Like most of you, I bought a LOT on Amazon last year. Blame the pandemic and let’s be honest, a combo of laziness and the sheer convenience of Prime. Plus, I feel like everyone on my Instagram and TikTok has been peddling crazy Amazon finds that will change my life or whose price is too good to be true — and many of them don’t disappoint, so I go back for more. I actually think I may have done the majority of my shopping on Amazon in 2021, which I feel somewhat sad and bad about but also not at all because I’m a busy working mom in a pandemic and I spend most of my day multitasking between running two businesses and taking care of my children and making crazy decisions that have no good answers. So honestly, I’m not going to beat myself up about relying on the convenience of Amazon to fulfill so many of our household (and a few closet) needs. With that said, all those people peddling amazing Amazon finds and the suggestions the app gives you not to mention its utter convenience can make you impulse purchase quite a bit and end up with a lot more things than you need. I’m trying to streamline my life and do away with so many things, so I find it helpful to look back on what I bought that actually got used/worn/was worth it versus what wasn’t. I also thought you may want help cutting through the noise and clutter, so I rounded up my best Amazon purchases of 2021.
I actually did this in 2020 and you all seemed to find it helpful as well, so I hope you enjoy this one. Looking back at my best Amazon purchases of 2021, there are actually a lot of great finds for the home, from organization to cleaning to decor, some great gifts for the kids, and some fashion finds that really surprised me. Let me know if you find these roundups helpful and I can do them more (like would you want to see Amazon best sellers of the month or best Amazon kids clothes?).
Amazon Fire Kids Tablets
Ok, now I get the hype. I bought one for James after I (yep, me) smashed our iPad and at first, I couldn’t figure out how to program it and wasn’t that into it. It takes a minute to adjust if you’re a longtime Apple/iPad user, but now that I get how to use it, I love it. Thank you Instagram community for helping me figure it out! They have games, books, movies — the whole deal. You can put parental controls on it, and I love that it comes in a case that makes it pretty smash proof and easy to clean off if you allow tablets in restaurants like we do. We ended up getting one for Charlotte too, so the kids could use when we flew to Park City and it saved us on the 4.5 hour flight and the multiple hours delays.
Iris Clear Plastic Storage Bins for Toy Storage
I recently shared on Insta that I use these in varying sizes to organize all of our toys in our playroom toy closet. I like to separate every toy type (Barbies, Magna Tiles, Paw Patrol Tower and toys, puzzles, etc.). I love the clear bins because they let the kids see what’s inside (mine are too young to read so I haven’t whipped out the label maker yet), and by separating them into bins, they can take one (or two) out at a time and then clean up before taking out the next so it doesn’t take us five hours to clean up the playroom every day and it’s easier to keep it organized. I also find that this way they are more likely to play with all their toys — if it’s just in a big bin or bins they can’t see, they never play with them. But I’ll take out a couple bins if there are some toys they haven’t played with in awhile and everything else is in the closet, so they still have access but aren’t overwhelmed by all the choices (kind of my version of the montessori rotating toys approach, which really does work). These bins have been sturdy enough for when my kids just dump them on the ground and hold the heavier toys and blocks and I love that they come in different sizes. We have shelves of varying distance in a big closet in our playroom, and then they just fit perfectly on the shelves. We have the extra large ones for the bigger toys like the Paw Patrol Tower, medium ones for things like the superheroes and legos, and smaller ones for smaller sets like the vet kit and beauty salon set. If you’re like me and like to get super organized, these were hands down one of the best Amazon purchases of 2021 that I made.
Vaccination Card Protector
I held off on buying one of these forever, but since this will not be a key part of our life, I’m treating mine and my family’s vaccine cards like a driver’s license and making sure to protect it and keep it safe. Since mine is made of flimsy paper, this is good protection until I can motivate to do the vaccine passport to have a verified digital copy, or however you do that.
Artctix Toddler/Kid Snow Pants
I bought these for James before Park City, and they are amazing! Another mom recommended them and I highly recommend. They’re warm, super waterproof, and a great price point, especially if your kid is constantly growing like mine. I also love a big style for kids so snow doesn’t get down their pants when they fall in some fresh powder or roll around in a snowbank. They have big kid sizes too, fyi.
Envelope Sealer
I was a cruel woman and made Andrew lick all our Christmas cards last year. Never again. The taste of an envelope makes me want to hurl, so I just can’t do it. Now I don’t have to. I’ve tried the ones where you fill with water and wet, and they don’t work. This seals your envelope with one swipe. Trust.
KidKraft Chelsea Doll Cottage
Bought this for Charlotte for Christmas, after Arielle Charnas recommended it, and she loves it. As Arielle mentioned, it’s a good size and won’t take over your entire house like so many of those dollhouses. It wasn’t too painful to put together (I did 1/2 before passing the buck to Andrew but probably could have finished the whole thing if I absolutely had to), and she plays so nicely with it.
L’Oreal Paris Elvive Color Vibrancy Shampoo
Julia Armory recommended this shampoo and it’s amazing for colored or highlighted blondes. I use it every wash and then alternate using this purple shampoo with it every other wash. A huge bottle is cheap compared to all those fancy blonde shampoos — I’ve tried them all and this works the best.
Kids’ Drone
This is a favorite birthday gift for the 4-5+ crowd. It’s originally and the kids always seem to love it. Dakota broke ours but it was fun while it lasted.
Beckham Hotel Collection Pillows
A ton of influencers/bloggers recommended these pillows, and I dragged my feet on getting them. But I needed to up our pillow game now that I’m seven months pregnant and not sleeping well, and I’m so glad I did. These are amazing pillows and you won’t believe the price. They almost always have a coupon offer for them too. One of the best Amazon purchases of 2021, hands down.
Gorilla Grip Rug Adhesives
So we have a rug pad, but for some reason, some of our rugs still pop up along the edges. Kendall from StyledSnapshots recommended these and they’re great. So far they haven’t ruined our hardwood floors either so win-win.
LED Lights
A great gift for teens/tweens. We got for my nephew and he loves.
Amazon Essentials Puffer Vest
I love this super lightweight vest. It packs up super small but is great for an extra layer for running, paddle, tennis, etc. Did I mention it’s only $30?
Amazon Essentials Long Sleeve Workout Shirt
This is such a great workout shirt. I like mine a little longer, which has also been helpful with a bump, so I sized up to a medium but I would take a small or even XS if I wanted it more fitted. It’s a great weight and doesn’t shrink in the wash. I have in a couple colors.
Women’s MaryJane Shoes
Best $17 I spent all year. I’m not going to lie these aren’t super supportive or well made, but they’re $17, and are the perfect shoe to pair with dresses, jeans, you name it. I have given up on heels right now, so these have been great, and for the amount I wear them, they’ve held up pretty well. These are my go-tos when I need something fancier but don’t want to wear heels.
Lee Jofa Pillow Covers
After ordering a bunch of custom designer pillow covers on Etsy and spending a fortune, I was shocked to find Amazon has designer pillow covers and they’re good. From Lee Jofa to Schumacher and more. You can search for the designer or style you like and see if they have them there. The quality is actually pretty good and it’s great if you’re not sure about a print and want to try it out, or if you like to switch things up, or if you just want designer pillows for a fraction of the cost.
Finlandia Dinnerware Set
I’m obsessed with this blue and white dishware set. Looks like Royal Coppenhagen but you can use everyday and it’s dishwasher safe. It’s perfect if you have young kids and are prone to breaking dishes like me but want to up your everyday dish game. Honestly, super proud of this find — definitely qualifies as one of the best Amazon purchases of 2021 and maybe ever.
Blue Heavy Duty Extra Large Storage Bags
I got these to store baby clothes the kids grow out of and out of season clothes, and I’m loving them. The bins weren’t working for us — they were taking up so much room and just harder to manage for us up and down the stairs. These are easier I think for storage for clothes.
Travel Laptop Backpack with Chargers
I got this for Andrew for Father’s Day or a birthday for his daily commute and he loves it. Also great for traveling. Andrew would say this was #1 on my list of best Amazon purchases of 2021.
Grossgrain Bows for Girls
Charlotte has fine hair and these are the only bows I’ve found that will stay in place and she will allow to stay in place for longer than five minutes. As much as I love a big bow, she always pulls them out.
Magnetic Weekly Grocery Planner
This has really helped me stay on top of our meals, from breakfasts to the lunches I pack James for school to dinners. It also helps me when I’m ordering groceries to access and keep track of what we need as we run out. I was feeling like I was always scrambling to decide what to make in the mornings or when kids were really hungry and this has really helped so I can plan ahead and avoid the meal prep meltdowns and make sure my family is getting a good variety of healthy foods (as much as possible). Also, this one lasted us a whole year, which is awesome.
Toy Car Storage Suitcase
I got this for James and he loves organizing and storing his hot wheels cars in here. We have so many and I find a fun way to store them and take them out is key. It encourages him to put them away so we’re not stepping on them (ever step on a Hot Wheels car? It sucks!) and makes it easy for him to tote them around to wherever he wants to play with them.
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