November 15, 2019 by ppearls No CommentsMotherhood

Vacation Playtime Hacks

There are a kajillion articles on how to get your baby through a transcontinental flight or how to pack all your toddler needs for a cruise in one suitcase. There were plenty of articles on how to survive the travel time. However, I could find absolutely no resources for what to do with my kid once I got to our destination.

Enter the Piedmont Pearls Vacation Playtime Hacks. These hacks are real life tested! My mother ended up breaking her arm a few weeks before this article went live and Vicky and I spent 10 days at her house, which is about 5 hours from ours. I took my own advice. Here’s what I learned:

#1 - Pack only 4 Toys

Yup, you read this right. You are going to pack only four toys. And just like when you were getting married, they’ll fall into 4 categories.

A small (but favorite) doll or set of small world creatures
A set of building blocks or stacker
A toy that encourages movement or music (e.g. Waldorf hand kite)
Your child’s favorite portable toy

The first three are different enough from each other that you’ll get plenty of playtime out of them during your downtime. The last one is because all our planning can be for naught if we forgot to bring (fill in your child’s favorite toy).

We brought 6 of the 18 Grapat sticks from Danny and Luca.
Use “PEARLS10” for 10% off your order!

#2 - Scour a New Facebook Marketplace

I don’t know about you, but the marketplace pickings in my hometown are quite sparse. There isn’t a strong natural toy community around here so I have only been able to score one or two great finds. However, as soon as I arrived at my mother’s house, my notifications for Mercari, LetGo, OfferUp, and Facebook Marketplace started to ding.

I managed to score these Plan Toys blocks and walker for $10. It normally retails for roughly $90-$100. A nice military couple were purging their daughter’s toys and I never would’ve met them if I didn’t update the settings on those apps.

I also went into a few different thrift and consignment shops and managed to get Vicky a lot of warm weather clothes. A different setting will open up opportunities if you just know where to look.

#3 - Buy Sidewalk Chalk

I know this one kind of comes out left field, but trust me on this. Not only does it get your children out of the house, there is not much permanent havoc that can be wreaked with sidewalk chalk.

We spent a whole afternoon outside on my mother’s driveway, staring at the ocean 50 feet away and sketching our imaginations out on the blank slate before us. When we were done, we just put it away on the porch. The great part was that I left it at her house when we left, and we’re no worse for it. It’ll be waiting there when we get back, but there’s no use crying over lost chalk!

#4 - Utilize the Kitchen

From the smallest motel room to a family’s home, nearly every temporary housing will have access to a kitchen or a kitchenette. One afternoon, as the rain was coming down, I grabbed a bundt cake pan and a wooden spoon and handed it to Vicky. No preamble, no demonstration. I just wanted to see what she’d end up doing. Over the course of 3 hours she fed her babies, made beautiful music, and pretended to catch “creatures” in the pan.

If you’re in a pinch and can’t find a suitable alternative, try the local dollar store or a fast food joint. A spoon and cup will do just as well!

#5 - Go Outside

This one is easy. If you’re relaxing from Disney or taking a break from hiking the great outdoors, I still encourage you to get your little one outside. All the toys in the world can’t compare to a new environment to explore!