Building the Perfect Traveling Toddler Backpack

About 18 months ago, when my son was about to turn two, I was in the Isthmus and met up with a pair of British twitchers - fanatical U.K. birdwatchers - who told me that by the time my son is two, he should be expected to know the names of at least 20 bird species.

My son is now three and a half, and has spent considerable time on the road with me, and he still doesn't know 20 bird species. Somehow, I think he'll be okay. But, despite my ignoring the advice of the twitchers, I have always thought about my son's backpack, and what he should have in it while we are traveling or walking outdoors.

Toddlers won't pick up a magnifying glass, a compass, binoculars or any travel gadgetry willingly. But on the other hand, when you are in the open outdoors or traveling, and they have your full attention, teaching them to pull out their toddler travel tools really helps them engage in their surroundings, and it has become, for me and my son, a simple and fun way to learn about the world. Here are the toddler pack details:

Fjallraven Kanken Backpack for Toddlers with:

Children's Flashlight
• Flashlight
• Moleskine journal with Crayola Pens
• A Pocket Atlas
• A Magnifying glass with attached tweezers
• 4x Binoculars
• Small clear boxes to examine creepy-crawlies and dead things.