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Have a flight coming up and looking for some good options to throw into your Amazon cart? Check out our “Must-Have” list to entertain your baby or toddler the next time you fly!
Our ‘Must-Have’ Toys for Flights with Baby or Toddler:
Post it notes and other random scraps of paper you have accumulated. Great for babies. You can have your baby stick and unstick them to the windows, crumple them up, whatever.
Stickers. I save old ones that we have accumulated or you can find cheap ones at a dollar store. You can encourage your child to decorate your paper coffee cup or magazine. For all those sticker collectors out there, you can bring this sticker book as a designated place to store their stickers so they don’t end up on the plane seat or tray table.
Food. Ok, so food isn’t technically a toy, but it definitely takes up enough time to constitute as one! Throw some cheerios on a string or pipe cleaner and see if your child can take them on and off one by one. Now you’ve got yourself a solid entertainment option!
Wiki Sticks. Some restaurants give these out to kids, so I usually save mine and stock up. Don’t have any? You can order them on Amazon here.
Finger puppets. These are especially great for babies. Plus they take up zero room in your bag! Find enough for your flight with some extras here.
A machine washable toy or doll. We have one that only goes on flights with us and she is so creatively named, “Airplane Baby”.
Easy to wipe down Little toys or action figures. A small toy or two that’s plastic and easy to disinfect is a good option to have in your bag. You or your child could make them talk or act out different scenarios. If Claire doesn’t want to change her diaper, I ask the little toy to come help me and it helps coax her into it (sometimes). Or if I need Claire to do something and she isn’t feeling it, I’ll ask her toy to do what I need her to do (“Little Piggy, you know that we’re supposed to sit nicely in our seats, right? Can you help show Claire what that looks like?”). Obviously doesn’t work everytime, but when it does, I’m glad Little Piggy decided to show up on our flight. I like to get a set of bath animals and bring one or two on our flight since I can easily clean them. Find ours on Amazon here.
Melissa and Doug Water Wow Books. Love, love, love these. You can fill up the water pen in the airplane bathroom and paint away without fear of a mess. The water dries up and you can reuse them again and again on the flight. Find a three pack to last you your whole trip and then some on Amazon here.
Melissa and Doug Reusable Sticker Pads. This one has lasted at least 15 flights. The stickers are reusable so you don’t have to worry about peeling them off of the seat back trays or arm rests. Find different scenes accoridng to your child’s interest on Amazon here.
Melissa and Doug Reusable Puffy Sticker Play Pad. For all of those sticker fans out there, here is another great sticker option. The puffy stickers are a little bit sticker and adhere better to the cardboard play pad than the other reusable stickers from above, but are also a little harder to remove. For that reason, I would recommend these puffy stickers for kids closer to toddler age. Find a cool three pack option here.
Magic Ink Book. This book allows your child to color with an actual marker, but it won’t mark up the seats or clothing. You can find them in all different characters, check out this three pack on Amazon here.
Doodle Board. Another drawing option that doesn’t require a type of market or crayon that could damage the seats.
Model Magic. Model Magic is Crayola’s better version of Play-Doh. It’s not as crumbly and I have found easier to manipulate and play with. You can get find it in individually wrapped packs here on Amazon. I throw one in my bag for each flight and usually keep a couple extra floating around my diaper bag for restaurants just in case.
Headphones. I like these ones from Amazon. They come in tons of colors and you can plug your headphones into the headphone jack and listen in, too. I especially like this so if Claire all of a sudden learns a new word and I can’t figure out what it is, I’ll be able to pinpoint it back to whatever show she was probably watching. Plus, I am super selective on what Claire is listening to on the tv, so if I don’t like how the show is going, I’ll know to change it since I’m able to listen in.
Kindle Fire Kids. We don’t have a tablet, but I am considering the Kindle Fire Kids for an upcoming 14 hour flight when Claire will be two and a half. It is geared for kids aged 3-12 and you can customize the content based on how old they are. You can choose which books, tv shows, movies, apps and games you put on it. Plus, there are tons in Spanish! You may also want a screen protector and memory card for it as well. You can find this kid-friendly tablet on Amazon here.
Optional: A child size backpack for your kid to carry their toys in. We started letting Claire bring her own backpack when she was old enough to carry it around on her back and not get sick of it. It also helps free me up some space when I don’t bring a huge diaper bag or pocketbook. I hook a carabeener onto the strap of my diaperbag backpack so I have an easy way to carry it when Claire can’t so it doesn’t get lost. I like the backpack selection from Pottery Barn Kids- you can even customize with their name or a patch.
Note: I do not recommend crayons, markers, pens, or anything that can mark up the seats around you… you do NOT want to get into a battle over what your child can and cannot draw on!
Note on iPhones
We aren’t big on an screentime on general, but when all else fails, we’ll try to go through pictures on our phone. This usually does the trick, since that alone is a treat in itself for Claire.
General Tips
Infants and smaller babies do not need anything crazy to keep them entertained. You would be surprised at how long crinkling or folding up random scraps of paper can hold their attention. Especially if you add in sound effects!
Want to buy yourself some more time? Try wrapping up the toys (or anything for that matter) like a present. Your baby will love opening everything and you will love having a little breather!
If you have a younger baby or toddler, it’s probably not a good idea to rely on them watching tv or a tablet for the whole flight for the simple fact that they just might not be all that interested in it. Claire wasn’t really into wearing headphones and watching tv without me having to narrate it until she was about two… and even then it was iffy.
How long the flight is dictates how many toys we will bring with us. You definitely don’t need the whole kitchen sink for a short hour long flight!
You may not have to buy a bunch of new toys for your upcoming flight, you probably already have quite a few things at home!
If you travel frequently, it may be helpful to have a secret drawer or bin where you can keep your travel toys in. That way they are new again for the next trip!
Don’t forget to pack away some of your travel toys in your luggage so you still have fresh surprises for your return flight home!
Having a few new and special surprises for your kids helps traveling on a plane go quicker for both you and your child!
Have a special toy that your child just LOVED on your most recent flight? We want to hear about it! Email us at info@travelisforthekids.com
You may also be interested in:
How to entertain your baby, toddler or small child on a plane
Flying Logistics When Traveling With Kids
Looking for ALL the things we love for flying with kids, not just toys? Check that list out here!
Traveling with Kids Flying FAQ
