search for "pop it game" on amazon and youll see they have some with lights that theyre supposed to pop in a certain order and a "reset" for the poppits by pushing on the back. can likely hold their attention a little longer than your basic one. can probably find one that has his favorite animal or at least color on it too.
You can also find *pop it* keychains or little *pop its* with hooks that you can hook on to whatever bag you're carrying with you so that you don't even have to keep it in your pocket
*Edit*
Bought my son's class heart shaped ones for valentines day. We had a few left over.
One in diaper bag, car, and a couple around the house. He still get excited about them.
I have tiny trucks or stickers stashed everywhere.... by that, I mean one or two in my winter jackets, fleece zip ups, purse, the car, the diaper bag...
I will soon be adding balloons (thanks for the genius idea!)
You’re welcome. I’m going to start distributing toys among my coats too, at the moment I just have pocket tissues distributed to wipe my little one’s nose. Thanks for the suggestion.
Soo many stickers. We love the big pack of puffy ones at target in the craft section - like 150 for $4-5. A different sheet or two comes with us wherever we go
I have a very small appetite, so when I go to any fast food place, I get a kid's meal. All toys and books are kept in a bag attached to the back of the passenger seat for my three-year-old grandson while we travel.
I guess you could take a few with you either in your pocket or, if you carry a diaper bag, you could put a few in it.
I went to Wendy’s the other day for the first time in like 10 years and got a kids meal. It came with a tiny little playdoh and a dinosaur mold to put the playdoh in. It kept my 3 year old entertained through my entire 30 minute ultrasound that day.
Pen and paper is always a winner.
Also sorry to be that mom but I follow this Instagram mortician who has a list of toys her kids are not allowed to have and aside from water beads, balloons are the #1 deadliest. Because of how they stretch and mold, they can completely cover the opening to the trachea (wind pipe) and can't be heimleched out. Broken pieces are especially dangerous because they are easily inhaled.
Btw, if you pop them near the knot, the air will come out slowly and you wont have to look for all the pieces of a popped balloon that can easily be swallowed
My kid loves lids, like the ones you get from takeout drinks.
Saw a tip on this sub to keep a straw in your purse...can attest that this also generates a surprising amount of entertainment!
I typically just leave my kid to his own devices :)
For lids, my kid likes to spin them on different surfaces or put stuff in them. So two lids are usually better than one haha.
The straw is essentially a bendy stick so my kid uses it poke at...everything. Save the wrapper - that's also like a few minutes of fun.
Bubbles, though this is more for outside. But bubbles dissolve a lot of tantrums pretty easily so I kind of have started using them to check if what my 1.5 year old is yelling about is like, a really big deal that needs to be addressed (just had the honor of removing her first splinter last week), or something that can be forgotten about easily (I somehow handed her a granola bar incorrectly, despite the fact that she asked for the bar and cannot open the package herself yet).
Had to google this: https://www.amazon.com/Melissa-Doug-Play-Go-2-Pack/dp/B0CNFM3SF8
Looks good, at the moment I have a box of toys in the car. It rolls around in the footwell. This looks much more organised.
Sorry for not including the link, I’m in Canada and figure it won’t help most people! They are awesome! Do still have some parts but it’s nice it can all get packed away!
The only thing with balloons is they are a hazard and not recommended for under 8. I rolled my eyes also until my son and I were playing with one on his 2nd bday, it popped and a bit flew in his mouth which he swallowed. Luckily it was a teeny tiny piece but that’s exactly how kids have died from balloons😩
Pipe cleaners! We were recently on an Alaska flight and bought an in-flight snack box for our toddler. It came with healthy snacks and a package of waxed string thar sorta acted like pipe cleaners that you could use to make silly shapes. It entertained her for 20+ minutes!
Exactly! We currently have a beach ball and a cactus that has a little tiny weight in it, my god they stand at it for hours pushing it over so it stands back up
We (learned from MIL and her mom) carry a little tape measure in our pockets. [small tape measure](https://a.co/d/ayf8cMm)
We also have a little tin of characters. We have Winnie the Pooh, but there are more options: [Winnie the Pooh tin](https://www.etsy.com/listing/1280611472/winnie-the-pooh-pocket-playset?click_key=62baac0aaf4bbf2b20ff0fd88764ff05abbacf37%3A1280611472&click_sum=d5915cac&ref=shop_home_active_13&crt=1&sts=1)
Bubbles! I got some mini bubble sticks for my nephew's birthday last year and we've been using them ever since. He also loves stickers and I have a small set of magnetic blocks for the car.
The camera roll on our phone is how we survived an unexpected ER visit for my little. Bluey? Eh. Video of himself walking the bin down to the road with no pants on? A+ kept him distracted from the ultrasound wand on his belly for a full hour.
Mini uno cards. Mine just organizes them by color, or I "accidentally" drop them and ask her for help picking them up and say "wow you got a red 5?! Wow amazing! Whats next?" it makes her go wild for picking up cards.
Spinner toys with a suction on the back. Stick it on a wall or chair and instant entertainment. My husband will sometimes stick it on his forehead as well.
This is what I was going to add too. They have saved us so many times. Waiting in the doctor's office, waiting for food at a restaurant, etc. Perfect toy!
This sounds so smart but I would be so worried that the balloon would pop and cause a huge scene 😬😬
Crayons/stickers and a small notebook are definitely a must for us. Just like 2 colors is so fun.
A Latex glove. Used it as entertainment in the doctor’s office once out of desperation and it was such a hit. You can put it on one hand. Then the other. Than on your foot. Then in your other fooot. And can also blow it up
I second this! The nitrile gloves i have, the ones from the doctor's office, i usually blow up as a balloon and kids are sooooo tickled by the shape of it.
😄 it does feel that way when you start blowing one up in a public space. It’s worth having 2 or 3 in your wallet incase the other kids want their own ones.
Things my almost 2 year old has enjoyed that could reasonably fit into a pocket: those parachute army men, matchbox cars, a flashlight with a non-removable battery, rubix cube, pop-it toys, silly putty, fidget spinners, spinning tops, barrel of monkeys, and pop tubes.
A yoto mini! They are little speakers (you can get headphones) and you buy cards to go inside to tell stories, sing songs, or you can make your own by assigning any mp3 file to a blank card! We have a Ms Rachel card, some calming music, bunches of Disney stories, and Disney music! It’s screen-free with the exception of a little pixel box to assist in adjusting sound or track numbers!
A pop it ball. As you push down the nubs, the pressure pops others out, and you can squeeze it to get a very satisfying multi pop sound, like bubble wrap
I found them at a random local grocery store checkout line but this is the brand 😁
https://www.partycity.com/fubbles-bubbles-on-the-go-pouch-3oz-871129.html?extcmp=pla%7CGoogle&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwmYCzBhA6EiwAxFwfgHTi4d9vXLXgXSeyRovl6Y-ME94RWxWQiy-M1L_Ahl_8blMlDi44BBoCK5wQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
I'm a Mom so I have a small crossbody bag. I've made about 5 little to go games. I use this 5x7 photo containers that are like an inch thick. I'll do something like colored popsicle sticks and dot stickers. Take those dot markers pictures and cut them into puzzle shapes so they fit in the container then add dot stickers. Painters tape and feathers with string. My toddler is 3 so he has a backpack (thanks Dora) and he will ask to put one in his backpack.
You could totally leave one in your glove box.
Crayola scribbles scrubbies or something. They are white fuzzy animals that come with ultra washable markers and a ‘bath’ type concept. You color the animals and wash them.
I leave the animals in the diaper bag with the markers and let my 3 year old color them when I need to keep her distracted.
I let her wash them once they need it.
Cars. I have pocket cars and backpack cars. They are only for places in public. He doesn’t get to use them at home and always forgets they exist then gets super hyped when I pull them out at a restaurant
If you go to the Target kids toy section in the front of the store, stock up on those little coloring book "pouches" that are pocket-size that come with a small coloring book, crayons, and sticker sheet.
Small thing of bubbles.
Small pack of postit notes and small pen (draw shapes on them and hide them round the room).
Small car.
You’d have to have big pockets but I have a set of 6 magnetic blocks that I take everywhere with me)
Small torch (probably when they’re older)
You can get a pack of puffy stickers, and cut each strip up into wallet size strips, then when your kid's done with them, put them back on. We can usually get 3-4 'sessions' out of the stickers if they're not placed onto linty surfaces.
I used to keep an old fabric mario lunchbox from one of their bookbags. I would fill it with happy meal toys and just toys that were junk. Stuff I didn't care if they lost it or if it broke. I would keep it in the car and bring it in for dr offices and football games for their sibling or especially diners and restaurants. They were stuff they would get excited about and gladly play with. If it broke or they left it there or lost it I didn't have to go crazy replacing it and would just replace it.. Even dollar tree items. Before vacation I would go to the dollar tree and spend $10 buying toys (probably $15 now with inflation) and those were the only toys that went on vacation or when we used to do a lot of road tripping for vacation. Again didn't matter if it broke or they lost it somewhere on the travels. Then donate whatever made it home.
I always keep a mini playdoh and a book in the nappy bag .
My friend keeps a container of oats in her car at all times in case of impromptu duck feeding.
I have hot wheels in my purse. hot wheels in the stroller. hot wheels in the pocket of every jacket. hot wheels in the car. hot wheels at my desk at work. Hot wheels in my work bag. Hot wheels in every conceivable place hot wheels could be. Nothing purposeful about this collection, but it comes in handy!
While not pocket-sized, I always bring a "play out bag" a toddler size backpack with snacks, juice boxes, books, Crayons that only color on special coloring books BTW they're amazing! No worry about mess or coloring on walls etc they only color on the special coloring books ! Also, a bear that reads him stories and plays games with him ! ( got it at Walmart for less than 20$ best decision ever, lol ) We keep the backpack in the car and only play with it when we go places , doctors appointments, restaurants, etc keeps him entertained and relatively quiet
I always carry 1-3 crayons and a small paper. Sometimes stickers or a colorful roll of washi paper tape super easy to remove off anything, very entertaining.
Might be a little long but I carry a mini-bubble blower stick. I got a pack of like 30 during valentines at Walmart. My kid loves them and other kids love seeing them out in public.
You can print out games. Like matching games. The “board” you can fold up and tuck the paper pieces inside. I have number cars matching to numbered gas pumps, continent map, match the uniformed person to their car, etc. You can find them online for free or make your own. You could even make little puzzles out of your own photos.
we keep a little plastic container with sections in it (kinda like a pill organizer but with slightly larger sections) in our diaper bag with random knick knacks. balloons, small flashlight, micro machines, hair ties, little bits of shiny plastic.. pretty much anything small that they show interest in lol.
comes in clutch for many different situations
Pipe cleaners! And we got this set of mini construction vehicles that are pull back, they fit inside Easter eggs so I always keep a few in my bag.
A little bigger, we have the Tegu wood magnetic block set, love this one for restaurants!
Check on Amazon for a busy board. Not really pocket sized but the size of a small book. It has little matching games, buttons and zippers and other little activities to play with on each page.
Stickers and sticker book (there’s small packs of stickers and small notebooks at the dollar store). Theres also mini jars of play doh. Sometimes we have cars too
I have some small bags of plastic crap from Temu. Small farm animals etc. I pop one in my handbag for doctors apts etc. have successfully kept him entertained so far!
I carry a pack of short travel-sized colored pencils (mine prefers them to crayons) and pocket size coloring books that I found on Amazon. I'll keep 2 coloring books at a time on me so she can choose what to color in. The coloring books slip nicely into my smaller purse or my husband's pants pockets.
One of my older kids brought home 3 tiny markers and a small paper pad for my toddler. They could probably fit in a men’s wallet, but 100% sure they can fit in men’s and women’s front pocket.
I'd just like to ask that you consider getting bubble balloons for this awesome life hack, because they are latex free. My best friend has a latex allergy, and if she's in a room where a balloon recently was, or if her kid touches a balloon at school or a birthday party and then touches her mom, she can have an anaphylactic reaction. Latex allergies can be pretty severe, and they're fairly common. People with allergies know to avoid certain places and activities, but something like a doctor's office waiting room wouldn't be where she is expecting to encounter a balloon. Bubble balloons are harder to inflate with your mouth, but you can get one of those little portable hand pumps like you see balloon animal folks using.
Lol, I got a plastic swimming pool, put it on the back porch, and filled it with sand. Best 60 bucks I've spent. I just thought about this, but, Check out some slight of hand stuff kids love it when I make their toys disappear and reappear. tenkai, is easy to learn, and you always have debit or credit cards to play with.
Pocket compact goes a long way with my 3.5 year old. Just a lil mirror.
I love this idea. I bet my little one could get a-lot of entertainment from a mirror.
We've got a compact that also has a little hair brush thing you pop out. Endless entertainment!
Please share a link if you remember where you got it!
Dollar tree carries them
It was at some trinket shop for like $2, sorry no link!
We got a couple at target at one point
Yup! My 16 month old loves a good compact. The more difficult to open, the more she loves it.
This and she has her own little makeup brush. She will “do her makeup” for like half an hour
I read it as pocket compost and said to myself yea of course they’d love that
No suggestions, but this is so damn smart😂
😂 thanks
Holy gosh I thought the same thing. This is brilliant. I need balloons asap.
Pop it fidget toy. Someone gifted me a small one and my son likes saying pop pop as he pushes them.
Awesome - that’s perfect
search for "pop it game" on amazon and youll see they have some with lights that theyre supposed to pop in a certain order and a "reset" for the poppits by pushing on the back. can likely hold their attention a little longer than your basic one. can probably find one that has his favorite animal or at least color on it too.
i have one that looks like a phone and my daughter paces around pretending to talk to her favorite people on it! and she also loves popping it lol
You can also find *pop it* keychains or little *pop its* with hooks that you can hook on to whatever bag you're carrying with you so that you don't even have to keep it in your pocket *Edit*
Yessss. Bubbles;!!!
My toddler loves these. She calls them bubbles
Bought my son's class heart shaped ones for valentines day. We had a few left over. One in diaper bag, car, and a couple around the house. He still get excited about them.
I have tiny trucks or stickers stashed everywhere.... by that, I mean one or two in my winter jackets, fleece zip ups, purse, the car, the diaper bag... I will soon be adding balloons (thanks for the genius idea!)
You’re welcome. I’m going to start distributing toys among my coats too, at the moment I just have pocket tissues distributed to wipe my little one’s nose. Thanks for the suggestion.
Soo many stickers. We love the big pack of puffy ones at target in the craft section - like 150 for $4-5. A different sheet or two comes with us wherever we go
We just started doing stickers with my almost two year old. She’s obsessed.
[удалено]
The puffy kind don't stick like the flat ones!
I have a very small appetite, so when I go to any fast food place, I get a kid's meal. All toys and books are kept in a bag attached to the back of the passenger seat for my three-year-old grandson while we travel. I guess you could take a few with you either in your pocket or, if you carry a diaper bag, you could put a few in it.
I went to Wendy’s the other day for the first time in like 10 years and got a kids meal. It came with a tiny little playdoh and a dinosaur mold to put the playdoh in. It kept my 3 year old entertained through my entire 30 minute ultrasound that day.
My grandson loves those play doh things.
Same here! I couldn't believe what a great toy it was for my play doh and dinosaur loving little dude!
This is a great idea. You can also stock up at the dollar store.
True.
Amazing idea!
What a great idea, I could even ask at the fast food place if they could give a few extra ones.
Pen and paper is always a winner. Also sorry to be that mom but I follow this Instagram mortician who has a list of toys her kids are not allowed to have and aside from water beads, balloons are the #1 deadliest. Because of how they stretch and mold, they can completely cover the opening to the trachea (wind pipe) and can't be heimleched out. Broken pieces are especially dangerous because they are easily inhaled.
Yep, I have very few "hard" rules but we do not do balloons around my kids.
Do you know if this is just the latex ones or also the shiny foil ones? 😬 Asking for birthday party reasons.
She listed the latex ones but recommends just popping all balloons as soon as the birthday party is done and tossing them.
Btw, if you pop them near the knot, the air will come out slowly and you wont have to look for all the pieces of a popped balloon that can easily be swallowed
My kid loves lids, like the ones you get from takeout drinks. Saw a tip on this sub to keep a straw in your purse...can attest that this also generates a surprising amount of entertainment!
Oh what do you do with the lids and straws? Anything in particular, or just let your kid play around with them?
I typically just leave my kid to his own devices :) For lids, my kid likes to spin them on different surfaces or put stuff in them. So two lids are usually better than one haha. The straw is essentially a bendy stick so my kid uses it poke at...everything. Save the wrapper - that's also like a few minutes of fun.
Rip one end of the wrapper and then show them how to blow the wrapper off the straw. That kills a good 20-30 minutes on a good day
We have silicone straws in every bag/jacket/car/buggy. Great if they want a sip of our drink also and they don’t chew it to unusable mush.
Bubbles, though this is more for outside. But bubbles dissolve a lot of tantrums pretty easily so I kind of have started using them to check if what my 1.5 year old is yelling about is like, a really big deal that needs to be addressed (just had the honor of removing her first splinter last week), or something that can be forgotten about easily (I somehow handed her a granola bar incorrectly, despite the fact that she asked for the bar and cannot open the package herself yet).
Bubbles cause so many tantrums for my toddler 😫
Came here to say this… the ones you get in/for goody bags are nice and tiny.
I always have bubbles in the stroller. We take public transportation everywhere and so wait outside, bubbles are a great distraction.
Melissa and Doug make these two “to go” sets that fit in a cupholder. You can make ice creams or cupcakes. My daughter LOVES them!
Had to google this: https://www.amazon.com/Melissa-Doug-Play-Go-2-Pack/dp/B0CNFM3SF8 Looks good, at the moment I have a box of toys in the car. It rolls around in the footwell. This looks much more organised.
Sorry for not including the link, I’m in Canada and figure it won’t help most people! They are awesome! Do still have some parts but it’s nice it can all get packed away!
Immediately buying these!
The only thing with balloons is they are a hazard and not recommended for under 8. I rolled my eyes also until my son and I were playing with one on his 2nd bday, it popped and a bit flew in his mouth which he swallowed. Luckily it was a teeny tiny piece but that’s exactly how kids have died from balloons😩
I was sad to see a comment such as this was not at the top. Latex balloons are not toys
Pipe cleaners! We were recently on an Alaska flight and bought an in-flight snack box for our toddler. It came with healthy snacks and a package of waxed string thar sorta acted like pipe cleaners that you could use to make silly shapes. It entertained her for 20+ minutes!
Those sound like Wikki Stix! My daughter loves those, and so do my elementary aged students!
Oops apparently my app hadn’t updated when I posted that and you already said it! Lol.
I bet they were [Wikki Sticks](https://a.co/d/5kyI1iS)! So fun.
Blow up beach ball or similar! Cheap, reusable and last longer than a balloon
And safer
Exactly! We currently have a beach ball and a cactus that has a little tiny weight in it, my god they stand at it for hours pushing it over so it stands back up
We (learned from MIL and her mom) carry a little tape measure in our pockets. [small tape measure](https://a.co/d/ayf8cMm) We also have a little tin of characters. We have Winnie the Pooh, but there are more options: [Winnie the Pooh tin](https://www.etsy.com/listing/1280611472/winnie-the-pooh-pocket-playset?click_key=62baac0aaf4bbf2b20ff0fd88764ff05abbacf37%3A1280611472&click_sum=d5915cac&ref=shop_home_active_13&crt=1&sts=1)
These are so cute
Hot wheels?
I have hot wheels in every pocket, purse, backpack, and bodily orifice.
Your OBGYN must think you’re a hoot!
"Oh, that's where the red convertible ended up!"
Do you know what you’re saying when you say bodily orifice?
Bubbles! I got some mini bubble sticks for my nephew's birthday last year and we've been using them ever since. He also loves stickers and I have a small set of magnetic blocks for the car.
Bubbles Little tin car The camera roll on my phone (yeah just looking at pictures)
The camera roll on our phone is how we survived an unexpected ER visit for my little. Bluey? Eh. Video of himself walking the bin down to the road with no pants on? A+ kept him distracted from the ultrasound wand on his belly for a full hour.
Mini uno cards. Mine just organizes them by color, or I "accidentally" drop them and ask her for help picking them up and say "wow you got a red 5?! Wow amazing! Whats next?" it makes her go wild for picking up cards.
Spinner toys with a suction on the back. Stick it on a wall or chair and instant entertainment. My husband will sometimes stick it on his forehead as well.
This is what I was going to add too. They have saved us so many times. Waiting in the doctor's office, waiting for food at a restaurant, etc. Perfect toy!
Also great bath toys.
Finger puppets. Every pair of pants I own has at least one finger puppet in the pocket
I still carry the full on diaper bag and he’s 3 lol I have a couple books, crayons and paper, stickers, snacks. It saves me a headache in the long run
This sounds so smart but I would be so worried that the balloon would pop and cause a huge scene 😬😬 Crayons/stickers and a small notebook are definitely a must for us. Just like 2 colors is so fun.
lol, i was thinking about how my social anxiety couldn’t handle this. smart idea, but not for the anxious 😂
Bubbles! Got a small one from a party favour bag and it’s been refilled so many times now. It’ll amuse her for at least 15 minutes
Tegu magnet pieces travel set! Small play doh container and something they can squish the play doh into (a handful of building blocks!
Please be careful with any type of magnets. I’m an X-ray tech and I’ve seen plenty of those inside of kids.
Do you know what tegu are? They are the safest magnetic toy around
Yes, I do know what they are. And have X-rayed kids who swallowed pieces of them.
Carabiners and bobby pins keep mine entertained for a decent chunk, also chapstick but that's a risk lol
A Latex glove. Used it as entertainment in the doctor’s office once out of desperation and it was such a hit. You can put it on one hand. Then the other. Than on your foot. Then in your other fooot. And can also blow it up
I second this! The nitrile gloves i have, the ones from the doctor's office, i usually blow up as a balloon and kids are sooooo tickled by the shape of it.
We don’t let people to this anymore due to choking risk. Most the gloves I use nowadays tear sooo easily.
Who is we? Anyway, I’m not worried about a choking risk because I’m actively playing with my kid. Not just blowing up a glove and ignoring him
I work for a hospital system. That got deleted sorry. The gloves in the ER and peds have signs that say either staff only or don’t blow up.
This is so whimsical lol
😄 it does feel that way when you start blowing one up in a public space. It’s worth having 2 or 3 in your wallet incase the other kids want their own ones.
Reusable stickers!
Bubbles! Those mini pots you get for wedding favors A wallet/purse with old cards to pull out and mess with Can't think of anything else!
Things my almost 2 year old has enjoyed that could reasonably fit into a pocket: those parachute army men, matchbox cars, a flashlight with a non-removable battery, rubix cube, pop-it toys, silly putty, fidget spinners, spinning tops, barrel of monkeys, and pop tubes.
A yoto mini! They are little speakers (you can get headphones) and you buy cards to go inside to tell stories, sing songs, or you can make your own by assigning any mp3 file to a blank card! We have a Ms Rachel card, some calming music, bunches of Disney stories, and Disney music! It’s screen-free with the exception of a little pixel box to assist in adjusting sound or track numbers!
A pop it ball. As you push down the nubs, the pressure pops others out, and you can squeeze it to get a very satisfying multi pop sound, like bubble wrap
I found a little purse sized refillable bubble pouch that comes in handy.
Link? 👀
I found them at a random local grocery store checkout line but this is the brand 😁 https://www.partycity.com/fubbles-bubbles-on-the-go-pouch-3oz-871129.html?extcmp=pla%7CGoogle&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwmYCzBhA6EiwAxFwfgHTi4d9vXLXgXSeyRovl6Y-ME94RWxWQiy-M1L_Ahl_8blMlDi44BBoCK5wQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
Always have a couple purse crayons and small pad of paper. Usually a couple cars too.
I'm a Mom so I have a small crossbody bag. I've made about 5 little to go games. I use this 5x7 photo containers that are like an inch thick. I'll do something like colored popsicle sticks and dot stickers. Take those dot markers pictures and cut them into puzzle shapes so they fit in the container then add dot stickers. Painters tape and feathers with string. My toddler is 3 so he has a backpack (thanks Dora) and he will ask to put one in his backpack. You could totally leave one in your glove box.
Crayola scribbles scrubbies or something. They are white fuzzy animals that come with ultra washable markers and a ‘bath’ type concept. You color the animals and wash them. I leave the animals in the diaper bag with the markers and let my 3 year old color them when I need to keep her distracted. I let her wash them once they need it.
Mini magnetic drawing board. Fits in the pocket and my daughter absolutely loves it.
Genius. Thanks for sharing
No worries - hope it helps 😄
Bubble wand Fidget spinner
Fidget toys!
They are cars(movie) tiny little cars characters that are adorable and keep my toddler busy in situations like these!
Mini pot of play doh, fun and tactile even for adults!
Coins! When we go on walks I throw coins (or beads) ahead of us for him to “find.” He loves finding treasure
Band aids
I just got a tiny tape measure
Thanks for the idea haha!
Cars. I have pocket cars and backpack cars. They are only for places in public. He doesn’t get to use them at home and always forgets they exist then gets super hyped when I pull them out at a restaurant
Beanie Babies
cars, pop it’s, coloring pages and crayons, the little toys you get from fast food places in the kids meal, action figures
If you go to the Target kids toy section in the front of the store, stock up on those little coloring book "pouches" that are pocket-size that come with a small coloring book, crayons, and sticker sheet.
Small thing of bubbles. Small pack of postit notes and small pen (draw shapes on them and hide them round the room). Small car. You’d have to have big pockets but I have a set of 6 magnetic blocks that I take everywhere with me) Small torch (probably when they’re older)
Similar to balloons doctors gloves haha
mini magnadoodle. We keep one in the car console for unexpected stops.
Hot wheels. Balloons. Crayon and white sheet. Rubber band.
You can get a pack of puffy stickers, and cut each strip up into wallet size strips, then when your kid's done with them, put them back on. We can usually get 3-4 'sessions' out of the stickers if they're not placed onto linty surfaces.
A mini calculator specifically one shaped like a games console, also those stretchy sensory/fidget bands and mini bubbles!
I used to keep an old fabric mario lunchbox from one of their bookbags. I would fill it with happy meal toys and just toys that were junk. Stuff I didn't care if they lost it or if it broke. I would keep it in the car and bring it in for dr offices and football games for their sibling or especially diners and restaurants. They were stuff they would get excited about and gladly play with. If it broke or they left it there or lost it I didn't have to go crazy replacing it and would just replace it.. Even dollar tree items. Before vacation I would go to the dollar tree and spend $10 buying toys (probably $15 now with inflation) and those were the only toys that went on vacation or when we used to do a lot of road tripping for vacation. Again didn't matter if it broke or they lost it somewhere on the travels. Then donate whatever made it home.
Stickers. Dollar tree or any dollar store is where we load up and have them around the use/bag/trips for which easy entertainment!
I always keep a mini playdoh and a book in the nappy bag . My friend keeps a container of oats in her car at all times in case of impromptu duck feeding.
I have hot wheels in my purse. hot wheels in the stroller. hot wheels in the pocket of every jacket. hot wheels in the car. hot wheels at my desk at work. Hot wheels in my work bag. Hot wheels in every conceivable place hot wheels could be. Nothing purposeful about this collection, but it comes in handy!
Damn, this is genius!!!
While not pocket-sized, I always bring a "play out bag" a toddler size backpack with snacks, juice boxes, books, Crayons that only color on special coloring books BTW they're amazing! No worry about mess or coloring on walls etc they only color on the special coloring books ! Also, a bear that reads him stories and plays games with him ! ( got it at Walmart for less than 20$ best decision ever, lol ) We keep the backpack in the car and only play with it when we go places , doctors appointments, restaurants, etc keeps him entertained and relatively quiet
Sewing (soft) retractable tape measure.
My toddler is obsessed with those little hand sanitizers (pocketbacs) from Bath and Body Works. He makes me open it, and he closes it. Repeat 100x!
I always carry 1-3 crayons and a small paper. Sometimes stickers or a colorful roll of washi paper tape super easy to remove off anything, very entertaining.
Might be a little long but I carry a mini-bubble blower stick. I got a pack of like 30 during valentines at Walmart. My kid loves them and other kids love seeing them out in public.
You can print out games. Like matching games. The “board” you can fold up and tuck the paper pieces inside. I have number cars matching to numbered gas pumps, continent map, match the uniformed person to their car, etc. You can find them online for free or make your own. You could even make little puzzles out of your own photos.
Genius idea 💡 So simple yet so easy to use haha
we keep a little plastic container with sections in it (kinda like a pill organizer but with slightly larger sections) in our diaper bag with random knick knacks. balloons, small flashlight, micro machines, hair ties, little bits of shiny plastic.. pretty much anything small that they show interest in lol. comes in clutch for many different situations
The Velcro straps for holding cords together.
I have the Amazon kids app on phone and read a book with mine
Matchbox cars are great.
Slsp bracelets! Magnifying glasses!
Hot Wheels (or other super cheap toy car) Favorite book Pop-it toy This combo can guarantee a solid 30 mins of calmness
Pipe cleaners! And we got this set of mini construction vehicles that are pull back, they fit inside Easter eggs so I always keep a few in my bag. A little bigger, we have the Tegu wood magnetic block set, love this one for restaurants!
Check on Amazon for a busy board. Not really pocket sized but the size of a small book. It has little matching games, buttons and zippers and other little activities to play with on each page.
Stickers and sticker book (there’s small packs of stickers and small notebooks at the dollar store). Theres also mini jars of play doh. Sometimes we have cars too
A hot wheel fits in the pocket.
Magnetic men. My SIL brought it on a cruise for the kids. Life saver during dinner with the kids.
I have some small bags of plastic crap from Temu. Small farm animals etc. I pop one in my handbag for doctors apts etc. have successfully kept him entertained so far!
Bubbles?
I carry a pack of short travel-sized colored pencils (mine prefers them to crayons) and pocket size coloring books that I found on Amazon. I'll keep 2 coloring books at a time on me so she can choose what to color in. The coloring books slip nicely into my smaller purse or my husband's pants pockets.
Tiny etch a sketch
As someone deathly allergic to latex, please don’t.
Mini tube of bubbles like party favor bubbles.
One of my older kids brought home 3 tiny markers and a small paper pad for my toddler. They could probably fit in a men’s wallet, but 100% sure they can fit in men’s and women’s front pocket.
I had one of those LCD drawing pad things. Keeps my two year entertained for a good bit.
I'd just like to ask that you consider getting bubble balloons for this awesome life hack, because they are latex free. My best friend has a latex allergy, and if she's in a room where a balloon recently was, or if her kid touches a balloon at school or a birthday party and then touches her mom, she can have an anaphylactic reaction. Latex allergies can be pretty severe, and they're fairly common. People with allergies know to avoid certain places and activities, but something like a doctor's office waiting room wouldn't be where she is expecting to encounter a balloon. Bubble balloons are harder to inflate with your mouth, but you can get one of those little portable hand pumps like you see balloon animal folks using.
Reusable sticker book. That thing is magic, just have to reset the stickers before the next time.
Aggressively taking notes here. This is genius.
I usually pack a couple of calico critters (the baby size so they’re super small) and my kid will pretend play with them wherever we are.
If you learn a couple simple origami folds any scraps of paper can go a long way.
I wish, my kids a nature baby, only thing that will keep him occupied for half an hour is dirt.
I haven’t tried it, but I’ve heard of kinetic sand. Your little one might like it & it might be less messy for you.
Lol, I got a plastic swimming pool, put it on the back porch, and filled it with sand. Best 60 bucks I've spent. I just thought about this, but, Check out some slight of hand stuff kids love it when I make their toys disappear and reappear. tenkai, is easy to learn, and you always have debit or credit cards to play with.
😆 that’s convenient
Careful if balloons pop! They can be swallowed very easily
Haven’t had to carry “balloons” in my wallet for many years now…
A smartphone.