Do you fear taking your children on long plane rides or road trips? Wondering how you are going to be able to entertain them while stuck in a seat? It doesn’t have to be scary, below are some ideas and tips for entertaining your kids on a trip.
I know that this tip is not about entertaining your child but it’s something I do every time we get on a plane. Before S touches anything, I use Clorox wipes and wipe everything that is touchable: the armrests, the seatbelt buckle, the window shade, the tray table and the air/light vents and buttons. I do not want to expose S (or myself) to all those germs and you will be amazed at how dirty your wipe will get!
When we travel by car, we have a travel tray for S that allows her a surface to play or eat on. We have had this travel tray for about a year now and really love it. The strap goes around the back of her car seat and connects at the tray. When the tray is not in use I place it standing up on the floor under her seat and the strap stays behind the seat for easy attachment.
When flying, make sure to have non electronic toys that do not require the tray table during take-off and landings. Our favorites are sticker books, Highlights’ High 5 magazine, books and even the magazines in the back pockets of the plane.
On the last trip we took, S had her travel binder, see this post for details, which she used during the flight.
I always bring a couple items that S has never seen before, whether it’s a new sticker book, a small toy, a new app for the iPad/iPhone or a new book. The new items do not have to be expensive, items from the dollar section or the dollar store work great. On our last road trip, I wrapped the new toys for S which added a little bit of excitement and also prolonged the process. I give S a new item about every two hours of a trip.
Items that I usually bring for entertainment are:
- Coloring book with crayons or markers (color wonder products are wonderful especially if you have a child who likes to write on items other than paper)
- Leap Pad
- Barbie with a couple changes of clothes (no small pieces like shoes that could get lost)
- Doodle Board – travel size
- Puzzles – I found some small 25 piece puzzles at Target 2/$1.00
- Books, Sticker Books, and Magazines
You will be surprised what entertains a child during your trip. When S was 17 months we flew to Hawaii and one of her favorite activities was sliding an old gift card alongside the tv/seat remote – like she was paying with a credit card at a store. Something that S does every time we get on a plane is to grab the Sky Mall magazine from the seat back pocket and ‘read’ through it. On our last flight, S and I took goofy pictures of ourselves which was not only entertaining and had us laughing, but was a great memory.
If S starts getting really antsy I will pull out our iPad or iPhone – we have many educational apps that she likes to play or just to watch a movie. When all else fails, you could always try singing (S’s favorite one trip was Wheels on the Bus) or a snack.
I know that traveling with children can be stressful, but remember your children take their lead from you, so if you are relaxed and having fun, then more than likely so will your children.
How do you entertain your toddler when traveling?
Great tips, thanks for sharing, we usually bring very similar items along on trips – play dough and iPads are our essentials for flights!!! Love your blog. Visiting from Sun Scholars Kids Friday! Have a great weekend!
Thanks for visiting Ciara!
I like that travel binder.. THAT is a good idea.. When we went to Disney (drove) I did the give the kids a present every few hours.. It was nice to get them off my back for a bit.
We loved the binder, I am in the process of making her another one for our next trip.
Your little one is ADORABLE!! I hope when I have little ones I can entertain them just as well as you do 🙂 Thank you for sharing!
http://neatly-packaged.blogspot.com/
Thank you!
Love this playdough and travel tray idea. Where’d you get it from?
It’s a Taby Tray from Amazon, here is a link: http://amzn.to/1k3sild
Great ideas to keep our little cherubs busy!
Thanks Kristin!
We’ll be doing the 9 hour flight from London to Orlando in November with two almost 2 year olds, and i’m dreading it! I’ve pinned your post and I’ll be referring back to it nearer the time.
I’d love it if you would stop by and add it to my Blog Hop Party http://www.supermommyclub.com/25-frozen-inspired-party-ideas-crafts-activities-recipes/
Thank you Clare, I’ll stop by and visit your blog hop party.
I love those mess free marker books. I save them for travel. They are great! Last time we had a super long road trip, I also brought color your own window stickers and window markers. When they were really ready to be done, I’d pull one out and it was great because you never get to draw on the car (without getting into trouble). It led to more imaginative play too because we started to pretend we were driving through the ocean and drawing the animals we saw.
Color your own window stickers sounds like lots of fun. I’ll have to look for those the next time we go on a car ride. Thank you for the suggestion and I love the pretend play!
I love the travel binder! One other thing we did for a road trip at that age was a felt board I made out of a small pizza box. I liked that the felt was safe even if it went flying across the car.
Great idea Heather and good point about felt being safe! 🙂
Great tips thanks so much for sharing. We haven’t ventured out of the UK yet, with the twins, but hope to later in the year. I’ll be making a note of all these. Thanks so much for linking up with #TwinklyTuesday — please could you add our new badge to your side-bar or post the next time you link up? Thanks!
Caro | http://www.thetwinklediaries.co.uk