Busy Toddler

Why We Like It

Busy Toddler is the rare parenting blog where the expertise is real and the content is actually useful. Susie Allison's child development background shows in every post — activities are chosen for developmental purpose, not just aesthetic appeal, and the instructions are clear enough to pull off during a Tuesday morning with no prep. With over 2.8 million Instagram followers and a blog archive that keeps growing, it's become the default first stop for parents of toddlers.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Founder Susie Allison has a real child development background — the activities are grounded in developmental science, not just what looks good on Instagram
• Every activity uses materials already in your home — no special trips to the craft store
• Massive searchable archive organized by age and skill level makes it genuinely useful at 7am when you need ideas fast

Cons

• Heavy Instagram presence means some content is formatted for quick consumption rather than deep reading
• Activity archives can feel overwhelming without a clear starting point for new visitors

Score Breakdown

Blogs evaluated on content quality and accuracy, consistency and publishing frequency, depth of developmental guidance, trustworthiness and expert backing, and readability and ease of use.