help with keeping 15month old happy at appointments

[mommy22boys]

Hi,
I have a 15 month old son, and the majority of the time I am alone in my city with no husband, family, babysitter or close friends so everywhere I go I have to bring my baby.
I would really like some ideas for how to distract or keep my DS happy and not crying or running around when I have to bring him to places where he has to be quiet or stay in one spot. Some examples of the kinds of places I'm talking about are to concerts or little events at my older DS's preschool, doctor's appointments, ultrasound appointments, blood tests, etc.

[bodhitree]

Toys and snacks are what work best for my DD. The toys don't have to be fancy, either. She can play with a sticker for quite a while before she gets bored with it.

[Big D]

I think a lot of the same ideas that work for keeping a toddler entertained in a car or plane would work- pipe cleaners, sticker books, etc.
deliciousbaby.com has a lot of tips and tricks for entertaining confined little ones.
Also, there are a few child-oriented aps for iphones and ipads that we only let DS play with on long car trips or in church (with the sound off of course in church). Check out "peekaboo barn," "the itsy-bitsy spider" and "fish school."

[TalkinBoutMyGirl]

Books, crayons, coloring book, quiet toys, snacks. That's what I use to keep DD entertained. Do you have an android phone? There is an app called Toddler Lock that allows DD to play a game on my phone where she taps it or draws on my touch screen yet she cannot unlock it. Just a though if you happen to have a droid.

[blizzard_babe]

I'm often one-on-one with DS (I'm not a single mom but DH and I work opposite shifts so we both do a lot of dragging him around solo), and... I'll admit it, I've downloaded a few toddler/preschool games to my iPod Touch just for these purposes.

Food is also a winner.

[MamaPhD]

DD has her own ipod (my old one) & portable ipod speaker/player. I loaded it with nursery rhymes and Disney soundtracks so she can listen to it. Also I always bring DD in a stroller if she has to be contained, i.e. at the hospital. She doesn't love strollers but once she's in it and I stuff it with snacks, toys, books, and ipod, she is pretty OK sitting there.

[EmmaJane]

When I had to take my barely-two-year-old to a lot of appointments with looooong waits, I had some small toys that I'd hidden for a few weeks, then brought out one by one... also some small new toys, that she had never seen before.

Because, sadly, the unfamiliar is just the most compelling, so they'd keep her attention the longest. For DD1, little soft finger puppets were great.

[mommy22boys]

Thank you so much for all these ideas! I think things like pipe cleaners and stickers and unfamiliar toys would work for him. I have been bringing toys and snacks that I know he loves, but he doesn't want anything to do with them at the appointments. Unfortunately I don't have an iphone, or any kind of cool phone with apps that would keep him entertained, but thanks for the ideas for when I do get a new phone.
I will check out the website mentioned as well.
Thanks again!

[Biscuits & Gravy]

My kids each have a tiny backpack that I keep filled and ready to go, and we take them with us to places like the doctor's office or restaurant. For my toddler I keep matchbox cars, tiny books, a small magnadoodle, and the thing that keeps him entertained forever...a pad of paper and sheets of stickers. He will sit and put stickers on paper happily for as long as you'll let him. Good for fine motor development, too! When he was younger, closer to your LO's age, he would sit and pull things out of the bag and put them back in, over and over. Other ideas could be finger puppets, small animal toys, pieces of yarn, cotton balls, they love little random things that they don't normally get to play with.