I remember back in the 6th grade, we had to do a “How To” project. Our assignment was to come into class and teach our classmates about how to do something that we felt we were a master of. I had it in the bag....literally!! I knew before my teacher finished telling us about the assignment what I was the master of-and to this day I am still the reigning champion of packing a suitcase (I know-über glam and super fabulous talent...E! is thinking of making a reality series about my super human packing abilities once they can get over this Kardashian Katastrophe). I am no novice when it comes to the world of travel...heck, my mantra is “home is where our suitcases are” so packing for anything whether it be a day at the zoo, a weekend trip to Morrocco or a three month stay in China-has become second nature. In less than a week, I will be traveling the friendly skies-yet again, but this time I am homeward bound... NY baby!! Traveling with two children adds to it a dimension of deranged frenzy and a super dose of anxiety inducing uncertainty that I have LEARNED (the hard way) that you can NEVER be too prepared when packing for the kids. My survival pack carry-on bag is put together weeks in advance with meticulous perfection and each and every thing that goes into it has a reason for being there. There was only one time when Sean transformed into a possessed flight demon, screaming, crawling under the seats and squirming out of our frantic sweaty palms- pleading to get off the plane (turns out he had an ear infection) but for the most part we get the comments when it comes time to disembark “I didn’t even know there were kids sitting there” or “Your kids are great travelers” and for this I have nothing to thank but my survival pack carry-on bag. I will walk you through the products that keep my kids from being “those kids” on the airplane and keep our fellow flyers free from back of the seat kicks (a la Kindergarten Cop) and fierce in-flight meltdowns.
NOTE:These products are tried and true and work for MY children...obviously each child is different but these are some suggestions on what both a 1 and 3 year old can be occupied with for a flight while not becoming a pack mule :)
Children’s Books- I always try and pack a few good old-fashioned children’s books that pertain to flying, our destination or an upcoming holiday. This flight I have packed Thanksgiving books and books about New York...it helps add to the excitement of the flight and what they may see/experience when they get to their destination. Also it makes it easy to have some books on hand for bedtime reads when you get to where you are going!
Crayons, Crayons and MORE Crayons!!- Inevitably, you will lose 50% of the crayons (that is a scientific fact) you bring with you on a plane to the black hole under your seat so be sure to have back ups...I tend to bring multiple packs of the basic 4 (think what the kids get at Applebee’s or Friday’s) you can buy them in bulk (orientaltrading.com) and they are great to tote in your bag for a spontaneous art session.Paper-I pack both construction paper and computer paper so that the kids have a choice of what they can create their masterpieces on
Magnadoodle- I have one for each child-because you can be sure that the moment one wants to doodle, the other will want to doodle...they come in great mini sizes now so the smaller the better-no mess no clean up and the pen is attached so no dropping and fishing for writing tools
Water Wow!-A good friend of mine gave Sean WaterWows as part of his birthday gift this year, and since then they are a staple in my bag at ALL TIMES!! WaterWows (if you have not had the pleasure of watching your children use them) they are mess free doodle pages that allows the kids to color with nothing but a little bit of water and after they are done the picture dries so they can color again & again. They also come in many different character options :) Activity books-I prefer the Kumon or Gakken Workbooks they offer an array of tracing, cutting, number, matching games etc. that will keep kids busy for a while-they are designed so that parents can work along with children while developing certain skills and monitor their progress. Think of it as home schooling on an airplane :)
Flashcards-There are a number of ways flashcards can be used, naming, identifying, matching, grouping just to name a few. I keep three separate decks with me, Numbers, Letters and Colors-all with familiar characters (ie Backyardigans, Mickey Mouse & Sesame Street)
Stickers-Whether you use them as an incentive, for decorating a picture or as a grouping or counting activity-stickers (especially the mini ones that have a ton on one sheet) are a cheap and easy way to entertain on a flight
Play-doh-Ok so some would say I am crazy!! Play-doh was such a hit with my kids the first time I packed it for a flight that it became a staple of my bag. I bring the mini containers and in a few different colors...they are great for creating a whole zoo on your tray table and the kids sensory skills are awakened with every pat, poke & squeeze.
Wikki Stix-You may be saying Wikki What?? But they are one of the many treasures that I discovered along the road as a classroom teacher. Wikki Stix are (in their most simple form) wax coated yarn. They are wonderful for shaping letters, numbers, animals and pretty much anything you can imagine. They stick to one another and will also stick to a tray table or piece of paper but don’t make little hands sticky! The best part about them is that they are reusable and come in an array of colors (my kids like the neon the best). You can use them to “circle” pictures in books (or in the in flight magazines) for an impromptu game of “I Spy” and when you are done, peel the off and throw them back into a plastic bag and they are ready to come along on your next adventure.
Some form of portable movie playing system- WHAT...YOU THOUGHT I WAS THE ONLY SOURCE OF IN FLIGHT ENTERTAINMENT FOR MY KIDS??? Not so much. We always come well stocked with every movie that our children have ever watched because chances are the only one you don’t pack is the one they will be asking for as soon as you reach your cruising altitude. NOTE: In all of our past flights we have always packed our portable DVD player and our case with the kid’s movies...this is becoming a bit heavy (and the DVDs are getting lost or scratched along the way...not to mention the pirated legally obtained since we live in Spain downloaded movies that won’t play on the portable DVD systems so we are trying a different approach this time. We are loading all the kids movies onto our iPad and using this instead (with the ultimate goal of purchasing an older generation iPad to use just for when we travel)
iPod (or another music player) I found that the excitement of being invited to listen to mom or dad’s iPod was unmatched!! The kids see us with our iPods ALL the time, on the way to the gym, while loading music on them and when they are left charging around the house...they are also instructed to “never touch the iPods” so when I surprised Sean once by asking him if he wanted to listen to music he was besides himself. Don’t worry, he wasn’t left to rap along with Kanye...I had already pre-loaded a kids playlist (Sesame street favorites, Raffi etc.) that he delightfully listened to and noted that he looked like a “big kid.`”
Headphones (for kids)- My kids get REALLY frustrated when their headphones continually fall off their little heads while trying to watch their favorite flick (or listening to some sweet tunes) that was, until I I found out that Sony makes kid’s headphones that not only stay put on those little noggins BUT they are also designed to play at lower volumes so that there is no risk of damaging those little ear drums. So far they have worked great!!
A little surprise- I WISH I still lived by dollar stores but in the case that you have exhausted all of the above items and you still have time before your final descent, I find that packing a little surprise that the kids have never seen before is a nice little trick. I especially like little sets of inexpensive legos, a new plastic animal, a travel game or anything that you know your kids may like, is small enough to hide in your bag but packs a powerful response.
The blatantly OBVIOUS yet extremely important items......
Comfort items- Whatever it is that your child brings to bed with them each and every night (or carries with them throughout the day) BETTER be in that Mary Poppins bag of yours and you BETTER keep track of it (lest you run the risk of having to order ANOTHER “Froggy” off of Amazon the minute you get home from the airport and express shipping it to yourself explaining to your child that he wanted to take an extended vacation and he would be back in a couple of days relaxed, refreshed and rejuvenated...again, learned that one the hard way). Comfort items keep a little bit of home with my kids wherever in the world they are and moreover, help soothe them to sleep if they are feeling a bit anxious.
A change of clothes-high altitude has done some weird things to little tummies so I suggest a full on extra set of clothes just in case there are some mishaps. I find that Crocs (though not the most fashionable) are the easiest shoes for younger kids to wear while traveling (getting them through security faster as well) and they can also be rinsed out just in case anything was to leak into them (not going any further with that one-trust me)
FOOD GLORIOUS FOOD!! Part of our pre-flight ritual is bringing our children to the food store and allowing them to choose (within reason) any sort of special airplane snacks their little hearts desire. I especially encourage parents to keep fruit snacks on hand for take off and landing (obviously for children who are old enough to eat them) back in the day we were encouraged to chew gum but fruit snack have the same effect to offset the pressure and help those little ears “pop.” I like to get prepackaged snacks (like the little 100 calorie bags) so that you wont run the risk of a whole bag of (insert messy snack food here) getting accidentally dumped into the lap of the sleeping businessman to your left.
Airplane Avoidances:
-Musical/noisemaking toys-your fellow passengers will thank you
-Small toy cars (like matchbox)- they ALWAYS roll where you can’t reach them and if accidentally flung at the person behind you, it’s gonna leave a mark
Hope you picked up at least one thing you would use on your next trip! Happy, safe travels!
