Gearhead Mom

Klutz Fun with Felt

Klutz’s secondary line, Chicken Socks, has some fabulous travel sized toys. Fun with Felt is a little felt book with an attached bag full of felt pieces. It has pictures on one side of each page and felt on the other. The pictures have themes (outer space, under the sea) where your little one can attempt to replicate the figures with the felt or make creatures of your own. This morning I had the book open to the space page, which features aliens, and I walked by and Sy had created a space ship. This toy is a bit hard for her to replicate the items. The suggested age range is 4+, but I think 3 and up can handle it just fine. You can buy extra felt pieces for when you inevitably lose some eyeballs under the seat in front of you on the plane.

Travel Magna Doodle

We play with this thing every day, whether we are traveling or not. I keep it in the car most of the time and if Sy starts to get restless I just ask her to draw what she can see out the window. Of course, she always wants me to turn around and see what she’s drawn, so sometimes I am not as smart as I think, hunh?
Suggested Age: 4 and up, but I think that’s just silly. I’ve seen a multitude of ages play with this toy, from under one to over 40.

I have also seen an Aquadoodle Go ‘n Travel Doodler, but we don’t have one. It seems big at 2.8 x 13.4 x 17.8 inches ; 2.4 pounds, but the pictures I’ve seen make it look like a 2+ year old can handle it in their lap.

Magic Pen/invisible Ink Pen and Pad

I got a Disney version of the magic pen booklet at the airport on the way home from seeing the mouse. Gotta love magic pens! I remember them from my childhood, most likely on a plane. A two year old on a plane may be too impatient for this, but older kids enjoy watching the color unfold before their very eyes!

Paperback Books

Slide some of your favorite paperback books into any crevice you can find in the carry-on bag. Our current favorites are Everyone Poops and Listen to Your Fish, Terrific Advice for Pets (narrated by Grover and the gang from Sesame Street). I found our Sesame Street book at the dollar spot at Target and it’s been a favorite ever since. All the kids in our play group love it and try to find the hiding lamb in each page. 

Chalk Board Placemat

Reese Li’s cute chalkboard place mat works well at home or on the road, restaurant or grandma’s house. It even comes with a handy dandy chalk holder. 

Babybug Kid's Magazine

A friend of ours got the subscription of Babybug magazine as a gift. It’s a 24 page little board book style magazine with cute stories, images to find and no advertising. Her son just loves getting a special magazine just for him every month. She keeps the books in the seat back in front of her son’s car seat so he can read them in the car. Suggested Age: 6 months to 2ish

The First Year's On-The-Go Booster Seat

My friend Micky has one of these On the Go Booster Seats and it’s great. You can blow it up when you need to use it, but otherwise it stores flat, which is great when your suitcase is filled to the rim with overnight diapers and plastic dinosaurs. It straps to a chair and has a buckle for safety just like it’s hard plastic counterparts. Your wiggly one can slide around if not well buckled in, but you just have to make sure they are in snugly and it’s fine.

Travel Potty

If you are driving on an adventure, this portable potty is a great idea for emergency potty breaks in between real rest stops. Micky leaves hers in the trunk and uses it all the time. She also has this folding version for potty stops in public restrooms since her daughter is pretty sure she might just fall right into one of those massive, self flushing monsters. It even has little handles to hang on to. Micky puts a liner down and then this on top. It’s easy to store in a larger bag.

DVDs and DVD Player

If you are traveling on a plane, the shrieking voices of Diego and Dora might cause strife amongst you and your fellow passengers and earphones are often ripped off small ears. However, if you are going on a long car trip, you may want to bend a little and bring some DVDs. I know, I know, when we were young we played I Spy, some sort of alphabet bingo and counted cows. But I can quite firmly say that those games were fun for about 12 minutes a piece. Sometimes a DVD can make or break the trip. My sister and her friends swear by the Muzzy language series made by the geniuses at BBC.
DVDS are great if the trip is longer than two hours and you are alllll done playing SUV bingo. If you are like us and don’t have a tricked out DVD player in your car (or private plane), this Sony portable DVD player is a good place to start.

And Last But Not Least...One Big, Fat, Sticky Lollipop

Jenny swears by this technique. Bust out some fabulous lolly right as your child is about to throw down about sitting in a plane seat. Just don’t tell your dentist we said so. And remember to not only pack one for the return trip, but one for yourself, too!