This sensory bin gift starts off with a 12″x12″ storage box. They come in a variety of colors, and I pick up a few whenever they go on 50% off sale. I like these boxes because they are a good size for a single kid to play, and the latching lid allows it to easily store away. Everything for the sensory bin fits inside this storage box.

Next up is picking the “theme”. The Safari Ltd TOOBs are PERFECT for sensory bins. Each tube includes a handful of small toys around the tube theme, such as space, mermaids, insects, farm animals, etc. Picking the theme around the birthday kid’s party theme or simply something you know they enjoy is a great way to personalize the gift without too much effort.

Generally, I will try to somewhat coordinate the sensory base material with the theme. For example, with the space sensory bin I used black beans and for a farm sensory bin I did dried corn kernels. Some other bases I’ve used include: lentils, painted garbanzo beans, kinetic sand, and other dried beans. For the beans and lentils, I add two pounds to the bin (these bags are fun and hold 1 pound each)

Lastly is to add in the tools and containers. For simplicity, I use the exact same items for each of these bins – an ice cube tray (grab these at the dollar store), some silicone cupcake liners, and a set of Learning Resources Helping Hands tools. I picked up a classroom set of the tools so I knew that I had them around for last minute party invites. I don’t always include the water tool as these bins are not water based.

By buying the different components when they are on sale, these sensory bin gifts cost about $25 each (when the TOOBs were on major sale I stocked up on a bunch of different themes).

These sensory bins have been a huge hit with the birthday kid, and I’ve heard from multiple parents how their kids played with it for a long time! As Emmett is entering Kindergarten, I will continue these for any birthday parties he is invited to this year.

I used a 9×13 Pyrex dish to hold this sensory bin – but depending on your kids you might want to use a plastic container.

The base for this sensory bin are 1″ Neon Pom Poms. 1-2 bags was the perfect amount to fill the dish. This multi-sized pack would also work great to add in the activity of sorting by size.

Finding the “90s themed add-ins” was fun! I was thinking back to different things that were popular during my childhood (that were also small enough to fit in the sensory bin). I ended up using three fillers – Lisa Frank Inspired Erasers, Mini Trolls, and Cassette Tape charms. If you’re a thrift store shopper, you could also look in the toy section for old Happy Meal toys (like the Barbies or Beanie Babies).

Finally, I added in some tools for my kids to use as they played with this bin. I grabbed a couple measuring cups and spoons, tongs, and also small dishes they could use for sorting. Silicone cupcake liners also work great. These Learning Resources Sensory Tools are some of my favorites as well!

My kids (ages 3 and 5) immediately started playing with the bin together when I set it on the table. Without any direction from my they sorted by colors, picked out all their favorite cassette tape designs, stirred different ingredients together to make a “soup” in the small dishes, and had fun feeling the pom poms on their hands.

Some other activities that could be done:

• Line up the Trolls in rainbow order for a silly hair parade
• Count different colors of pom poms
• Use tongs to hunt for all the mini erasers
• Make your own mixtape – use your preferred streaming service to create a fun playlist together

This bin was such a hit, and my kids came back to play with it multiple times throughout the day. I’ve put all these materials (plus other ideas for the 90s themed sensory bin) in an idea list on my storefront.

This trip was our first time ever staying at an all-inclusive resort. My kids are definitely hooked on the seemingly unlimited chocolate truffles and “pink juice” from the pool bar.

Prior to our trip, I searched the internet for ideas of what sort of “must-have” items I need to pack, both for items that would be unique for an all-inclusive, and items unique for a trip to Jamaica. There are definitely some items that I brought and never used, and other instructions I wished I had followed.

One of the big activities to do in Ochos Rios is to climb waterfalls (Dunn’s River being the main waterfall, other smaller ones also are available). For this activity, water shoes or closed-toe sandals are required. The shoes are available for sale, but if you already have some make sure to pack them!

I was glad to have my waterproof pouch for our climb of Kokono falls as I was able to have my phone inside it for photos along the way, and at the top of the falls. I actually brought two pouches on this trip – one for my phone, and another that held cash for tips and other papers I didn’t want to get wet.

My kids spent multiple days just playing in the pool and/or ocean so water toys were a must! We brought a few water squirters and diving rings which got hours of play. Before our trip, I picked up some mesh bags for their toys which worked well. I also tossed their goggles and sandals into the bag so I didn’t have to dig through my own beach bag for them. Etsy has lots of these personalized “seashell bags” available!

I saw some folks with small floaties in the pool and ocean. I wish I had packed a couple small inflatable rings for the kids since I think they would have enjoyed them, but it wasn’t a “must have” item.

Depending on the age of your kids, a waterproof camera could be a fun addition to the beach bag. My kids had fun taking photos around the resort and during our glass bottom boat tour; and it was nice to know I didn’t have to worry about it falling in the pool or getting splashed by the waves.

Something we learned from our trip to the Bahamas is to pack at least 3 swimsuits per person – one that is dry, one that is drying, and one to wear (or is currently wet). It could easily take more than 24 hours to dry the swimsuit, so this is one thing to overpack.

The Longchamp Le Pilage Large tote was a perfect size for carrying kid stuff around the resort for meals or visiting with friends and family. I could put some activities for the kids along with my phone and a small wallet with cash for tips. While we spent a lot of time at the beach and pool, we did bring the kid’s tablets for downtime or when they needed a break.

Speaking of tips, I wish I had brought just a bit more cash with me. Make sure to check out reviews or reddit threads about your specific resort because tipping can vary among the hotel brands. Also, many businesses and taxis are cash only. We were in a very touristy area so all the locations we visited accepted US currency.

Prior to our trip, I had read the suggestion to pack an insulated tumbler for getting drinks throughout the resort. I did pack some tumblers for us, as I didn’t want to waste small single-use plastic cups throughout the week. I was pleasantly surprised that all the bars had nice reusable glass/plastic glasses so we didn’t use the tumblers.

There was plenty of food available throughout the resort for meals, and even 24/7 room service and coffee/ice cream bar. I was glad that I packed snacks for the kids (mostly cliff kids bars and yogurt pouches) because finding snacky type food other than ice cream or chocolate truffles was difficult.

A few miscellaneous items you might want to consider packing for an all-inclusive vacation to Jamaica with kids:

• Extra sunglasses and/or floating glasses cords
• UV protective clothing (my kids swam in rash guards a majority of the time)
• More sunscreen than you think you’ll need
• Life Jacket – our resort had them available if you were participating in the water activities, but not simply at the pool or beach

My kids are constantly asking to go back to Jamaica for vacation (or as my Peppa Pig obsessed 3 year old says “on holiday”). We look forward to what adventures we can do over the next few years!

Towards the end of our time in the corn pit, I took a photo of both kids laying in the corn kernels. I laughed because it looked like Anneliese was giving us the side eye as though she were saying “what are you doing to me”, which is 100% her current personality.

When I was thinking about what sort of fall sensory bins I wanted to make, I thought back to the dried corn kernels and went hunting for some to use as my sensory bin base. I purchased 10 pounds of dried corn kernels, although a 5 pound bag would have worked for this size bin as well.

For the rest of this fall sensory bin, I decided to go with a fall farm or pumpkin patch theme. In addition to the dried corn, I used mini fencing, fall colors of silicone cupcake liners, mini foam pumpkins (similar), and the “Down on the Farm” Toobz.

Emmett immediately started playing with this when he saw it. He loved filling the cupcake liners with corn, burying the animals so Anneliese could find them, and making his own pumpkin patch shapes by bending the fence.

Since we have more than enough corn kernels for play with this sensory bin, I’m thinking that some of the extra can be used to make other fall crafts, or maybe a fun rabbit feed project for the bunny living in our front yard.

For other fall sensory activities, make sure to check out this Glowing Halloween Sensory Bin or Fall Sensory Dough Jar.

The thought behind this travel essentials restock box is that prior to each trip, my friends can use the box to restock their toiletry bag or carry-on with however many of each items they need for the trip. While some items, such as the floss picks might need to be restocked each trip, others such as the anti-chafe bar can last a few trips.

The box I’m using has 16 compartments so I started hunting for the perfect 16 travel essentials that might need to be replenished each trip.

I didn’t necessarily completely fill each compartment with the travel essential because I wanted to ensure that the item’s expiration date wouldn’t pass before it could be consumed, and also think practically about how many of each item they might use for about a year’s worth of trips.

Next came the fun part – finding the perfect travel essentials. For this, I thought about what items I had packed along for my recent trip, and also which items I liked to include in my flight crew thank you bags.

All of the items below (along with the 16-compartment bin) are shared in an Amazon storefront list for easy access.

This gift works best if you are making multiple boxes as many of the items come in higher quantities than are needed for a single restock box.

Travel Essentials Restock Gift

Cleaning

Wet Ones Antibacterial Hand Wipes Singles

Continue Reading

Tide to go Wipes

Continue Reading

Hair/Body Care

Hair Ties

Continue Reading

Mini Makeup Blending Sponges

Continue Reading

Makeup Remover Wipes

Continue Reading

Pimple Patches

Continue Reading

Vaseline Lip Therapy Rosy Lips Mini

Continue Reading

General Hygiene

Travel Butt Wipes

Continue Reading

Travel Deodorant Wipes

Continue Reading

Miscellaneous

Mini Tic Tac Boxes

Continue Reading

Thigh Rescue Anti-Chafe Stick

Continue Reading

Individually Wrapped Panty Liners

Continue Reading

Mini Nail File

Continue Reading

Dental Care

Dental Floss Picks

Continue Reading

Travel Mouthwash

Continue Reading

Colgate Whisps

Continue Reading

I love how this turned out, I can’t wait to give this travel essentials restock box to people this holiday season.

When I was thinking about how to create a Halloween sensory bin for my kids, I immediately thought about the glow in the dark Pluffle that I had in our stash. My kids have enjoyed playing with this previously in a dark room, but I wanted to find a way for it to also be enjoyed out in the main play space.

Adding a blacklight was a great solution, plus it allowed other items to be included in the bin because they were blacklight activated, but didn’t glow in the dark.

I picked up some glowing skeletons, glow in the dark bats, glow in the dark spiders, and also included some mini bones that I originally purchased for my Bluey themed sensory dough.

Emmett immediately wanted to play with the bin when he saw it on the counter. The blacklight I have requires an outlet so we played with the bin on the kitchen counter, but there are some great battery-powered lights available as well.

Pluffle is such an interesting (almost creepy) texture, it has the look that it is alive and moving as it expands which makes it even more ideal for this Halloween sensory bin.

I’ve compiled a list of these ideas along with other fun glow in the dark products on my Amazon storefront that would be great additions to a glowing Halloween sensory bin.

I wanted to do another Bluey themed sensory bin for my kids and decided to use “Rug Island” episode as my inspiration.

In this Bluey episode, other than the Heeler family, there are two main “characters” – felt pens and the iconic Kiwi rug. I went through a few different ideas of how to represent the felt pens within this sensory bin because I wanted them to be small enough that they fit with the Bluey figurines, and also actually connect to each other to align with the episode storyline.

The round 1×1 Lego-Style bricks were the perfect solution, especially since they came in multiple colors! I found that one set was a good amount to create a base for play.

For the sensory bin container, these scrapbooking organizers are perfect. They are the perfect size to store away in the closet and work great for an individual child to play. I also like that they have a latching lid for closing up the sensory bin between playtimes.

There are lots of Bluey family figurines currently available. Some include accessories, and others include Bluey and Bingo’s friends. Any set will work for this bin because it is all about the kids’ imagination so they can include whoever they want in the story.

For the iconic Kiwi rug, I took to Canva to re-create the rug and then sublimated it onto a drink coaster. While this might not be practical for everybody, it can also be printed out onto paper (cardstock would work best for a bit of weight), or get the kids involved in drawing their own rug to use.

The final item that I included in my Bluey sensory bin was a piece of fabric about 4″x4″. This could be used in a variety of ways – tied around the characters as a cape, used as a knapsack to hold some of the felt pens, or laid next to the rug as an expansion to the play area.

I presented the sensory bin to my kids as-is, but we also have a bunch of tools that they could add into their play. This set of sensory tools is one of our favorites, we also love these scoops.

Both my kids had fun creating their own Rug Island story and I look forward to having this sensory bin in our play rotation.

The Snackle box looks like a small fishing tackle box; however, each compartment is the perfect size for a various snack food item. There are quite a few options available online; however, when I found these smaller boxes for $1 at Target, I knew they were perfect for my kids.

When I create my kids’ snackle boxes, I aim to have a balance of traditional snack foods along with some proteins, fruits, and vegetables. I also avoid putting dips or spreads into these boxes just because they can be harder to clean out and are more likely to cause a mess when being eaten.

While many of these items are fine to be left out to munch throughout the day, others do need to be refrigerated so they shouldn’t be left out too long. Also, some of the snack ideas are better for older kids as they can be a choking hazard for younger kids.

Each of my kids have favorite vegetables for snacking – Emmett loves Snap Peas (although he really only wants the peas), Anneliese will inhale as much Cucumber as I provide, and they both enjoy a good Broccoli tree or carrot stick.

For fruits, we generally have grapes, blueberries, and strawberries in the fridge so I will cut up either of those for the snackle box.

Some of our favorite “snacky snack” foods include: Goldfish crackers, mini pretzels, Pirates Booty, Wheat Thins, cashews, and dry cereal.

Sometimes I use these boxes to introduce a new food as it is a fun and low-pressure exposure.

Every winter I dream of going somewhere warm and escaping the long dark days of Seattle winter. Last fall, Delta ran a flash sale to a bunch of warm destinations so I started looking into available dates and destinations. The kids have both had a passport since before they could walk, but thanks to a certain global health event, we hadn’t been able to use them yet.

When I saw an amazing deal on a flight to Nassau, Bahamas for the week of my birthday (and a week that Emmett had no preschool), we jumped on it!

Normally, I have trip itineraries planned weeks in advance; however, since we weren’t sure how the kids would do after the long flights and time change, there was a lot more of a “wing-it” attitude for this trip.

Based on the weather forecast for the week we were in Nassau, we focused on exploring the first few days of our trip and then did resort/pool days at the end of the trip.

These are my thoughts on various tourist spots in Nassau with how my kids (very active 4 year old and independent 2 year old) responded to the activity. We used two Babyzen YoYo strollers throughout the trip. Emmett (4 years old) has a tendency to run off if given the chance so his stroller was mainly for containment rather than being tired.

Nassau Bahamas Tourist Spots with Kids

We walked from our hotel (Atlantis Coral Tower) the majority of the trip with the exception of one day when I booked Cheryl’s Taxi & Tours to do a private shuttle for 4 hours to get a couple spots that were a bit further away.

Pirates of Nassau

Duration: 1 hour

The Pirate Museum would be perfect for elementary age kids or older. The exhibits are immersive; however, they aren’t very interactive for young kids. We still enjoyed our time looking at the different exhibits and reading about the true history of the Pirates of the Caribbean.

John Watling’s Rum Distillery

Duration: 1 hour

Ok, this was definitely for the parents and not for the kids, but we still brought our kids so I’m adding it to the list.

The distillery offers free tours of the plant that ends in the bar to taste the various rums. There is also food available outside to enjoy with the beverages. We also saw lots of tour busses stopping here. I’m not sure if we joined the official distillery tour or if we crashed a tour bus tour because our guide was going into a lot of the pirate history of Nassau as well.

My kids got restless waiting at each stop of the tour so we didn’t stay to enjoy a cocktail since the bar was a bit busy, but we did return later when we had the private van to buy a couple bottles of rum to bring home.

Ardastra Gardens

Duration: 1-2 hours

Ardastra Gardens is known for their flamingos. The flamingos are trained to perform a show, and they roam about the gardens afterwards. There gardens feature a variety of birds, along with tortoises, monkeys, and other animals.

This is the destination that made me consider a private van tour. It was just far enough away from the hotel that I wasn’t sure about walking over with the kids. We were here for about an hour, but could have stayed longer if we opted for a snack break within the gardens rather than getting the kids a snack back in the van.

Both kids enjoyed the flamingo show, and also all the other tropical birds around the property.

Queen’s Staircase

Duration: 30-45 minutes

We did the Queen’s Staircase (also known as 66 Steps) with our private tour. Our van driver dropped us off at the top of the staircase and then drove around to meet us at the bottom. We lucked out that it was a quiet day in port and only saw a couple other families the entire time we were at the staircase. It is absolutely gorgeous and a perfect spot for kids to burn off a bit of energy going up and down the steps.

Fort Montagu

Duration: 30-60 minutes

This destination wasn’t on our original plan; however, our van driver brought us here towards the end of our time. The fort itself is very small; however, there is a gorgeous view over the water, along with a park/beach area.

Bay Street/Parliament Square

Duration: Varies

Bay Street is the main road of shops right in front of the cruise boat terminal. It features a variety of local stores along with the standard cruise port chains. While it isn’t necessarily a tourist destination, it was an easy walking path for us to get wherever we were headed for the day.

Parliament Square features bright pink buildings just off Bay Street and is the official government buildings for Nassau. We walked around the grounds a bit so Anneliese could enjoy all the Pink (her favorite color).

The Rum Cake Factory store is located along Bay Street and we saw it packed with shoppers many times when we walked by. Brad and I picked up a Pineapple Rum Cake to enjoy one evening in the hotel room and it was delicious.

On one of our walks back to the hotel we stopped at Rip Ty’d for a local craft beer. They had board games for the kids to play while we each enjoyed a beer.

Nassau Bahamas Tourist Spots We Skipped With Kids

Since we were staying at Atlantis where we had beach options on property, we didn’t go to any of the public beaches such as Junkanoo Beach.

While we did walk along the very outside of the Straw Market getting from the water ferry to Bay Street one morning, we didn’t go inside. After years of selling at craft shows, I feel bad if I don’t look at people’s booths after making eye contact or small talk so I knew that the high pressure Straw Market was not for me. Plus the thought of taking two young kids in crowded market did not sound like a good plan.

The Bat Cave was suggested as a potential destination while we had the van; however, it is decently far away from other spots in downtown Nassau and our Bahamian friend said that it wouldn’t be good for our kids so we skipped it.

I loved the *idea* of swimming with the pigs; however, after talking to our Bahamian friend, he let me know that they can be a bit unpredictable and often bite. Given Emmett’s impulsive behavior we decided to skip that excursion option.

Getting to Downtown Nassau from Paradise Island

We debated for a while about getting a rental car for our trip. In the end I am 100% glad we skipped the rental car. There is limited parking at many of these spots, so a car would have been more of a hassle than a help.

There are two bridges that cross from Paradise Island over to downtown Nassau. The bridges are one-way for cars, but people can walk either direction. These bridges are steep and I definitely reconsidered my choice the first time we walked across the bridge. The newer bridge, which is the one further west, felt a bit steeper; however, it has a half-wall between the cars and sidewalk. The older bridge has a sidewalk elevated from the car driving surface, but there are no guardrails between people and the cars. It took about 30-45 minutes to walk to the main downtown area from Atlantis on Paradise Island.

There is also a passenger ferry that leaves from the base of the new bridge and drops passengers off by the cruise terminal. This ferry costs $7 per person each way and the hours change each day depending on the cruise ship schedule. We did the ferry one morning, but opted to just walk back since Anneliese had fallen asleep in the stroller.

If you’re out of the carseat stage, Taxis are easy to come by from the resort.

I mentioned earlier that we traveled with two Babyzen YoYo strollers. We loved the flexibility that this provided over a double stroller, especially since many of the walkways would not be considered ADA accessible. There were quite a few times where we had to tilt the kids back and jump a curb, so definitely don’t want to load up the basket of the stroller.

Next time we visit the Bahamas, I definitely want to look into some sort of boat tour or shorter fishing trip. Both kids loved the water ferry from Paradise Island to downtown Nassau and I think they would enjoy a longer boat ride. If we were to book a boat trip, I’d make sure that it had an indoor spot where we could take the kids if they needed some downtime.

I probably definitely overthought what needed to be packed for this trip to the Bahamas with a toddler (2 years old) and preschooler (4 years old) in tow. Now that we’re back, I see what we ended up not needing and also what was worth their suitcase space.

While planning the trip, my priorities for selecting accommodations included having outdoor space for my kids to run around, on the beach so we could easy pop back to the room if needed while playing in the water, and of course within budget. The resort that best fit this criteria for us was Atlantis Bahamas Coral Tower in a Premium Double Queen Terrace View room.

The “premium” room was slightly larger than the standard room, and also put us in the tower directly above the lobby. It was about $10 more per night than the regular room. This put us a single elevator ride down to Marina Village, where we spent many evenings walking around, and also served as our walking path when we ventured outside the resort.

I’ve divided these Atlantis packing tips into three different categories: things already provided by Atlantis so you can leave at home, things I’m glad we brought (or wish we had brought) for our kids, and other things to consider for your individual situation.

Things Provided by Atlantis

• Water bottles – We received four water bottles at check-in that could be refilled throughout the resort. I was glad to have the kid water bottles for the plane, but didn’t need to pack extra ones for the trip.
• Pool/Beach Towels – Towels were easy to get, and we could grab more throughout the day while the pools were open.
• Life Jackets – There are life jackets available for kids over 30lbs at the pools and beaches. I saw plenty of other kids in their own life jackets, especially the younger ages. If we had visited a local public beach then we would have wanted our own for the day.
  

Must Have Items for Kids at Atlantis

• Extra Swimsuits – Our swimsuits did not dry overnight in the room so I was glad to have a few per person to cycle through. We could have set them outside on the balcony; however, it was pretty windy and saw other swimsuits that had fallen to the ground below.
• Rashguard Tops – On a whim I bought each kid a t-shirt rashguard. These were so nice to have for the pool since the sun was rather intense. I will be picking up another one for our next sunny vacation so they can rotate along with the swimsuits.
  
• Snacks – I had a bunch of my kids’ favorite snacks, this was especially helpful in the morning so they could have something to eat while we were packing up for the day (before breakfast), or if they needed a little something to eat after dinner. There is a market just outside the resort; however, the prices are pretty high so bringing items from home would be a significant savings.
• GoSili Silicone Cup Covers – We got these a few years ago and they are perfect for travel. The kids think it is so special to get apple juice on the flight; I put one of these covers on the cup to give them a nice straw for drinking and prevent spills. They aren’t spill-proof, but give one extra layer of protection from an open cup.
  
• Plastic Bags – The swimsuits were still wet as we were packing up to fly home so it was nice to have a couple plastic shopping bags for these items. While all the dirty clothes were piled into a single suitcase, I didn’t necessarily want everything getting wet from the swimsuits during the flight home.
• Toys for the Room – I had originally packed a bunch of small toys for the plane; however, a few of them ended up being used in the hotel room instead. These Mini Picasso Tiles were fun for small builds and some gel window clings provided entertainment in the mornings while we got ready for the day.
  
• Sunscreen – Pack what you think you need, and then add another bottle. While it was only in the 70s, the sun felt intense and we were reapplying multiple times throughout the day.
• Pool/Beach Toys – Our second day at Atlantis we went searching for a ball for Emmett to enjoy in the pool. We found a small foam football that we enjoyed the rest of the trip. Atlantis had balls, buckets, and other water toys available for purchase by the pool, but of course at resort prices.

Other things to Consider

• Stroller – The stroller paths are not always convenient. There are limited ramps around the property, rather they have elevators that require the operator to press and hold the button to move up or down. We had two Babyzen YoYo strollers with us, and I’m glad we did that rather than our double stroller. Having two small strollers gave us a lot more flexibility to only take one with us, and when we were walking around Nassau many of the sidewalks would not accommodate a double stroller.
  Don’t forget the cup holder! We brought along our stroller connectors so we could push the strollers together if desired, but never actually used them on this trip.
  
• Car Seats – We have the wayb Pico carseats for travel and they are so convenient since they are lightweight and compact. The Pico weighs only 8 pounds and it folds up to fit into a backpack. We generally add our sweatshirts and the kid’s loveys into the car seat backpack to save space in our other bags.
  
• Water Shoes – I packed water shoes for all four of us, and we never really wore them. Since we visited in the winter, the pavement didn’t get too hot and we were fine walking around barefoot to the different water slides. If we visited in the summer I think they would have been used more.

We had an absolute blast on our trip to Atlantis Bahamas. Our kids loved exploring the property, playing in the sand, and splashing in the pools. The majority of our time was at the Mayan Temple Pool as it offered zero-entry and had lots of poolside snack options. Emmett enjoyed the small waterslide (Anneliese did it a couple times but was not as into it).

Next time we visit Atlantis with our kids, I’ll be a lot more confident in my packing!