Gift shops are a kid magnet and often a trip highlight! Do you cringe at the sight inexpensive trinkets and novelty items that will be lost or broken in the span of hours? Plan your souvenir strategy early and help your child assemble a collection that is unique and will last for years to come, preserving the memories of your travels together.

First, come up with a theme. What type of souvenir is fairly common at most tourist locations and has the makings for a great collection? If you set your child on a treasure hunt for specific souvenirs with some sort of common ground, they will be able to tell a story or make an easily displayed collection.

We've collected embroidered patches from the places we've visited with our child and sewn them onto a backpack he takes along on trips, adapting the idea from old suitcases with stickers from exotic locations.

Here are some more ideas for starting your child's souvenir collection:

• Postcards. Have your child write himself a note and mail it back home. You can assemble it like a diary when you return from your travels.
• Key Chains. They can be collected and put on backpacks or hung on a strip hanging from the wall.
• Magnets. You can put them on the refrigerator at home or make a magnetic board to display the collection in your child's bedroom.
• Snowglobes or Music Boxes featuring scenes from your travel location.
• Crazy sunglasses or hats. They could be relevant to your travel destination or just wacky.
• Holiday ornaments. Each holiday, you can recount stories about travels with your children and have a great starter set of special ornaments when your child is grown so he can share his travel memories with his children.

About the Author

For more great information about expecting and parenting, visit MomRecommended.com, a site for moms by moms. Annie Valle is a freelance writer, web designer and a mom. You'll find product reviews, recipes, baby names, free projects and more, when you visit http://www.momrecommended.com.