Step2

Mommy’s and daddy’s adventures aren’t typically activities that a child or baby is patient about. During any activity, children need to be stimulated. Here are some tips from Parenting.com, on how to keep your child busy during certain events:

At a Restaurant:

Make sure that the restaurant in which you take your kids too, is a place where they cannot get messy (easier said than done but it is worth a shot).

Here are some ways to keep your little one out of trouble and content:

• Ask for crackers immediately when you get there
• Play Peek-a-boo through the water glass
• Keep the salt and pepper shakers far away from a child or baby’s grasp (if they are young enough and like to grab everything in sight, hand them their rattle or another item they can shake)
• Give your child or baby an ice cube to mess around with (after all, it is only water)
• Does the restaurant have coloring material for children

On a plane:

Plane rides are always an adventure. Some children may be scarred and others just may be bored. Either way, make sure it is an enjoyable ride for both you and your kids.

Here are some ideas:

• Make sure to supply little snacks besides what is given out on the plane
• Also, bring a magazine, use it to tear out pages and play hide and seek by hiding besides faces of people on the page
• Bring small blankets for comfort
• Bring a small puzzle that the kids can do on the plane during the flight

Waiting in line:

The dreaded question: “Why do we have to wait?“ Instead of continuously answering that question there are ways to ask the children some fun questions.

• Play the guessing game with your kids
• Use coins to ask them:
  • Which hand is the coin in?
  •  What color is the coin?
  • Do you know the name of this coin?
  • Play heads or tails
  • Take anything out of your purse or pockets and ask them questions about the items

In the Car:

Be creative. Car rides do not have to be boring and consist of the questions: “Are we there yet?” “Where are we going?” “Why are we going there?”

Keep them busy with these fun games:

• Play I spy with cars
• Let children read the letters of a license plate
• Bring a lot of soft toys like puppets or plush toys that babies and kids can play with (Check out Infantino’s Baby Bugs)
• Play the rhyming game and see how many words you and your kids can come up with while you are on the road.
• In case your child gets bored with talking to you, they could always talk on a toy phone (instead of handing off your phone to them).

Thanks to Parenting.com for these insightful tips. Here are Step2, we encourage creativity and stimulation for children during their years of development. We have recently come up with the Infantino products called HappiTaps™. There is Beary Happi and Puppi Love. These are plush toys that you can slide your iPod® Touch or iPhone® in and your screen comes to life for your children by simply downloading a free application. This toy will provide your child with hours of fun whether you are at a restaurant, on a plane, in line, or in the car.

What toys or games do you bring along for your kids during these activities?