It’s not easy to entertain children on a long flight. Here’s how to make it work without the angst.
Because my husband’s whole family lives in Israel, we’ve amassed quite a few frequent flier miles with our children in tow. We’ve flown with just one baby, then one toddler, then a toddler and a baby and as our family grew, with four children B”H. While those more difficult flights are a thing of the past, I’ve collected some useful tips and tricks to make traveling with young children pass as smoothly as possible for the rest of you.
• Fly at night.
• Pack busy snacks. Mini cookies, Cheerios, pre-washed grapes—these take time to eat. Avoid too many sugary treats, but make sure to have a couple for desperate moments. Button candy and Pez are good ones that last longer than most.
• Each child gets his/her own backpack. All but the youngest children can carry their own backpacks and then there’s no fighting over who has the most snacks left. And if you travel often, consider having separate travel backpacks that are not used as school backpacks. Ours are bright neon colors that can be spotted from across the airport terminal. I like to buy little games and toys in the days leading up to a trip to add to the individual backpacks. When we get home, they get washed and put away with the luggage.
• Activities are key. Know your child and take what works for him and not just the generic ideas you see out there. Some kids can be busy for 3 hours with just 2 Matchbox cars and some will be bored after 5 minutes with 15 of them. Crayons work for most kids —I keep a small box in each backpack and in my carry-on, as well. And pack fresh boxes for the flight home. Trust me—they will lose lots of them. Some other activities we’ve enjoyed over the years:
—Mini Play-Doh cans (they dry out in the air so just throw them out when done playing)
—Travel board games like Candyland and Chutes and Ladders
—Reusable sticker scenes/books for older kids
—Label dot stickers for toddlers—they’re easy to peel off the sheet
• Bring those glow sticks.
• Wear a hoodie. I don’t care if it’s mid-July, every person takes along a hoodie. Planes get chilly and hoods are also great for blocking eyes when trying to sleep.
• Remember your own headphones. Don’t count on using the ones they give out on the plane because they won’t necessarily work for a child. I like to bring along child-sized headphones that have volume control built-in so they can’t put on anything too loud.
• Baby in diapers? Calculate how many you would typically need for the number of hours you will be out from door to door and then triple it. It sounds excessive until you have a kid whose digestive system is messed up by the air travel and you’re changing a diaper per hour. And there are 3-hour on-tarmac delays. Been there, done that. Also, if your baby/child has a security blanket or lovey, take along a backup. Again, been there, done that.
• Bring a change of clothing for yourself. Trust me on this one. To make all this shlepping a little easier, I usually pack the items I want during the flight for myself in my handbag. Then I can pack a separate backpack or wheeled suitcase with the extra items that come along as backup or are just bulky. My change of clothing, my husband’s tallis bag, the extra diapers, children’s Motrin, etc. all go in there. I stow the bag and only take it out if/when needed.
• All the old tablets can be really useful.
• Have enough strollers and car seats. Any child 5 and under go in a stroller at the airport. Two singles are easier to navigate than a double (I’ve never actually had a double, but I imagine that’s true). I also take along my car seat from home because I like to use it on the plane and in my rental car. I don’t trust rented car seats (shudder). There are several products on the market to make this easier, but I can personally recommend the . It attaches to your car seat and allows you to wheel it through the airport like a stroller.
• Empty water bottles & sippy cups!
• A pre-flight nap, just for mom. If at all possible, get a substantial nap in before you fly because you probably won’t get much sleep if any. Do NOT let your child nap if he normally does not, because that just gives him that extra dose of energy to stay awake until 5 AM.
If I sat here at my computer for another hour, I’d probably come up with some more gems but I think I’ll open this up to your suggestions. What has worked for you? What do you wish you had done differently? Or do you have any specific situations you’d like to ask about? I’m listening!
Dramamine and Melatonin
Yes! How could I forget the dramamine?! (To be totally honest, I have prescription Zofran for myself and one of my kids for when we travel. We pair that with Dramamine for a completely nausea-free flight.)
Thanks for the great pointers!!
And thank you for the feedback!
If you or your kids are yogurts or Leben eaters those foods will not get thru airport security. But…………. if u freeze them beforehand and take them out right before u leave the house they will still be frozen by security and not be considered a liquid. About 2 hours later they r ready to eat. Works every time.
That’s an awesome idea!! Definitely keeping this one in mind.
We travel often with the kids, 3 under 5 and we’ve give through most of these tips you’ve mentioned. Some are new, like the empty bottles!! Such a good idea! Next time 🙂 thank you for writing this up. Loved it.
You’re very welcome, Chaya! I’d love to hear some of your tried and true tips.
Great write up. Entertaining and practical. My boys (6 and 8) love to draw on boogie boards. Another winner has always been a box of bandaids for each of them – they concoct contests and cover their knees it’s adorable
Small ziploc of of cheerios and lasso they make necklaces and eat them
A kids travel footpillow, so they can lay flat and nap or sleep on the plane-in economy! Also in the car. Link below is the best one ????
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07739JK6Z/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_U_x_TzmwAbHXGEFBD%20via%20@amazon
Thank you so much for the wonderful suggestions. We have found that they allow kids with water bottles/ sippycup theough security. ????????♀️.
Also, some flights announce no peanuts/peanut butter / nuts if there is someone with a severe allergy so it may not be the best thing to bring along.
I give my kids little notebooks so they can draw, color, put stickers and write notes. It keeps them occupied for awhile.
Thank you Jess! The water bottle rules are relaxed sometimes – but not always. Better safe than sorry! Also, we do this for the adults, too. Sitting next to a kid, you don’t want cups on your tray, either. As for the PB sandwiches – that’s a very good point! They can still be useful when you arrive at your destination, but probably good to take a different sandwich your child enjoys, too.
Thanks for the great tips and ideas! Most of these have worked perfectly for us in the past! Any more food ideas? As in after that night flight, when they get hungry for breakfast, what do you give them? PB sandwiches won’t work in our family… and we have a 2 hour drive after the flight!!
I always bring crayola colour wonders and the colouring books or plain paper that you can buy with it. It keeps the kids busy for hours and there’s no chance of the markers going on anything else!
Have traveled overseas a few times, last was with 3 under 4. Best two things we did: scooters for the airport!!! Seriously. My 2.5 and 3.5 yr old were scooting around. We didn’t have to push them in a stroller or drag them through the endless airport. We have the micro scooters that can be taken apart and then stowed beautifully on the overhead.
Second thing was to get car seats for all the kids. Over 2 you’re either way paying for a seat. They sleep much better, and even if they don’t they’re much more contained and comfortable. [bcp note: this scooter looks like a good cheaper option too]
Do all airlines allow scooters for children? Another wonderful tip is to freeze water bottles that go through security since its frozen and then you have ice cold drinks on the plane.
Hi-if I have a midnight flight to/from israel do I keep my toddler up till we leave or let them sleep and hope they transfer? Thanks?
I let them sleep then transfer them. Often the excitement of the plane with overtiredness will keep them up!
Regarding yogurt, most squeezable yogurts are small enough to pass TSA inspection, as well as the squeezable apple sauces. There is even one brand that puts TSA compliant right on the packaging, but most of them should be ok, just double check. We loaded up an insulated lunch bag with tons of yogurts and apple sauces and they all made it through.
Traveling for succos and this was so helpful!! Thank you!
You can always fill up your water bottle with ice before the flight, so after a few hours on the plane you will have ice cold water, or ice to put in your beverages.
Also, window stickers are a great activity as they can be stuck anywhere in many different ways and don’t leave behind stickiness. The more peices it has, the longer it will entertain. After a holiday like thanksgiving, they are on sale in places like target or Walmart so I always stock up then.
I have the scooter suitcase its a hand Luggage and a scooter! My kids live it and entertains them too plus they get to out all their toys,books and snacks inside!
Here’s the link
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Zinc-Flyte-Fifi-Flamingo-Scooter/dp/B07K76R6YH/ref=asc_df_B07K76R6YH/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=319380311463&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=16837198024366606620&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9046002&hvtargid=pla-606978914539&psc=1&th=1&psc=1