Flying with 3.5 year olds

pea-kay

My mom, stepdad and I are flying with the boys next week. It's a fairly short flight with no layover (about 2.5 hours) but I'm wondering what to do to keep them occupied.

I've flown with each of them individually (but sometimes not since they were v young) and we have an adult for each kid, so maybe I shouldn't be nervous. But I don't know what to do to entertain them. I only have one iPad, otherwise that'd be my idea.

I have backpacks for them, so I was thinking of filling them with new toys, snacks, etc. What would you put in there? I got some colored pencils, but the thought of them rolling on the floor of the plane makes me want to leave them at home. i guess I could get some of those triangular crayons. 

They love cars, and if only they didn't have wheels, I'd pack their bags FULL of them.

What would you bring?

Read2Me

We just flew cross country earlier this month and Eva did a lot better than I expected she would.  On our two short flights (a little over an hour each) she colored, read books, ate snacks and did a Highlights puzzle magazine.  On the longest flight (3.5 hours) we had a movie for her to watch on the ipad plus a free coloring app that kept her occupied the entire time.  I packed her backpack with the coloring and puzzle book, a stuffed animal to cuddle with and twistable crayons (she is obsessed with peeling crayons and I didn't want to deal with the mess!).  In my bag I had a whole bunch of snacks- cheddar bunnies, fruit leather, raisins, fruit snacks and a few books.

Pesky

Here's what we have used:

*  Portable DVD player -- they can trade off, especially if you get shorter cartoons like Caillou, Wow Wow Wubbzy, Thomas, etc.

*  travel magnadoodles

*  blank pad of paper and crayons or colored pencils -- just institute a rule that only one crayon out at a time and the crayons stayed on the seat beside the tush.  Spillage was zero.  Colored pencils I have in a pencil bag which contained them better and DD loved.

*  Cars -- there are some that don't roll quite as easily.  I got a mini excavator with the real caterpillar treads and a dump truck and those are NOT zippy at all.

*  Books -- I got each a new book, plus some old favorites.  DD is getting The Little Engine that Could and DS is getting a book about a dumptruck.  Ones like Little Critter or The _____ from the Black Lagoon series are good.  Also there are books like Airport that talk about the travel and it is fun to relate things from the book to what is going on around them.

*  Stickers -- fun, cheap AND easy

*  blanket and stuffed animal that can double as a pillow

*  tiny plastic animals -- they sometimes have those at the dollar bin.  Give a group in a ziploc bag to each boy. 

*  Wipes for the tray table -- it can be dirty as if a quick turnaround, they don't get cleaned -- and wipes for hands

*  snacks and such as you described.

pea-kay

thanks, there are some great tips here!

i am going to forego anything electronic because they WILL fight over it. they're not great about taking turns, and i don't want to torment the other passengers. :P

but stickers, little animals, new books...great!

angel2288

I usually just lurk on this board, but i fly with DS kinda frequently (me and his father have joint custody, and his father lives in another state). I usually go to the dollar store and get a suprise bag, or pick out a few new toys. That way it doesnt matter if they get lost/damaged or anything. Also, i only take 2 toy cars with us, one for each hand, other wise they fall on the floor and roll under all the seats and its a pain. Another tip would be to take some snacks as airport food is expensive (can you tell im a frugal mom? lol). Usually just fruit loops, crackers, pretzels in a zip lock bag, something he cant make a mess with basically. And i pack his water bottle with a single serving of kool aid, so when we pass security (and the strict liquid rules) i can mix the kool aid with water from a fountain and he can have juice instead of buying drinks.

shopgirl78

I just flew alone with my three (different ages tho)

I had my ipad and a portable DVD player, snacks that they usually don't get (chips and gum- for ear popping : ) and small toys, triangle crayons,  a blanket and a stuffed animal.   The big kids had roll away bags that they carried.

On the way there, DD and DS1 watched a movie the entire time and ate their snacks.    DS2 slept.  On the way back DD played ipad, DS1 and DS2 slept.  

Honestly it had been 2 years since we flew last and they were just excited to be an airplane and go see grammie!  

 

jay-tea

Percocet and booze.  There is no way they are going to not be all over the place duing the flight - maybe some rope to tie them down with?  They flight attendants can help you hold them down while you tie them. 

Although, I'd be more concerned with the behavior of your mother and your step-father?  Can they even tell your boys apart?

pea-kay

jay-tea:

Percocet and booze.  There is no way they are going to not be all over the place duing the flight - maybe some rope to tie them down with?  They flight attendants can help you hold them down while you tie them. 

Although, I'd be more concerned with the behavior of your mother and your step-father?  Can they even tell your boys apart?

nope. i'm going to write the boys' names on their foreheads.

they're excited to see and-er-ew.