So… summer is well and truly gone. The leaves are falling and I spend my days sweeping up bits of grass and other dead stuff from the conservatory.  The neighbour’s sweary kids are back at school, thank heavens, and we’ve unpacked our suitcases from our holidays.

But, summer being gone doesn’t mean the end of travel. Nor does it mean the end of occasions where toddlers need to be entertained.

I’ve featured Little Jet Setters here before, and today’s review and competition is for the Acquadoodle Tray Table Cover, a little bit of miracle and blessing on our recent six week car journey, as well as the 12 hour flights to get to South Africa and back.

We’ve all seen the Acquadoodle concept and it’s great. What makes this one special is that it’s made to fit over the tray table on flights or trains. Of course it can be used on a normal table too, or with anything as a base.

The brilliance of this set for use in travel is that it folds up really compactly, so you can keep it in your handbag, your travel luggage, or even your coat pocket. The pen can be filled with any water, which is really convenient as you can fill it from the water fountain on a plane without having to queue for the bathroom.

There are four doodle areas on the mat, and I think it would have been better if the doodle areas were larger as we filled it pretty quickly and then have to wait for it to dry, but it’s not the end of the world.

Sitting in the car I was extremely grateful that it was a water pen, as Ameli would doodle on the mat, then on the seat in front of her (my dad’s BMW, you understand?) and then on the seat next to her – or the door.

The set costs just under £13, which is a great price when you consider how much play this gets, and the fact that it can be used over and over again.

If you have any train or car journeys planned, a visit to grandma or half term or Christmas travels, I heartily recommend this set.

Value For Money  – it’s a great price for the hours of entertainment, but the drawing space could be bigger

 

Quality – the pen isn’t in great condition anymore, but the mat is superb despite two months of regular use

 

Sustainability – not the most environmentally friendly material

 

Entertainment/Education Value – we draw pictures and learn words and it’s still in play 2 months on. 

 

Total – a very well deserved 7/10 stars from Diary of a First Child

Competition

To be in with a chance to win an Acquadoodle tray, share a tip for travel with children in the comment section below.

The competition ends on 3 October at 23:59 and the winners will be randomly selected  using Random.org.

 The Winner is: Yolanda Barker

Little Jet Setter have a  Facebook page, you can ‘like’. If you do, please let them know I sent you! You can also follow Diary of a First Child on Facebook to keep up to date with future competitions and other news. If you follow either  on Facebook, leave a comment below so that I know you have!

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