Creating a Quiet Bag for Toddlers On The Go

Posted by Christie in Moms Advice on Friday, September 12th, 2008

Let’s face it parents, our children do not come with mute buttons or volume controls. I know that at one time or another we have all wished for them to have one either when the sounds annoy us, interrupt us, or embarrass us.

Once I was visiting a family members church, it was small and did not have a nursery like our regular church does. I had to take my small son who was loving his new vocabulary into the service and I don’t think I heard one word that the minister said the entire service.

I spent all of the time shushing him, grabbing toys before they hit the ground, and feeding him Cheerios to keep his mouth full. However, despite my best efforts to control him… he used that new, ever expanding vocabulary to announce to the entire church “Preacher is big”. I wanted to crawl under the pew and die after he drew attention to the man’s healthy midsection.

We have all had moments like this one… you simply can’t predict what kids are going to say. I have come up with an idea that seems to help my children when we are out in public at a place or event that requires them to be quiet.

I have made a ‘quiet bag’ that we keep in the car AT ALL times so that it is ready for me to grab, even at unexpected errands, stops, or events. I have stocked it full of all kinds of items that the kids can use without a great deal of noise or distraction. Here is a list of some things I have included in our bag…

♦ Coloring books - one for each kid.

♦ Colored pencils. 

♦ Magnet puzzles, boards, and games.

♦ Snacks that can keep in the bag for a long period like packaged crackers, granola bars, fruit snacks.

♦ Small quiet toys like little cars for the boys, a doll for my daughter.

♦ Books for them to look at. I Spy Books and Look and Find books are great!

♦ Mazes, word searches, or other activities that are quiet and age appropriate for your children.

♦ A small Dry Erase Board with markers and an eraser.

♦ A Magna Doodle.

♦ A blank notebook and pens for them to draw or write.

♦ Quart size bag of Legos.

These are just some things that have worked well for my kids… feel free to fill your quiet bag with anything you think would hold the interest of your children and keep them occupied when you need them to be. I have used our bag at countless places like doctor’s offices, banks, license bureau, church, at meetings, and many more.

You still may not be able to mute them… but you can try to keep them busy and distract them from saying things that will leave you wishing you were anywhere else. Hope this helps you avoid annoyance, interruption, or embarrassment the next time you and your toddler are out and about.



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