Crazy question...playdoh on an airplane?

[cuppycake]

Flying tomorrow with my 2 girls (wish it were to Disney!!). I bought a small playdoh travel set. In talking with people, they've questioned if playdoh is okay to bring on the plane.

I guess it could potentially be looking too much like a plastic explosive Even though it's not too "plastic-y" (is that really a word? ).

I have scourered the tsa site and can't find anything mentioned specifically about it.

In any case....it's a good point, I suppose. Wondering if anyone has had playdoh and been fine or not? If no one knows, I'll just leave it at home and hope they are happy coloring

 

[pumpkinboy]

I imagine Play-Doh should be OK, provided you don't put fuses on the play doh cans

Seriously, if there's any question, you might want to just stick with crayons (or fly jetBlue, where you get TV at your seat).

 

[swilphil]

I wouldn't hassle with play-doh. Besides the security question, it's messy.

 

[disneyag]

I agree with SwilPhil, it's messy. I'd be an irritated passenger if I sat in a seat and got Playdough stuck to my clothes.

 

[riaesq]

Gotta agree with the above. There are so many other ways to amuse the kiddos, why bother with the possibility of trouble and the mess it will make? Books, cards, videos on the laptop, a story tape, dolls, gameboys, crayons, etc..

Have a great trip! But leave the playdoh in the suitcase.

 

[tjmw2727]

Its probably allowed but like pp's mentioned please refrain.

It smells, is very oily and messy and can stain. My dh travels for business and is often dressed for his first meeting. I can't tell you the messes he has encountered, I can't imagine sitting in playdough in a suit, yech.

How about color wonder, colorforms, crayons, wikki sticks, stickers and a sticker book, pipecleaners or any number of the other fun but non stinky or messy toys...please

One trip my then 2yo played with a roll of scotch tape for over 2 hours!

TJ

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

Pla-doh on a plane is a bad idea. No matter how careful kids are, they are bound to end up getting in the seat. I doubt anyone would want to be the next passenger in that seat who ends up with a neon green stain on his or her trousers. Simple courtesy. Perhaps a DVD player?

 

[bavaria]

Simple courtesy. Perhaps a DVD player?

If you are going to suggest that, please suggest headphones as well. (Although that may cause another headphone debate thread while our esteemed moderator is on vacation.... ) Anything which beeps, bleats, burps, talks or makes other noises is disruptive on an airplane.

And I agree with the others that playdoh is not a reasonable entertainment on board an aircraft.

 

[cuppycake]

Okay folks. This wasn't an open invitation to try to make me feel bad about my kids making a mess. After one person suggeseted that it was messy, I thought about it and agreed that it wasn't the best idea. No big deal.

Seriously though...my kids are seasoned travelers, and it won't be an issue to entertain them. We were just trying to think of something new and fun. Thanks for the suggestions (a couple that I hadn't thought of before), and for the record we already have headphones for the DVD player....we really aren't "THOSE PEOPLE"...we do try hard to be considerate

Though I must wonder....are there really people who expect that an airplane shoule be "noise free"?? I guess it just takes a lot to bother me.

 

[Scornelius]

I hope you have a safe flight! (And a fun trip, with only a little pining for Disney )

Though I must wonder....are there really people who expect that an airplane shoule be "noise free"?? I guess it just takes a lot to bother me.

I don't expect the flight to be pin drop-silent, but I certainly wont put up with listening to someone else's movie for 2 hours! Good or bad! If it's a bad movie, I don't want to have to listen. And if it's a good movie, I don't want to miss out on seeing it!

On a flight I expect to hear quiet conversations, maybe a baby or two crying, coughing, engine noise, that sort of thing. If someone decided to subject the whole plane to their source of entertainment, I think some 'turbulence' might knock a drink or 4 onto their DVD player.

 

[ducklite]

Okay folks. This wasn't an open invitation to try to make me feel bad about my kids making a mess. After one person suggeseted that it was messy, I thought about it and agreed that it wasn't the best idea. No big deal.

Seriously though...my kids are seasoned travelers, and it won't be an issue to entertain them. We were just trying to think of something new and fun. Thanks for the suggestions (a couple that I hadn't thought of before), and for the record we already have headphones for the DVD player....we really aren't "THOSE PEOPLE"...we do try hard to be considerate

Though I must wonder....are there really people who expect that an airplane shoule be "noise free"?? I guess it just takes a lot to bother me.

Not trying to flame, but I've got a suggestion for something I gave my DS to keep her kids entertained on their flight and they loved. Get a huge bag of colored pipe cleaners from the crast store for a few dollars. It's something your kids probably don't get to play with very often--somehow pipe cleaner animals seem to be a lost artform. Anyhow, they are clean and quiet, lightweight and relatively compact, and because it's something totally different, a bag will probably keep the kids occupied for hours!

Anne

 

[bavaria]

Though I must wonder....are there really people who expect that an airplane shoule be "noise free"?? I guess it just takes a lot to bother me.

No, I do not expect an aircraft to be noise free, but put 100+ people in an enclosed space and noise levels do rise. Most people don't realize that their behaviour negatively impacts others. Things such as

• loud talkers (there is even an advertisement in airline magazines showing pasengers with megaphones for heads - the 'loud talker' who can be heard from 3 rows away)
• people who congregrate in the empty space in front of row 9 on a 757 and have a meeting or a cocktail party while the passengers in row 9 are trying to sleep
• people who have the sound function turned on on their digital camera and spend an hour reviewing photos, or have the 'click' turned on their Ipod and review a lot of items
• people who have their headphones turned up so loudly that one can hear the movie from three rows away

All of those things are minor annoyances but combined make for a very noisy environment. I use noise reducing headphones and still have these annoyances on almost every flight. I need to sleep on many of my flights and am often kept awake by people who are doing any or all of the above.

Sometimes people don't realize that their behaviour is having such an impact, and other passengers may not be comfortable in telling them to please keep it down.

This type of a forum may help people to understand that their behaviour or choices are not always the best choice.

And I like Anne's low tech idea - again, it shows how a forum like this can be helpful for people to gather good ideas.

 

[tjmw2727]

Though I must wonder....are there really people who expect that an airplane shoule be "noise free"?? I guess it just takes a lot to bother me.

I would agree and I hope my post didn't pile it on too much but we fly often so I thought I had some good ideas. Also, my dh recently sat on a huge wad of gum when flying for business and it wasn't pretty so I probably did pile on some with that in mind. Lots of times responses aren't directly aimed at the OP but also for future readers considering the idea. Anyway - Sorry

Like you and I, most folks do use headphones and take the time to keep the kiddos occupied hence we don't really notice the good kids much. Uunfortunately those few who don't take others into consideration can become memorible <g>.

TJ

 

[tjmw2727]

Not trying to flame, but I've got a suggestion for something I gave my DS to keep her kids entertained on their flight and they loved. Get a huge bag of colored pipe cleaners from the crast store for a few dollars. It's something your kids probably don't get to play with very often--somehow pipe cleaner animals seem to be a lost artform. Anyhow, they are clean and quiet, lightweight and relatively compact, and because it's something totally different, a bag will probably keep the kids occupied for hours!

Anne

ITA - I mentioned these in my first post. Little kids can make letters, numbers, simple shapes and such and older kids can make animals and more complex designs. You can printout ideas and directions for the more complex designs from one of the online craft websites.

Baviara - your post reminded me of the time I got reseated into the middle of a group of 10+ on the way to a convention. They had a semi business meeting for 2 hours with me stuck in the middle, it was much more annoying than any preschooler It was on SWA and I gave up my (A pass) aisle seat for a dad and young son who were separated.

TJ

 

[bavaria]

I fly a 757 to ORD most of the year, and 'my' seat is 9a, which has about 6 FEET of legroom. But it invites cocktail parties and meetings in 'my' space, which can get quite noisy.

I do like flying LH as the FA's are much more likely to be straightforward and tell people when their behaviour is impacting others. I realize that is often unitended, but I appreciate the straightforward German honesty. (Even if many readers here do not appreciate the same from me! )

 

[Lewisc]

I know a lot of people like Bose headphones. Does anyone have any suggestions in the $50-$100 category?

 

[bavaria]

Lewis, check out the technology board on flyertalk.com. there are reviews of a number of products. The sennheiser ones get fairly good reviews (there I go being German again!)

Also I believe that Sharper Image has a 'house brand' often on clearance.

I also would browse amazon.com for reviews

 

[taximomfor4]

Not trying to flame, but I've got a suggestion for something I gave my DS to keep her kids entertained on their flight and they loved. Get a huge bag of colored pipe cleaners from the crast store for a few dollars. It's something your kids probably don't get to play with very often--somehow pipe cleaner animals seem to be a lost artform. Anyhow, they are clean and quiet, lightweight and relatively compact, and because it's something totally different, a bag will probably keep the kids occupied for hours!

Anne

Not the OP, but ANNE... I liked this idea so much that I ran out and bought some for our flight next week.

I figure if my kids scratch themselves with the pointy ends, it won't be too hideous an injury. And I remember playing with pipe cleaners ALL THE TIME when I was little! So thanks!

 

[ducklite]

I know a lot of people like Bose headphones. Does anyone have any suggestions in the $50-$100 category?

Lewis,

I think Bicker was looking into this a couple of months ago, you might want to check with him to see what he came up with.

Anne

 

[robinb]

Not trying to flame, but I've got a suggestion for something I gave my DS to keep her kids entertained on their flight and they loved. Get a huge bag of colored pipe cleaners from the crast store for a few dollars. It's something your kids probably don't get to play with very often--somehow pipe cleaner animals seem to be a lost artform. Anyhow, they are clean and quiet, lightweight and relatively compact, and because it's something totally different, a bag will probably keep the kids occupied for hours!

Thank you Anne! We're traveling to Asia next week and pipe cleaners sound great! Plus, she can lose a few over the side of the seat (she's not as neat as the OP's children, LOL!) and still keep on playing. We can do a quick clean up before the plane lands.