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If you’re new around here, welcome! You may not know that my husband and I moved to Florida the month before our little girl was born. Since then, we’ve had to learn our way around traveling with a baby to visit family back in Texas and Ohio  —  and let me be honest: we’ve had a few not-so-ideal trips thus far. Which is why I thought I’d share all our favorite toys we bring with us to entertain a busy toddler! (or baby, pre-toddler, whatever you’d like to call a 1.5 year old).

First off, my absolute favorite diaper bag is the Caroline bag by Lily Jade. I refer to it as my Mary Poppins bag, because it can hold EVERYTHING. I carry it every single day to play dates, church, appointments, traveling… you name it. We also have a small backpack for Dolly like this one that she carries through airports with a few small toys.

Oh! Before I forget… I usually keep most of her “travel toys” in this collapsible/storage bin in the car. It’s the best way I’ve found to stay organized but also have easy access to everything.

TRAVEL TOYS FOR A BUSY BABY

• My all-time favorite is this busy briefcase. It’s thin enough to slip into my backpack, and has just enough fidget items to keep little hands busy during a flight.
• I found these animal figurines and dinosaurs in the Target dollar spot, and Dolly loves them! They’re small enough to bring anywhere, but still large enough to not be a choking hazard.
• This buckle caterpillar is a bit larger, but a fun twist to a regular stuffed animal.
• From personal experience, these sensory tubes are addicting. Haha! They come in a 4, 8, 12 or 24-pack, and can stretch, bend, or even connect to each other.
• One of Dolly’s stocking stuffers was this wooden camera, and we’ve had so much fun playing with it!
• This magnetic drawing board has been one of my favorite car toys to-date, and is another easy one to slip into your bag.
• Another addicting fidget toy is this bubble popper. Amazon has a bunch of different shapes and colors available!
• This threading apple is good for learning the lacing technique, and requires a bit more focus. Definitely a good choice if you want your toddler to sit still for a short period of time.
• I try not to give Dolly too many battery-operated toys, but this Fisher Price tablet has been my go-to for long car rides (and when she gets antsy on the plane). I can confidently say it’s helped her learn her alphabet letters!

I hope your kiddos like these toys! I always try to stick with more educational activities that I think will keep Dolly focused so our traveling can go smoother than the couple nightmare flights we’ve had (we can just forget about those 😬). Let me know what you decide to try!

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