Rolling backpack for kids on loooooong flight?

[Mililani Mom]

Any advice for my family. We'll be traveling to WDW this summer and our flight will be horribly long (5 1/2 hours to L.A. a short layover and then another 4+ hours to Orlando). I was wondering if anyone has had their kids take a rolling backpack on the plane for their own carryon. I'm planning on stuffing it with a small pillow, blanket, jacket, snacks and of course entertainment (crayons, paper, books, gameboy etc.). My DS will be 7 and my DD will be 5. Do you think the kids will be able to manage a regular sized rolling backpack at the airport and do you think it will fit under the seat?

Thanks for your help!

 

[Schmeck]

Depends on what type of airplane you get, but it seems to me that nothing fits under the seats anymore, especially a backpack with the handle frame. If the kids are small enough, the bag could fit in the leg space though.

 

[rbork]

With the amount of stuff other passangers manage to cram in over my head. I'd say bring it on! My kids even handle my smallest rolling suitcase and like doing it. Go for it. Give them each their own rolling backpack. I know you can find them w/in the size limits for carryon. Do they like gameboys/dvd's. Let them veg out for the time being. Don't worry about their brains wasting. They'll have plenty of stim at DW!
p.s. don't forget to take them for a stretch up and down the isle every 90 minutes or so. Even I have a hard time sitting that long.
Good Luck and do what's right for you.

 

[Carrieannew]

I got my daughter the rolling backpack from the disney store. We flew delta song over the holidays and it fit fine under the seat in front of us. And she was able to pull it through the airport no problem. She even pulled my little one and that one at the same time.

 

[Mililani Mom]

Thank you so much for your advice! I've decided to go ahead and get the two kiddies their own rolling backpacks. My next question is do you have any suggestions with bigger (adult) sized ones that kids can roll with ease. I kind of want to load them up (since we'll be traveling for over 10 hours) and make sure they have a fun/enjoyable trip (as possible). I was looking at a Calpak rolling backpack, the size is 18 x 13 1/2 x 7. Do you think it'll fit? I really appreciate your advice. I'm so excited about our upcoming trip (my husband thinks I'm a nut and that I get obsessed about planning).

P.S. I already convinced my hubby that we needed a portable DVD player (the kids will have to share, we'll get a headphone splitter).

 

[Carrieannew]

The dvd player was exactly what i was going to suggest. Even though my daughter didnt need hers on the plane because we flew song. It came in very very handy for the car trips out to were we were staying and the trip back and forth to orlando a few times. The other thing she used the most was her gameboy. My best friend put a whole package with books and crayons together for her. But she really didnt use those at all.

Good luck in your planning!! I wish we had another one to plan. Each day im away makes me want to go back even more.

 

[SueM in MN]

I'd suggest testing it before you go, pulling it around the housee with a full load. My youngest DD is disabled and uses a computer to talk. I thought a rolling backpack would be just the thing to bring it on the plane in. As we walked around the airport, the backpack kept tipping over; pull a few yards, pick it up, pull a few yards, pick it up. I don't know if it was that particular backpack or that the load inside kept shifting as we pulled it, but we ended up carrying it and givinng the backpack to Goodwill when we got home.

 

[Gillian]

We flew from newark to miami in December with my 5 year old son (& a bunch of other people). DS had a kids rolling suitcase that is very light and fairly small. It did not have a lot of stuff in it (fleece blanket, some books, crayons, leapster), but he tired of rolling it after a while. Airports are big and it was just a lot for him. Because it was child height, it was difficult for any adult to pull and was somewhat of a nuisance.

I packed the stuff I knew he'd need right away in the flight in a separate bag & put that in the rolling one. I separated them when we boarded - the smaller bag went under the seat, and the rolling bag in the overhead bin. It was our only rolling bag and we didn't have much up there.

Our DVD player was in DH's carry on. I had a diaper bag for DD and a backpack for me that doubled as a purse. And a stroller and a carseat.

 

[Gillian]

I'd suggest testing it before you go, pulling it around the housee with a full load. My youngest DD is disabled and uses a computer to talk. I thought a rolling backpack would be just the thing to bring it on the plane in. As we walked around the airport, the backpack kept tipping over; pull a few yards, pick it up, pull a few yards, pick it up. I don't know if it was that particular backpack or that the load inside kept shifting as we pulled it, but we ended up carrying it and givinng the backpack to Goodwill when we got home.

Sue, I don't know what kind of computer your DD uses, but there are rolling briefcases designed for laptops and files that are very stable. Several of my coworkers at my real estate office use these, as do friends who travel a lot for business. They aren't inexpensive, it would be an investment.

 

[pyrxtc]

Well, al I know is my younger kids didn't touch any of the stuff we brought for carry-on except while waiting in the airport for the next flight. A small backpack would be perfect. Any jackets or anything that is a big ?, I owuld put in your carry-on up high.

 

[SueM in MN]

Sue, I don't know what kind of computer your DD uses, but there are rolling briefcases designed for laptops and files that are very stable. Several of my coworkers at my real estate office use these, as do friends who travel a lot for business. They aren't inexpensive, it would be an investment.

Thanks for the hint. We actually ended up with a really nice backpack made for computers and because she is in a wheelchair all the time, we decided the wheelchair can carry the computer.

 

[Mililani Mom]

You folks are the best! Thank you so much for your suggestions. I think I'll go ahead with the backpacks and seperate items on the plane in a smaller bag.

What do you think of this... Hubby (hopefully) carries the DVD player. Kids carry their own choice of DVDs and headphones. Also in backpack is a change of clothes (just in case), jacket, small blanket, pillow, snacks, water bottle, crayons, notepad, gameboy, books (2), and deck of cards.

My next task, is to e-mail the airlines (AA) and check if they give passengers pillows and blankets (if they do, I can eliminate those items from our bags).

One last question, what do your kids wear on the plane? We're leaving from Hawaii where it's pretty warm, flying to LA, then onto Orlando (very warm). I'm wearing shorts (because I can't tolerate being hot) but was going to make the kids wear jeans (in case the plane is cold). Oh, we're traveling in June.

 

[Katy Belle]

We fly on long flights often, it takes about 18 hours of flying to get to the USA. As for clothing....depends on the kid. My DS10 is more warm blooded, he wears shorts sometimes and lightweight pants if we will be landing in winter in the USA. DS8 is very cold blooded. He wears long pants, long sleeved shirts, and a jacket, on every flight, even to tropical locations. DS5 is inbetween, so usually lightweight pants and short sleeved shirt. I'd layer the kids clothes. Lightweight pants, short sleeved shirt and jacket. Its rare to be hot on a plane, IMHO. We never bring our own pillows and blankets, they are on the airplane, at least international flights. We flew AA from London to Chicago and from Chicago to Kansas City a few weeks ago, they had pillows and blankets. Their blankets are thick and plushy, better than any other I've seen. A change of clothes is a great idea, but I always decide against it as the carry-ons fill up. We have NEEDED change of clothes many times though!

Another thing I do is to pack their stuff in zip-lock baggies, in their backpacks. Makes the tiny toys, crayons, etc. easier to handle. We've also used the baggies for other things as the need arises, such as lost teeth, etc.

Have a great flight.
Katy