Last week I took Ali (4) and Jurgs (16 months) on a solo trip to New Jersey to visit family. If you know me, I’m always after the “perfect pack” – packing just the right stuff to do the job, nothing more, nothing less. This trip I pretty much nailed it at keeping these two entertained for 4.5 hour there and 5.5 hours back (because, of course, we were delayed on the runway both times).
While I usually pack toys, this time I went for crafts. In addition to taking up less space than most toys, crafts have the added bonus of expendable – if something goes missing it’s not the end of the world.
Of course, in addition to this stuff, Ali also had an iPad loaded with shows and games. These days though, that only keeps his attention for an hour at most. There were also snacks and jellybeans! A jellybean distribution every 30 minutes went a long way for all three of us.
Here’s what we had in our adventure pack. It all fit easily into a gallon ziplock bag, hardly taking up any space in my carry-on/diaper bag.
PlayDoh – Santa brought a bunch of the 2oz PlayDohs this year, and they were perfect for travel. When I first heard someone recommend PlayDoh for the plane I thought they were insane, but it’s actually the perfect activity for the airplane tray table. And, as long as you stay somewhat on top of the situation, it cleans up really easily.
Floam – one color for each kid. Though they enjoyed the PlayDoh more. Jurgen was interested in eating the Floam, so I had to be extra vigilant.
Cookie Cutters – for the PlayDoh.
Paper straws – we use these to make PlayDoh or Floam sculptures, practice cutting, threading, etc.
Pipettes – these are my boys’ favorite. We get water during the drink service, drink most of it, then play with the rest. It just takes a little bit, and they love moving it from one cup to another with the pipettes. If it spills, it dries quickly.
Stickers – to decorate anything and everything that isn’t part of the plane (haha)
Safety Scissors – these don’t have any metal, so they go through security without issue. Alistair liked rolling out the PlayDoh with his hands then cutting the “snakes” with scissors.
Hole Punch
Yarn & plastic needle – use the hole punch to make holes in paper (we also had a couple paper plates) then thread the yarn through them.
Washi tape – keeps things in place without leaving a mark. Jurgs was also entertained just by peeling off pieces of washi tape stuck to the tray table.
Crayons
Notebook
I also threw in the usual suspects: Water Pen Book by Melissa and Doug // Kid-O Magnatab // Jellycat Book // Kids’ Magazines
The biggest secret to a smooth flight though? Attention. The flight isn’t my time to relax and watch a movie – it’s my time to engage with my kids, and I look forward to that. At home, there are always distractions pulling me away from giving my kids 100% of my attention: cleaning, cooking, work, laundry…on the plane, it’s just me and them, and we have a lot of fun. I’ve found that if I’m fully immersed in their world for 80% of the flight, I can get sometime to myself to read, when Jurgen naps and Ali is enjoying a show or craft on his own. But, if my expectation is to read or be “productive” that is a recipe for disaster.
