Toys for the plane?

[MrsDe2008]

I saw quite a few people say it's a good idea to pack some new toys for the plane to keep your toddler occupied, but I am at a loss on what to get. I don't want anything too bulky or big, but besides crayons and coloring books, what else is there?

 

[Aaeolien]

iPod or iPad. Even if they don't play with it at home it's an amazing airplane toy. We found a bunch of educational apps with colors shapes letters and the like for our little guy to play and that solved our airplane toy problem. Kept him occupied for just about the entire time he needed something to do.

 

[MSSANDRA]

Sadly from the time he was a toddler, electronics have been the best choice to keep our youngest happy when traveling. We have pads, iphones, etc. There are some good apps out there for little ones. We did invest in the leapfrog systems when he was really little but got little use out of it, he wanted ours!

Besides that, we also used:
colorwonder products....
a few match box cars
a pack of pipe cleaners to twist into shapes
silly putty
a stuffed animal or doll to talk to
lots of fun snacks
a few books for you to read to him
a few magazines that have a lot of child friendly pictures "think parents magazine"- "read" it with him and talk about all the pictures then you can just toss it!--A favorite of my oldest, before we had all the electronic stuff

 

[MrsDe2008]

Thank you!

We don't have an ipad, but I have a kindle. Is it the same thing? lol I have no clue...I am behind in the times. Do I need to download apps before I leave the house? I thought you weren't allowed to use the internet on the plane? No clue here. :/

 

[RysMomma]

I think it depends on what kind of Kindle you have. If you have just the ereader, I don't believe you can download apps, but if you have the Kindle fire, you can. You would definitely need to download the apps before you leave but you can play them virtually anywhere. Most game apps you do not need an Internet connection to play so you don't have to worry about that. My kids have an old iPhone of ours that isn't hooked up to make calls on it but they play games on it all the time.

Hope that helps!

 

[JessM]

Thank you!

We don't have an ipad, but I have a kindle. Is it the same thing? lol I have no clue...I am behind in the times. Do I need to download apps before I leave the house? I thought you weren't allowed to use the internet on the plane? No clue here. :/

Yes download apps or rent movies before you leave the house. Most apps that are games or rented movies do not require internet while being played (after they are downloaded).

A kindle Fire has apps or movies available just like an ipad.

Make sure you bring some head phones so she doesn't disturb other passengers. I'd practice with those before you leave home

 

[figment3258]

we always had something to watch a movie on color wonder books are great snacks and a favorite toy. but honestly i think just talking and playing with them when they are little is the best way to pass the time

 

[jennylyn_b]

Stickers and sticker books, small new matchbox cars, planes, etc; rubber ducks, bendaroos, small plastic animals or people, small playsets you can find at target or such.

 

[scrapquitler]

I saw quite a few people say it's a good idea to pack some new toys for the plane to keep your toddler occupied, but I am at a loss on what to get. I don't want anything too bulky or big, but besides crayons and coloring books, what else is there?

Magna Doodle!

 

[ABCastillo]

Stickers and sticker books, small new matchbox cars, planes, etc; rubber ducks, bendaroos, small plastic animals or people, small playsets you can find at target or such.

We like to also pick up some little people toys or the little princess/super hero figurines.

 

[scrapquitler]

my kids had some magnetic play sets that looked like a folder, and when you opened it up it had a picture on it (under the sea, safari, jungle, farm scene, things like that) and it had flat magnets that you stick around on the board of things like animals, trees, etc. They used to play with those for hours in the car, that would be great on a plane, I think.

 

[scrapquitler]

my kids had some magnetic play sets that looked like a folder, and when you opened it up it had a picture on it (under the sea, safari, jungle, farm scene, things like that) and it had flat magnets that you stick around on the board of things like animals, trees, etc. They used to play with those for hours in the car, that would be great on a plane, I think.

 

[superchime]

If you're near a Dollar Tree they usually have lots of little things that are fun on planes. Small books, little toys and fidgety things, pipe cleaners or wiki sticks, books of stickers (and blank notebooks to stick them in). Everything is a dollar, so you can stock up pretty cheaply and then if something gets lost or broken it's not a huge deal.

The Target dollar spot is another good place to look. Usually a decent amount of Disney stuff at these stores too!

 

[RachSal]

We just got some imagine ink books that are like aqua doodle pictures that kept the kids quiet and busy through church last week! I am brining those on the next long trip.

http://www.amazon.com/Bendon-Publis...F8&qid=1378488113&sr=1-7&keywords=imagine+ink

 

[DisneyRegulars]

We took many trips before the days my son was allowed to use the ipad. Here were our favorite (read entertain for the longest time) items:
1. SNACKS!!!!!!
2. A pack of little Post-Its (they can stick these everywhere and they clean up easy).
3. A roll of blue painters tape. Again you can think up all kinds of games to play with it, and the little ones just like sticking it places.
4. A new book.
5. Colorforms (they still sell these and they are still fun!)

Things to avoid:
1. Anything that is likely to fall to the ground a million times. (ie. matchbox cars, round crayons, tiny toy sets, blocks)
2. Avoid round crayons, invest in a set of the large triangle shape ones, they won't roll off the table so easy.
3. Anything that makes noise will drive the other passengers around you nuts.


I agree with others, if you are going to bring your kindle, make sure you practice with headphones before you go. My son wouldn't wear them the first several times we tried.

If either you or your husband has a smart phone, you could put apps on that too.

 

[scrappinginontario]

I found a number of small objects and took a picture of them for my 2 1/2 yo. Then, I put them all in a water bottle and filled it with rice. (Distributing the objects as I filled it.) She spent ages playing with that bottle and trying to find the hidden objects. One tip was to secure it with duct tape. A second tip is to pull it out of your carry on before security and put it in a bin. I forgot a couple of times and each time they pulled it and asked what it was.

 

[SamSam]

Magna Doodle!

My twin grandsons ( 2 1/2 at the time) loved the travel Magna Doodle's ($3.00 at Wal-mart). Honestly, they LOVED them.

 

[disneypolybride2008]

i got DD2 a winnie the pooh travel size magna doodle that comes with a board book as well from Gordmans for six dollars. We also have a portable dvd player. we need to get some little einsteins, she is fixated on that now. our flight is only two hours and luckily it around nap time so hopefully she will sleep. on our last trip on the way back she slept nearly the entire time, she doesnt normally nap either.. she protests! my sister got magnetic disney princess sets, where you dress up the princess with little magnetic outfits. i have not opened it yet but i think she said she got them at CVS.

 

[SeeJ]

I have been flying with my DD since she was 5 weeks old. When she was an infant, I found that the most useful item to have on the plane was a baby carrier so I could have her attached to my body and not have to attempt to hold her once the plane was in the air (Ergo & Moby Wrap were my personal favorites).
As she go older, I would always pack a carry-on back pack full of toys (old favorites and new treasures) to attempt to entertain her. I would pack triangle crayons, snacks, finger puppets, cars, books, dolls... just about anything smaller than my fist but not a choking hazard that I could think of. I was always way over prepared. Generally, the only thing she would want to play with on the plane was whatever electronic device I had brought to entertain myself (phone or tablet). I would land and find that a majority of the items I had brought for her remained untouched since she would pass the time playing games on my phone/tablet.
One trip, I tried wrapping all the small items I brought for her in tissue paper (she was about 2 years old at the time). I had heard that the unwrapping was a fun distraction and she would enjoy playing with all the toys as she unwrapped them. Well, the unwrapping was fun for her...but that was all she wanted to do. Unwrap and then ask for more things to unwrap. She unwrapped about half of the items that I brought and then was ready to settle in with the tablet and watch a movie on it... Of course that did leave the other half of the toys to unwrap on the way home.
So after 4 years of lugging a heavy carry on bag full of crap toys that she barely touches, I have simplified my life and now just bring a pair of child sized headphones for her to plug in and enjoy her movies/games, which she has basically been doing since she was 18 months old.
I have to brag and say that I have received numerous compliments on how well behaved she always is when we fly. Often, we stand up to disembark and the passengers in front of/behind us are surprised to see that there was a child sitting in the row that they hadn't even noticed.
Here are my favorite child friendly flying tips that have worked for us:
-Let your child have free reign at the airport. They need to run around and get all that energy out BEFORE getting on the plane. I encourage my daughter to run (yes, we do run) in the airport. I would avoid strapping her into a stroller prior to getting on a plane at all costs!
-I make sure she understands that she needs to get her "screams" out before we get on the plane. This is something we have been doing since she was 1. Before entering a building (plane/car) we stop at the door way and get our screams out. It has worked amazingly well! I will add that there was a time period of training where we would immediately vacate any building we were in if she ever started to scream. It was especially effective because it happened to be winter when she was going through this screaming phase so we would stand out in the freezing cold together and return once the screaming ceased.
-If your toddler gets antsy on the plane, get up and take a walk with them. It drives me crazy when parents won't let their child get out of the seat and just sit there while the child screams. Of course, I understand that sometimes the "seatbelt" light may be on and you can't get up. But I have never been on a flight with the seatbelt light on the entire time (maybe I'm just lucky). I find that there are often friendly strangers that are more than happy to wave and smile at a happy toddler walking down the aisle which is a great distraction for an antsy child.
-We typically fly on Southwest so we are able choose our seats as we board. I try to seat my daughter behind a child so that on the rare occasion that she does kick the seat in front of her, she is less likely to anger a stranger.
I hope I am not coming across as being too preachy on the subject. I know you were only asking about toys but these are a few tips that I have found through experience (and from others' suggestions) that have been the most helpful for me and my daughter. Best of luck to you on your flight... and remember, you can always buy a few drinks for your neighboring passengers to make the ride more enjoyable if you (or your child) are having a difficult flight.

 

[Petals & Pixie Dust]

Interesting insight and greatly appreciated. We save our iPad/phone for emergency kid quieting, but have not flown with him yet...So, that might be our first go-to for our upcoming trip

Thanks for all of the suggestions. I think the travel part is the most daunting to me...not sure what to expect...Our little guy is so good natured we typically don't have a problem, but I guess I believe in being a boyscout and always prepared!