Flying cross country with a baby that’s 1.5 yrs old. Help! What do I bring to entertain the gremlin for 7 hrs?

Question

Hillary · Answer

Happy Baby Organic Yogis Strawberry: I saw a post on r/parenting once that had a calculator for how many Yogis you needed depending on the duration of the flight, I thought it was funny at the time until I was doling out 1 Yogi per second during takeoff and landing.

Dan · Answer

Tape: Just a roll of colored tape. You stick pieces to the seat back, she rips them off. For hours. Also download the Ms. Rachel eps to the Netflix app.

Cassie D · Answer

Individually wrapping items in brown paper bags: Little animals, items from around the house (gadgety things, key rings, spare clickers or remotes if you want a god tier item),any of the suggestions from below. I’d do 7 little packages, one per hour, which will make you feel on top of the world if you space them out even longer. Anything that slows them down is so useful.

Also I was a bloody anxious bean about the flights and it was fine/surpassed my expectations that were on the floor. People want to help, let them. The novelty of the flight, buttons, new faces are all tools at your disposal as well.

Cassie D · Answer

Fishing tackle box: A local hardware store will stock something, your job is to load up with as many different dried fruits, nuts, grains - let those pincers get a workout. (I took two seperate ones for my solo international flight with the same aged kiddo and it worked wonders).

Cassie D · Answer

LCD tablet: Especially if there’s a little slider on the back that lets you magically “lock” your artwork. Lots of inquisitive pokes and prods to follow. Helpful for dinners out at your destination as well. (Any local toystore should have - just wanted to avoid linking to A)

Courtney · Answer

Dum dum lollipops: These are your “break glass in case of emergency” option. Use sparingly but whip one of these out riiiight before everything goes sideways.

EllieEats · Answer

Pushpeel Original Sensory Activity Board: This board requires some parental help, but it’s provided a lot of entertainment and joy at our house. The strings are silicone, so they’re not a hazard if you have a thrower, and they’re fun to push into the board and pull out over and over. Added bonus of providing good practice for fine motor skills and learning colors and numbers!

Sarah · Answer

Puffy stickers: These were a hit recently at my 2yo’s bday party. Chubby little fingers can peel them from the backing, and the kids enjoyed adorning themselves with stickers. You could also try the Melissa and Doug puffy sticker set which comes with a pamphlet to which you can peel and restick the stickers indefinitely, but FYI some of those stickers are tiny and apparently irresistible to my 2yo, who slips them in her mouth, so you might want to remove those first.

Ginny Branch · Answer

Stabilo Woody 3 in 1 Pencils and Sets: Chunky, easy-to-grip, water-soluble and washable. Like a pencil/watercolor/crayon in one!

Ginny Branch · Answer

3M Post-it Notes - Original, 1 1/2 x 2: Post-its and some washable toddler crayons or my fave, stabilo woody watercolor pencils

Louisa Cannell · Answer

Tray cover: This is clutch for plane rides with toddlers so you can avoid constantly picking things up off the ground

Clara G · Answer

Wikki Stix Neon Pak of 48: Entertaining not messy - good for a tray table

Amy · Answer

Printed photos for the airplane: Ever since my daughter was 9 months old, I printed out photos of my cat for her to go through and now she’s 5 and still asks for them when we get seated. Shutterfly app has free 4x6 prints - perfect! Let the child open the package and go through themselves. Adorable!

JV · Answer

Give Them Sticks! (1-2 yo): I cannot stress how much this contraption captured my daughter’s attention. A super solid travel toy for pre-boarding, and easy to toss in a bag —albeit you can lose the sticks in car seat cushions or on the plane, so maybe keep a couple in reserve (or buy two to stock up on sticks). She played with this for at least 15-min at a time which I’m telling you…is a good long time.

Kathleen Jordan · Answer

Baby Suction Spinner Toys: Put them here, there, everywhere. Travel staple for us.

Emily Teague · Answer

LINDOR Dark Chocolate Truffles: Travel with a bag of Lindor balls and hand them out like confetti to flight attendants, gate agents, and the people cleaning the plane. Basically anyone who has to interact with travelers on purpose. Chocolate is surprisingly effective diplomacy. Whatever survives the trip is your travel rewards program

Bethany Poteat · Answer

Mister Rogers' Neighborhood: I know, I know, it’s screen time and your baby is very young, but Mr. Roger’s is in a class of its own. It is so slow, that to me it seems comparable to FaceTime with grandparents, with a side of classical jazz music and factory tours. I took Emily Oster’s advice on screens: ask yourself “what is it replacing?” You will need a subscription to download episodes, I subscribed to PBS kids through Prime. For a child this age I’d pair with Bandou soft headphones. Good luck!

YooMi · Answer

Amazon: Similar to my other rec - snack boxes that can be turned into a game. This one fits just a few raisins or puffs in each, so it’s definitely more for the game than sustenance.

YooMi · Answer

GoBe Kids Snack Spinner (Small): This might cover 30 minutes of the flight, but has been a constant companion when I fly with my two littles. Interactive and there are snacks involved!!

Lisa w · Answer

Liquid dynamic keychain: I feel like a sensory toy like this would be great for any age kiddo. keychain style would keep it tied down in case you have a thrower like I do.

Lisa w · Answer

Washi tape: First of all, I’m here for the recs bc I’m doing the same thing 🫠

Second, here’s mine: washi tape. They love to peel off the strips & washi won’t get stuck, leave marks, or tug on the seat in front of you (you could also do the arm rest, your water bottle, the window).