Our children are 2 and 4 years old at this time and have never traveled on an airplane.
To prepare for our first flight, I packed each child a small backpack that they are responsible to carry and we packed it per their needs for things they would enjoy while flying.
Here’s a list of what we came up with for each child’s bag:
- Snacks of Their Choice
- Starburst (instead of gum) to prevent plugged ears when you reach high altitude.
- Suckers
- iPad – with headphones
- Color Wonder Marker Set
- Sticker Activity Book with Crayons + Games
- Play-Doh Mini
- Sippy Cup – Keep your kids’ cup empty until you pass security and fill them with bottled water before boarding the plane.
Five Below, Michaels and the Target Dollar Spot are a great place to find small crafts or games to keep your child busy on the plane. Choosing to bring snacks your kids enjoy makes it a bit easier than relying on what’s on the planes snack cart.
Using Ziploc bags instead of containers can help eliminate weight, and wasted space in your bags once the snack has been consumed.
If you are bringing a stroller along, it is great for storage but keep in mind once checked, it must be folded up and be empty… leaving you with a whole bunch of stuff to hold on to.
For my “Mom Bag” Backpack I packed the following:
- Hand Sanitizer
- Kleenex
- Change of Clothes (with underwear) for each child
- Travel Size Baby Wipes
- Travel Size First Aid Kit – I swapped out the Band-Aids in my kit for fun princess and unicorn themed Band-Aids. The happier the kid, the easier the recovery from the boo-boo.
- iPhone/iPad Charger
- Clorox Travel Size Wipes (to wipe down our seats and trays)
I don’t think I’ve used a backpack since high school but I decided to purchase one before our trip. I know it can come in handy for traveling and to wear throughout theme parks as well. It also keeps my hands free and able to hang on to the girls.
I typically carry a messenger bag, but it lacks space for the things we may need while out and about. On the plus side, backpacks seem to be making quite the comeback! I found the most gorgeous Chanel one… but we’ll talk about that another time!
Specifically, I wanted something with two side pockets for easy access to water bottles and a front pocket to easily access things like my phone and wallet. It also needed to be durable and at a price point that I wouldn’t mind getting destroyed by the girls. I opted for function over style for this trip and went with a bag from Target.