Toys for the Airplane - Pflugerville,TX

I got this idea from my sister. have a couple of toys wrapped
suggestions are a book that if you color it with a water pen it shows the colors. I take those everywhere with me and my 2 and 4 year old love them. buy or rent a DVD player with favorite DVD. You must have earphones now on Continental.
Also, these magnetic take along looks like a smashed lunch box thing. They make them in character scenes ie Dora and Diego. The pieces stick to the inside of the metal on scenes.
They love opening the new toys and new toys are sooooo much better for a long time.

We flew to Spain with a 22mo old last summer. He enjoyed the travel sized magnadoodle-like toy(we got one for 88cents at Walmart), books, crayons and coloring books. Also we brought snacks he liked.

Bright colored Band-Aids! I did this on a plane trip with my one yr. old and it worked wonderfully. He had such a fun time putting them on him, me, paper, the seats, etc. They go on and off easy and he thought he was really doing something. You could also get some of her favorite characters. You are going to be on a long trip so you might get more than one box. Have fun-S.

dvds!!! we took our laptop and played baby einstein dvds. it kept her happy the entire flight. i also took a lollipop, veggie booty, and emergency cookies but didn't really have to use them.

Even though there is the 3-1-1 for liquid on planes, most security checks will let you bring more when you have a child. So, to keep her busy, drinks, Cheerios, gold fish. A blanket and peek-a-boo goes a long way. Unfortunately, they've taken down the phones that were in the seats' back... they were a great toys for my older boys! they couldn't make any calls until you swiped a credit card, so there was no harm done! A flap book, if she's into books. I have a 23 month old and just flew from the Houston area to New England and food was my savior. We always buy a seat for the baby, even though we don't have to until he is two. It's just easier to keep him in his seat with the car seat. He is strapped in there and not going anywhere... Plus, he is used to being in a car seat in the car anyway.

Hope this helps a little.

Good luck!

S.

Try one of those small 'doodle pads'...the ones that have the attached pen that writes on the screen and then it 'wipes' off with that sliding thing. They make them in all kinds of shapes and designs now.
Also, play dough! (Don't worry, it's not your mess!) :)
Get some of the smallest containers in several colors.
Take a back pack for her with her toys and only get one out at a time. She might like carrying the backpack through the airport, too. Tell her you have some special things in their for her and that it's a SURPRISE!
Our all-time favorite...if she likes movies, get a portable DVD player (or can borrow one) and take a few movies. As you know from your previous trip, you will look like you are MOVING, not just visiting with all of your gear! :) lol

I have three children and traveled with them back and forth to England for one year when they were 7 yrs.,3 yrs., and 6 mos. so I can understand your nervousness. The thing that worked best for me was to be VERY prepared beforehand. I packed a bag or backpack for each of them with toys, activities, and snacks that I bought prior to the trip and that they had not seen before. I would usually hit a local teaching supply store--they have tons of activities for toddlers. Some of their favorites were cardboard animal silohuettes that the child would lace, coloring, sticker books, ColorWonder markers and books (all three of my kids still love ColorWonder!), write on/wipe off books, and (usually the best) little plastic figures of animals, planes, cars, etc. that the girls would play with for quite a while. Farm animals were always a big hit b/c we could sing nursery rhymes with them. Avoid puzzles or anything with lots of pieces or you will spend the entire plane ride on your knees looking for lost items. Bring about 3x as many things as you think you need and you should be fine. Also, the days of enjoying a good read or snooze on an airplane ride are long gone--resign yourself to being the an entertainment support person for your little one for the ride and you will have an easier time of it.

I would bring lots of little snacks--preferable some that can be "played" with as well like animal crackers. Don't count on the airlrine providing anything your toddler will want--bring your own juice, bottles, and food.

Bring extra diapers, extra wipes and two changes of clothes. I never had an airplane ride with the three of them that was a nightmare--I was busy the whole time but the girls were mostly very good and quiet with their backpacks. Good luck!!!!

We flew to Italy with a portable DVD player for our two year old. Best plan ever!

I think the easiest thing to bring on an airplane for a child would be a fav book, or maybe a fav self contained toy without a lot of small pieces or even the child's fav music

M. G

My family and I live in the Netherlands the last three years. We would come home to San Antonio every summer. So we were in for a 14 hour flight. When we first moved my sone was 5 and my daughter was 10 months. When we moved back in May my sone was 9 years old, my daughter was four and I was seven months along. Over the years I have foud that it is best to take their all time favorite toy that can fit in a back pack and a sippy cup/water bottle. Most of the flight attendents will give you something to put in the sippy cup once you are on the plane before ti takes off. I would alos purchase them a gift that they opened on the plane once we got settled in. I would tell them that if they were really good they would get a gift on the plane. I would usually get them a Crayola Wonder Color book because even if they write on everything with the marker nothing gets messed up. I would also get them a new cd to listen to. My daughter got her first cd player at two years old. She still has it two years later and it still works great. If they seem hyper, worse then normal, than I will give them Tylenol once we get on the plane and it calms them down and generally puts the little one to sleep. Also, tell the airlines at least one week in advance that you want a kids meal for her. Good luck!

Magna Doodle! My 21 month old loves hers and spends hours a week playing with it. You could also try the Color Wonder product by Crayola; no mess! A book full of stickers would also work; you can get a nice, thick book of them at Sam's or Costco. There are pages of stickers and tons of colorful pages to put the stickers on...neat!

Hi W., I flew from Texas to New Hampshire (with stops) with my then 2 1/2 year old daughter (and pregnant, but just barely). She was potty trained by this time so we had to visit the toilet on EVERY airplane that we traveled on.

Anyway, I took a backpack full of dry snacks, coloring books, colors, some books to read and her favorite doll. Between reading to her and coloring pictures she did very well. We also looked out the window a lot.

If she doesn't have tubes in her ears and doesn't know how to pop them, you may take a little chewing gum to give her. Or just have her blow her nose and pinch when she does.

If she likes play-doh, I would think it would be easy to bring some of that on the plane with you too. It's not messy and could keep her occupied making little things.

I took an empty sippy cup with me and just had the flight crew fill it with milk or apple juice depending on the times.

Good luck!

A few suggestions that have worked for me:

- a NEW "Lift the Flap" book that has A LOT of flaps to lift
- a small magna doodle
- pipe cleaners (they are fuzzy and bendable and you can toss them when you get there)
- snacks

Hope you ave a great trip!

Hi W.. We've flown several times (including overseas) with our 2.5 yr old twins. At that age, I brought crayons, paper, stickers and food. I think I vowed to never fly again when they were 20 months old, but have since taken a few trips at 26 and 31 months and had a great trip both times. What a difference 6 months makes! Hope that helps!
K.

I had alot of luck with magazines playing the
"where is the..."
lots of snacks!-Angela

Hi W.,
I fly back and forth to NJ from Houston with my son 4-5 times a year. My family is there and I am here. He is 21 months old. Last time we flew was about a month ago, and this is what I brought:
Books (several with pop-ups and flaps to open)
Sesame Street Alphabet Flash Cards (He loved doing these)
Crayons (but they end up on the floor so be warned)
A portable DVD player
Lots of snacks and drinks

He didn't sleep at all, he never does. If you bring a DVD player you may want to try and introduce her to head phones, i got a pair for cheap made for children at Target. Try not to bring any loud toys, I have made that mistake before! If your child is anything like mine, she will get antsy and fuss a bit, but I think the best way we have handled Drew on the plane is to give him our undivided attention. He gets frustrated that he can't move around, but he is at least happy to have all the love from mommy and daddy. I hope that helps!
C.
Katy, TX

As an avid traveler and mom of a now 2 1/2 year old rambunctious boy, I suggest a portable DVD player and DVDs of her favorites that she has not seen yet. If you don't have a portable DVD player, they rent them out at the airport. You can also rent out the DVDs. At their age they are not into headsets, but, in my experience, you can play them at a volume loud enough for the baby to hear and not bother anyone else. I also found the Crayola magic fingerpaints and magic pens (they only "color" on special paper) fascinated him to no end, "drawing" picture after picture. I introduced it to him on the plane when he began to "act up". You're not going to avoid their need to explore their new environment so just go with the flow. If the ride is smooth and the fasten seat belt sign is not on, give her a "tour". Oh, and, on a side note, if she has a cold or coming down with one before travel, bring a decongestant of some sort. It'll help ease the pain on descent. Give it to her about an hour before landing.

One of the best toys we have taken on flights with our twins (now two) has been the little sketch magnetic things you can get at the supermarket checkouts! They are meant to be message station sfor the frdge, but they are small and portable and being completely eraseable and non-marking, perfectly safe and durable for a flight - no paper, no crayons required to keep them entertained either scribbling themselves or you scribbling for them! New books have also helped. Most other things have been a pain as the interest doesn't last and they get dropped or thrown and create dramas when they become lost (deliberately or accidentally!).
Best of luck, I did prefer travelling whjen they were younger, but we have been on long haul flights and you will survive! I even took the twins to the UK by myself when they were 18 months and we all survived that one, even if my daughter refused to sleep!

W., I work for Continental Airlines and when my little girl and me went to California she was only 2 years old. I took her to buy a coloring book and colors (let her pick it out). Then I also took a portable DVD player with her favorite movies. Also take her favorite snacks and something to pop her ears. Maybe gum. I then put all her books,movies and snacks in a backpack so she had her own carry-on. That made her feel like a big girl. We had a great time to California and from. Have fun. L. G

We lived overseas when my daughter was born. We made 10 round trips between Europe and Texas. A friend gave me this little bit of help. She would either buy new things (crayons, toys, etc.) or use some of the things her child already had and she would wrap them in tissue paper (sometimes with ribbons) and every few minutes (15 - 30), she would let her child open one. Also, we traveled with a Magna Doodle. They come in several different sizes. Another idea that I used was to attach a toy to my daughter's pacifier holder in stead of the pacifier that way if it fell or got "thrown" you didn't have to try and crawl around on the floor to find it. We also travel with lots of books and I always had a snack bag with lots of variety very handy. I hope some of these will help make your trip enjoyable.
K. C.

Dear W.,

My daughters are much older so I cannot suggest specific toys but I can share with you what I did when I traveled overseas with them when they were 2 and 3 years of age. I wrapped in very pretty paper with bows and ribbon many little 'presents' for them to open. It helped to pass the time and they really enjoyed the gifts:)
D. Elder
Executive Director of the New American School

Hey W.,
I was watching a show on TLC called Jon and Kate plus 8. That's right, they have 8 kids! 6 of them came at the same time... 3 years ago. They have taken two vacations with their brood. Her suggestion is to bring NEW toys they have not seen before. They should NOT be expensive, even dollar store toys will do, and they should be small enough to put in a carry-on bag or your daughter's backpack.
For future reference she also said at Christmas she sneaks a few toys away from the kids and stashes them for these occassions so it isn't necessary to buy new toys for every trip.

Good luck!
R. H.

When we take our children on flights, we take a laptop for movie watching, coloring books, Magna Doodles, and just simple things that are easy to carry on. It seems to do the trick for the most part :)

Keeping little ones entertained on the airplane can be somewhat of a challenge. Keep it simple for yourself ... you don't really want to drag too much onto the plane. When my girls were little they loved to play with empty cups (provided by the flight attendants) they would stack and un-stack. And sometimes even pouring a little water back and forth. The bonus is that you don't have to worry about loosing them either!

I just came off a plain ride with my 2 yr old son and 2 month old daughter, thank God my husband was there to help! I hope you have some one traveling with you, because 4 hours will seem to take forever! I suggest colors (washable) and coloring books, take at least two, some of your daughter's favotite books and small toys that don't make too much noise. I had a carry-on bag for his toys and books aside from his diaper bag. It was a small Elmo rolling suit case (like momma's) that he pulled along which he loved. If you have a lap top or portable DVD player TAKE IT to play her favorite movies. Take a variety of her favorite snacks in zip lock bags fruit roll-ups have individually packed small sizes. A sippy cup and klenex. Planes have the smallest changing tables I've ever seen! I made sure my son's daiper was dry when we got on but of course that didn't last long. The table is above the toilet so just make sure to put the lid down before you put her or anything on the table...because if she squirms and something falls its gong straight into the pot!
Your daughter will be 2 by the time of your trip so I assume she will have her own seat, with that she is allowed two carry on bags just like you, so diaper bag, toy bag, your purse and another bag for you. Just keep all the bags sizes to a minimum as you will probably be carrying all of them and her at times as well. Oh, this is major, if you have a conecting flight ask one of the attendants at the gate you arrive at to call for a cart to drive you to the next gate you are to depart from. With all the bags and the rush you might be in, trying to move a todler along at your fast pace will be too hectic, and the attandants will comply. Hope this helps! Have a great trip!

OMG, totally invaluable was a BIG empty prescription bottle without the label. I took my dremel tool out and cut a hole in the bottom of the bottle big enough for a couple coins. Then, I glued a cotton ball into the cap (kept the noise down) and took a change purse full of coins. I just kept my daughter on my lap (she was 20 months at the time). I would open the change purse and she would take the coins out ever so carefully and put them into her "piggy bank". When the coins were all in the bank, I just popped the top off, put them back in the change purse and started over. Worked better than crayons, books, anything!! Also, lots of little snacks (that aren't too sticky). The bank kept her busy FOR HOURS, both ways.

I have a 25 month old daughter and we have traveled quite a bit on planes. Here are several things that have worked for us (we actually just got back from a plane trip on Sunday too!). Small magnadoodle (they have them near the checkouts at Target or in the toy section for around $5), crayons and a coloring book (Walmart has some travel sized ones that work well) or just a small notebook so that she can draw in. Now, this one will sound funny, but last time I got her the Barrel of Monkeys game and she LOVED it! All it is is a small plastic barrel with plastic monkeys in it that link together, but she really liked it. It's in the toy section at WalMart or Target by the card games. Another great thing to take are the travel sized Aquadoodle pads. They just use a pen with water in them and when they dry, they can color them again. This trip, I got her a viewmaster (you know, the little viewers that you put the round discs in and they can see 3-D pictures). She really seemed to like that, although it is recommended for ages 3+, so I'm not sure if your daughter would be old enough for it. If she likes ponys, a My Little Pony is good.

Anyway, the trick is to buy her a couple of these things that she has never seen before and then DON'T GIVE THEM TO HER UNTIL YOU'RE ON THE PLANE! That way, she isn't bored with them already before you even get started. You also may want to try to keep one or two things in your other luggage to introduce on the flight home.

I'm not sure how you feel about your daughter watching movies, but the one thing that is great for us is a portable DVD player. We got ours for under $150 at Best Buy and I got her some adorable headphones at Kohl's that have elephants on them. That way, she can watch a movie at least part of the time and that keeps her occupied. It's an investment, but it has worked out great for us. If you do get one, be sure to look at the battery life when comparison shopping. I would get one with around 5 hours of life in it, otherwise, she won't get through a movie before the battery dies (a lot of them only have about 2 hours of battery life).

Have a great time on your trip! I hope this info is helpful.

V.

I just flew this month with my 22mo old and here is what worked for him:

A small (I think 5x7?) size spiral notebook with a ziplock full of crayons. It was unlimited blank pages for him to color on!

I found this great book at costco (but didn't see it there this week - I'm sure you can find similar in other stores) -- it is a book that has magnetic figures that stick to the pages. Ours was farm - so it had 8 farm animals, and on each set of pages you matched the animal to the page. This kept him entertained for over 30min in a row.

Snacks: I brought teddy grahams, goldfish, grapes, etc.

Watercolor book thing -- this mainly kept my older son entertained but the younger one enjoyed it too. I bought it at Babies R Us -- it is a little notepad and a brush pen you fill with water. You draw with the water brush on the thick pages - and the color appears -- ours had Backyardigans scenes. When the water dries, it is blank again -- so pretty much you just keep reusing it over and over! Really cool.

Hope that helps!

I don't know how easy they are to find...but I saw yesterday a reusable sticker set. The stickers could be pulled on and off the scenic board over and over again and rearranged. Quiet, small, no pieces that roll around...seems like they'd like it.
R.

Nothing that is too small or otherwise easily thrown! When I flew from Corpus Christi to Chicago with my then-14-month-old, I had just made him some really neat toys: baby food jar lids with pictures of family members pasted inside (since we're currently stationed nowhere near any family). Imagine my total mortification when he started treating them like frisbees--they were flying EVERYWHERE! Fortunately, all the nearby passengers found it amusing and were very helpful in corraling the runaway lids. I put those away for later.

Just a quick comment: I don't agree with the statement "It's not your mess" when it comes to messy toys on planes. Sure, you may not feel the need to clean it up (although I would, if my children made it), but someone will have to. It's much better to be on the flight attendents' GOOD side by being thoughtful of them. They'll certainly be much more inclined to give you a hand (bring you extra drinks, etc.) if you're not making their job harder than it needs to be by letting your child smear play doh or anything else all over the place. That's not to say you can't bring play doh, but I'd bring plastic wrap to wrap the tray table (you can just ball it up afterwards!) and supervise her carefully.

Also, with the flight attendents, if they don't offer something to your child for her flight, ask if they have something for children. Southwest Airlines always gives my son something (we've flown a lot!), whether it be a coloring book and crayons, or a trading card with a picture of the plane on it, etc. No matter what cool toys we've brought, they definitely take second place to something he got ON THE PLANE. Apparently that takes the cool factor WAY up, even to a toddler!

Oh, and I also agree with the child having his/her own seat, regardless of age. On that Corpus Christi-Chicago flight, we had a connecting flight in Houston and ended up sitting on the tarmac for several hours (due to a stopage in Chicago). Since I was flying solo with my son I hadn't wanted to try and lug his car seat and decided to only buy one seat and have him sit on my lap. That got very old VERY fast! And also plan on the possibility of a delay of up to a day or more, and make sure you have enough diapers, juice, food, etc. Baby food and juices are SUPPOSED to be exempted from the liquid limitations at security, but not all security personnel know this--in fact at one airport the security personnel downstairs said we couldn't take my son's baby food on, but the ones upstairs said no problem!--so check out the FAA website and print out the relative rules right from there. Then, if security gives you a hard time, you can show them the print out; if they still tell you no, ask politely--hard as it will be in the face of ignorance!--if you can speak to a security supervisor. But that's a worst case scenario--I've never actually been not allowed to take baby food and juices through security.

Have a great trip!

Hi W.,
My sister-in-law buys several inexpensive little toys, or little party favors, the kind you can get in the grocery store. The kids are kept busy opening their little toys and playing with them. When they get bored, they get a new little package of toys. And several small snacks in little baggies. Cherrios in one, a couple of peanut butter crackers in another, a few animal cookies in another.

When the kid gets older and smarter, you can buy or rent a little DVD player with their favorite movies. You can rent these at the airport. Good luck!

We took our 20 month old son to Canada over Christmas. Another mom suggested that I bring lollipops and other special treats. They were total life-savers and stopped a trantrum, meltdown in a heartbeat! And, I have a very stubborn, highly energetic boy who couldn't stay still on the plane or in the airport. I occupied him and my 3 year old with lots of markers, art stuff, Baby Einstein DVD's, and a toy phone that played music and does some other stuff. That was the only toy I brought on the plane because he always ends up getting bored with toys and it just takes up so much space. Hope that helps!

I think she might be old enough to play with playdoh (in the really small party favor cans). Helps to keep their hands busy. Small magna-doodles can be entertaining and not messy. Wipe off coloring books with washable crayons. A little notebook to draw in. Story boks to read. Snacks and drinks that keep them happy. I will usually let the kids bring a toy/lovey that they want with them and then all the toys/books/stuff I bring on the plane I try to not let them see it before the trip so it is a surprise and someting new to discover.

Hi, Get her some children books that make sounds when you point to a picture or one that talks to her.I think there call see and say that way you and her can work it together. I use to let my children listen to children CD's with the headphones they have them for the children now. I hope these tips help out. S.

We did an international flight with DD when she was 23 months old. It was a long process and we packed brand-new books, sticker books, crayons, a baby doll, DVD's (just in case we needed to break them out) and a portable player. It turned out that she was most interested in pushing the buttons for the personal movie viewer on back of the seat in one direction, and transfixed by the movie in the other direction. Since we generally don't watch TV, this was just fascinating for her.

See if you can get a row with an extra seat so she can spread out -- but you should be fine. Anything that doesn't make a lot of noise.

But trust me, for four hours, you should be fine. Walks up and down the aisle are good too -- even though they may irritate the other passengers if they go too long.

I used to fly to chicago every couple of months with 2 little ones. For us, Daddy's portable DVD and a new movie worked great. Take M&M's, Fruit snacks, something they don't get every day to bribe them with when it all falls apart at the end of the flight (also forces them to swallow on the way down). Stickers were great and took up lots of time. I also took a couple of books to read. Be sure and take your own sippy and ask for it to be filled before takeoff in case ears start hurting.

Don't know about toys but take some cut up pieces of Starburst candy with you. Kids that young don't understand why or how to "pop" their ears to relieve pressure but chewing the pieces of Starburst will simulate the same action and possibly overt any screaming/crying fits if she doesn't sleep the whole trip.

Picture books are always a good choice.

We took a Magnadoodle, tons of books and snacks, some crayons and coloring books. A lot of people suggested a portable DVD player. If you have that I'm sure that would work too. Good luck.

They are more expensive than dollar store toys...which are a terrific idea, but we invested in a relatively inexpensive portable dvd player. If you watch two episodes of dora or blues clues, an hour is gone! We also got baby einstein videos which even keep my 4&6 year-olds entertained. This is also good for car trips or waiting in the airport for layovers or delays...just about anywhere you need your little one to sit and be entertained. This is also a good time to sit him on your lap and teach him some hand motion songs...itsy bitsy spider, wheels on the bus etc. Books also work well and fit easily into carryon bags.

Magna Doodle works wonders!

I recomend anything new. I have been known to even colect kids meal toys for before a trip. Also books are good. Depending on your 2 year old- I got my daughter a view master with some disks. It doesn't have to be anything fancy- new will help keep there interest! Good luck!!!! ( I also like to pack ALOT of snacks) We have traveld a lot with my now 3 year old.