As summer wraps up, I’m sure all you Modern Mamas have one final trip planned or different activities on the books to ring in these final days of S-U-M-M-E-R (moment of silence :/). All of which requires lots of advanced planning when bringing our littles, as every Mama knows. I swear, my toddler could easily be mistaken for Curious George – ha! No but seriously, in the sense that if I don’t have lots of things for him to do, he somehow finds himself in a giant mess or teetering on the edge of danger - yikes, send help!

In preparation for our summertime adventures, I researched some fun, relatively compact toys (they can fit in my diaper bag) that were a big hit and major lifesaver when we were on-the-go. Before posting these recommendations, I made sure to test them a few times for my most accurate review. To my pleasant surprise, most of these toys have kept my busy dude entertained all summer long (on a plane, in a car, at a restaurant, even at home). 

And, the super compact magnets toy was such a hit, it now has a permanent place in my Honest Co. diaper bag. I know it’s so temping to just whip out your iPhone or tablet to keep our little ones entertained… don’t get me wrong, I do that too (although I really try to limit screen time as much as possible). And honestly, until recently my guy barely would sit still for more than 15 mins to 20 mins max to watch something. So out of necessity, I’ve always had to have a few mom tricks up my sleeve! However, this mama runs out of silly faces, jokes, songs, and exciting stories from time to time so I was super excited when I found some great activities to bring on-the-go to keep my (almost) 3yo entertained. Woo hoo!

Without further ado, these toys have been a game changer on our summer excursions. All the toy details are below. HAPPY final days of summer, Mamas!