A monthly treat in the mailbox for your toddler

Preparing for a recent family vacation, I was looking for some books to pack that would occupy my 15 month old during the plane ride. I wanted them to be lightweight and compact so I wouldn't have to lug around a bunch of board books. But knowing his insistence on turning the pages himself, I also knew paper pages wouldn't do.

Then I remembered the Wild Animal Baby magazines from the National Wildlife Federation. My daughter had received a gift subscription for her second birthday. She loved getting mail and having a new magazine to read each month. Each issue is short enough to keep a toddler's attention but stuffed full of activities, stories and craft ideas. And the pages are thicker than a typical magazine so chubby little fingers can turn the pages easily. Plus sturdy pages means they're still in great shape so now my animal-obsessed son can enjoy the same magazines now. They were a plane-ride lifesaver!

Wild Animal Baby magazine is designed for 1-4 year olds. For children aged 3-7, check out Your Big Backyard magazine.

$20 for a 1 year subscription at National Wildlife Federation