We made the long {llllooooonnnnggggg} treck down from Columbia, SC to Amelia Island, FL today. It really wasn’t so bad – it took us about 5 hours to get here. But literally about 100 yds. from our destination Reynolds AND Eliza Jane lost their minds. Crying/Screaming blew up our car in one unanimous, awful sound. Andrew and I did our own version, which usually makes R start laughing but not this time…he could not be consoled…at least in the beginning.
She just needed a bottle…he, however, needed something from the bag ‘o tricks.
When my parents kept the kids for us a couple of months ago, while we were in the Bahamas, I put together what I called a bag of tricks and told my mom to keep it near her on their long drive back to GA.
When I put together our checklist for this trip, I literally included “bag of tricks” along with things like diapers and wipes. The necessities, you know.
If you have kids, you probably have a bag ‘o tricks…you may call it something else, like the “quiet bag” or some other creative name.
It’s purpose? To entertain your kids. Whether to keep them from hitting/pinching each other {and driving you completely bananas!} or just to give one something to do while the other sleeps. We don’t have a tv or dvd player in our car…instead we have a bag of tricks.
It includes great, functional favorite things of the kids.
Books. Lots of books. Picture books. Books with things to touch and feel. Books with flaps that reveal little secrets. Books that we know by memory…
Musical toys. Toys that play “Old MacDonald had a farm…” Toys that play music and make one child sing his little heart out.
Toys that can be chewed…for a baby that is teething.
Toys that invoke creativity.
Toys that bring comfort.
We made it. We’re here. The bag ‘o tricks is strewn all over the floor in the den…and the kids are playing with the telephones and remote controls…
Maybe I could pare down our bag to just include remotes and phones for the next trip… :-/
How do you entertain your kids on long trips?
