Must haves for three year old?

[terri1020]

Cousin, single parent, is coming along on a cruise to Bermuda. Her third cruise, three year olds first. What are the must haves we should be sure to take from home? He's a great kid but not the type that would enjoy sitting down for dinner that lasts more than 15 minutes. Suggestions appreciated.

[mcfam5]

~ Handheld games (Nintendo/Gameboy) if the child has one

~ Miniature action figures or polly pockets for girls

~ Dum-Dum suckers (for my twelve years of parenting, it has~ always amazed me how completely happy Dum-Dum suckers make my kids in any given circumstance!) one Dum-Dum will not spoil their dinner

~ Couple of matchbox cars

~ Small (purse size) photo album with pictures of child, my kids will look at pictures of themselves over and over and over again!

 

Hope some of these ideas help!

[Destin Mom]

Ahh...memories of those years. Loved them....remember going a little crazy at times...still do that and ours are 5 and 6. We have traveled a good bit with our 2 starting at birth. I am no expert by any stretch but recommend:

- stay flexible. you can't expect a 3 year old to sit down for anything more than 30 minutes in duration. I can't remember the average attention span- seems like it was something like 15 minutes- so you need to have a bag of tricks if you want to hit the dining room with the little man.

- At 4 and 5, bribery with ice cream (or gelato) works but this type of reasoning (for us anyway) did not come until age 4.

- at age 3, crayons and paper always kept ours entertained for limited amounts of time. (play guess what I am drawing).

- I Spy- kept ours occupied during waits (and still does)...it's a great one to use when coloring has run its course.

- small cans of Play Doh have been life savers as well- make an animal, sports equipment, guess what it is, etc.

 

At 3, ours were not yet into Game Boys, Leap Pads, etc. I know some are. Do what works for him and have a great trip.

[CeleBrat]

Small size fun-pads from the dollar store. You know the kind where some pages have mazes, and others puzzles, and others have coloring pages. Even when our kids were really young and couldn't read, they loved to scribble all over the page. And, they double as a distracting "Ohhh--look at this page...where is the bunny?" kind of book if you need to keep them busy.

 

Another cool toy that has been used on many cruises starting when the kids were young were these really cool magnetic playsets we bought from Cracker Barrel (go figure!) They came in a flat metal tin that had a picture on the inside when you opened it, and the matching magnets depending on the theme. DD had a "girl" themed one where you could dress the two figures on the inside of the tin, while DS had a house that needed furniture, people and toys to be placed inside. They loved those things!

 

CeleBrat

[Kerry's Girls]

I brought a portable DVD player to use in the cabin (though there is usually one kids channel on board).

 

Blow up bath tub.

 

Pool float vest (even if not potty trained - she can use resort pools in ports).

 

Sippy or straw cups - they often just have large water goblets in the dining room.

 

Rash guard/sun protective swim shirt.

 

Depending on her parental status, she may need some paperwork showing she's allowed to be leaving the country alone with her child.

 

Best,

Mia

[notentirelynormal]

DVD player with his favorite movies. Balloons. They are small to pack and even after Grandpa run out of steam and the balloon flew around the room he laughed and laughed. Jumping and running to get the balloons. Great fun and wore him out. Brought some bubbles too. At 2 he ate in the dining room and was fine - we ordered him dinner right away. At 3 he screamed when he saw the door and DD and SIL spent a lot of time eating in the buffet and cabin. Bring snacks from home for the shore excursions if there is something he really loves. Peanut butter sandwiches were hard to come by and so was root beer (in Australia/New Zealand) and SIL spent a lot of time looking for, please does anyone have it... peanut butter or the new kind of root beer that looks remarkably like pepsi. If you have a long flight, airline food doesn't usually do it for the little ones either, so bring some with you.

[kat89447]

color works by crayola. lots to color and nothing on tables or desks. Bubbles are great. I used to take small gifts and give them to dd one at a time at dinner. She had a special gift every night and all different. She looked forward to it and would be happy for the hour or so while we ate. things like magnetic dolls (change the outfits) or action figures or a travel spirograph. coloring book and crayons, or small puzzle. DH and I also used to take her for a short walk between appetizer and main course so she could walk off some energy. This only worked because we travel with my side of the family and they could linger between courses. We also took her to the kids club if she got too restless. (usually opened about midway thru dinner)

[terri1020]

First, thank you to everyone that posted. Since different ideas work for different children, please keep posting.

 

Second, someone posted that my cousin should check paperwork since she is traveling alone with him...he was adopted last year and she is his only parent so not a problem.

 

This is an exciting time for all of us. We are celebrating so many wonderful accomplishments. Adoption of the little guy, my dh and my 30th anniversary, aunt and uncle's 50th anniversary, mom's 80th birthday, high school and college graduation. Traveling with my dh, 3 adult children, brother and his wife, 80 year old mom, elderly aunts and uncle, cousin and little guy. We are trying to cover most bases so that we all have a great time, coming home with great memories. Any help in accomplishing this is greatly appreciated!

 

Terri

[PattyW]

My kids like those little plastic animals you can buy almost everywhere and also books to "read".

 

I second the sippy idea. It's just too much stress on a parent to monitor a glass filled with liquid.

[abba_dabba_doo]

I just added sippy cup to my list!! What a great suggestion and no worries about spilling at dinner.......now if only my 4 yr old could avoid spilling food on her nice clothes :rolleyes:

[gsmom893]

Magnetic games are a lifesaver. More paper than you think you will need for coloring, and we used colored pencils not crayons. They don't melt. Just remember a pencil sharpener. Wouldn't dream of leaving without a couple of sippy cups--they save your sanity and the child's clothes.

 

DD took her baby with her everywhere at that age. We could generally distract her with a conversation about the baby and what it wanted/needed. I have no idea what a little boy would take--and I'm not saying the child can't take a doll....but whatever works...perhaps a stuffed toy.

 

Don't forget sunscreen and sunglasses no matter where/what time of year. You spend a lot more time out of doors and it's easier to be proactive then to deal with the sunburn.

 

Have a great cruise, congrats on all the accomplishments!

[live4vacation]

We brought DD on her first cruise at 3 1/2 and she had a blast. Like previous posts don't forget the portable DVD player and sippy cups. I found a small metal kids thermos at Target which was great as it kept her drinks cold even in the hot sun. I also downloaded kids music and stories on my ipod which was a lifesaver at the beach and while she was sitting in her stroller waiting in line to get on/off the ship. As the previous poster said the magnetic playsets are a great idea too. The brand we have is called Imaginetics, I have seen Thomas the train, farm animals, dinosaurs, Jay Jay, Tonka, Mr Potato head and tons more. Very fun and great for travel. We also brought dollar store toys to play with at dinner. Have a great trip!!

[NanciRDH]

I've got an "out to dinner bag" that lives in the car, and I added a little more to it for my 2yo for the dining room on our last cruise. All the toys that are in there don't come into the house, so they stay a little special. I keep it loaded with disposable bibs, toddler sized forks and spoons...they're supposed to be disposable, but I wash and reuse, a sippy cup and wet wipes. She's got many of the little things already mentioned, but her favorite toy is a small Magna Doddle. I collect and save any stickers that come in the mail, and she loves any kids stuff catalogues for some odd reason, they make a good I-spy book too. She was really good at the table, even with the long time it always took us all to eat. Our waiter was great, after the first night he had a fruit plate ready and waiting, and took her order first and brought her food as she was ready for it without making her wait for all of us to finish all the courses. She was getting dessert when my entree arrived, and helped me eat my dessert later too, lol. Vacation time is the only time I break the "you can't fill up on bread and no dessert until your plate is clean" rules. Everyone stayed happy that way, and one week a year doesn't hurt. :)

 

For in the room I had small toys that served multi purpose...tub, beach and just for fun. I think her favorites came from the cheap pool toy section in K-mart and it was a bag full of squirty sea creatures, she still plays with those! We also had the inflatable tub, and a small cheapie sand pail and shovel was fun there too. I don't think she played with much because she liked going to Camp Carnival when it was open, and when we were in the room it was to bathe or sleep.

 

Do be sure to keep something to play with on the last day though...waiting to clear customs when you're kicked out of your room can get rather boring for even the big kids!

[ncmomof2]

color works by crayola. lots to color and nothing on tables or desks.

 

I second this one, although I think kat89447 meant Color Wonder by Crayola -- coloring books or just blank paper with special markers that only work on that -- not tablecloths, walls, clothes, or even other paper. They're in my "out to dinner bag" as well as for dining room on a cruise, long car or airplane trips. I've also had good luck with the magnetic scenes sets (DS, 3, loves his Thomas the Train and dinosaur ones), but the very best for him has been Matchbox style cars and small plastic animals (especially dinosaurs). Magnadoodles have also been a life saver (although DS's travel one is actually Diego's field journal...we turn the sound off in dining room type settings).

[Luxuriate]

We have 3 year-old boy.....

 

Actually, we still have no idea! Nothing works for long! Basically, just have a bunch of different things to try and then expect to have to get up from your table and leave the room.

 

Sorry, but we have found this to be the truthful thing to suggest.

 

Cheryl

[OneParticularHarbour 71]

we have always found that heading back to the cabin for a little nap/down time mid-late afternoon helps keep our kids' moods on track for the evening.

[Turtle Girls]

Bring some goggles for the pool. It might be a salt water one and irritate his eyes.

[karen119]

Thanks for all of the great ideas! I'm the cousin that this thread was originally posted about. I'm armed with my portable DVD player, sippy cup, travel magnadoodle, coloring books and crayons, matchbox cars, mini-playdoh, pool goggles, bubbles. I'm going to check out the dollar store -- I love the idea of bringing surprises for each day to keep him interested. I am also going to search for the magnetic toys/books that several of you raved about. My son's 3-year-old attention span is quite short at this age, so I like to keep several "distractions" in my bag at all times when I want to keep him in one place.

 

Lucky for us, we are not flying, so I can pack an extra bag of just toys!

 

Keep the ideas coming! Thank you!!!

[sas80]

One thing I (saw) thought of last minute was those balloons with the rubber bands at one end. Once you blow them up, you hold the rubber band and bounce them...boom, boom, boom, boom.

 

They travel very compact and only cost me $2 for a pack of 2 at wal mart.

DS had great fun with it. it's also not the kind of thing you care about if you have to leave it behind.

 

One thing I have found - if you under inflate them, they are less likely to pop and more resistant when poked or "chewed" so they last longer.

 

DS still has his and our cruise was April 6th.

 

Happy sailing!

[sas80]

DD took her baby with her everywhere at that age. We could generally distract her with a conversation about the baby and what it wanted/needed. I have no idea what a little boy would take--and I'm not saying the child can't take a doll....but whatever works...perhaps a stuffed toy.

 

LOL, I love that! She's acting up/acting out and you say "I think your baby needs to be fed/changed/soothed" and her attention immediately re focuses to her baby doll. <applause>

[trnmba]

Crayons and little coloring books. Sometimes they have them in the dining room, sometimes they don't because they run out. Our kids loved them. I also brought a blank pad of paper and then each night ask them to draw their three favorite things they saw or did that day. It kept them busy and then they also got to share in the dinner conversation about what they did that day (from their perspective). The pictures were great and I kept them for the photo album of the cruise after.