‘Quiet Books’ might just be the thing that saves your sanity if you are taking your toddler on a flight this year

Whether you are going to Galway or Greece, quiet books are about to save your life – and sanity.

If you have ever braved a flight, long train ride or even just car trip with a toddler or young child, you will know that nervous as you might be, these are all very survivable – you just need to come prepared. Trust me; I know – having braved close to 200 flights with my first-born before she turned three, I had the in-flight entertainment down to a tee – I thought. We are talking raisins, Cheerio necklaces, crayons, puzzles, My Little Ponies, Youtube; you name it, I was on top of it. And much as these all did the job, I have recently discovered something that would have made all this travelling with a toddler even more enjoyable and less boredom- and tantrums prone. Say hello to 'quiet books' – also known as the single most amazing thing toddler parents will ever know. What is a 'quiet book', I hear you ask? Basically these can go by many names (quiet book, soft book, busy book, cloth book etc.), but the idea is the same: A quiet book (our favorite term) is a series of fabric “pages” containing quiet activities to entertain small children. You can buy these on Etsy (there are loads to chose from), and can pick one with a theme/activities/characters that will appeal to your toddler(s), or you can, should you be a little bit handy, actually make one yourself – and lucky for you, Pinterest is choc-a-bloc with ideas and easy to follow how-to guides for just this. The beauty of these books is that they will literally keep your stir-crazy kids enthralled for hours (hence the 'quiet book' name), moving and sorting and putting in place the items and figures of the book. Some have animals or little dolls that can be dressed and undressed, put to bed, play on the swings, eat their dinner etc. Other versions have shapes that need to be sorted and some are even geared for slightly older children, containing pieces and game boards for classics like hangman, checkers, and tic tac toe. Fancy having a go at making your very own 'quiet book'? Here are some ideas for you: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4MirkVi1D8