In Flight Toddler Entertainment.
So many people ask me this question. What do I bring on an airplane for my toddler to entertain themselves during a flight?! It is a good question, but the answer doesn’t have to be complicated. I’m writing this post while taking my enogeral solo flight with LBB, so I’m reticent to even go too deep into this post at the moment for fear of jinxing the time I have available to write . But…what I will say is this. Traveling with a toddler is no easy feat. But if you’re prepared, it can ease the pain. I do go into some detail about this in a previous post (found here). However, I feel like this warrants a separate salutation to appease the masses. So here are a few tips and tricks from someone who has more than a few miles flown under her belt with her little (but always learning new tricks every time!):
Pack Efficiently: What do I mean by this pray tell? Make sure you have what you really need readily available to you in a carry-on. The shortlist includes, toys, entertainment, and snacks. Along with a small sachet of diapering essentials. For example, I make sure I pack all toys in LBB’s travel backpack. This backpack is small enough that she can either carry it herself, or we can stuff it into either a carry-on bag or car seat backpack if she is not inclined to sherpa. We know we carry her carseat backpack on the flight so whatever we stuff into it won’t be too far from our fingertips even if it’s stowed away in the overhead compartment. In addition, make sure you keep a pack of hand sanitizer wipes and/or hand sanitizer, and wet wipes handy (no pun intended). Trust me, at some point during the flight you’ll need it. Another life saver for me is my ‘crap trap’ pouch that I keep within arms reach at all times in flight, usually next to my leg in case we’re seated in a spot that does not have under seat storage. Here is a similar bag to the one I use. In it I keep a phone charger, melatonin, eye mask, hand sanitizer, AirPods, chapstick, a few tiny snacks such as (thrive market fruit circles, strawberry rice cakes and a leftover Delta gummy bears from a previous flight, just in case they don’t have any onboard), and any other misc chargers I need for the flight. This bag has saved my bacon more than once. I’ve even stuffed my phone into it just to be more hands free. I promise, it’s worth it! Plus, you can keep it next to you even during takeoff and landing, so it’s a win win for everyone.
Tablet of Choice: We currently have a 10+ year old iPad that has 2 episodes of Peppa Pig downloaded for that moment you need it on repeat, and the in flight entertainment is beginning to become unnovel. It barely has anything on it, so even if she starts to poke around after becoming board with a show, she can happily punch buttons without fear of wiping anything of value. I’ve also heard that the Amazon Fire kids tablets are great. We just haven’t splurged yet until our iPad fully dies (this dinosaur may never go). Another recommendation to keep in mind is to have any games and shows pre-downloaded before you leave for the airport, just incase your inflight Wi-Fi doesn’t work accordingly or you’re in a scramble before boarding.
Activities: Make sure you have something to keep your little entertained constantly. I realize that the airplane itself is novel. But keeping your little one engaged in-flight is an art form. Particularly when they have OD’ed on screens. So ensure you have an arsenal of treats to keep them occupied. Some things we have tried that work have been Daiso sticker books (these Daiso books are gold… so small and they usually won’t set you back for more than $1.75 each), as well as a LCD drawing tablet, like this one here. We’ve used this LCD tablet on plenty of flights. LBB loves to ask us to draw whatever pops into her mind at the moment, or fiddle around with her own sketches. Something we haven’t tried yet but I’ve heard is fun is using post-its. This is a great activity that is relatively easy to clean up post flight. Just let them run wild sticking them all over whatever is in arms reach. Another way I like to elongate the fun is by keeping new toys/activities wrapped in their original packaging. Just gives them one extra thing to do while diving into something new. I’ve heard some parents go as far as gift wrapping their in-flight enteratinment… More power to you!
Toys & Stuffies: This one is probably my least favorite of all, but necessary. I’ve found some great plane toys and distractions at some local toy stores, Daiso, and the $1 section at Target. Find whatever pocket sized treats you can muster that fit in a tiny tot sized backpack. I would recommend highly this backpack from Cath and Kidston. (her exact backpack I can’t find) We got this backpack from LBB’s godparents. It’s such a wonderful children’s backpack. It it small enough for LBB to carry, and big enough to pack a punch in-flight. We’ve even brought this backpack on local trips sans airplane, and somehow we find ways to fit plenty of toys in this thing to save us all week long. Ok so what do I stuff in this backpack… I’ve found anything from tiny wind up toys like (this), to squishy animals like (this one), to little cars and Jelly Cats. We also just snagged a few Inside Out figurines like Anger and Joy (here) because LBB is into that movie after our trip to Disneyland. We also have a tiny Elsa doll that her dentist gave her as a treat for a cleaning…it’s small enough to fit in the backpack and she digs it. Along with none other than the famous Peppa Pig figurines, as well as a rainbow scarf (I’m always amazed at how much use we get out of this thing.. thank you Lovevery play kits!) I even have a few random wooden bits and bobs from toy sets at home that she gravitates towards for some reason. Last but not least (this) apple magnet toy. It always gets a run around the block when the backpack comes out.
SNACKSSSSS: This should really be number 1. It’s mission critical to making travel calm and manageable. Make sure you’re fully loaded with your littles go to’s. We usually come prepared with mushie cups like this one here, either with blueberries or Annie’s crackers or some other puff. In addition to that, we find as many mess free snacks from thrive market as we can. We love fruit circles, strawberries rice cakes, yum brand gummies/fruit snacks, and cosmic carrots. When we’re at the airport if time allows, we do like to do a pitstop at Starbucks and grab one of their protein boxes, and depending on the flight time a cakepop. It’s LBB’s most favorite thing on this planet. We can hardly drag her out of starbucks without getting her one these days.
So, are you ready to set sail yet?! Just kidding! I hope this is helpful to your and your family for your next trip or vacation. Just a few minutes of extra preparation can really lead to fun and exciting travel with your toddler! And I know I’ve said this before, but don’t forget it when you go into tunnel vision survival mode at the airport. The flight is just a means to an end, and just a short bit of the total trip. Don’t let it hold you back from enjoying time away as a family! You won’t regret it!
