[Two Editor’s Notes}
1. New York Family & The Plaza Hotel are giving away a
two-night Babymoon to new and expectant parents (with infants or
toddlers. Sign Up Here. We’re also giving away two sets of Skip Hop’s new and wonderful 4-piece crib bedding line. More Here.
2. New York Family has just established a wonderful (and free)
weekly e-newsletter for expectant and new parents (up to toddler).
Check it out and sign up here.
And now for some great solutions to toddler travel:
This winter I found myself on almost a dozen airplane flights with my toddler. Keeping him happy while strapped into a car seat on a long and sometimes bumpy ride wasn’t easy–especially when warding off grumpy looks from other passengers who were anticipating hours of screaming and seat kicking. The good thing is he was usually quite pleasant and charming throughout our trips. I’d like to think that’s because he’s perfect. But I’m sure it mostly has to do with the arsenal of toys and other gear I keep in my carry-on. Every parent has their bag of tricks for the airplane. Here are the five items I always have on hand for in-flight entertainment.—
Stickers. What is it about stickers? My son likes to stick them on paper, on his clothes, on my nose. Our favorite stickers are these by Djeco that feature animals doing crazy stuff—like a giraffe carrying a purse and a bird driving an ambulance. Quite the conversation piece for the toddler set!
Doodle pad. This travel-size erase pad is perfect for airplane rides. The “pen” is attached so you never lose it. My son likes to request my husband or I to draw different things—like an airplane—and then he does the erasing.
Mini photo album. Toddlers love looking at photos of themselves and people they know. I buy one of these cheap plastic photo albums from the drugstore and fill them with old and new pictures of friends and family. I try to put in new pictures for every trip. I also try to include photos of whoever we are visiting.
Magnets. You could bring any collection of magnets to play with, but I love this magnetic toy set from Gymboree. The four super-strong, colorful magnets adhere to each other and form different shapes . We also have fun seeing what else they stick to—like some of my son’s toy trains.
Grab bag. What’s more fun than opening up a bag filled with lot of tiny surprises? I use one of these cute Itzy Ritzy reusable snack bags and fill it with a variety of small toys and objects from around the house—a tiny book, toy animals, cars, Lego blocks, a piece of costume jewelry, a plastic spoon…etc. My son enjoys opening it up and discovering what’s inside, removing the items one by one and then putting everything back into the bag to do all over again.
