We are preparing to hop on a plane with our two kids, and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little nervous. My almost-three year old isn’t one for sitting still… I have actually flown several times with her in the past (a couple of times on my own), but the older she gets, the more tantrums she throws and the less likely she is to listen.
The Director of a Preschool that I do some freelance work for gave me a great tip to keep her occupied during the flight:
Wrap small toys or activities and let your toddler open one each half hour – hour. The constant surprise and new things to play with will keep them entertained for a good while. You could also use the packages as in incentive for good behavior (i.e. They get to open a new package each time they are listening and behaving).
I ran to The Dollar Tree last night and picked up a bunch of little goodies. I will be wrapping them up and sticking them in her backpack so that we are ready to go!
Here are some other tips that I plan to follow for our trip:
- Let your toddler carry his/her own backpack. Pack it full of toys, snacks, and a change of clothes. This relieves you of having to carry everything and lets them feel a sense of responsibility. (Don’t discount the importance of a change of clothes – if they happen to get sick or have an accident, you’re going to want them!)
- Pick seats in the rear of the plane. The reason is two-fold: (1) If you’re child is ancy and needs to get up and move around, you are already near the bathrooms and they can bounce around a bit in the back without too many stares. (2) When everyone is fighting their way to empty the plane, you can take your time. Sure, it’s nice to get off the plane early, but have you ever noticed how people get crazy eyes when it’s time to exit? I always feel rushed and apologetic if I have to, God forbid, get a bag down from the overhead compartment. I can’t imagine rushing to get my family of 4 off the plane, so it’s better if we just wait it out and take our time since we’ll be the last ones anyway.
- Pack a variety of snacks. You never know when you might get stranded at the airport. The last time I flew with my daughter, our flight was delayed and we were stuck in a part of the airport with few foods choices for a little one with few teeth. I ended up purchasing a pasta salad, but she refused to eat it. If I had packed smart, I would have had more food with me. This time I am bringing raisins, a breakfast bar, a granola bar, goldfish, squeezable apple sauce and fruit snacks. There’s nothing we can’t accomplish with that smorgasbord!
- Pack some Dum Dums. Allowing your toddler to suck on something during takeoff and landing with help with the altitude change. I haven’t had a problem in our previous flights, but I’m taking every precaution! I will also have my 6 month old with us, and I plan to let him breastfeed during those times to help pop his ears.
- Movies! If you’ve got a DVD player, iPad, or laptop, movies can’t hurt. Some airlines, like Jetblue, also have personal screens so toddlers can watch their own shows. Purchase some kid-friendly headphones
to take with you. I bought these great Philips Headphones
that fold flat, have a volume control and are padded for little ears. I paid $19.99 at Target, but they’re only $6.99 right now on Amazon (waa, waaaa). They are super flexible, so I’m not too worried about them breaking in her backpack.
- Call me cruel, but kid leash’s are your best friend… my daughter was never a hand-holder, and she constantly was on the move. Having a leash was the only thing that kept me sane on our trips together. You never know when they might run off or when someone might grab them. It’s best to be safe! She’s too old for it now, but if you have a young toddler, I definitely recommend one for travel.
Last, but certainly not least, good luck!