What to put in the carry-on with a 4 yr old

[MomRN]

I haven't flown for a long time, and I have never flown with a child. My 4yr old and I will be taking a short 4 day trip next month, and I wondered if anyone had any suggestions on what to bring (or not to bring) on the carry-on, specifically for him.

So far I'm thinking:

snack
Leapfrog/games
gum
children's Tylenol/Motrin
spare change of clothes

I'm having a difficult time thinking of other activities that do not take up much space and keep his attention.

 

[vicki_c]

I thought you meant what could you put in the carry-on WITH your 4 year old? LOL! Like what else would fit!

 

[TaraPA]

Vicki I read the title & thought the EXACT same thing!

 

[chamonix]

Does he like it when you read to him? Bring some books. Also, books he can "play with" if he likes it, ones with flaps to lift, that kind of thing. New ones he hasn't done yet.

Also, in the same vein: coloring books and markers or crayons. My dd loved those velvet pictures at that age and would color them for hours. Pick up a Disney one!

How long is your flight?

An iPod with kid music or video on it is good too if you have a lot of hours to fill. It really just depends on what your kid likes to do. If he likes cars, bring some match box cars to play with on the tray table. You can draw a "town" and roads on a piece of paper......really, the possibilities are endless, lol! I mean, kids will play with anything. I remember my dd being entertained for quite a while with a piece of foil! (creating shapes, animals, etc while I made up stories about each creation.....)

 

[disneyfaninaz]

Do you have a portable DVD player? Those are God sends for entertaining kids on flights.

 

[MomRN]

Excuse my grammar...lol. It is only a 2 hr flight.

We do have a portable DVD player. We went to TS3 at the movies, maybe I'll save the copy I buy for the flight instead of Christmas. That would just about take care of flight.

 

[ironz]

Excuse my grammar...lol. It is only a 2 hr flight.

We do have a portable DVD player. We went to TS3 at the movies, maybe I'll save the copy I buy for the flight instead of Christmas. That would just about take care of flight.

Don't forget the headphones....PLEASE.

 

[dsneygirl]

A sticker book, my 4 year old also likes the activity books with connect the dot, tracing letters etc.

 

[poohs4me]

Don't forget the headphones....PLEASE.

I second that. Even for short flights, the DVD player seems to be a lifesaver. What if your flight is delayed and you are stuck in the airport longer than necessary. I would also suggest carrying the special something he needs for sleeping. Would hate to have that lost in a checked bag.

 

[At World's End]

- Individually wrapped wet wipes
- an empty water bottle - fill it at the fountain past security and add an individual packet of lemonade/koolaid so you don't have to wait for drinks to be served
- a sweatshirt or small blanket - my kids are always cold on planes
- if your bring the DVD player, don't forget earphones for you, too

 

[Erica09M]

Your flight is really short, the same as ours is. During that 2 hour time period, we couldn't even get in a full movie once we were allowed to have electronics turned on. We took stickers, snacks/drink, crayons/paper, Leapster2, DVDs (on the laptop), and a couple books. They also enjoyed looking out of the window and talking about the clouds. The flight went by really fast. Our youngest was only 23 months, and she slept the entire flight home.

 

[ski070880]

One of the things my kids like doing is taking our gps unit. If you havr a window seat, turn it on once you can put it in the window. You can see where you are flying, what you are over and how fast you are going. Also, we stopped at the disney outlets and got some coloring items that kept them occupied.

 

[missminniemouse]

My kids have been flying since age 1. They are now 11 and 15 and still both take a small squishy pillow along in their carry on.

 

[jenseib]

Snacks!!! We brought little bags of chips/doritoes, etc. She loves those. We each bought a drink before boarding, and I bring a cup with a straw for her. That way when her ears hurt she can suck the straw to help with the pain.
We also bring leapster and DVD player and use headphones on both. This next trip we will also bring along her MP3 player and a liitle travel type activity book we bought at the Disney store.
I know alot of people say this is a short flight, but it's still long in my opinion. Ours are usually about 2 1/2 and I get jumpy myself. Also bring along gum, if you allow your child to chew. Alot of airports don't sell it. That too can help with ears.
I don't suggest markers. They can have a smell, which will bother some people.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

One of the things my kids like doing is taking our gps unit. If you havr a window seat, turn it on once you can put it in the window.

Make sure this is allowed by your airline; some airlines do not allow the use of GPS units.