Disposable Toys: Evil or Godsends?

Classic Structures (STJ) likely created most of the organizational structures that exist on this green earth because they’re practical and logical by nature. Efficient. True, everyone can be these things but they’re not as innate as they’re for Classic Structures. It’s why I go to these folks whenever I want an easy, practical, no-nonsense solution. So when I thought about packing kid entertainment for our car trip, I remembered a great tip from a dear Classic Structure friend. Mimic what a great many of us do when visiting any airport newstand: buy disposable schlock.

Ahead of trips, my friend goes to a local drugstore and buys disposable toys, gadgets and spiral pads of paper. It makes life easy because there is practically a drugstore on every corner open until midnight these days and since it’s not quality stuff you don’t care WHAT they do to it in the car and you can throw it away when you get home instead of unpacking a million toys back into their homes.

As for why she also buys them gadgets like cheap drugstore calculators, kids sometimes find the non-toy stuff to be the most engaging. Think about the kind of stuff in your house kids are always trying to use — and annoys you when they do — and buy it. Tell them this is a special treat for the car. For me it’s scotch tape. So I bought them scotch tape, calculators, some SpongeBob thingamajig (what isn’t branded with Spongebob these days??), goldfish in unique mini boxes and old school peanut butter crackers. Oh and I’m also going to throw in some leftover hidden Halloween candy in my purse as bribes for good measure when things start to unravel around hour three.

I know a few Organics who are aghast reading this and thinking, “What about the environment?” It’s a valid point but if you’ve ever picked up the Economist or Vanity Fair or Us or bottled water at an airport and thrown it away, I’d argue it really is not that much different. Disposable is kind of a necessary evil with travel. Sure I could throw the iPad their way, and I do, but there’s a limit to electronic time with young kids (or at least my boys) where you don’t pay for it upon arrival with wild and crazy behavior.