I love longtime reader Sarah Park’s submitted question for today’s Q&A Tuesday. We’re elbow-deep in packing for our return overseas, so right now I’m reminded of how much traveling light is high on my priority list – whether we’re on a 10-hour flight, or whether we’re hitting the park for an afternoon picnic.
Sarah, co-founder of Pear Budget, asks:
What are the three most indispensable items you pack when heading out with preschoolers?
Yep, pick only your top three – and diapers are excluded here.
I’m looking forward to seeing your answers!
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It would be handphone , keys and wallet
Going to the park or to do something active would mean a somewhat different list; this is for indoors, anywhere that might involve waiting (restaurants, doctors’ offices, airports):
1. a water bottle;
2. notepad and crayons;
3. pre-schooler’s favorite small toy of the moment.
1. Baby wipes/wet wipes (for hands, face, everything!)
2. Snack and drink
3. Favourite Toy
My top 3 always are:
1. keys!!!
2. wallet
3. phone
It sounds a bit obvious but whenever I walk out stressing whether I’ve remembered everything, I comfort myself with the knowledge that as long as you have these things you can cope with anything forgotten.
Three things….
1. Snacks/lunch
2. Water bottle
3. Change of clothes
If I could add a 4th? Wipes!
1 phone
2 wipes
3 drink
1. a good, flexible-ready for anything attitude (seriously, if i don’t have this, there’s no point in leaving the house)
2. a drink
3. her pillow (it’s her lovey and it goes everywhere with us)–something from home that brings a little comfort if things go crazy
I’m blogging about going slowly with others in tow today at http://burningbushes.org/
1. change of pants (underpants, too)
2. snack
3.my purse (which holds way more than 3 things, so maybe I’m cheating a little).
1. Snack for each kid
2. Drink for each kid
3. Small toy for each kid
1. water for each of us
2. snack
3 cell phone
Depends on where we are going. If it’s to help at big brother’s school, then we pack an art box. It it’s to preschool then the back pack. If it’s to the park – a water.
We once made it through 6 hours at the airport (and that was just one leg of our journey) with:
1. repositionable stickers
2. pad of paper and a pen
3. the contents of my husbands wallet
Food isn’t bad entertainment either….
1. something to drink
2. something small to play with (action figure or maybe a little car)
3. crayons and paper
i’ve been thinking along these lines this morning because we have our green card appointment at the U.S. consulate in Montreal coming up tomorrow, and you can’t take any electronics with you, not even a cellphone, and they are really picky about everything for security apparently… so i’m making a ziploc bag of crayons and paper activities for my son, and taking along a large book of Curious George stories.
?) Wipes (this could be included with the diapers)
1) Cell Phone (it’s a phone, it’s a toy)
2) Purell or Germ X
3) Snacks & Drinks
1) cell phone
these two may change depending on where we are going and her mood!
2) one of her babies. I always tell her it can ride in the car with us but she (the baby) stays in the car!
3) currently I usually grab a sweater. It isn’t very cold here right now but sometimes it gets chilly while we are out.
or if we are going to the park I will grab water.
I haven’t taken a lot of things with us in a very long time. I use to keep a change of clothes in the car and back in the day diapers. I didn’t want to always have to remember them!
1. cell phone (to call for back up!! LOL!!)
2. gold fish crackers (my son is crazy for them!)
3. drinks (for both of us)
Snacks
Drinks
Toy for each kid to entertain them in the car and sometimes inside wherever we are going.
When my daughter was a baby it was “something for the belly, something for the butt.” It hasn’t changed much:
1. snack
2. change of bottoms (pants & undies)
3. something to do (crayons, magna-doodle)
1- drink in sippy cup
2-healthy high fibre, high protein snack
3-books
1. Patience
2. Patience
3. Patience
Amen to that!
Keilah´s last blog post…Day 16 of Nothing
1. hand sanitizer
2. a snack
3. cell phone
I would have to say wipes (yes, even though we are potty trained we just love wipes for cleaning everything!), an emergency snack (because hell hath no fury like a cranky, hungry little person), and a lollipop for negotiating.
1) Sippy cup
2)small toy
3) two sets of clothing changes(we are potty training our twins, whew!)
1.Books
2. Milk and water in sippy cups
3. Snack (some days he’s only happy when he’s eating!)
1. food and water
2. extra weather approrpiate clothes (rain pants/hat/sweather)
3. wallet
I was surprised to see how many had cell phone in the top three. we don’t have one (even with four small kids) and are the growing minority who uses payphones regularly
1. Non-messy snack, such as cheerios, etc.
2. Quiet toy so it does not annoy others in public
3. Extra change of clothes (keep in the car to use if needed)
OK, I know you said only three, but a positive attitude is also important, so that you can roll with the punches!
1. Spare clothes in case they have an accident.
2. Baby wipes (they stay in the van) for messy faces and hands.
3. Books/toys to keep them occupied in the van.
That is probably all I really leave with for my 3 yo. He is the youngest of four (others are 10, 8 and 5) and I have really learned that I don’t need all the snacks, sippy cups and other rigamarow. LOL
1. Favorite Toy
2. Shoes – for the anti-shoe kiddo.
3. Snack
These are usually what gets thrown into my purse as I’m heading out the door. Doesn’t matter whether we are going to the store or the park, that’s what it takes to make a successful trip with my son.
You talking about an actual long trip in a car, bus, train or airplane? Not just across town?
1. A gallon size zipper style plastic storage bag filled with about 1c. kitty litter.
2. A change of clothing.
3. Favorite lovie- if this can be counted as separate from their personal appendage, which I actually doubt.
in which case,
3. Hyland’s teething tablets and/or Bach’s Rescue Remedy
Just curious.. why the kitty litter??
1. change of clothes
2. couple of crayons/small paper
3. either an animal or little person who can be used for things like, “Oh, I don’t think your elephant ate their lunch yet.” or “Oh, your friend needs to take a nap, could you take care or that?” Hours of concentrated efforts!
1. snack
2. books
3. a watch – have to know when naptime is approaching!
1. An absorbent kitchen towel. It cleans accidents and spills. I’m so much more confident about my potty trained crew when I have the towel. Also, I don’t fuss about their drinks at the coffee shop b/c I know I can easily clean any mess.
2. Dry snacks
3. Cell phone, wallet, keys (all serve as entertainment to a 2 year old. )
For my preschooler: water bottle (Thermos Funtainer), Wet Ones (for little hands that touch everything, and a change of clothing (especially pants, as we’re not fully potty-using yet).
I have a preschooler and a baby, so for me its wipes, cheerios, toy cars. We also always have both kids’ lovies on hand.
1. rice cakes and water bottle
2. three matchbox cars (one for each of my three preschoolers!)
3. nose wipes
Jamie at steadymom.com´s last blog post…fax me
non-messy snacks
wipes
small toy for each child (or something to write with and something to write on)
MaryAnne´s last blog post…Crafts With Dad
1. Skunk
2. Night-night (blanket)
3. Drink
If those things don’t go, it’s going to be a miserable trip.
geekch1ck´s last blog post…Work at Home: Advertising and Other Stuff
I’m going on the assumption that wipes automatically go with diapers.
For the quick afternoon adventure I bring a sippy, a snack and a book. For a 10 hour plane ride I’d need to add in the blankie. And trust me, we don’t want to subtract anything for the 10 hour plane ride!
Kim´s last blog post…This ‘n that
snack, toy, spare clothes
LaToya @ Christian Momma´s last blog post…Retail Therapy
1. baby wipes
2. change of clothes
3. container of water to drink
1. My purse
2. Backpacks for kids- the basics
3. Stuff due today at the library.
1.) Snacks
2.) CDs for the car (if Dora or TMBG aren’t in there, watch out!)
3.) Wipes
1. Snacks, for sure!
2. Wipes
3. my iPhone (for me
DVD player
Headphones
Mp3 player
Our daughter is 3 and these things keep her occupied whether it’s a short trip across town or crosscountry. We never leave home without these in the car.
1. wipes
2. matchbox cars
3. water bottle or sippy cup
And if I had a fourth item option, a lollipop for emergencies. Great question!
emily´s last blog post…chasing inspiration
1. Cheerios and water bottle
2. Notepad and something to write with
3. anti-bacterial wipes
I loved the above poster’s (think her name was Jan) response:
patience
patience
patience
LOL!!!
Sarah .aka. Mamalotsoftots´s last blog post…A few of my favorite things
On any outing, something WILL happen. These 3 will help find a way out of most situations.
Wipes
Phone
Cash
Corey´s last blog post…Listen or Your Tongue Shall Keep You Deaf
keys
phone
water
I have left the house too many times without either of the first two, and that’s nothing but frustrating!!! note to self: get spare key made to hide outside my house….
Briana´s last blog post…Happy Valentine’s Day to you all!
1. large water bottle
2. snack
3. children’s book
This is assuming that I have my purse with me which has my keys, wallet and cell phone
Beth Young´s last blog post…Camryn’s Bedroom
Well, today we are off on a car trip to Portland. What are we bringing?
1. Water bottle
2. Kaia’s purse full of fun surprises (toys she hasn’t seen in awhile)
3. Raisins and Cheerios snack bag
Betsy´s last blog post…A Belated Valentine’s Day Poem
1- Snacks
2- Drink (only if you can get to a bathroom)
3- Diet Coke (thats for me)
Becky´s last blog post…The Instigator
Oh my!
1. I always have to have one of the awesome “Take-n-Toss” straw cups (with lid) for my kiddo who is ALWAYS thirsty, and a small, healthy snack, just in case.
2. We are newly potty-trained, so we MUST have a change of clothes on hand.
3. A small toy car (preferably his ambulance or fire truck, but anything goes). One of those will always keep him entertained for a while.
Eryn´s last blog post…
-Change of clothes
-Crayons & notepad
-Flexibility (chances are, nothing will go as planned)
Cara @ repurposeful´s last blog post…Vinegar: The cheap & green cleaning machine
Sippy Cups
Wipes
Fruit snacks
My top three (and I really do try to stick to this!)
Water
Snack
Wipes
Anu´s last blog post…World Peace Cookies
1. EpiPen
2. Water
3. Fruit for a snack
1. wipes
2. snack
3. phone
As my children pass out of toddlerhood the list has not changed one bit. I just put them in my purse instead of a diaper bag.
Cori´s last blog post…My Uncle Tom…
1. snack/drink
2. small toy or book
3. change of clothes
shirley rempel´s last blog post…Lent 2009
1. Drink! (We also have a package of juice boxes in the car, just for emergencies, but I try to stick to the cheap/free sippy cup)
2. Wipes
3. A little toy (already in the car)
Heather DollarStoreCrafts´s last blog post…Make a Monster Coin Purse
goldfish crackers or anything I can throw into a sanck bag
water in her special travel cup
Clean Well hand sanitizer
Three things I have to have:
1. Change of clothes – just in case they spill something on themselves or decide it’s a good idea to jump in a mud puddle
2. Drinks – my kids are bottomless pits when it comes to drinking liquids
3. Wipes – for those dirty and sticky hands (of course, I end up using them too)
we have made it through a cruise, multiple church services and doctors office appointments with:
-something creative: a notepad with stickers and crayons
-something to santize with: purell (after having a 27 week preemie, this became an essential or else we wouldn’t be leaving the house for weeks afterwards)
-something to save my sanity: the ipod touch loaded with a favorite toddler movie which is currently finding nemo. this is the “its 8:00, we are at formal night on a cruise (or anyplace else a crying child is less than appreciated), the stickers have all been used and we are still enjoying dinner with the family” toy. i’m sure there are some moms who thought, “thats ingenious” and others that thought i was a terrible parent, all i have to say is we spent each night on a 7 night night family cruise with our whole family and our 2 year old made it through every dinner without crying. it has become my new emergency backup plan.
For me: water bottle, keys, and wallet
For toddler: water bottle, book, and snack if we’ll be out and about for 2 hours
Because I have boys- I have a first aid kit in my car and I have use it! Typically the wipes are fine in the car and we’ll just wash up where-ever we are…
Mab´s last blog post…Cute baby boy gift idea
Don’t use a cell phone so I guess it would be:
snack (for all of us!)
toy
a list–I’m so forgetful!
Aimee´s last blog post…Coping With Chocolate-Glazed Cinnamon-Raisin Oatmeal Cookies
1. Anti-bacterial wipes
2. Princess “Thermos” filled with chilled drink
- it has to be THIS thermos
3. PINK PUPPY!!!
a tiny baby gund pink “spunky” puppy rattle that has become her lovey since she was a tiny baby. Although she is now 3.5, pink puppy still goes wherever she goes.
Water
Snacks
drawing paraphernalia
My three things:
1 – phone
2 – drinks
3 – snacks
My girls are not happy campers when they are hungry or thirsty!
Kim´s last blog post…Menu Plan for February 16th
1. Snacks
2. Waters
3. Cell
Angie @ The Creative Mama´s last blog post…oh for the love of tea.
1.wipes (I keep them in the car)
2.snacks–we don’t go anywhere without a snack. Maybe not a good thing, but I am hypoglycemic so I need to eat often, and if I need a snack, I figure everyone else does too. Plus, we don’t eat out (thank-you, Dave Ramsey). This rule doesn’t work if there isn’t some food handy at all times.
3.sippy of water
rachel´s last blog post…Silver is the new Black (for a limited time)
Something to drink, bandaids, and handi wipes!
A change of clothes definately!
A small toy for in the car
Snack/water bottle.
A granola bar
Insulated sippy cup filled with water
a small car or truck(his favorite toys)
Amiyrah´s last blog post…Blog Spotlight- Life, Love and Layouts
hmmm, three things????
Do I have to pick three???? I think most of the time the only thing I carry with is the keys to the car these days…. wipes???? Don’t need them. Wet papertowels do wonders, and anywhere I go, it seems someone is always handing her crayons and paper….. I guess I usually don’t need much too since I tend to have a very messy….. er, I mean, well stocked car. Extra clothes, shoes, diapers, wipes, Goldfish snacks, etc live in my car.
Meagan´s last blog post…LOL
1. My daughter’s favorite kitty cat. It goes everywhere!
2. Water for both of us.
3. Snack, sometimes I forget this and end up spending way too much to eat out.
Jenny´s last blog post…Her Memory Amazes Me
a portable nonperishable snack. a tissue if he has a cold. my phone, jus in case!
Well, it does depend where we are going. If I am packing for something where he has to wait (like big brothers tae kwon do class) it is:
A dry erase notebook (activities you do w/ a dry erase marker and then wipe off with a paper towel).
A snack.
A small toy of his choosing…currently usually his little stuffed walrus.
Loretta´s last blog post…If I could write a letter…Age 30
#1. and most important is “bunny”, my daughter’s lovey.
#2. a phone if i can find it.
#3. a drink.
(underwear and wipes are always in the car.)
melanie´s last blog post…MPOC: Caring
Wow, I love the responses along the lines of “patience,” and “flexible attitude”!
As for material things that have to be packed (to answer my own question), it’s definitely
1) water & snacks
2) wipes (for all manner of things…)
3) cell phone
But I have to be honest and say that I’m one of those parents who brings everything but the kitchen sink when going out! Those are just my top 3! I’d also add change of clothes/alternate-weather-clothes, small toy (for each child), bibs (if we’re going to be eating out), wallet, keys, crayons, paper… basically everything everyone’s mentioned so far.
Guess that was why I was wondering how everyone whittles it down.
We haven’t done this in awhile, but when my now-almost-5-year-old was about 2, we’d always bring these little plastic picture mats, where the color shows up as you wipe a wet paint brush across it (magically). Forgetting now the name of it! But super helpful at a restaurant when your toddler has already burned through crayons, paper, and the bread bowl.
My wife and I have different ideas on this. Here’s mine:
- Water
- Snacks (for me)
- Ear plugs
Just kidding….maybe.
CGabriel´s last blog post…A Trophy for Everyone: The Seeds of Entitlement
for my 21-month old …
1. blackberry – useful for me, can keep her entertained if necessary
2. snack/sippy
3. little wooden toys
Keli´s last blog post…21 months ago …
This is my three top items to bring out the door with us when going shopping in the wintertime:
1. A bag with hats, gloves, mittens and scarves
2. A snack (for girls and hubby) & their SIGG bottles full of water
3. Canvas bags for shopping
BTW, love your blog!
Wendy´s last blog post…Recreating a No Whine Zone
1. Mobile Phone
2. Snack for each kid
3. Bag of Crayons/paper
My son is 14 months, which means he just qualifies, right?
1. sippy cup with milk or water
2. easy to eat snacks
3. one or two toys (these stay in the diaper bag, don’t get mingled in with his other stuff, that way they keep his interest twice as long)
Lucie @ Unconventional Origins´s last blog post…Interracial Families and the Idea of Reverse Racism
1. crayons and coloring book
2. seek and find books (for long trips these are awesome!)
3. hand held game/”thing” aka: etch a sketch (they have small ones you can get that pack easily)
Tina´s last blog post…Took a Licken’…kept on ticken’
1. sippy cup with water
2. cheerios
3. an awesome mini-book bag shaped like a duck…it holds 4 thin board books and the bill squeaks
Karen´s last blog post…Top 5 Home Accessories For Your Favorite Reading Corner
1. Sippy Cups
2. bibs
3. snacks
1. change of clothes (for the kids – although there have been times when I’ve wished I had clothes for myself!)
2. wipes or hand sanitizer
3. my purse
hand sanitizer
panky (our daughter’s blanket)
a book
1. snack
2. wipes
3. small toy- like a crayon roll
For him:
sippy cup, snacks, ziploc bag of matchbox cars
For me:
phone, wallet, sanity
punkinmama´s last blog post…there are no words…
For me: phone, wallet (including gate card!), and mints/gum
For them: plastic bag (for many reasons), snacks (multiple), and water
Shelly!´s last blog post…Thank you.
1. water in a sippy cup
2. wet wipes (soooo many other uses besides cleaning the bum!)
3. at least 3 snacks
Vicki´s last blog post…Slow & Steady
I was very tempted to write “Snack, snack, snack” but that’s just for our time toting around down. For anything that involves waiting (doctor’s office, dinner out, etc) it’s:
-Snack
-Matchbox Cars
-sippy cup
I’m so happy that I don’t have to tote a diaper bag around anymore. I ditched that when baby was only 9-10 months old, when I figured out I could just carry ONE diaper, a ziplock bag of wipes, and his sippy cup in my oversized purse. More than once we have been caught at a playdate without a diaper, but that’s what friends are for!
Alissa´s last blog post…To Brighten Your Day
1. Smoothies for all three of us, in spill proof cups
2. Shoes for the boy who throws them in the car
3. Purse/Phone, I usually forget one or the other
Keilah´s last blog post…Day 16 of Nothing
1. Snacks
2. Cars/trucks
3. Extra change of pants
1. Snack
2. Water Bottle
3. Favorite stuffed animal of the moment.
1-Sippy Cup
2-Baby Wipes
3-Gameboy Micro (for long car trips) or small toy (shorter trips)
Jennifer @ Frugal Front Porch´s last blog post…10 Tips to keep the party under control & under budget
I have a 3yo and an 11mo, soooo we roll with:
1. Pampers/wipes/A&D
2. Sippy cup of juice cut with water or plain water.
3. Lightening Mc Queen & Chick Hicks cars from the Disney movie “CARS”.
I always bring my cellphone, keys, wallet, tissues, and hand sanitizer in my bag, whether I’m with the kids or not.
But when I have my preschooler in tow, I pack his little bag with:
1. snacks
2. toy / book
3. extra clothes
1. Greenie (blanket that looks like a ball of unwound yarn)
2. iphone (cell phone/camera/music/games all in one)
3. money
[I keep my keys in my car. I live at least 5 miles from anything.]
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