Creatively Entertaining Your Child

Ellen at Thrifty & Chic Mom had a great Sanity Saver post this weekend on how to keep her toddler occupied while caring for a sick child (who knew there was such a thing as window markers?!). This post got me to thinking about creative ways to keep my child entertained when I need to get something accomplished. She made a great point that many times the activities are simple, we just need a little refresher to think about them.

One of my new finds for entertaining my child is the camera on my phone. My parents recently took us out to lunch and our little monkey would not sit still for anything. I turned on the camera on my phone and he was fascinated with seeing everything through it. He would hold it up to the menu, my parents, his food, etc and squeal with delight every time something he recognized came on the screen.

Another saver for me is toy cars. A new car can keep him occupied for quite awhile. I pick up cars at garage sales all the time for next to nothing.

What is your sanity saver for entertaining your child? Feel free to share so we can all learn new ideas.