New and old here, have questions about taking kids on plane

[Linnie The Pooh]

By new and old, I mean that I actually became a member of this site about 7 (or maybe 8) years ago. Since then I've added two new members to my family and are resuming air travel, once again.

We've been driving to Disney Land the past few years, but are biting the bullet and flying this year to WDW. Yay!!

My kids are great in the car (even better than they are out of the car!!) It was easy to entertain them with pocket Magna Doodles, books and toy phones. They travel really well with hardly any grumbles.

My question is does anyone have any suggestions about what they can do on the plane to stay busy? My son is 5 and has a language disability (both receptive and expressive) so typical toys might not work for his age (pocket video games). My daughter is nearly 3 and actually advanced in language.

So far, I bought coloring books, crayons, Wonder art paper & markers and I am bringing the pocket Magna Doodles.

Are there any good toys that I don't know about? I thought about those little LIte Brites, but don't want the pegs to be scattered all over the airplane floor. Has anyone tried those toys?

 

[bubbasmom99]

I have a 5 and 2 year old, and flew just this past May and those are exactly the kind of things that I brought... travel MagnaDoodle, Crayola Wonder markers, and a Gameboy for my son, and a portable DVD player for them both.

I would avoid anything that could potentially scatter a lot of small pieces. As it is, we have a hard time keeping goldfish crackers contained...

 

[mommytotwo]

I flew with my daughter when she was 20 months old, and we did coloring books, story books, and something that I am glad we brought was play dough. Remember to buy the good stuff that doesn't crumble as much.

 

[don8life]

I second play doh and a view master. They have lots of disney reels.

 

[huey duey & luey]

Those are some great suggestions. I am going to buy my kids each a backpack and fill it with different things to keep them busy.
Tara

 

[CapeCodFam]

I have flown with my 3 Disboys twice before and we pack the usuals but, playdoh thats just brilliant my 6 and 2 yr olds love playdoh. I will deffinetly have to do that for our december trip. Thanks for the great idea.

very gratefull,
Joy

 

[Magic2000]

I use most of these same things when flying with my youngest DD. I also buy the marker book that the marker is clear, but when you color on the page, certain items on the page turn certain colors. I usually pick it up from Walmart.

In the weeks before our trip, each time I go to Walmart, I pick up something new (maybe a little pack of gum, or a favorite candy, or some color goldfish snacks, M & Ms, a new coloring book, deck of cards, etc.) I try to pick up things that they don't have every day at home. And I put all my goodies in a party bag. My girls don't get to see what I put inside the bag - its a surprise til we're on the plane or actually on the road driving. Even my teenagers like getting their "Goody Bag"!

 

[Disney_1derland]

we go to Party City (or any large party supply store or oriental trading company) and buy a dozen tiny canisters of sparkle putty. It's ooey and gooey but somehow not messy at all! We keep it in the diaper bag for when we go to restaurants and the kids need something to play with while we wait. We will also be taking it on the plane in November. It's not like traditional silly putty and it's a lot of fun. It's $3 for a bag of 24 tiny containers. And when it starts to dry out we just toss it. The canisters are the perfect size for tiny 4 year old hands and are smaller than the smallest play dohs we have found. We also have a portable cd player and headphones and for our 2 year old we have stuffed toys and pvc type toys that have clips on them and we clip them to her seat so she cant drop them.

 

[Nanu57v]

I'm talking 15 years ago, but I know they are still around... My mom used to buy my brother and I these activity books that used a clear marker. The "magic" marker made things appear in the books, but did no damage to airplane seats. I know they also have markers and special paper that do the same thing now.

 

[NotUrsula]

As a travelling mom who also has to travel for business, I have to beg you all, please, NO real Playdough!

Real Playdough (the name-brand stuff) is very oily and tends to crumble easily. Little bits of it often get left behind on the aircraft seats, and even a tiny bit is enough to leave a permanent ugly grease stain on a traveller's expensive business suit if he/she happens to be the next person to sit in that seat. It has happened to me and to my husband at different times, necessitating the replacement of several hundred dollars' worth of suit.

Please avoid bringing any clay-type substances containing oil. If you must bring modeling dough for entertainment, a great alternative is Crayola Model Magic.

BTW, my son had several hundred thousand airmiles under his belt by the time he turned 5; we never once used any type of clay to entertain him. We also often travel by air with the children of relatives, I find that the best things work for every child who travels with us. Food is actually your best bet. (Carry wet wipes at ALL times!) Viewmasters are good, as are regular pocket binoculars, window clings if your child has a window seat, sticker books (bring a glue stick in case the stickers have gotten a bit old), and blank paper/pencils for drawing. For little kids, photo-cards with a picture on the front and the word for that object on the back are great; I bought lots of multiple decks so that it didn't matter if certain cards got lost.

Read-along books are good, too. You can even create your own read-along books on cassette tape or CD. (Using a PC with a mic, read the books aloud to create sound files, and burn them to a cd.) Your child can use a walkman to listen while he "reads". This way you can "read aloud" without disturbing other passengers. Remember to insert "turn the page" comments when you come to a page break. You can do this with your own books, or with 'new' books borrowed from the library. Paperbacks are best due to weight considerations.

 

[Disney_1derland]

Another reason we love our putty! It's water based

 

[KatieKate16]

DD5 loves card games...go fish, old maid, matching games, etc. I did find some cute Finding Nemo versions of these games. That's what we'll bring this time, in addition to a notepad w/ pen for tic-tac-toe, drawing, etc. and a Disney magazine.
Last year I brought too much...color wonder w/ markers, small white board, storybooks, etc. Trying to simplify so I don't have quite so much to deal with. And a few simple card games will fit in her backpack. Two hours goes by pretty quickly...oohing and aahing out the window, eating pretzels/having a drink, etc.

 

[TDS373X]

My dd almost 5 also has similar language issues along with a sensory integration disorder so finding busy things can be a challenge. Thankfully our flight to WDW is only 2 hrs. When I start making plans I also start checking out Walmart and just keeping an eye open for special things for her travel backpack. Gameboy things are out as she doesn't quite get it but I have been successful with MagnaDoodle and even a mini etch a sketch, COlor WOnder markers with both plain color wonder paper and coloring book, mini flashlight(more for the park) stickerbooks. Just take some time without the kids and scout out the aisles of Walmart, Party City. I've never included any kind of play doh substance. Once on the ground and in the room the backpack is put up and not touched until it's time to get back on the plane home that way it's still "new"