Got luggage? This is the sort of baggage that you will want to carry around, or at least your preschooler will. I’m talking about the travel trunk. It’s a miniature suitcase that we use as a travel trunk. If we’re going on a long trip or I need to go to a meeting with my daughter, I bring it along. It’s not magic – there are still complaints if things get too boring. But it’s a useful addition to the parenting arsenal.
Our mini suitcase is about a foot wide by half a foot tall. Inside, here’s what we have. I’m sure that you can think of a number of goodies your child might like. Dollar store finds, garage sale goodies, and little birthday gifts can all be secreted away into the travel trunk, ready to be found again by your preschooler.
We have a coloring book, crayons and felts. There’s a bouncy ball and one of those plastic squidgy air-filled things with legs. No idea what it is: it looks like a caterpillar and is one of my daughter’s favorite things in the box. We have a slinky, a miniature one. There’s a little bit of Playmobil, just enough to act out a scene. There are a few toy cars. There are also some word puzzle cards, which are sadly the least played-with things in the box: they reek of learning goodness, I suspect. Mini playdoughs are also a hit, although be wary of taking them on the plane, since they look like liquids (lesson learned here!).
The addendum to the travel trunk is a snack, of course. Preferably a good one that you don’t often have at home, with a drink as well. This and a good travel trunk are sufficient for about half an hour of meeting time or phone time. When combined with the dedicated and desperate attention of a parent when you’re on the plane, train, or bus, the travel trunk is good for much longer than that.
Do you have a travel kit? What does it contain?