ABC & 123’s Picnic Table Talk topic is to share ideas on how to keep your child occupied and happy while out and about…
We travel down south for approx. 10 hours each way about 3-4 times per year. We survive this with a car dvd player. I used to be anti-dvds in the car, now I think I was NUTS for ever thinking that. The boys also have the normal basket filled with travel toys too, but they usually just watch movies the whole way.
But, for the other out and about stuff, not the hefty travel times, I have another method to contain the chaos.
I buy special toys! I have a drawer in a room right by our front door that I keep all of our “travel” toys in. Today we were on our way to the doc and I just went into the drawer to grab a few items for our wait. I do NOT let the kids play with these travel toys while we are at home, so they are always special. I also add to our stash without them knowing sometimes so they are sweetly surprised.
Here’s a few of the items in our drawer right now:
- Pocket Etch a Sketch
- Travel Magna Doodle
- Aquadoodle Travel N Doodle
(this one can be a pain if you don’t remember to fill the water pen!)
- tiny flip the fruit matching game (cheap-o toy,I am always on the lookout for these)
- a few of those magnetic make a face boards (we have a cat, a man, and something else I can’t remember-got them at Cracker Barrel)
- A Cars Magna Doodle drawing book (from TJ Maxx)
- a few small board books
Nothing too special but it usually works for us and will occupy the boys in a waiting room, in the car for a not long-but not short car ride, or anywhere I need them entertained for a few minutes. I always bring more than 1 toy with me since I never know what Mr Picky will want.
