ‘This is so fun.’ He will play Legos all day.” —Connie
Price: $33.49
18. A Roomba Wi-Fi robot vacuum because your hardwood and carpeted floors need all the help they can get when there’s a kid in the home, and you’ve got no time to do it yourself. Compatible with Alexa and Google Assistant, this sucker will map out a dynamic path of your home (all you have to do is get stuff, like toys and charging cables, off the floor).
Target
Promising review: “I love how easy it is to clean and how well it cleans!! I’m a full-time mom with a zoo, and this little Roomba is mighty enough to suck up copious amounts of dog hair, litter, Cheerios, you name it!” —Sativasymphony
Price: $174.99
19. A rechargeable, flexible three-speed stroller fan with three LED settings (that can be used as a night light) so the kids (and you) can keep cool on your morning jog.
20. A Crayola Color Wonder mess-free coloring kit with markers that only work on the special coloring paper included. No more worrying about any “Redrum” incidents on the walls.
Target
Promising review: “Mess free. Easy to use. Kids love! Markers will leave an oily stain on some clothes and fabrics, but it completely washes out after being washed. It’s similar to how baby oil feels. Just watch younger children so they don’t put marker caps in their mouths, which is a possible choking hazard. Should be fine with proper supervision. Love the product overall. Happy to have bought again and will continue to purchase in the future. Sensory-friendly.” —Lulumama
Price: $11.29
21. A tub of OxiClean because laundry piles up real quick, and failing to pre-treat stained kids’ clothes means you’re going to have to wash them a second (and maybe even third) time. Just take those dirties and a scoop of Oxi, let it sit in a big bucket for a good bit, then toss it in the wash.
22. A Packit Freezable lunch box so you can keep your kid’s lunches and snacks extra chill and not have to weigh their bag down with unwieldy ice packs.
Target
Promising review: “My son loved the pattern, he eats lunch late and this will keep the food cold!” —Candyaft16
Price: $24.99 (available in six colors)
23. A leakproof, easy-to-clean CamelBak kids water bottle that’ll last as long as the kids don’t lose it and keep them hydrated on the reg. All they have to do is “flip, bite, sip, and drink.”
Target
Promising review: “We have had this cup for six months, and it has been dropped countless times and partially run over by my SUV. We popped it back into shape, and you can barely tell anything happened. We bought another for our youngest, and it’s doing just as well.” —TF
Price: $12.29 (available in six styles)
24. And a vacuum-insulated, stainless steel CamelBak 25-ounce Eddy+ water bottle because it’s way too hard to remember to stay hydrated while you’re constantly trying to make sure your kids are hydrated all summer long.
Target
Promising review: “I have been a bite valve fan forever, so happy to see it in a metal bottle! Yay, CamelBak! I could not decide on the color, so I went black. Will probably sticker it up!” —HoosierKaren
Price: $19.19+ (available in 8 colors)
25. A Dr. Brown’s All-in-One Sterilizer & Dryer to quickly win the war against the staggering amount of funky-smelling baby bottles amassing in your kitchen, especially when you can’t wait for the dishwasher.
Reviews have been edited for length and/or clarity.
