Let’s face it, flying with a toddler truly isn’t the easiest task in the world. Toddlers are simply unpredictable and that can be extremely daunting when going on flights. But sometimes you have no choice! Thankfully I know some ways to keep littles busy based on a couple of flying experiences I’ve had with my own two year old. Yes, I once flew on a 6 hour flight completely alone with my toddler. So if I can do that, you can too! Here are some tips, tricks, and ways from my personal experiences that make flying with young children a little bit more bearable. I hope this post helps you fellow parents!
What to Pack on Your Carry-On
–First off, SNACKS, SNACKS, and more SNACKS (plus some candy to bribe from tantrums)! I packed my bag with all kinds of snacks ranging from healthy, to complete sugar. Obviously give them the healthy snacks first but if worse come to worse and you need to bribe that screaming child with a lollipop, then do it. Helps keep them quiet for a little while. Oh yeah, also don’t forget to bring hand wipes to clean sticky hands.
–Sticker books, Coloring Books + Crayons. I found that sticker books, crayons and some paper helped keep my daughter entertained for almost a whole hour on our 6 hour flight. Just letting them go wild with the stickers and letting them peel each sticker keeps them entertained.
IMPORTANT TIP: I can’t stress this enough. Make sure to bring a different activity for each half-hour increment of time for the duration of the flight. For example, if you go on a 4 hour flight, bring 8 little activities. They don’t have to be super elaborate, but having a variety of things to do will help keep them busy. Make sure to only have one activity or toy out at a time. An inexpensive place to get fun activities is your local Dollar Store or the Target Dollar Spot. Those places have so many little activities that are entertaining and easily fit into a carry-on bag.
–Mess Free Water Coloring Book. These amazing Water Reveal Coloring Books are such an easy way to keep your child entertained and are completely mess free! I just filled the pens on the flight with my water bottle and my daughter was wowed for a long time playing with these.
–Sensory toys. Those Bubble Poppers, and Fidget Spinners were so mesmerizing for my daughter. They really kept those little hands busy and distracted for quite awhile. I highly recommend these!
–Playdoh. Yes, you can bring play doh on a flight. I just packed one single 1 oz. jar of it. It kept my daughter entertained for a long time!
–New Lift-the-flap Board Books + Comfort Books. A couple of weeks before the flight, I made sure to buy two lift-the-flap board books and didn’t give them to her until we were on the plane. I bought this book and this one and she loved lifting the flaps and quietly exploring each page. It’s also smart to bring a couple of your child’s favorite books that you read at bedtime which could help with relaxing them and keeping them calm. Maybe they could even help them take a nap! One could only hope…
–Busy Boards. Depending on the size of your carryon, busy boards are a fun thing to have on hand on a flight. I have this one and it was a hit! It helps for sensory and keeps your little one’s hands and mind busy.
–New Toys. I bought quite a few little toys like this cute Crayola Scribble Pet toy, Chelsea Barbie Doll, and Double Doodle Pad just to name a few. Again though, you don’t have to spend an arm and a leg on toys! Just look at your local dollar store!
–Pipe Cleaners. They are such a random thing to have on a flight, but trust me, they really do provide a lot of fun and creativity! I sat there making her flowers and bracelets and she loved it!
-Tablet + Toddler Headphones. I have this Pink Toddler Tablet and these cute Cordless Headphones. This is basically a given in this day-and-age when traveling with a child. Helps keep them entertained! (See one of the most important tips below about tablet-usage below when flying with a young child.)
More Super Useful Mama Tips From Experience:
- Let them get their wiggles out as much as possible at the airport!! Let them walk, run and twirl around as much as possible when you are waiting for your flights.
- Get a free trial of Youtube Premium on your phone or tablet and pre-download a bunch of toddler videos. SUPER IMPORTANT: Don’t forget to download plenty of videos and ebooks for yourself too, even if you think you won’t have time for yourself on the flight!! My daughter fell asleep as soon as we took off and I had nothing to do for 2 hours straight because I refused to purchase the in-flight wifi and my phone didn’t have any books, games, or videos loaded on it and it was SO boring! Make sure to think about yourself too!
- **ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT TIPS ABOUT SCREEN TIME**: Try to hold off and save screen time for the last two hours of the flight! Kids love watching videos/playing games and saving it for the last leg of the flight helps keeps them calm and could even possible give you a mental break before having to get off the flight and navigate the airport.
- Make sure to not stress too much and give you and your child/children some grace if things don’t go perfectly. Kids are unpredictable and, well, are kids. You will get though the flight eventually, even if it’s hard! Just know you are a superhero if you’ve traveled with young children. 🙂
I hope you found this post helpful! What are some ways you keep your child/children entertained on a flight that I didn’t mention?? Leave your answer in the comments to help us parents out! Thank you!
*This post contains some affiliate links which means I may get a small compensation if you buy through my links. Thank you so much if you do! It helps keep this blog running. xo -Kendallyn
