Question: We are planning to hop to the states in October with Weston and Shane (3 and 1) and I am wanting to make some little travel activity packs with things for them to do on the way. Does anyone have any suggestions for travel-friendly things that will occupy them for as long as possible?
Osan Parents travel A LOT! Here are some of their tips for keeping the kids distracted and happy en route.
Answer: When Austin was younger the V-tech books kept him busy. They are hard plastic and have lots of things to push to make noise. Coloring worked good for him this last trip. Go for color wonders, Austin colored on the tray table with crayons last time. Of course the portable DVD player with fav movies is a must have. Books are nice too. They take up some time.
Answer: Model Magic Clay and Color Wonder markers with coloring book. Both from Crayola. Portable DVD player (they even have one with games that we got for Jack when he was 3. That one is by Colby.)
Answer: This is going to sound weird, but Charlie loved it. Buy a box of tissues and let them pull out every single tissue in the box. Also buy little cheap-o toys and wrap them individually. Then let them open and play with them one at a time. Using a tissue box (perhaps the one that they ripped all the tissue out of?!) throw in a few different textured items and without them looking in let them try to figure out what it is (yarn, rubber bouncy ball, safety pin, matchbox car, etc). I bought an aquadoodle that works great and you don't have to worry about them coloring on anything they shouldn't. The crayola color wonders do the same thing.
Answer: I packed the travel size magna doodle, they aslo have a mini version too. Crayola has this packet you can buy that has black paper but you use they special marker and what ever the kids draw show up in rainbow patterns or sparkly some are plain others have batman and the like. We also couldn't leave without the favorite stuffed animal, a small one though. I packed flash cards for all the kids, 9,7,3 and baby at the time. For the little ones we used a hole punch and put the cards on a ring.
Answer: I know this sounds hokey, but I took fruitloops and cheerios and a ball of yarn (small ball) and my kids made bracelets and necklaces and even gave them away to other kids on the plane. They had a great time and it was a great snack since they did not particularly like the menu on the flight! I got them making patterns and we did it for a long time. Also, you might want to take your own plug in headphones. My kids do not like the earbud style they gave us on the plane.
Answer: Be sure to ask for kid friendly meals on your flight. That made such a difference for us. Some of the meals were better than what was served for the adults.
Answer: Bring a mixture of things they're familiar with that they like (books, writing materials, etc) as well as some new "surprises." They get bored easily, and of course have short attention spans. They also can get anxious being stuck in such a confined space (like who doesn't). Let them roam around a bit when it's okay to do so, but stay with them the entire time. It may be appropo to bring a travel seat for the 1-year old, but don't bother with the 3-year old. Be sure to pay for them to have their own seats; it's worth the extra cost. A favorite small pillow may be useful. The 1-year old may have trouble with ear pain as a result of changes in cabin pressure during altitude changes, especially during descent / landing. So a pacifier may come in handy if still using one. Something appropo to chew on can alleviate the discomfort, at least to some extent. A lightweight foldable stroller is good to bring along; usually checked before boarding but brought to the jetway upon disembarking. The 3-year old might like to look out the window and see what's happening; can sometimes alleviate frustration.
Answer: Crayola Color Wonder has gotten us through many, many international flights. If your not familiar with them, they will only write on the color wonder paper/coloring books, so you don't have to worry about a huge mess! Our BX carries them too!
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