Toddlers on a Plane are Harder to Entertain than Snakes

The lovely Mrs. InACents is back for another guest post.

I have packed two small sewn drawstring bags, one for each boy, chock full of new activities for them to do on all of our upcoming flights to Disneyland and Hawaii. My basic fear is that I will end up on the Today Show after being kicked off of a plane with two unruly toddlers. So after many nights of laying awake I have devised these bags as my plan. I wanted to share with you, traveling parents, some of my ideas pre-trip. I will let you know later which ones were hits and which ones were misses. This is a two part post as I got very wordy with each child’s bag description. Look back tomorrow to see what is going into Sharky’s bag (age 1).

Buggy’s (age 3) Airplane Fun Bag (The One with Turtles on it)

1. Lacing Cards (Melissa and Doug)– He has never played with these before. They were a Christmas present from my in-laws that I conveniently hid in the hub bub of too many new toys. I loved these as a kid so I wanted to use them for the first time in a quiet moment together. These are wonderful for fine-motor development and on the airplane I will have the time to help him as they can be hard to get the hang of for little fingers.
2. Magnetic Farm Yard– I found this at a discount store in Cleveland called Marc’s where they carry closeouts. This sort of toy though is sold everywhere…easy to find on Amazon or at bookstores. I have even bought some fairytale themed ones at independent children’s toy stores. This is not something I had thought of, but one of my friends said it was her favorite thing to do in the car when she was little (Colorforms and magnetic boards). When she said that it reminded me I had bought this farm yard version and stashed it in my gift area months ago.
3. Crayola Pipsqueaks Colored Pencils– Markers are messy and crayons may melt but the new “IT” art supply is the colored pencil. These are also perfect for little ones because they are short, fat, easy to grasp, and triangular so they cannot roll off of the airplane tray. They come with a pencil sharper. I am bringing a small notepad of white and colored paper as well. I have a Curious George Coloring pad and stickers that were a gift from our babysitter that I saved for airplane fun.
4. Snacks (and Art)– I am packing several snacks including a Tow-Mater sucker that my son forgot about from Easter and his first pack of gum. Both good for popping ears. He has been telling everyone he meets that he is going to have his first gum on the plane! I am also bringing some Cheerios and Fruit Loops with dental floss for him to string into necklaces.
5. Couple of new Disney Cars Characters– These will be useful in a hotel room too and in Disneyland to keep him somewhat satisfied with mousey merchandise. I may even wrap these in leftover wrapping paper to make unwrapping them more fun on a plane.
6. i-Phone Apps– I downloaded two new Toddler Apps on my i-phone, Build-a-Train and What Did Snakey Eat? My son has never been allowed to use my phone until this week and he already is good at Build-a-Train. So it will be a good quiet activity.
7. Special Headset– His own non-ear-bud normal headphones in case there is T.V. or a radio on the plane. I think he would hate earbuds so this will be a just in case item.
8. Special Books– I bought him the book “Froggy Goes to Hawaii.” This is the newest book from the Froggy series. It should be a hit and it will be a surprise.
9. Flash Cards and Workbooks– My son is having a hard time with colors, so we are bringing some quiet activities to practice and play school on the plane. Sneaking some learning in there as well!
10. Playdough Mats– I found these through several websites via Pinterest. I printed and laminated them and bought a small set of playdough. This is controversial because many people say their playdough has been confiscated! SHOCKING, I know! I even googled this: “Is playdough allowed on airplanes?” The reviews were mixed. I am bringing it because I have brought it before for my son and it was fine. I will let you know my results with those TSA guys. But, I think an even deeper question is posed here, and that is: “Is playdough a liquid or a solid?”

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