As I write this post today, we are actually on a JetBlue flight headed to Grand Cayman with our toddler. While we have had multiple flights with our toddler already, this is our first out-of-country trip with her. Besides getting her a passport and remembering to bring it with us, not much differs in the way that I approached packing for her.
Less than a month ago we returned from our first big trip with a toddler-aged child and it was to Colorado. Our trip included a series of 4 flights and pretty much nothing went “as planned” as far as the flights were concerned, but luckily, we were well prepared and our toddler still did incredibly well. To say the least, our toddler was certainly the least of our problems. I call that a win!
With that trip behind us, we were more confident in what we actually needed to pack this time around– AND — I think we did quite well so far considering I still have 2 hands available to bring you this post, well 1.5 hands; I am enjoying a Bloody Mary complements of my husband’s Mosaic status with JetBlue.
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Here’s what I packed to keep her entertained:
A Travel Tray
This travel activity tray– I ordered this tray before our last trip and I am glad that I did. I pulled it out and set it up in her lap on each of the 4 flights. It was great for containing her belongings so that they didn’t land on the airplane floor. We used it for snacking/eating, playing, drawing, watching shows and reading. When we arrived to our destination we used it in her stroller to feed her, eliminating the need for a high-chair. When we were done using it, it was easy to disassemble and store in her L.L. Bean Deluxe backpack.
I also want to tell you that a flight attendant on our current flight was loving our toddler’s set-up, especially this tray.
Amazon Fire Tablet (With Case & Bluetooth Headphones)
I know this one will be somewhat controversial, but there is no mom-shaming allowed here, please. As parents we all do the best that we can and this works quite well for us. And a qualifier for the doubters– the only time my toddler has any screen-time is when we are traveling by plane. This certainly doesn’t make me better than anyone… but it does make it very exciting and new for her on the special occasions when we travel which would not be the case if she was able to use our phones or tablets often. When we get back home, this device will disappear, again.
I am recommending the Amazon Fire because not only has it worked well for us, but it is affordable at just under $50! In my opinion, there is no need to run out and purchase your small child an iPad… we have the 7 inch Fire model, and it does everything we need it to and more. We find the 7 inch size to be just right too, especially for traveling.
Since I am an Amazon Prime member, I found it easy to just download some shows and movies for her there and the best part is that once they are downloaded, you wont need an internet connection to watch them! We try to select shows that can help her supplement her learning and development. For example, for this trip she has been learning all of her animals so we are featuring shows with her favorite animals, and programs for her to learn colors. She is a complete sponge right now (19.5 months) and I love for her to be exposed to as much information as she possibly can.
Also, this case is truly awesome for kids. It can be propped, hung, etc. It protects the device from drops and it also features some nice handles on the side which help with your child not touching the screen as they hold it- a feature you will appreciate!
This may seem over the top, but these particular bluetooth headphones are comfy, assist with some noise canceling, and also only play sound at a level that is safe for your child’s hearing. Additionally, they are cheap at about $20 and if the battery is charged up there is no need for a wire, so that eliminates the strangulation hazard. The only thing I will say is, and this applies to all childrens headphones that I have tried, the safe volume level seems pretty low to me. I can hardly hear it with the engine noise on the plane… but it didn’t seem to bother my daughter. Maybe all the years of me listening to audio at high volumes really is catching up to me…
A Baggie of Small Toys
As the trip got closer I began to stash away some of the smaller toys that my toddler likes to play with in a ziplock. This worked well for us on our last big trip as well. For this trip I chose some Fisher Price Little People, a handful of her magna-tiles, and a dress up Minnie Mouse toy.
I also have selected a few items for her out of the travel toy pack I purchased for her last trip. I brought the whole pack last time in addition to her baggie of toys, and found it too be too much. Overall this travel toy pack was good purchase but I found some of the toys to be too mature for my 19 month old so this is why for this trip I decided only to select a few items she would like from this pack and I will hold onto the rest for future trips when she is a bit older.
As for what I did pack, I intend to introduce all of these toys to her one at a time, as needed. I don’t have to worry (as much) about these toys landing on the floor because of that nifty activity tray, otherwise small toys are a travel nightmare. Then when we get to our hotel these will be the toys she can play with in the room.
A Couple of Books
She loves her books so I know this will save us in a pinch during the flights, but will also be great to have for the vacation part too!
We packed Moo Baa La La La which is, arguably, her favorite book right now. She loves animal sounds.
We also packed “If You Give a Cat a Cupcake” – we read her pretty much the entire series daily, but I tried to pick her favorite for this trip. I know she will be happy that we did.
Snacks (& Drink)
Bring lots of snacks. We like apple sauce pouches, snack catcher containers with puffs or cheerios and snack bars.
We also bring one oh her spill-proof cups, Munchkin Miracle 360 Stainless Steel are my favorite choice for traveling because they keep her drinks cold. We also bring along a couple bottles of water. (Yes, you can bring water with you when traveling with a toddler)
If you are interested in flying with toddlers, read about why I always buy my toddler her own seat on the plane and which car seat we use for traveling here.
