What to Pack to Entertain a Toddler

[camdensmom]

Hi Everyone,

I just thought I would take a minute to post some things that I have found to be great for keeping our son entertained on the plane, in restaurants and/or in the line for rides and attractions (as well as when we wait for shows and parades to start).

I have had great luck with the Dollar Store for finding some cheap, novel items that are new to him. The bonus is that for $1.00 I don't mind leaving them behind or losing them along the way.

Since we leave in a few days and I am in packing mode I was thinking maybe some of you had some other ideas to share.

• Mini Cans of Playdough: These can be found as party favors at Target and stores like that. These are great for restaurants.
• Flash Cards: I try to find interesting ones with pictures. My trick with these is that I hole punch them and attach them with a metal ring (I'm a teacher and have a ton of these, but you could tie it with a piece of yarn) so that they aren't falling all over the place.
• Crayons/Scrap paper or coloring books: Despite the fact that the place caters to kids the restaurants don't offer crayons. I like to just throw a few into a ziploc.
• Beach Ball: esay to pack deflated and is great for the hotel room.
• I Spy Books: My son is only 2, but LOVES the simple ones.
• Stickers: you can find pads of these with lots of stickers on a page. My son loves peeling them off and sticking them onto things (again...scrap paper or coloring book). It takes him a while to do so and we get a lot of mileage out of this activity.
• mini-magna doodle

Any other ideas out there?

 

[Not so Dumbo]

Thanks for the tips. We will be taking a 2 yr old with us in May and as of now we are unprepared for the waits.

 

[peemagg]

We are also bringing a view finder with various reels (Disney of course). Books are also good. Same with those crayola wonder books. Kids can color all they want, but only work on the special paper.