TRAVEL TOY ROTATION: HOW TO KEEP HOTEL ROOMS FROM TURNING INTO CHAOS
If you’ve traveled with kids,I’m sure this is a familiar scene - you arrive at the hotel or rental home and within 20 minutes the kids have dumped out all of the toys you packed, snacks are all over the floor already, and you are already starting to lose your sanity. Packing well and carry-on snacks get you to the destination, but maintaining a good system inside the room requires a little more prep work. Having a system that works after you’ve unpacked can keep the hotel room manageable, kids stay entertained, and you actually get to relax a little bit!
We always talk about toy rotations for play rooms in our homes, but you can implement a similar strategy when traveling! Instead of every toy being dumped out at once, you can plan to have entertainment spaced out throughout your trip, ensuring that kids don’t get too bored with their toys and things stay organized.
Here are our best strategies for creating a travel toy system:
The Secret to Success
In order to make this system work, you’ll need a good organization method! We designed the Mothercould Kids Travel Organizerfor situations just like these. There are multiple sections and pouches to hold lots of different toys and activities. The organizer folds up to make it compact and easy to carry, the materials are wipeable, and the zippers and sections are designed for little hands. Kids can even pack their own organizers, choosing the activities and toys they want before the trip. The 360 swivel hook means it’s easy to hang up and see everything at a glance. It keeps everything in one place, easily accessible, and off the floor.
Good preparation before you leave home is the key to success with this strategy. Separate the hanging organizer into sections - you can do blocks, art supplies, sensory toys, cars, etc. Or you can separate by day - top section is day one, middle section is day two, etc. That way the toys stay fresh through the duration of the trip. Packing in the Mothercould Kids Travel Organizer keeps everything contained during transit, and then creates a “home base” for toys to stay during the hotel stay.
Establish a “Play Zone”
The other key to success with this system is having a designated play zone in the hotel room. Without one, you know that toys will end up absolutely everywhere! (No one wants to step on a block on their way to the bathroom in the middle of the night!) Kids see an open hotel floor as an endless space to scatter activities.
The hack? Use a spare hotel towel or extra blanket to create a “play zone.” This creates a visual boundary for where toys are allowed to go, which is a lot easier for toddlers to understand. (“Toys stay on the towel!”) My favorite part is that it serves as instant clean-up! Fold the towel like a burrito, enclosing all of the toys and small pieces when it’s time to go to bed. Then when it’s time to play again in the morning, simply open up the towel again. It also provides a clean place to sit on the floor and play, instead of playing directly on the hotel floor.
The “3 Toys Daily” Rotation
As I mentioned, we all know about toy rotations in our homes and play rooms - keeping some toys stored away and only keeping a few available for kids at a time, then regularly swapping some out to keep toys feeling new and exciting. This same concept can be applied to travel and hotel rooms!
The key to making this work is “out of sight, out of mind.” Find a place where you can store toys that aren’t being used so that kids aren’t tempted to grab them. This could be storing them on the top shelf in the closet, hiding them in your empty suitcase, or hanging the Mothercould Kids Travel Organizer in the back of the closet out of direct reach. Unzip only one designated section for the day - the “3 toys of the day.” Swap items back into the organizer at the end of each day, and pull out the next day’s set for the morning.
This restores the sense of novelty to your kids’ toys! The ones that would be forgotten by day 2 are now fun and exciting for day 3. It also prevents overstimulation by not having too many items out at once, and makes it much easier to clean up at the end of each day.
Traveling Sensory Bins
Ever wanted to bring a sensory bin activity on a trip but not sure how to keep it nicely contained? Or maybe it’s just a toy with a bunch of tiny pieces that you don’t want to lose? (Hello, Lego sets!)
Collapsable bins are the way to go!Silicone bins are great for this. (These are used as wash basins during camping!) They fold completely flat, making them easy to pack. Pack your sensory base in a zip-close bag along with some tools, and you’re ready to set up a sensory bin on the go! Place the bin on a towel to minimize mess and make clean up a breeze. The bins are also easy to wipe down, dry, and get ready for the next day.
These bins are also great as a portable toy bin. You can put the 3 toys for the day in a bin and let your kids discover what’s inside each day. It’s a great barrier that prevents tiny pieces from rolling under a hotel bed and keeps things off the floor. Then at night, the pieces go back into a bag or the Mothercould Kids Travel Organizer.
The 2-Minute Reset
I know the last thing anyone wants to do on vacation is clean, but I promise that having a 2-minute reset at the end of each day will make you feel so much better about the state of your hotel room. Taking a couple minutes to clean and swap out the toys, pick up clothes off the floor, make sure nothing went under the bed, and putting toys back in the Mothercould Kids Travel Organizer will make the room feel clean and organized. Not to mention it’ll be so much easier to get the next day started with a clean slate! Your kids can definitely participate in this - give everyone an end-of-the-day task, set a timer, and race to get it done. This teaches kids that it’s important for them to take care of their spaces, even when traveling.
An organized space leads to a more relaxing, fun vacation for everyone. Kids know where their toys are and what their boundaries for play are, and you can stay sane with a hotel room that isn’t a disaster area. By implementing these strategies as a whole family, everyone can take ownership on keeping things organized while still having fun!