We recently took a trip to the Outer Banks and this hanging organizer was a life saver. The trip was about five hours and there was enough in here to keep my three year old more than occupied. I filled it with as much as I could and it hangs on the back of the seat. Why didn’t you just hand him an iPad and let him watch a movie??? Well I did that but my toddler gets bored with television and iPads quickly. These are some of his favorite things and they are also things that I don’t let him play with on a regular basis. I keep this hanging organizer filled with all these goodies in our coat closet. That way, when we’re packing for a trip, I just pull it out and hang it up in the car. No going back and forth unpacking and repacking. THIS ONE has a tray that folds out. It’s double the price of the ones I purchased, but since Grady is a little older and likes a desk, I plan on snagging it too. Maybe this will give you some ideas on what to include in YOUR road trip organizer.
Stickers // Mini Notebook // Travel Doodle Board
What better activity is there than peeling stickers and putting them somewhere? They’re colorful. They’re sparkly. They’re fun. But I don’t want my kid putting them all over my windows. No, I have a notebook for you to put them in! I suggest a miniature spiral bound notebook as the one I packed was hard for him to keep open while he was peeling the stickers. Doodle boards were always so much fun when I was a kid. My kid loves them too. I often would give him directions while he was using it such as can you draw a circle? a square? etc.
Miniature Board Books // Large Crayons // Snacks
Make sure you include crayons for that little notebook! Miniature board books are always good to have on hand. Grady likes to flip through them (especially if it’s one he hasn’t seen in a while). Snacks are always a must.
Miniature Dinosaurs // Miniature Planes // Matchbox Cars
The miniature items below would have worked great with a tray that folded out into his lap. But Grady made do with what he had and played with them anyway.
Water Wow Books // Felt Activity Book
The Water Wow books are great because the mess is only coming from a tube of water. So if they don’t want to color, they can “paint.” Grady actually enjoys the felt activity books. The ones I have came from the Target Dollar Section. I haven’t seen these particular ones back (I bought them when Grady was a baby) but I linked another one that I thought was really cool and will probably purchase myself.
This was actually a hand-me-down from a friend and I was shocked at how long Grady played with it. When I went to find others, I was also shocked at the price. Apparently, they’re not longer made and are considered a collectors item. You can get inexpensive ones from eBay that have been used and you have to add cars to them.
It folds up in a nice little box and fits perfectly in the center pocket.
So there you have it! Plenty to do on a long car ride. There’s even a space for an iPad in these hanging organizers. If your kid is like mine, then they’ll get bored with the iPad and you need plan B. And C. I’m always on the lookout for fun things at Dollar General and Target Dollar Spot. Just don’t let them see it or play with it until the trip!
~Ashley