Moms Talk Network

Surviving an airplane ride with an antsy toddler is not easy. The last time we flew on an airplane with my son he was about to turn 2 and the plane ride was almost 4 hours, so we had to come up with a few tricks to keep the trip as enjoyable as possible for him, us, and the rest of the passengers.

New, bright, and shiny toys

I know it’s bad, but seriously, if you want to ensure a toddler will pay attention to a toy, buy them a new toy just for the plane trip. And buy them a toy that can be used in a variety of ways. One toy that works extremely well for us is the Fisher-Price Doodle Pro Tag-Along. There is absolutely no mess, and you won’t have to climb under seats to find dropped markers or crayons.

You can use it in a variety of ways. We use it to practice letters, numbers, and shapes. We also use it to help him practice his drawing skills. But, if the child is a bit older, you can use it to play tic-tac-toe, hangman, and other simple games.

Books, books, and more books

We always pack about 10 soft-bound books to keep our son entertained. Some books are fun, like Dinosaurumpus!, and some are educational, like the Kingfisher First Dictionary.

I know it sounds so boring to bring a dictionary, but this dictionary is cool! It is very colorful with lots and lots of pictures, and during the last plane ride he enjoyed having us point out pictures for an entire hour. He especially liked the sections that focused on specific topics like planets, dinosaurs, and cars. By the end of the trip he knew all of his planets.

Bring out the big guns

Constantly switching up the toys and books got us through 3 hours of the plane trip, yet we still had almost an hour to go. And that’s where he got fussy and kept kicking the chair of the very kind man in front of him.

So, for our next trip in about a month, we will be pulling out the big guns! For all the parents who don’t believe toddlers should watch TV, please turn away. We’ve found out that playing YouTube clips of music videos by Choo Choo Soul, The Wiggles, and the Imagination Movers on my husband’s iPhone will probably get us through the last hour of the flight.

But, if you don’t have an iPhone, you should see if your airport allows you to rent video players. If not, the Sony DVP-FX820 is a great buy and comes in several different colors with fun accessories the kids will like.

Hopefully we can get through the entire plane trip without a meltdown, but if you have any other tips for keeping a very active toddler entertained on a plane, please comment and let me know.