The good thing about booking our Disney cruise almost 2 years in advance is that I've had plenty of time to accumulate things for their airplane travel backpacks.
What I've found works best for us is:
* I pack each kid a variety of toys and entertainment in a backpack that they must use as their carry-on.
* The toys/entertainment are new or new to them and they haven't seen them before.
* I don't let our kids open their backpacks until they are seated on the airplane. While we are waiting in the airport, I run them around a desserted part of the terminal or we go up and down escalators to get some energy out.
* I pack half of the new stuff in our suitcase to refill the backpack with fresh goods for the return trip home.
And of course, my challenge is always to accumulate their entertainment stash without breaking the bank.
I've got the kids' entertainment stash almost done for our upcoming trip. Here's a look:
I've got 3 packs of the Crayola Color Wonder coloring kits. These are great because the markers can only color on their special paper, which means they won't make a big mess. I got all 3 of these for $1 or less at Kohl's over the past year because Kohl's mailed out $10 off $10 coupons and they have these in their toy section.
Some coloring books:
Some small toys purchased at Kohl's (free with $10 off $10 coupons):
A few restaurant prizes that the kids haven't seen: (free)
And, some "new to them" Star Wars and Chuck Norris action figures (these were my husband's from the '80s! taken out of storage):
I've also got some Disney stickers and Disney water bottles (from the Disney Store, on sale). And lollipops for the take-off and landing.
My older two will each have access to an iPod with some games and TV shows.
Hopefully that will keep them happy for about 5 hours of flight time! (We are traveling North for a layover before heading South for the cruise).
What are your tips for traveling with your kids? What keeps them happy?
It's always hard, especially when they have to turn off electronic devices. I have some of those old school games like putting hair on the bald man's head with magnet stuff or other things if you want to borrow them. When are you leaving? We are driving to Chicago 2x this summer so I have to make sure I have them for us!
ReplyDeleteIt is really hard to keep them entertained on a plane when traveling. I let the kids pack some activities in their backpacks. I also bring my iPad when we can turn on electronics the kids have fun with that. The kids can play games, watch movies, and watch TV through my provider DISH. I have the Sling Adapter hooked up to my Hopper DVR and the kids can access all the channels live or our recordings right on my iPad. They love being able to watch all their favorite shows on the road when we are traveling. A co-worker at DISH told me I could use my Blockbuster@Home service through my iPad as well. Therefore, on the one app I can watch movies and TV, which is awesome for the kids.
ReplyDeleteWe do what you have done. We get backpacks and fill them with "new" things to do. Also we bring the i-pad and my nook. Sometimes they have more fun just looking out the the window and could care less about the "new" stuff. So it is always a little bit of a challenge. The stuff you got looks great. My kids would be thrilled with it.
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