On almost every flight I see families that failed to bring any activities for their kids. My classic example occurred on a 14 hour flight from Hong Kong to the US. The family in the seats behind us brought nothing for their kids (ages 4 and 2) to play with, no snacks, and no comfort items – despite the fact that they had a huge carry-on with two laptops (apparently not for the kids as the adults used them the entire flight), books, blankets, and snacks (again, apparently not for the kids as they didn’t seem to share). Their kids cried until my oldest could stand no more and offered to share her toys with them.
Seriously, what are people thinking? The days of free playing cards and kid’s travel packs on US carriers are long past – now you are lucky to get a beverage! Want to avoid a serious mid-flight meltdown? Plan ahead and buy a TravelKiddy or spend the time, money, and effort to create your own.
In addition to the TravelKiddy, here are our other “must have” carry-on items:
- Complete change of clothes for each child and a fresh shirt for each adult (accidents and spills will happen – be prepared)
- Supply of children’s Tylenol/Motrin, Pepto, and bandages
- Tissues, wipes, and Tide-To-Go pen
- Chap stick
- Snacks – no experimenting! Bring a selection of sweet and savory items
- Water purchased after clearing security
- Zip top bags
- Favorite comfort items (blanky, binky, stuffy, etc.)
- Kid friendly maps and/or books about destination
- Sense of humor
- Sock puppets
Happy Travels
Flying with Kids · travel activities
Maria · January 19, 2010 at 10:17 am
Hello,
Thank you for your post. It is very important to keep kids entertain during the flight. And as you mentioned, favorite comfort items are also a must. Especially if there are a few turbulence, it is an important reassuring feeling to have those for kids. We, at Fox Rent A Car Blog, like to share travel advice to make trips easier for parents and help them plan full visits with information about diverse attractions not to miss in different cities. We also wrote a post sharing tips about traveling with children.
Thanks again for your post.