Flying with Kids: What to Pack for the Plane

Milana is now 7 and has flown well over 200 times, so we have this packing /airplane entertainment thing down.  We recently got her an Osprey Jet 12 backpack, and she knows that she has to carry whatever she decides to take. This has made her more conscious of her packing and she tends to no longer bring 100 Shopkins on the trip! We also travel with mostly carry on luggage, so she has her own carry on suitcase that she pulls through the airport.

Before every trip, she selects what she wants to bring for the plane ride.  We have a huge box with all sorts of fun travel toys/games/crafts, etc. and it’s sure to entertain even the pickiest child.  She usually selects 2-3 items from this photo for each trip, and it’s enough to entertain her for hours.  Thankfully, she’s really into crafts so a blank notebook with some crayons or markers, and she’s good to go!  Most of these items she’s been using since around 18 months of age, so it definitely fits a wide range of ages.  There is also a specific toddler/baby list if you scroll past the first one! Having a baby or toddler on an airplane doesn’t have to be a stressful thing! If you scroll down, you’ll find a list of baby travel essentials too.  There are many toys for the plane you can bring on your trip.

This is just some of the stuff we’ve brought on flights, but definitely the most used/played with. I will list them individually, along with links where you can purchase them.

1.  Wikki Stix These are individually packaged, and perfect for travel.  If you’ve never played with them, prepare to be amazed! They are completely mess free and require nothing aside from what’s in the package.  What you create is up to your imagination! This is great for kids of all ages.
2. Card Games We are a huge game family and always bring card games on trips since they are easy to pack.   This pack has all the popular ones that most kids know how to play and the rules are easy to follow.
3. Plus Plus These are so fun and open ended. Your kids can create anything they can imagine! The tube packs are small and easy to travel with.
4. Paint by Sticker books These are the best for older kids (I’d say 5 and up), Milana is obsessed! They are super small to pack and contain hours of non-messy entertainment. I highly recommend them!
5. Puffy Sticker Lot  Stickers are always a hit with kids, and puffy stickers are much easier to peel off the paper than the regular ones.  This set comes a ton of different sticker sheets, ranging from animals and cars to food and smiley faces.  It’s sure to entertain your child for at least some time!
6. Kids Travel Journal We use this one and like it as does Milana! Let your older kids capture the journey through their eyes.
7. Melissa and Doug Craft Kits  These are relatively inexpensive and will definitely occupy your child for some time. We have the bracelet, headband and bangles kit but there are a few others as well.  This is best for older kids, who can peel little stickers and pay more attention to detail.
8. Play Doh What child doesn’t like play doh?  Milana has been playing with this since she was a toddler, and to this day it’s one of her favorite toys. The possibilities are endless with this.  Bring a few tubs and you are good to go!
9. Playfoam This stuff is awesome! Similar concept to play doh, this squishy stuff molds into any shape without any mess whatsoever.  If you buy this box, they come individually packaged too, making them perfect for travel.
10. Playfoam Pals You get the playfoam but with a surprise character inside! Milana loves these, we have quite a few and it’s one of our favorite things to bring on a trip.
11. Melissa and Doug Water Wow Books These are perfect for toddlers! Each book comes with a chunky pen (perfect for tiny hands) that you fill with water.  Your child can then “paint” the book and the pictures fill with color when wet.  Once it dries, you can do it over and over again, making this a great value. There are many different themes to choose from too, so you’re bound to find one your child likes.
12. Melissa and Doug Magicolor Pad There are many versions of this too, but unlike the Water Wow, these are one time use.  Each books comes with a magic marker that will only color on this paper, so you won’t have to worry about your little Picasso drawing all over the plane walls/seats!
13. Aqua Doodle Travel Doodle This was something that Milana loved when she was younger.  It’s perfect for toddlers who are just learning how to draw.  Similar to Water Wow, you fill the included pen with water and your child can doodle on the pad, making the colors come to life. But unlike Water Wow, there are no pre-filled pictures.  What appears is up to your child’s imagination!
14. My Mini MixieQ’s Playsets These are great for entertaining kids on flights (and in hotel rooms!) and the contents fit inside the cube, making them great to travel with.
15. Melissa and Doug Puffy Sticker Play Set Are you starting to see a theme yet? Melissa and Doug seems to make the best travel products!  These little books come with a scene (many themes to choose from) and puffy stickers, which are perfect for little hands.  This is one of Milana’s favorite travel items, and she loves creating different scenes and repositioning the stickers as she sees fit.
16. Play Packs You can find play packs in the Target dollar section, but if your Target is anything like ours, the selection is scarce.  They’re $1 in store, and just a bit more on Amazon.  Each pack comes with a sticker sheet, crayons and a mini coloring book.  Great way to pass the time on a flight!
17. Eye Spy Seek and Find I recently purchased this for Milana and she loves it.  Similar to the Where’s Waldo books, kids have to find specific objects on each page.  This would be better for older kids, as it requires more concentration.
18. Safari Ltd Toobs If your child likes actual toys vs. crafts/books, these are perfect for you!  These little tubes all have a theme (pets, fairies, on the road, sea creatures, etc.) and each tube contains tiny figurines that go with the theme.  I love them because it’s compact and packed away easily and Milana loves them because she loves lining up her animals and playing pretend.
19. Triangular Crayons and a notebook.  The reason I bring triangular crayons is so that they can’t roll away.  Because we all know once it leaves the tray table, you aren’t getting it back!  Crayons and a notebook are probably the two things that will entertain Milana the most on a flight. She can doodle for hours and loves drawing pictures.
20. Kidz Gear Headphones If it’s headphones you’re looking for, I have found that Kidz Gear makes the best ones. We’ve had ours for several years now and they’re still in perfect working condition. These fit little heads well and have an option volume control attachment for little ones. I highly recommend these for kids!
21. Kid size neck pillow When Milana was younger, we used this one in her car seat on the plane to keep her head upright.  It fits tiny necks well and is super cute!
22. Cheese wooden block puzzle  This is awesome and we recently discovered it! It is intended for younger kids (18 months and up) but at 5, Milana loves it too! It’s super tiny and will entertain them for quite some time.
23. Trayblecloth This is another item we discovered this past summer.  I wish we had it much sooner!  The tray tables on planes are nasty, we’ve had so many with weird stains on them. This will cover it and has pockets to put crayons, snacks, etc.  You can also still close the tray with the cover on.  It folds up super tiny too!
24. World Traveler Shirts Because let’s face it, you will be changing outfits mid flight and what better shirts than cute, stylish travel inspired infant, toddler and kid shirts!
25. Boogie Board eWriter This is currently one of Milana’s favorites! Costco sells a large version however for travel purposes, we use the small one.  She can doodle and erase and it entertains her for quite a bit of time!
26. Tegu Travel Set We have a large set of these magnetic blocks at home and a small one for travel. These are awesome and the possibilities are endless! Definitely a favorite in this house.
27. Animal Erasers These are super tiny and fun to play with, Milana loves the food and animal ones!
28. Jewelry Making Kit Pack up a small bag of pony beads and some jewelry cord and you will have entertainment for hours!
29. Portable Lego Set There is no better toy than Legos and this tiny case has built in base plate where your child can built whatever they imagine.
30. Puzzles to Go If your child likes doing puzzles, these are great to take on trips! There are many different themes to choose from.

INFANT/TODDLER TOYS: 

1. Wooden Block Puzzle  Milana loved this when she was younger and it would entertain her for quite some time!
2. Bag of Toys This bag of travel toys is for babies and toddlers and is sure to entertain even the youngest traveler!
3. Buckle Toy This will entertain even the youngest of travelers and doesn’t take up much space in your bag.
4. Links These are great for infants as teething toys with lots of different textures.  Toddlers will love linking them together and taking them apart.
5. Disposable Placemats For older kids, I recommend the reusable Trayblecloth linked above however for babies, grab a pack of super compact disposable placemats.  Use them to cover the airplane tray table as well as in restaurants!
6. Take Along Shape Sorter Babies and toddlers love putting things into containers and taking them out so this is sure to entertain them for a while!
7. Finger Puppets Another easy to pack, entertaining toy for infants and toddlers!
8. Wooden Teether Set Milana loved this when she was a baby and I loved that it wasn’t plastic!
9. Magnetic Easel Magnets on one side, chalkboard on the other.  Great for toddlers!
10. Quiet Book These are awesome with lots of different activities for toddlers.
11. Tangle Set These are super fun for little ones to manipulate!
12. Dimpl This little toy is sure to entertain your infant/toddler for quite some time. Small enough to pack in your carry on and just one piece, making it great for the plane.

SNACKS

Let’s face it, hungry kids are grumpy kids! Since most domestic airlines no longer serve snacks, it’s important to bring your own.  Kids love to snack and the more variety, the better! If you are using large packs of something, I recommend pouring into small ziplocs or containers so that if your child drops it, at least it’s not the entire package! Here are some of Milana’s favorite in flight snacks.  We always have these in our snack closet, so she chooses a few to bring with us for the flight.

1.  Pumpkin Seeds Pumpkin seeds are a great snack for the plane! These are organic, raw and shelled, making it a perfect healthy snack.  They’re also loaded with iron, which is a plus!
2. Seaweed Snacks They don’t call dried seaweed toddler crack for nothing! Milana has been devouring these since she was a baby and still loves them to this day. Now, she will put rice in the middle roll it up “like sushi” and devour it.  These are easy to pack and great for travel!
3. Organic Mini Crackers These are some really tasty crackers, and the small individual sizes make them perfect for travel.
4. Annie’s Organic Fruit Snacks Milana loves fruit snacks but I hate the ingredients and dyes in the mainstream brands. Yes, these still have sugar, but at least she’s not getting a hefty does of red #40 with each bite! Everything in moderation and these are by far our favorite fruit snacks.
5. Messy Monkeys Cheese Bites We recently discovered these and Milana loves them! I love the ingredients and she loves the taste.  These are gluten and peanut free, perfect for kiddos with allergies.
6. Roo Bars I first found these little bars at a local health food store.  I bought one for Milana and she was hooked! They are gluten-free, vegan, raw ball of super fruity delicious mango, juicy pineapple and sweet banana. I highly recommend these.  Check out their other flavors too. We’ve only tried this one so far, because she really likes it.
7. Kind Pressed Mango Apple Chia Bars Mangoes are Milana’s favorite fruit so when they had samples of these at Whole Foods, I knew she had to try them. Of course, she loved them and now we keep them in the house. Just like the Roo Bars, these are individually wrapped and perfect for travel. The only ingredients are mango, apple and chia seeds.
8. Larabars There are so many different varieties of these, you’re bound to find one your child loves.  The main ingredient in each is dates, then whatever nut/fuit/etc each flavor contains.  Dave makes these at home by mixing dates and whatever nut/dried fruit we have however for travel, it’s much easier to buy these mini portable ones.  Only 3-5 ingredients in each bar, I don’t feel bad giving these to her.
9. Organic Dried Fruit There are many versions of this on the market, but Milana really likes the one by Peeled Snacks which has organic mango, banana and pineapple.  Trader Joe’s also makes really good dried mango, but make sure to get the unsweetened and unsulphured one since they do sell both.  Great alternative to fruit snacks!
10. Snyders’s of Hanover Cheese Pretzels These are so good! They come in small packages, with cheese in between two pretzels.  One of our favorite snacks!
11. Annie’s Organic Peely Tape This is another one of those sometimes snacks, basically the organic version of fruit roll up.  But unlike the fruit roll ups, these have no high fructose corn syrup or artificial colors/flavors, making them a much better treat.
12. Organic Crackers Every child loves goldfish crackers, but the ingredients in them make me cringe especially given the last salmonella recall!  These are a better alternative and while it’s not something I give her often, it’s a much better and healthier alternative to goldfish crackers. They’re individually packaged, which is a plus for travel as well.
13. Organic Cookies These little treats are individually wrapped and taste really good! They’re 100% nut free/made in a nut free facility, making them perfect for kids with nut allergies. They’re soy/egg/dairy free as well.
14. Clif Kid ZBarThese are a great alternative to candy bars.  While not something I would regularly give Milana due to all the sugar, the ingredients are better than traditional candy bars and organic.
15. Clif Kid Organic Twisted Fruit These are similar to fruit snacks, but with better ingredients.  This particular flavor has Organic Apple Puree, Organic Apple Juice Concentrate, Organic Natural Flavors, Malic Acid, Pectin, Colored with Fruit and Vegetable Juice. They’re super tiny and individually wrapped as well.
16. Annie’s Organic Popcorn Popcorn is one of Milana’s favorite snacks, and Annie’s makes a really good one.  Each box contains 20 small bags that you can take along on your trip.
17. Raw, organic nuts This is the one item that makes it on every trip. Nuts are a great source of protein and filling, making it a great snack. The possibilities are endless, but Milana loves cashews and pistachios the most so those two are the ones that always get packed in her backpack.
18. Organic Fruit Chews These are very similar to Starbust and perfect for kids who suffer from ear pain/clogged ears on the plane.  Be sure your child knows how to chew this type of candy prior to giving it to them!
19. Fresh Fruit-If you are traveling internationally, only pack enough for the duration of your flight since you will be forced to toss it prior to going through customs.  The best fruit for travel is one that comes in its own packaging-bananas, oranges, etc.  Fruit is always a hit, with no hidden ingredients.

Now you have a glimpse of some of the items we bring on our trips.  Of course, this may not work for all kids but it has served us well for many years.  Traveling with kids doesn’t have to be a harrowing experience. When they’re entertained and fed, everyone will have a much better experience!

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