Friends, let me just give you a hefty serving of honest sauce today… I am losing my mind. Having a two-year-old is no joke, I am remembering why being out in public is the worst place to be with a toddler!
We have had our share of public meltdowns so I have been on a mission to better prepare myself for outings. And by prepare, I mean I have been on a mission to perfect the toddler busy bag, also known as a toddler survival kit! If you have toddlers or even preschoolers and you do not have a busy bag to throw in your purse or diaper bag yet, you need to read this!!
Best Busy Bag Ideas for Toddlers
The toddler busy bag comes in many forms depending on your little one’s needs and can be adjusted as their interests change. I have a busy bag stash so I can trade out items periodically to prevent boredom, the best busy bag ideas are toys they haven’t seen in a while! I have a very curious 2-year-old and a 5-year-old so my bag accommodates both. Here’s what’s in our busy bag right now.
For some reason, my bag got taken out of my purse and I forgot all about it. Our outings have recently been stressful, especially when there is any waiting involved.
Then I remembered my busy bag and knew I had to put it back together immediately!! After raiding my cabinets, I ran up to Walmart to fill in the gaps and hit the mother load on goodies, especially when I found the new Extra® 35-stick pack of gum.
Hallelujah, I will never run out again! I used to carry candy or suckers in my busy bag, but you know what lasts longer than suckers??? That’s right, gum.
Bonus that I can grab myself a piece and with so much more gum in the new Extra® 35-stick pack, I can split the box between our toddler busy bag and my desk and still have enough to share on play dates! Give Extra, Get Extra!
Busy Bag Ideas
So here’s how to assemble the perfect toddler busy bag. I start with a good size bag that will fit in my purse that is sturdy enough to handle little fingers using the zipper.
Make sure you have some standard items that all kids can appreciate like little books, bubbles, stamps, and markers, you could also add in mini play dough. I use sticky notes for our drawing paper because they are small so they take up less space, the kids can color on them and my babes love sticking the little notes everywhere.
Hey, this is a busy bag, so whatever keeps them busy right. Then cater to your children’s interests, for us that means shark cards for my son, shapes and color cards for my daughter, race cars and bandages! Yes, bandages are like magic at our house and everyone loves them whether they have boo-boos or not! By the way, there is no boo-boo under the bandage on the wild toddler pictured below!
Another hint, I have two of everything in my bag so that there is no fighting. When you have 2 kids, mom is just another word for a referee. And don’t forget your treats.
Now just organize all your items in the bag and you’re ready to go! Putting together my new toddler busy bag was quick and simple but has made life so much easier and with a new two-year-old, I need all the help I can get!
This toddler busy bag can be adjusted to accommodate any age kiddo so do yourself a favor and create your own busy bag today and make your life easier too! Mama, you deserve it!