Books & toys

[TheCalicoCat]

Beyond the "lovie" should we bring any toys/books on our cruise? I am thinking about using them in the room - not so much out & about...

 

My son (almost 3) will go to the kids programming, but there are times when they are closed...

 

If it matters, we are going to Bermuda, we will have several sea days & overnights in port - not your normal off & on in many ports of call cruise.

[cb at sea]

sure...if there are things he really loves and you have room....many ships have a "toy exchange"...you can bring some things back to the cabin, and exchange them for new things later...check that out and see if it applies to your cruiseline!

[mmcnclh]

I never travel without Matchbox cars for my son. He love to lie on the floor and play with them and they are easy to pack. I even bring a few to dinner so he can play with them on the table while we are waiting to eat. You may want to pack a bucket and some sand toys for the beach and the bucket comes in handy in the shower. The other travel essential is a portable DVD player for the cabin.

[Woodmnky]

We will be taking some small toys with us. I figure there are times when DS may have to entertain himself in the pack and play while we bathe, get dressed, ect. I want to be able to put a couple of things in there for him to play with.

[Tggrtoes]

Yep, we always bring a few books and a few small things to entertain him with. I usually try to make it to the dollar store or Target dollar bins prior to any of our trips and buy a few cheap things and bring them out at strategic moments. I often will even wrap them so they are extra fun - sometimes they show up in the room so it's on his bed each day, etc.

 

A portable DVD player or ipad is a must for us too. I also usually bring color wonder markers/paper so he can color without getting marker everywhere.

[Colorado Kat]

A few small, favorite toys don't take up much space, but can be invaluable at fussy times.

[notentirelynormal]

Throw in a couple of balloons. They take no room and they always seem to entertain little ones and at the same time wear them out.

[mikesteg]

Yes, bring what he enjoys (with some respect to size, of course.) We just gave our twins Trunki suitcases for their bdays. When we leave on our next cruise, they'll be carrying their own toys (and some diapers since these are carry on size.) :D The Trunki's "lock" and have wheels and a strap, so they can be towed or even ridden on.

 

We'll take the lovies + a few toys each + a handful of books, and I also ordered the 5-pack of stuffed animals from Carnival. A pretty good deal for ~$25, and we don't have to carry them to the ship. DS fell in love with the dolphin we bought him on the ship last year (and still sleeps with it) so this should go over well. I'd guess other lines have similar options.

 

I like the idea of balloons also. I may have to find some when I get home. ;)

[cruisincarly]

I like to let my little almost-3 year old pack his own (very small) bag of toys. He can take whatever will fit in it (usually its full of cars and trains). I always bring a few books because he can't go to sleep without it.

 

We did the new "special toy" each evening for dinner our last cruise, and it really worked to get him through the waiting period at the beginning of dinner....but after the cruise he expected to keep getting toys, so I don't think I'll do it again.

[Mom2B&Z]

We too travel with a few toys, but never their favourite stuffie. I'm too afraid of losing it on airplanes, taxis etc. They bring a well-loved stuffie, but never their prized posession.

I love the little folding airport/worksite that is made by Matchbox. They have a few different models, but fold up to the size of a large board book. Add a few little matchbox toys and my boys can amuse themselves for 2 hours in an airport (BTDT last year during a snowstorm...) Plus it folds easily to transport on the airplane, and can fit in the bottom drawer of the dresser in cabin. I usually bring an activity book and crayons/pencil crayons for each child, but they rarely get used on the ship, it's more for the airplane. (http://shop.mattel.com/product/index.jsp?productId=11213150 is the link to the airport we have, there's a picture of how it folds up small then becomes a fairly large play area. Definitely big enough for 2 or 3 children to play together.)

I also like Automoblox, they are little cars that you can take apart and put back together. The boys each bring 2 or 3, so they can mix and match them. They are small, lightweight, sturdy and provide good play value. Here's their website http://www.automoblox.com/

We also travel with 2 books per child, ensuring one is a favourite good night story. This is easier with DS1 (6yrs) as he reads simple chapter books so it lasts the whole trip, but DS2 often picks a book with 3 or 5 stories in it to give him some variety.

[mitsugirly]

It's definitely a great idea to bring items along to entertain. There will be times that you will want the little one entertained with something (like in the cabin when you are getting ready or winding down for the night) and things like that. I find that my daughter (3 years old) will play quietly for hours with a new toy. So this is what we did on our cruise last month (and worked WONDERFUL!!!)

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1444418

[Colorado Kat]

We did the new "special toy" each evening for dinner our last cruise, and it really worked to get him through the waiting period at the beginning of dinner....but after the cruise he expected to keep getting toys, so I don't think I'll do it again.

 

Oh, the pitfalls of a scheme that seems perfect at first! Too funny!

[mitsugirly]

Oh, the pitfalls of a scheme that seems perfect at first! Too funny!

 

Awww...lol Ours ask the day after we returned about getting a present and we explained to her that it was only for vacation. She never ask again about them. I guess we got lucky. :D

[nothriver]

I always pack way too much for my daughter. I'm more worried about entertaining her on the plane that on the cruise. She has her own small back pack to carry on the plane and she has carried this herself since she was 3. She packs it and knows she is responsible for lugging it around. She ditched the DVD player years ago, not entertaining enough to lug the weight of it around. Activity books are the best, small paperback books for before bed reading, crayons, markers, post it notes, other small lightweight toys. We usually get so much in the bag, we can't find what we are looking for. We'll always wind up tossing in snacks, wipes, etc. at the last minute. Hopefully we'll do better with packing for next trip!

[Julienatul]

We drive to the ports luckily so I always bring a big bag full of toys for them. I get new ones (small dollar store) and a few old favorites. We always bring a blow up beach ball to toss around, coloring books and crayons, card games-matching or any character one. Nick Jr actually had some really neat printable games-dominoes, paper dolls, matching games etc. Just print on color printer and laminate with clear contact paper. We also bring the Dvd player and iphones with games for quiet time in the cabin or during dinner.

[HALrunner]

Great suggestions so far! We also travel with blue painters tape for match box cars/trucks etc. The kids make "roads" on carpet, airplane seat backs, etc. A beach ball is fun in the airport or pool, is reusable and packs super small. Depending on the age of the child, a simple deck of playing cards (often available in the library on the ship) is great for go fish, old maid, matching, counting, sorting etc. Last, but not least, little dover books. Miniature sticker/activity books that entertain for hours. They come in hundreds of themes (many of them beach/vacation specific), are super cheap (1.50 on amazon) and you don't mind losing/tossing.

http://www.amazon.com/Forest-Sticker-Activity-Dover-Little/dp/0486405095/ref=sr_1_9?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1319127684&sr=1-9

[Colorado Kat]

Play-dough works great on planes.

[helenb]

When my kids were small we had a 'toy bag' at dinnertime which had tiny action figures/Happy Meal type toys that they played with. It helped keep them occupied. In the room I had another small handful of toys (plastic animals, action figures, etc.) for the kids. I also gave them each a few new books for the plane rides, and they read those books on the cruise as well. Of course, as a last resort, in the room there's usually a kids' channel. Celebrity doesn't seem to have one, but Princess always has at least 2 cartoon channels available, plus the continuous movie channels. Disney of course has lots of good kids' programming on their TVs.