By Aisling O’Donoghue at Baby Travel Shop
Entertainment should be top of your planning list when travelling with children. At one point or another you will want to give yourself a pat on the back for your organisational skills! What to consider…
Everything you take should be expendable and also factor in that toys get dirty so the easier they are to clean the better.
A bag of balloons is one of the best travel tricks I’ve learned, you can share them with new friends and they provide endless entertainment. Consider balls made from sponge and small hacky sacks, these are light and can be used indoors.
There are lots of games you can play without props, from memory, counting and clapping games to drawing noughts and crosses and hangman. Travel is time for spending together so do talk and read to your children.
Travel toys for babies:
Look for a selection of teething toys that are fun to hold, rattle and bright, anything that plays lullabies or music can help distract them from getting upset or help them sleep.
Toddler entertainment:
Collect a supply of goodies that you wouldn’t mind losing eg. Plastic cups for filling with water, plastic spoons, beer mats etc.. and keep collecting as you go. Also take books with flaps to open and sounds when pressed and some music too.
Under-five entertainment:
Colouring supplies like pencils and crayons, avoid markers. A blank notebook, sticky tape, stickers, small toys like cars and small animals. A portable DVD player with headphones! Keep new toys hidden and wrapped up, introduce them one at a time – as you pass one new toy on, take another away to re-introduce at a later time. New books to read together, one or two per child should be plenty.
Checklist:
Babies
Things to grip: rattles, paper cups
Teething rings or keys
Plastic mirrors
Wrist rattles
Toys that play lullabies
Toddlers
Textured toys: cloth books, pay centres with different knobs and sounds
Things to stack and rearrange: plastic spoons, paper cups
Plastic play mat
Music
Under-fives
Colours, paper, sticky tape, cards
Colouring and storybooks
Small imagination toys, cars, dolls
Balloons
Balls
Music, recorded stories and films
Other kids, this is the number one childrens entertainment, if you spot another family, watch for a little while, if you’re happy with the way they are interacting then make it easy for your kids to meet their kids, once they hook up it will make your trip much much easier.
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