I recently went on an excursion to Center Beach, San Fabian, Pangasinan with family friends and decided to bring my toddler along. Major mistake. The beach water was murky, the sand was itchy, and the general area was peppered with garbage. While we were getting ready to swim, my brother went ahead and dove in. Minutes later he returned, the victim of a jellyfish that stung his back. We sent my baby to the swimming pool instead.
My husband and I still wanted to brave the waters so as not to waste the long drive so we went back to the beach. While studying the waters, we were approached by a boatman who offered to take us on a boat ride to get to a cleaner beach for P30/head. I ran back to our cottage and returned with the cash, only to learn that we need to pay another P500 each to gain access to the resort with the good beach. We declined and turned away. He called us back, claiming that he can get us in if we give him P150. Disgusted, we joined our toddler in the pool and stayed in the cottage for the rest of the day.
We did pick up some learning points from the long drive, though. Particularly in keeping a toddler entertained in the car. Thankfully, my daughter is the type who usually sleeps the moment the car is in motion, but she was awake for about 2 hours on the way to the beach and on the trip back home. Here are some tips to keep a lively toddler occupied:
(1) Books with reusable stickers
(2) Toys for pretend play
(3) Clay (a bit messy though)
(4) Aluminum foil (make jewelry, animals, etc)
(5) Sing songs
(6) Portable DVD player
(7) Point out animals, colors, and other interesting sights on the road
(8) Snack time!
(9) Kiddie laptops
(10) Take regular pitstops and let your baby run around to expend the extra energy
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