What I packed… and what I actually used on a plane ride with my 18 month old
Being prepared is key when traveling with toddlers; they have short attention spans and prefer to be on the move exploring than stuck sitting in one place - which makes long flights at this age extra challenging.
But travel que be a success if we are prepared. Here are the items I brought with me in a recent 5+ hour plane ride.. and the activities she enjoyed the most and - more importantly- kept her engaged the longest.
Every child is different so this list is just for inspiration!
1️⃣ Montessori Posting Pegs Montessori Toys
From: CatsCraftToys Etsy shop.
Links: shop here
2️⃣Montessori Felt Busy Book for Toddlers
From: MegansToys
4️⃣. Le toy van wooden stacking animal toys
We brought a couple of these because they are small and easy to play with and carry
5️⃣Books ( most interactive)
Hungry farm popup faces
The very hungry caterpillar touch and feel
“ Tapitas curiosas los nombres de las cosas”
6️⃣ stickers and post-its
In the past when we travelled when she turned 1, stickers were super fun for her so i brought a roll and some post its … we actually didnt get to use themnin this trip- but good to have extra activities on standby!
7️⃣Snacks
Serenity foods grain free organic puffs: i place them in mini stainless steel containers ( I use the Rover little round dipper containers from Planet box and have them ready to go. I find its better to giver her a small amount at a time vs show her the entire container.
Sweet potato quinoa cake from Erewhon
Cut fruit: grapes& stone fruit ( these stain less than berries)
Made small chickpea flour pancakes ( equal parts chickpea flour and water and add chives or any herb you have) and brought a couple to munch on
What were the activities that kept her engaged for longest? That she actually played with?
1️⃣busy book from Etsy. Omg this was a godsent. It kept her engaged for like 40 min!! Thats ALOT for an 18 mont old. She loved the matching shapes and colors-mostly the act of sticking them on one by one and then taking them out. We counted them, she repeated words… over and over . She loved it. I love that this will def grow with her as it features activities that are even more advanced . Best purchase ever!
2️⃣Water art- she likes art and “ coloring” at home so I hoped she would like this. This kept her engaged like 15 min ( again a fair amount of time for her age!) and then 10 ish min when I took it out again later in the flight. She actually liked wetting her fingers and hands and “ painting” with her finger
3️⃣Snacks- no surprise snacking kept her engaged a good chunk of time. We chatted while she ate - some of the snacks we brought on: sliced grapes, serenity grain free puffs ( 3LITTLEPLUMS for 15% off- will share an affiliate link to shop in my stories), organic sweet potato quinoa patty ( freshly made at erewhon), sliced apricots and peaches, serenity pouches for take off and landing in case ears hurt)
What else did she engage a lot with?
📚The interactive books were great- we read them a few times each and she loved opening and closing the windows etc and saying different things we id’s
🐿️ little wooden animals : we played pretend to feed the animals, a version of simon says with the animals, hid the animals she would find them
🎶itsy bitzy spider, wheels on the bus & other fav songs from @bailabaila were sung a lot over and over 🤪 too
All kids are different so best tip is: be prepared with tons of new & old activities!