As a family, we have been trying very hard to minimize the new “stuff” we bring into our home and focus on experience over things. This year in particular, we have purged unnecessary items from our house to make our home feel more manageable and make space for a new family member. I put together a list of a few gifts ideas to bring the traveling spirit into your home and small toys for your toddler to bring on your next adventure.
Books to Inspire Adventure – Whether you are traveling or not, books are always a great idea. We like picking up books in and about new places we visit so we can talk about those places with new books that we wouldn’t otherwise find. Benton loves the books in the Good Night Our World series and it is a great way for toddlers to get familiar with a destination before visiting. We have Good Night Beach, Alaska, Vermont, Lake, Zoo and New York. Benton is also a big fan of “We’re Going On A Bear Hunt” and “The Snowy Day” both of which make him want to play outside.
Reusable Water Bottle – You never want to get stuck with a thirsty or hungry toddler on your hands, much less while traveling. Bringing along a reusable water bottle helps save money and the environment by not buying plastic water bottles. My toddler is more likely to drink more water when he has HIS cup that he is attached to. This is our go to bottle because it is spill proof when you close the straw. Benton has one with a rad monster on it, but I am partial to this snowboarding polar bear.
Art Supplies – Bringing a few crayons or washable markers with you on a trip is always a good idea. They are small, lightweight and can entertain your toddler for longer than 5 minutes. I usually only pack 4 crayons or markers along with a small pad of white paper and a coloring book.
Small Lightweight Multipurpose toys – When we travel, sometimes even just traveling to daycare, Benton brings one of his favorite small toys along for the ride. He is a big fan anything with wheels so we have a set of wooden work trucks very similar to these that do a great job digging on the fly.
These magnetic blocks are perfect to keep a toddler entertained with only the space of a tray table. They are so versatile and small enough that one quart-sized Ziplock bags worth can create an infinite number of buildings.
Interactive World Map – We have maps from some of the places we have traveled all over our walls: a world map, Moscow, New Zealand, India, The Outer Banks, and Quito. It feels like it is time to get our toddler his very own map too. This one comes with removeable stickers to help your toddler learn about natural features and animals around the world. We haven’t given this to Benton yet so shhhh don’t tell him that it will be in his stocking.
Do you have any must have gift ideas for a traveling toddler that are not on this list? Please share them so we know what we’re missing!
