Post list of things to do on the plane w/2yr old.

[DisneyClown]

I have seen alot of tips on how to keep a toddler happy on the plane, and I remember some of them, but it would be great if I could get them in one place, so I am hoping you will take a little time to post the things you do to keep your little ones happy during the flight.
P.S.-I remember one about taking square(triangle?) crayons so if they drop they don't roll under another seat!

Thank-you! Thank-you! Thank-you!-in advance

 

[ironz]

I don't have a child, but I know many will come on here with great ideas, such as a variety of pipe cleaners to bend and twist into shapes, sticker books, things of that nature. I do like the square/triangle crayon idea...never thought of that!

I will say, though...out of respect for the other people around you on the plane...don't bring a toy that makes a bunch of noise, and if your kiddo wants to watch a DVD or play some sort of video game, make sure they will wear headphones or have the sound off. It's poor form to expect that everyone around you will want to listen, too.

Thanks!!

 

[MinnieForMe]

We always bring a little snack in case the flight attendants don't get to us in a while. I bring Clorax (spelling ?) wipes to clean off the tray tables because I've been told they are not cleaned between flights. Yuck!

I've purchased the tiny etch a sketches, not the kind with the knobs but the type with the little attached pencil. We usually bring a small backpack with new toys (Dollar Tree or Target Bargain area).

I guess we are lucky because it's only a 3 hour flight and 2 of our 3 children usually fall asleep. We bring a small animal that turns into a pillow! Pillowpal?

I hope you get some great responses! Our older son brings his DS and last year picto chatted with other kids on the plane. It was fun for him to meet so many kids on the same flight!

 

[YYC_Mommy]

I bought those triangle crayons at Walmart and they are great as they don't roll around on the tray. I also went to Disney Magic Artist Online http://disney.go.com/magicartist/index.html and printed off some pictures to color and made a little personalized book on the site as well (they are under fun and games, just click on a character and they might have a book that you can insert your child's name into)

I bought snacks and a small DVD player with headphones with a couple of NEW DVD's so that they were more interesting. You can also borrow some from your local library for this as well. I also brought a cheap MP3 player with some Disney music on it as well.

Overall my kids travel very well, it is more stressful on me worring than the actual flight.

My kids were 3 and 1 yr old for their first flight(3 1/2 hours flying), 4 and 2 for their second flight (3 1/2 hours flying) and 5 and 2 1/2 for their 3rd flight (over 8 hours flying).

I hope that it goes well for you as well!

 

[DrMomof3]

A small Doodle Pro toy is great because the "pen" is attached! A portable DVD player is very nice to have (and useful for your room if you don't have one!). We have a book with attached finger puppets. Lots of snacks!

Amanda

 

[DjdBrit]

I have flown with my kids many times (even doing international flights) from them being very young and I always bring much more stuff than you ever need My kids do not sleep well on planes, especially during night flight!


I always wipe down the tray and arms rest with wipes first I pack each child with their own bag and they keep this with them. This way we are not passing stuff back and forth, and everyone has everything.... Especially useful on long haul.

Each child will have:
Wipes Huggies and Anti bacterial (don't ask)
Serveral snacks (crackers, goldfish)
Gum or lollipops
Colouring book/ art pad (depending on the age of the child)
Crayons or pipsqueak makers

The variables here are DS lites, ipods, leapsters and all that electrical stuff. Headphones and extra batteries for those items that need it. I also try and put the chargers with this stuff as my kids keep these bags all week and then everything is together. Any homework or journals will go in the bags and usually packs of cards, go fish and maybe a mirror or something unsual for a baby or little guy. I will also put in blankets or soft toys that the kids sleep with, so that they have there special item on the plane. I am sure I m missing stuff. One thing I will do is assemble this stuff away from the kids, it usually includes new items so they are always excited to see what they got. In the past I have kept other small new items in my bag incase it all goes south and you need an quick fix but I have to say we usually bring this stuff home for another day.

I think the key to keeping kids happy is to keep yourself calm, and try and stick to the routine they have at home. If you know you are boarding a plane and its almost breakfast time make sure you give them something to eat otherwise its not going to be fun. My kids have always known what is expected of them and I always try to do what I need to to keep them happy.

Good luck with your trip, I am sure it will be fine.

 

[UConnJack]

Drugs. For you.

But seriously, I think a DVD player (or a laptop if you have one) is the way to go on a plane. Even without sound, a DVD of cartoons usually keeps them occupied for a while, and gives you a chance to wind down from the hectic stress of getting you and the family to the airport. I am not a big fan of portable DVDs otherwise, I think kids should learn to be bored sometimes, or listen to music, read, etc. in the car for example. I'll let my kids watch a movie or two on the really long trips (e.g., 4-5+ hrs), but I refuse have the DVD player going the whole time or for every 1-2 hr trip. And don't get me started on people who run them in restaurants for their kids.

However, on a plane where you are trapped for several hours with other people who you don't want to subject to a bored, cranky kid, let the movies fly!

 

[chicagoshannon]

We leave Saturday and are bringing:
goldfish crackers
crayon's and coloring book
sticker book
magna doodle mini
leapster
my iPod touch with games and music and maybe a movie loaded on it.

This will be her first flight so I'm also counting on her looking out the window for a while.

 

[NHdisneylover]

For toddlers:

roll of masking tape
packet of brightly colored post it notes
finger puppets
magna doodle
pipe cleaners (ONLY for older kids with the fine motor skills not to poke an eye)
favourite snacks
drink child loves (bought inside security) and WILL drink during landing for ear pressure
1 or 2 new and quiet toys (save kids' meal toys for this)

 

[Missytara]

A friend of mine recently took her 1-1/2 year old on his first flight.

She had him take his bottle during take-off, to prevent ear popping. Since he is used to taking a bottle right before his nap - he went to sleep. She gave it to him again, to suck on, right before landing.

On the way back, he insisted on sitting in his dad's lap, next to the window. As they were taking off, he was staring down at the ground with his head up against the window - and that is just how he fell asleep!

 

[loveysbydesign]

2 words-scotch tape

 

[DisneyClown]

These tips are great! Keep em comin'!

 

[Glencora]

Earplanes earplugs for kids. They equalize pressure during take off and landing so there's no pain. As a person who has sat near some very unhappy kids, I really encourage these!

 

[mrsmarilyn]

I will say, though...out of respect for the other people around you on the plane...don't bring a toy that makes a bunch of noise, and if your kiddo wants to watch a DVD or play some sort of video game, make sure they will wear headphones or have the sound off. It's poor form to expect that everyone around you will want to listen, too.

Thanks!!

I could not agree more--and I DO have kids. We make them play volume off or headphones off regardless of where we go in public. It's just rude to do otherwise.

I get peeved with grownups who crank their iPods to the max so everyone in a 5 seat radius has to listen to the audio leakage from their headphones too!

 

[DecaturDad]

Another thing to realize: When you have a child in your lap, and they are swinging thier feet, they are jitting the back of the seat in front of you. When my son was younger, I was holding him, and he was doing just that. I did not even realize it. The man sitting in front of us very politly pointed it out. So just realize that in a small spce, they may be doing things you don't even realize. (DS had taken three 9 hour flights before he turned 6 months.)

 

[bavaria]

I will say, though...out of respect for the other people around you on the plane...don't bring a toy that makes a bunch of noise, and if your kiddo wants to watch a DVD or play some sort of video game, make sure they will wear headphones or have the sound off. It's poor form to expect that everyone around you will want to listen, too.

Thanks!!

In fact, contrary to popular belief here, headsets are REQUIRED when using personal entertainment devices on board.

http://www.tw.united.com/core/english/SI/baggage/restrictions/electronic.html

Customers who bring personal audio and video equipment onboard may only use these items with headsets.

There are child sized headsets available; I know that many parents here have reported using them. As we saw from one of the memorable threads of 2009, not everyone appreciates the entertainment choices of other passengers.

And whether adults or children, any recurring noise should be done infrequently; by this I mean people who scroll through what feels like hundreds of photos on their digital camera and leave the sound on, <beep beep beep beep> or play with their iTouch or other device and have the audio set to 'click' <click click click click> or any other of those annoying noises we hear in today's world. Quite often people are trying to sleep or relax or destress, and even with noise cancelling headphones some of those electronic noises can travel quite far.

So just a reminder to check that any of your toys or games whether they be children's toys or adult's toys are set to 'silent' mode.

 

[ironz]

I could not agree more--and I DO have kids. We make them play volume off or headphones off regardless of where we go in public. It's just rude to do otherwise.

I get peeved with grownups who crank their iPods to the max so everyone in a 5 seat radius has to listen to the audio leakage from their headphones too!

Thanks on the first part.

And...I completely agree on the 2nd part. Not only is it incredibly annoying, but I hate to think of the damage they are doing to their ears! In fact, I often only use my iPod (with earbuds, of course) on a plane is to drown out the sounds of someone else's iPod as you described. (though sometimes I will nicely remind the violator that their music is audible)

 

[DisneyClown]

Earplanes earplugs for kids. They equalize pressure during take off and landing so there's no pain. As a person who has sat near some very unhappy kids, I really encourage these!

I've never seen these...would they be easy for my almost two year old to take out of her ears? I'm thinking she wouldn't like them, but I guess if she doesn't, she'll be fussing because of them! Maybe I'll pick some up and see if she tolerates them at all.

 

[Glencora]

I've never seen these...would they be easy for my almost two year old to take out of her ears? I'm thinking she wouldn't like them, but I guess if she doesn't, she'll be fussing because of them! Maybe I'll pick some up and see if she tolerates them at all.

I think she really only needs to wear them for take off and landing. If she would keep them int he whole flight, that would be best, but I would read the package insert and see what it says. They do make an infant size, which would probably mean they'll be fairly comfortable for her. You can find tham at just about any large drug store. HTH

 

[aimlyles]

I'm going to have to look into the earplanes. We are leaving in 8 days with DS1 and some of things I plan to take are:

A small Aquadoodle pad
Lollipops
Gold Fish
Crayons/notebook (loves to "draw")
bendaroo's (not sure if he'll get into them but if not his older brother will)
and DH usually brings his laptop everywhere so we will bring some movies if it comes to that. Nothing will calm this boy down like Blue's Clues. We've been getting him use to wearing headphones at the house so hopefully it won't be an issue

Still trying to think of other things