Hi all! We're taking our first real trip as a family of 4 (a 3 year old and 10 month old) next month. We'll have a 2 hour flight and 4 nights at a hotel. I'm trying to think of some fun toys and activities to keep my girls entertained on the flights and any downtime in the hotel. Any suggestions for travel friendly toys/activities for either age group would be much appreciated. Bonus points if it is something that both of them would like. Thanks!!
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I always take markers and a coloring book or blank paper. Sticker books and Water Wow are also fun. Each LO can also take one stuffed animal/doll or other lovey to sleep and play with. We don’t usually take a ton of stuff though, since I don’t want to keep track of a lot of things.
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Along the same lines as above, a boogie board for the 3yo! There are several versions on amazon, basically an erasable writing/drawing tablet (with zero mess!). Super thin and light, they can scribble and draw, you can draw for them or make up games. We use ours a ton in the car or if going somewhere we have to wait also - not just travel. Baby might like it too, just not sure since we got ours this year.
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I always bring a ton of stuff for my son to do, he's just not the kind of kid that is content with one or two items and it makes me crazy when he doesn't have stuff to entertain himself. He really didn't have an interest in toys until he was around 18 months, but at that time, I got him a buckle toy (essentially a kid sized pillow with different kinds of buckles) and some wooden nuts and bolts from Plan Toys. He also did well with a set of blocks that had pictures on each side, in our case they were a set that corresponded to the animals in Brown Bear by Eric Carle.
I typically bring play doh for the destination, a set of playing cards designed for kids and one or two new games on every trip.
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For the 3 year old, the target dollar zone has these felt playsets- different themes but basically it’s like a little setting (dollhouse, under the sea...) and little felt figures. It all folds up into itself for storage. My older daughter can play with them for a surprising amount of time- but eventually the little pieces do go missing.
Second vote for boogie board. The key is it’s really easy to erase the picture, even for a one year old, vs a magnadoodle or something.
I’ve made them both art kits with a set of crayons, paper, stickers, in a little zip top bag. It feels special because it came in a bag.
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@Foodnerd81: I put one of those felt sets in my daughter’s stocking, and it was her favorite thing from Christmas. And it’s $3?! Love it!
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Thanks all! I used to have one of those scribble boards and I think we lost it at some point so this is probably a good time to get a new one. And good call on those felt Target books! I bought a couple of those earlier in the summer and my 3 year old liked it decently for awhile. I’ll check to see if there are new versions now. Thanks!!
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When my daughter was around 10 months old I put together a fun bag (I used an empty cosmetics bag). I put trinkets inside like stickers, an empty altoids tin, cheap sunglasses, finger puppets, a koosh ball, a light-up ring, a toy car, etc. Items that you get as party favors are usually great for this. I'll just tuck them away as soon as they get them and keep them in the fun bag. Then on the flight it's fun for them to explore the bag and take things out one at a time. I actually have to hide it when we're not traveling because if she sees it she always wants to play with it! But part of the fun is only getting it on airplanes. It keeps it a novelty. She's nearly 2 now and we still use it, and I swap the items out regularly.
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I caved and ordered the buckle toy for my 2nd (she was 17 months) and both my 3.5 year old and her played with it. Water wow, boogie board are also big hit. my older one also got the scratch artbooks, a wipe clean work book. I avoided anything with smaller parts. I also got random Target $1 spot stuff as surprises when they were fussy. And lots and lots and lots of snacks. And they also got iPad time (we were on a road trip).
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stickers. either the reusable ones, or the regular ones. My kids (5 and almost 2) will do them for ever. We flew in November when my youngest was 15 months and he loved them then, too. I'd peel them off for him.
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My girls love wiki-stix!
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DD just turned 3 and we fly a lot. I always bring those 99 cent coloring packages from JoAnns or Walmart (that have a little coloring book, crayons, and some stickers), other stickers, Water Wow, a couple of books, and her baby doll. Play Doh is also good.
Our last flight I picked up a Melissa and Doug make your own bracelets kit (all stickers) and she loved it.
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I have always traveled with bath toys stacking cups. They are fun in and out of the bathtub. I've also taken other toys that are collapsible and always books.
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