Just as the title asks. 

Do y’all carry anything to pacify or entertain children? I’m sure there’s got to be some small toys in your EDC bags.

I carry small toys and stuff for my friend’s niece (2.5 years old) whenever we go out together. They’re small things that keep her occupied so that my friend and I can have some time to catch up. These items include:

• small tubs of dough (Michaels carries Roseart ones for $1.00 in packs of 5. I like these particularly because they’re sealed.)
• coloring pages + a couple crayons or colored pencils (I prefer pencils ’cause then I won’t have to worry about the wax melting and I can sharpen the pencils with my knife if necessary.)
• balloons
• small toys from the party favor section
• sticker sheets

Currently I keep everything in a small makeup baggie. It works fine, though I might “upgrade” to a small lunch container to keep the paper items from crinkling.
Do you ever share with other parents whose children are acting up? Depending on how the parent is reacting, I may step in and just offer something to calm the child down. I try not to intervene with peoples’ parenting. But sometimes they are exasperated and actually do appreciate the help.  I’m sure the parents definitely prefer these small items over candy any day.
So what do you carry for your (or others’) children? What would you add?