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Toddler toys and activities to bring?


welove2cruise2014
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LO will be 2 when we cruise.

 

She loves looking at pics on my cellphone and watching her shows and playing with coloring apps on the Kindle. (Thinking of upgrading to a kids one; mine is almost 6 years old and slow as molasses at times). So we've got the "tech" toys figured out...

 

But looking for ideas for other things that wont be too heavy to carry. So far we have:

 

Flashcards (that are also mini puzzles)

Crayons, stickers, and paper

A couple of "magic ink" / water ink books

A Melissa and Doug "colorforms" type reusable sticker set (big but flat and easily packs into suitcase)

 

What other toys or things did you bring for your littles? I just know we will likely be spending some time in the cabin and want to keep her occupied.

 

Thanks!!

 

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Small containers of playdoh were always a hit with my daughter -- you have to get her used to it (not for eating, for example) but it is convenient size. She might be a bit young for chenille stems but they are also great -- something like Wikky Stix could be fun too.

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I buy new things for my son, like little dollar store or Target dollar rack items to play with as a daily surprise. Just something cheap, simple, and small to augment the larger toys to reinforce good cruise behavior and add a fun factor. I pull them out at excursions or after lunch on sea days.

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It sounds like you've got a good amount! Don't forget a favorite stuffy or blanket also.

 

Our oldest was 20 months when we took him on his first cruise 3 years ago. We had a few travel toys and those Melissa and Doug resuable stickers but we kept it very minimal and he was way more interested in people watching and playing with things he found around the cabin etc.

 

We did find the crayons and paper very helpful during dinner and the iPad and a couple of movies/a couple of episodes of his favorite show at the time were nice to wind down during quieter times in the cabin.

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You didn’t mention which line you will be on but RCI lends bags of age appropriate toys (which are totally disinfected between uses). You can keep the bag for the whole cruise or swap it out for a new one if your child tires of it. No charge.

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I had boys so it was matchbox cars, action figures, balls (nerf or beach) and small stuffed animal and books (if they aren’t on kids electronic device)

 

We spent very little down time in the cabin except 4-6 pm for nap and shower. The rest of time time he was in camp, playing at the pool or putt-putt. He stayed in camp most nights til 10, read a quick story and was out like a light til 8 am.

 

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

We took stacking cups - the colourful plastic ones that you can build a tower with but stack inside so pack easily. They were great in the cabin but also doubled as a toy for in the splash pool.

 

We also took a finger puppet glove - so we could quietly tell stories when waiting for embarkation, muster etc - I kept lots of passengers entertained :D

 

One item we found essential when we had a toddler was reins (the harness thing attached to a little backpack so the toddler cant run off) a ship has so many small spaces and holes they can always find that were definitely not there last time you cruised no matter how many cruises you have taken :eek:

We also took a towelling dressing gown for keeping our little one warm between the pool and the cabin.

 

We found that a lot of the cruise staff doted on the toddlers as they missed their own children that were often the same age :(

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An inflatable beach ball is one of our go to travel toys. Takes up hardly an weight or room, but is loads of fun, in room and in the pool.

 

I'd also consider a couple magnetic things. Since the walls are metal those are fun to play around with, plus they store up off the ground!

 

We bought our kiddo a couple new figures (Peppa pig characters) and gave them out at dinner. Gave her something to play with at the table.

 

Don't forget there are always toys for sale on the ship, so don't go out and buy a load of new stuff, save the money and get something on board that can be a souvenir as well!!

 

Have fun!

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