Activities for Toddlers when Flying

Flying with toddlers, is there anything better? Yes! Anything from standing in line at the DMV to sticking needles in your eye would be better. 

But for a lot of us, flying with these little hooligans is bound to happen. Especially near the holidays. This is crazy to admit, but in the last 3 years I have flown over a dozen times with a child (sometimes two children) under the age of 3. And the majority of these flights have been without another adult. That’s right… flying solo… with two toddlers. But it doesn't matter if you are alone or with somebody, those toddlers have a hard time being told to stay in the same seat for hours. 

Have I loved my flying experiences, No. But I have yet to murder anyone on the flight, so I’m going to say I am pretty much an expert at flying. 

So how can you make flying with your toddler a bearable slightly positive endeavor?

PREPARE, PREPARE, PREPARE!

When your little one is a busy toddler, planning to watch a movie the entire flight won’t cut it. At least not for my kids. I always have a movie on my Ipad or phone along with some headphones ready but I try to keep them entertained with other activities as long as possible!

My goal is to have an activity for every 15-20 minutes you will be on the plane. If your flight is 4 hours then you should have 12-16 activities ready! Now you can base this off your own child’s attention span, but when my kids have been ages 1-2.5, most activities only last them that long. I always try to make my activities cheap so if I lose the stuff on the plane, there are no tears shed. 

Here are some of my tried and true activities that have worked for us:

(I put links for hard to find things.. but most of this stuff is cheaper
at the Dollar Store) 

1. Interactive Books-We picked up a new Daniel Tiger book with flaps and it had my 18 month hooked for the full 20 minutes
2. Post It Notes- Similar to the stickers but different enough that it will entertain them. You can also play matching games (put shapes or letters and match them with each other). I vote for Post Its over flash cards because they are more versatile and the adhesive factor is a great asset. 
3. CALIFORNIA CADE ELECTRONIC Finger Lights Bright LED Rave Laser Assorted Toys, Pack of 48- My mother-in-law got these for my oldest a couple years ago and they are some of our favorite toys! We use them at home to play glow in the dark hide and seek and they are great entertainers on the plane … I always worry a little bit that we are going to blind someone but it hasn’t happened yet (knock on wood)  




4. Play Dough- Best activity by far. It entertains kids of all ages and can be used with other toys as well (cover the car or shopkins in playdough and find them again). 
5. Plastic Easter Eggs- I will prepack the plastic eggs with a few snacks as well as a few small toys from the dollar store. My kids LOVE opening the eggs and then repacking them. 
6. Rubber Finger Puppets- My kids LOVE playing with these! They play with them at church, home and traveling. If you bought them just for your flight, this activity will most likely take up more than it’s allotted 20 minutes, SCORE!
7. Melissa & Doug Pet Shop Puffy Sticker Set With 115 Reusable Stickers- Love these and they get extra points for being so slim and easy to pack as well as being reusable. 
8. Shopkins House Sets- This just made the list my last trip. My mom bought this on a whim and it entertained my 3 year old for over an hour! 
9. Cars and Painters Tape- My 18 month old LOVES cars and making a painters tape road helped keep his interest when he was done just playing with the cars. We also used the painters tape to cover the cars which he would then take off. We taped the cars together and made a train… lots of possibilities with this one! 
10. Pom Poms and Small Container- At home I use an old yogurt container with a hole cut in the top but for traveling that takes up too much valuable space. I had these Ziploc containers so I just cut a hole in the top of this and the youngers love this activity. It’s never lasted past the 15 minutes but it’s a good time filler. 
11. Window Clings- I have bought these at target (if you find these on clearance STOCK UP) as
    
    
    
    well as the dollar store. We stick them on the windows, the seat in front of us and the tray table. 
12. Melissa & Doug On the Go Water Wow! Reusable Water-Reveal Activity Pads, 3-pk, Animals, Alphabet, Numbers-Love the mess free painting but the novelty has kind of worn off for my kids. This past flight they only spent 10 minutes using these but if you’ve never used them you should go for it for sure!! 
13. Crayons and Coloring Book - Always a winner for my kids! You don’t need the whole crayon box, just pack a few in a bag and you will be set. 
14. Beads and Pipe Cleaners or Elastic String- I’ve used the plastic cheap beads and my daughter loves making bracelets! This last flight she graduated to the Elastic String. Because she has gotten better at putting these on I needed more string to keep her busy longer! 
15. Clip on Dress Princesses- These kept my daughter completely absorbed for 30+ minutes. But it does break one of my rules, they aren’t dirt cheap so if we had lost them I would have been a little bummed. 
16. Stickers and Paper- A classic and easy to pack! You can put the stickers on their nails and arms and face… easy to get creative with these.
17.  Highlights Magnetic Fun Tin- So many different options here, a little more than I like to spend but can be used for lots of occasions. We got this one because we are on a Mickey kick. 
18.  Small Characters- This would be based on each kid. If they love dino’s, bring a few dino’s! Find something small your kid loves and then make a game of it with them. 
19. Band Aids- We may go through more Band Aids than the hospital. Always fun for them to stick on themselves or to play doctor with. 
20. Small Stuffed Animals- We got a stuffed Micky and Minnie right before our last flight and my kids loved having this cozy fun new friend to snuggle with!

OTHER TIPS: 

• Pack Snacks Galore- Raisins and other dried chewy fruit, suckers, granola bars, apple sauce pouches (make sure you remove these when going through security)… Food can be a good friend on that aircraft!
• Bring extra Baggies for your trash- I used to get so stressed, cramming that tiny front pocket with all of my trash and would be so embarrassed as I unloaded it all to the stewardess. But with a designated bag, I feel less cluttered and stressed. You can also use a Baggie if you don’t have a tablet and you are planning on watching shows on your phone. Put your phone in a baggie and hang it from the tray table latch. 
• Pack only toys and snacks in your kids carry-on- The less stuff in your hands as you are carrying your kids on the plane the better. So get a backpack for your child if they are over 2 and bring your own backpack with only essentials. I.E. Diapers Wipes, Bags, Snacks, One Extra Outfit for the kids, Meds and Activities. Everything else will just get in the way. 
• Ask for lids and straws for ALL of your drinks- The stewardess usually puts lids and straws on the kids drinks but I cannot tell you how many times MY drink is the one that is spilled. If you don’t get a lid, you had better throw down that Diet Coke like a shot of something stronger unless you want to be wearing your beverage.
•  Pack a water bottle and fill it up before boarding- This way you can skip the drinking game altogether. I don’t love giving up the tray space for these drinks anyway, so it eliminates that stress. 
• Make sure your child practices wearing kid friendly headphones- If you are planning on 
• watching a show on your tablet or phone, you will need headphones. And my kids were not used to wearing them. However with a little practice, this can be a great time filler and give you a much needed break! 

**** DISCLAIMER: If you do pack your own water bottle and it is a camelback bottle or one similar, MAKE SURE you release the pressure before you open the straw. This is the one thing I keep forgetting and I have squirted everyone from myself to the poor sleeping lady next to us who was already thrilled to be sitting by me and my two kids… not my finest moment. Release the pressure by unscrewing the lid then putting it back on. ****

I hope this list helps! Remember, “it’s the journey, not the destination, that matters most” EXCEPT in this case. Fingers crossed you don’t murder anyone!

-Emily

Favorite flight ever! I lucked out and sat by a pediatric nurse!! She was so helpful and an answer to my prayers!