– “That is brilliant!”
– “Why haven’t I ever thought of that?”
– “Your kids entertained us the entire time!”
– “I’m totally doing that!”
– “You’re a genius!”
These are just a few of the many comments we have received over the past year since purchasing a cafeteria tray for $2.87 on Amazon.
It sounds silly, but here’s how I discovered this simple [yet brilliant] mom hack…
We were preparing to embark on a long road trip to Ohio for a two week stay while our son went through some treatments at a local hospital. Since he wouldn’t be undergoing any surgeries on this trip, we decided to drive AND take our daughter along too (both crazy ideas, but why not live life on the edge, right?!).
Planning to be away for that amount of time, I was bound and determined to make this a fun trip. It’s easy to hand over an iPad on a road trip, but I was trying to think outside of the box.
How on Earth was I going to keep two young kids entertained for 2+ weeks, full of long drives, hospital stays, and so many meals in restaurants?!
I polled friends on Facebook for activities, which did provide me with a crazy long list of ideas for them to do. I gathered up multiple activities to fit inside a small Rubbermaid tub to keep on the floorboard of the car. The week before our trip, I browsed the internet for a good “travel” tray with very little success of finding anything under $50. However, I did find a cafeteria tray for $2.87 on Amazon, threw it in the cart, and had it in my hands within 48 hours.
BEST. PURCHASE. EVER.
For the duration of our trip, we took the tray (and activity tub) everywhere we went! Hotel. Doctor offices. Waiting rooms. Restaurants. Our car. In the bottom of the stroller.
To this day, we still have 3 trays and an activity tub in our car (I swap out activities every so often). If the kids get antsy, we pull it out. They pick an activity to play on their tray, and it keeps them entertained for hours!
*insert endless comments from people who witness this life-changing phenomenon*
It’s been nearly a year since I discovered this brilliant mom hack, and not once have we ever had to pull out a phone for entertainment in public. Instead, we have found that we take part in activities/games with our kids at a dinner table while we wait for our food. People continue to stop and ask where we bought the trays. My response is always “less than $3 on Amazon!” They comment on how well our kids play together, their engagement to the activities, and are always surprised that we don’t use phones. The cafeteria trays provide a lip to keep most activities contained on any surface of a table (esp sand), as well as creating a boundary for their own personal space (problem solved on *most* sibling arguments!).
I’m telling you now…if you don’t own a cafeteria tray for each kid in your family, you should! You’d be surprised at how often they come in handy, and not to mention that this thing will change your life!
You too, can be a genius!
Ideas to pack in your activity tub:
Kinetic Sand (our top fave!)
-sand sculpting toys
-miniature digging vehicles
Coloring/Activity Books
-bag of crayons/markers
Miniature Trains
Miniature Characters
Usborne Magic Painting Books
-paint brushes in crayon bag
Plus Plus Blocks
Eye Found It game
Wikki Stix
Color Wonder Markers & Paints
Small Puzzles
Reuseable Stickers
