9.1.11

Flying with a Preschooler & Baby - things to pack to occupy the time

My daughter is 3 1/2 now, has she now advanced from toddler to preschooler? Im not sure but anyhow, we have a flight to Mexico in the near future and I have been planning what to bring to occupy her time. She also has a brother that will be 10 months old when we fly that will need a lot of effort to occupy on my lap.

These are some items Im thinking of packing and have already set aside. By setting the items aside now, they should seem 'new' again when we fly in a couple months. Of course, once I actually begin the packing there will be items that dont make the cut.

The Preschooler Carry On:
A preschool book with learning letters, numbers, tracing, etc.
Crayons (Im going to stay away from markers and their mess unless they were the Crayola Wonders but then I would only be able to use those with the special paper)
Notebook - i love a brand new notebook full of crisp white blank pages!
Stickers (vacation & beach themed)
Books - some small ones that she can 'read' or have read to her
A Princess book similar to "Where's Waldo?"
Snacks - crackers, cheese, raisens, cookies (going to avoid the super sweet treats)
Laptop - the kid style that is full of activities and games

The 10m Baby Carry On:
A Soother and his special blanket
Snacks - cheerios, cheese, crackers
Sippy Cup or Bottle w/ formula
Musical Book with lots of buttons to push and slide
Teething ring
Ziploc Bag w/ couple diapers and small pack of wipes
Spare Onesie & Pants
Musical Phone
* Ive attached a small diaper bag (kind used for strollers) to my carryon. This way I wont need to dig through my bag for whichever necessities I decide to keep in it - perhaps toys or snacks.


Packed in our luggage, I am also bringing some
Toys (small dolls, baby rattles, etc) that the kids very rarely play with. They will be staying in Mexico when we leave which should free up some room for souvenirs!
Plastic Ball - can be used in pool, outside, or inside
Stacking Cups (my daughter loves filling these up in the bath or pool and my baby loves having a tower built for him to knock over so a great toy that takes up little space for both their enjoyment)


Craft Kit - random construction paper shapes, glue stick, stickers, and paper.

Other ideas for on the plane would be songs like Pat A Cake, Skinny Marinky, Twinkle Little Star, and any other action song (that won't harm your seat neighbour) that you can think of.

*Pull one item out at a time and get its full enjoyment before bringing out a new item. Treat snacks the same.


Other Ideas Ive found:

If breast feeding, bring some safety pins to pin a baby blanket between the seat in front of you and your seat to give you some privacy

Babies like to drop their toys - both by accident and intentionally! - I like to tie a ribbon to them so that I can hang on to that while they play with the toy and sometimes the ribbon is fun to chew on too :-)

Toddler & Preschoolers love to unwrap gifts - wrap both new or old (but havent seen in awhile) toys in some gift wrap. Pick up some new toys at the dollar store. They will be fun to play with for awhile but if lost or broken it's no big deal.

Put items in different containers - I like to organize the toys and small items into different types of containers. This is something we use to normally store our toys but also works for travel. If they are fun looking containers it makes the contents seem new! Containers such as:
Peanut Butter jars (a small one for travel) - keep the lid from getting lost by drilling a hole in lid & side of jar and then threading a ribbon through both.
Cappucino Tins (my addiction creates many of these empty tins!). Ive painted the outsides or covered in pretty paper. They are great for little figurines, marbles, etc.
Drawstring Bags - easy to make (or purchase). I use for dolls with their accessories, crayons, blocks, etc.
Hot Chocolate Containers - (the cardboard cylinder containers with plastic lids). Decorate the outside (bring some stickers on the plane and the kids can do that in their seat!) and fill with whatever fits. Perhaps that is the snack bin.
Ziploc bags of various sizes - especially if you have a child in diapers in case you need to put a used one in your bag until you find a garbage. Or for a soiled shirt, variety of snacks, art supplies, etc.

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