We have all the clothes packed, all the toiletries zip locked and accounted for…now, the entertainment. During previous trips we packed a few rattles and a couple little board books and we were set. As long as she was snuggled, she was happy. Now we have a mover and a shaker who does not like to be told know and does NOT want to be held back. This trip, little Miss Independent has her very own busy bag. This was a bit of a challenge considering most ideas I found were for a bit older age range. I scored a really tiny (and adorable) kiddie backpack from Ross for about $5. I added a few books because she loves books. I picked up some new ones so they would be more “exciting” than things she’s seen before. I added some crayons and the entertainment portfolio/folder I made the felt game for. The portfolio/folder has a few pages from a coloring book, the felt game and some crayons. Then, for a last ditch effort, I added a little electronic Elmo game for those “when all else fails” moments. I’ll also add a few snacks! I can’t wait for her to see her new loot.

We have all the clothes packed, all the toiletries zip locked and accounted for…now, the entertainment. During previous trips we packed a few rattles and a couple little board books and we were set. As long as she was snuggled, she was happy. Now we have a mover and a shaker who does not like to be told know and does NOT want to be held back. This trip, little Miss Independent has her very own busy bag. This was a bit of a challenge considering most ideas I found were for a bit older age range. I scored a really tiny (and adorable) kiddie backpack from Ross for about $5. I added a few books because she loves books. I picked up some new ones so they would be more “exciting” than things she’s seen before. I added some crayons and the entertainment portfolio/folder I made the felt game for. The portfolio/folder has a few pages from a coloring book, the felt game and some crayons. Then, for a last ditch effort, I added a little electronic Elmo game for those “when all else fails” moments. I’ll also add a few snacks! I can’t wait for her to see her new loot.

I’ve been working on a busy bag for our trip and needed something that was a little more than crayons and books. I remembered back at Christmas time everyone was making the felt wall trees for their toddlers on Pinterest. The idea behind it was that felt sticks to felt. Considering this logic, my tiny toddler is still a little too young for stickers but enjoys playing with things that had multiple pieces. From their sprung my newest brain child, a traveling felt game.

I started out with a great case that’s actually intended for Kindles, iPad’s and such that I found at Michael’s. It was a great size, had enough structure that it’s not flimsy and had pockets for accessories.

First, I cut a piece of felt the size of the inside of the holder.

It was a hit! I kept a good amount of characters aside so that I can do the same thing but with a magnet board that can stay home. I made sure to remove the truly tiny pieces. I still caught her trying to stick a few pieces in her mouth so, this is still a “with supervision” game.

I’ve been working on a busy bag for our trip and needed something that was a little more than crayons and books. I remembered back at Christmas time everyone was making the felt wall trees for their toddlers on Pinterest. The idea behind it was that felt sticks to felt. Considering this logic, my tiny toddler is still a little too young for stickers but enjoys playing with things that had multiple pieces. From their sprung my newest brain child, a traveling felt game.

I started out with a great case that’s actually intended for Kindles, iPad’s and such that I found at Michael’s. It was a great size, had enough structure that it’s not flimsy and had pockets for accessories.

First, I cut a piece of felt the size of the inside of the holder.

It was a hit! I kept a good amount of characters aside so that I can do the same thing but with a magnet board that can stay home. I made sure to remove the truly tiny pieces. I still caught her trying to stick a few pieces in her mouth so, this is still a “with supervision” game.

I’ve been working on a busy bag for our trip and needed something that was a little more than crayons and books. I remembered back at Christmas time everyone was making the felt wall trees for their toddlers on Pinterest. The idea behind it was that felt sticks to felt. Considering this logic, my tiny toddler is still a little too young for stickers but enjoys playing with things that had multiple pieces. From their sprung my newest brain child, a traveling felt game.

I started out with a great case that’s actually intended for Kindles, iPad’s and such that I found at Michael’s. It was a great size, had enough structure that it’s not flimsy and had pockets for accessories.

First, I cut a piece of felt the size of the inside of the holder.

It was a hit! I kept a good amount of characters aside so that I can do the same thing but with a magnet board that can stay home. I made sure to remove the truly tiny pieces. I still caught her trying to stick a few pieces in her mouth so, this is still a “with supervision” game.

We are all packed and ready to go! It’s the last night before our flight. Here’s a little photo log of how I packed the toddler gear. I start out with full outfits in order to make sure I don’t leave anything out.When I say outfits, I mean everything from hair bow down to socks! I fold everything up into outfit bundles. If you have to pack outfits with hoodies, this makes an even better and more compact little bundle and cuts down on the bulk of jackets. The outfits also make it much easier to get dressed each day once the trip is under way! Barcelona here we come.

We are all packed and ready to go! It’s the last night before our flight. Here’s a little photo log of how I packed the toddler gear. I start out with full outfits in order to make sure I don’t leave anything out.When I say outfits, I mean everything from hair bow down to socks! I fold everything up into outfit bundles. If you have to pack outfits with hoodies, this makes an even better and more compact little bundle and cuts down on the bulk of jackets. The outfits also make it much easier to get dressed each day once the trip is under way! Barcelona here we come.

We are all packed and ready to go! It’s the last night before our flight. Here’s a little photo log of how I packed the toddler gear. I start out with full outfits in order to make sure I don’t leave anything out.When I say outfits, I mean everything from hair bow down to socks! I fold everything up into outfit bundles. If you have to pack outfits with hoodies, this makes an even better and more compact little bundle and cuts down on the bulk of jackets. The outfits also make it much easier to get dressed each day once the trip is under way! Barcelona here we come.

We are on our final countdown until we leave for an 11 day trip through Europe…with our toddler. So let’s get it out of our systems, “are you crazy”, “why would you do that”, “oh God, good luck”. Yes, I know, I’ve heard it all. I do know she won’t remember this trip, I know it may not be “ideal” to travel with a toddler but I also couldn’t imagine leaving her for that long or having this experience with my whole family.
Now that we got that out of the way, on to the strategy of how to make this work. I’m going to post a series of “Travel Preparation” posts starting with our pre packing must have list. We’ve flown a few times and the most successful trips have been when we took the time to be prepared.

· Saniwipes

o The germ infested part of airplanes is everything you touch NOT the air. We learned from an aviation engineer that there is some insane amount of filtered air pumped in and out of the cabin per minute that the air quality isn’t what you should be afraid of

· Entertainment for busy Toddler

o Our Miss Busy loves books, songs and specific TV shows. We love to carry one regular book, and a few small board books for her to flip through. The mini’s are the best because you can throw them into anything throughout your travels. We also purchased the Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood series onto the iPad for a backup plan.

· Snacks

o Plane friendly snacks that are easy to grab are the best. Little baggies of goldfish, blueberries and a few Golden Graham’s mixed (this is our sweet version of toddler trailmix), string cheese and crackers, crackers and almond butter sandwiches.

· Clean and Sealed Paci

o We have a back-up paci always on hand. It stays in a snack Ziploc in case one makes a nose dive in the airport or anywhere else for that matter.

· Food Supplies

o This trip I decided to add some additional products to the list since we now have a “real food eater” on our hands. I purchased a pack of disposable sippy cups that have travel lids, disposable bibs and disposable placemats. These will take up little room in our bag and will help with the unknown that can occur with traveling. I also plan to grab some forks and spoons from Target’s $1 area. This way if they are lost along the way, the financial impact is minimal.

This of course is just the preliminary list. I’ll have my detailed list for packing baby soon. Very soon since we have only 10 DAYS to lift off!!! What are your go to products or tips when you travel?

We are on our final countdown until we leave for an 11 day trip through Europe…with our toddler. So let’s get it out of our systems, “are you crazy”, “why would you do that”, “oh God, good luck”. Yes, I know, I’ve heard it all. I do know she won’t remember this trip, I know it may not be “ideal” to travel with a toddler but I also couldn’t imagine leaving her for that long or having this experience with my whole family.
Now that we got that out of the way, on to the strategy of how to make this work. I’m going to post a series of “Travel Preparation” posts starting with our pre packing must have list. We’ve flown a few times and the most successful trips have been when we took the time to be prepared.

· Saniwipes

o The germ infested part of airplanes is everything you touch NOT the air. We learned from an aviation engineer that there is some insane amount of filtered air pumped in and out of the cabin per minute that the air quality isn’t what you should be afraid of

· Entertainment for busy Toddler

o Our Miss Busy loves books, songs and specific TV shows. We love to carry one regular book, and a few small board books for her to flip through. The mini’s are the best because you can throw them into anything throughout your travels. We also purchased the Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood series onto the iPad for a backup plan.

· Snacks

o Plane friendly snacks that are easy to grab are the best. Little baggies of goldfish, blueberries and a few Golden Graham’s mixed (this is our sweet version of toddler trailmix), string cheese and crackers, crackers and almond butter sandwiches.

· Clean and Sealed Paci

o We have a back-up paci always on hand. It stays in a snack Ziploc in case one makes a nose dive in the airport or anywhere else for that matter.

· Food Supplies

o This trip I decided to add some additional products to the list since we now have a “real food eater” on our hands. I purchased a pack of disposable sippy cups that have travel lids, disposable bibs and disposable placemats. These will take up little room in our bag and will help with the unknown that can occur with traveling. I also plan to grab some forks and spoons from Target’s $1 area. This way if they are lost along the way, the financial impact is minimal.

This of course is just the preliminary list. I’ll have my detailed list for packing baby soon. Very soon since we have only 10 DAYS to lift off!!! What are your go to products or tips when you travel?