active toddler on a plane

M

m2cw2mhk

Registered User
I know there are lots of threads with travel advice but I thought I'd see if anyone has any recommendations for ways to keep a VERY active toddler (17 months) happy on a plane for 12 hours. We haven't flown with her since she was 6 months old and she is a handful now! I already have in my bag of tricks: old calculators (pushing buttons), pipe cleaners, tape, a scarf for playing peekabo, a small puzzle that has the pieces attached by ribbon, a little spinning top, a few dress up things (she loves to put necklaces on). I was thinking of either a small box or cup for her to take things out and put things back in. Of course the DVD player (although movies don't tend to hold her attention that long.)

It's a daytime flight so I'm not optomistic about how long I can get her to sleep either...I'm nervous! My 5 year old, I am not worried about but the toddler - ACK!

Anyone have any really successful toys/methods of occupying an active toddler?
 
Another suggestion for your bag of tricks....stickers. I got my active toddler to stay still for at least 30 minutes on our last flight as she moved each sticker from its sheet to a book. Went through about 100 stickers but I was happy!
 
Bubble wrap!

Play dough

A doll with clothes that can come off - (pretend to get it ready for nap time...)

Google colouring sheets of their favourite character at the moment.

Finger puppets - can get them at IKEA

A 'surprise' bag that can contain a few of their favourite toys and they can choose one at certain times

A couple of feathers of different colours

Kaleidoscope


A few sensory items such as dried pasta, a few bells..

Pictures of where you are going or who who are visiting....

Have fun!
 
If your daughter is very active don't try to confine her to the seat. Take her for lots of walks around the plane. I travel a lot with my daughter (20mths) and this keeps her entertained. The last couple of flights we have been on most people on the plane smiled, waved and a few even played peekaboo with her and that was the best entertainment for her.

Obviously if the seat belt sign is on you won't be able to do this but you will have the toys/activities you have already mentioned to entertain her then.

Having a nap on the plane I have found doesn't always work but you'll find if she is tired she will have a sleep, it just won't be at the normal sleep time. Try to create a tent over her seat with the blankets that they give you. This at least will try to reduce the visual distractions.

Good luck.
 
Oh good ideas! I've done bubble wrap in the past (my older daughter loves it) but I have had people sit near me tell me they were annoyed by the sound. I can't believe anyone could hear bubble wrap over the drone of the jet engines but that's what they said. I try to stay away from anything that makes noise to avoid disturbing other passengers.

Great ideas, I will add them to my list right now!
 
there's no way i'd take bells... yikes! that would drive me mad, can't imagine what other passengers would think

sorry, other ideas are great~ but i found that it wasn't nearly as bad as i thought it would be when i took my two.
 
My son (18 months) loves books, and on our last long haul flight I bought alot of new books with his favourite characters in. He kept still for ages! He was also kept amused by opening and closing the shutters on the windows. And lots of walks up and down the aisle, we hung out alot down the end of the plane as he watched the air hostesses go about their business.
 
I HAVE taken a few bells with me before. They are the small ones that you can get at the stationery stores and they hardly make any noise at all. They are beautiful bright colours - take one or two. Good for a few things - putting inside cups to scoop out with a spoon, hiding under cups to guess where it is... ect. If you want my list of other ideas you can PM me! Cheers!

caps for emphasis.
 
i flew with my 18 month yr old son from nyc - hk. he was extremely active. i would never bring anything on airplane that makes noise or with small parts that i could potentially lose or have to pick up every 5 mins. i personally would not want to hear a kid the entire flight etc...

my suggestions are (some mentioned above too!):
- dvd player - start getting her used to it now it will save you!
- iTouch w/games that she's already familiar with and can play
- 2 of her favorite books, 1 new one
- stickers
- coloring books
- lots of snacks
 
Next week I fly solo with my active 11 month old son from Australia to HK, our first time in a plane. These tips have been great, these are some extra suggestions given to me so far
- stickers (good source tells me they can be removed with baby wipes)
- have small inexpensive new toys wrapped in catalogues, so each time you need another distraction, you can pull a 'new present' out of your bag, and then they can read the toy catalogues, as well.
 
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This is a very good thread. I've gather also some wrap toys for our trip at the end of this month. I am thinking to add pipe cleaner and bubble wrap to my trick bag.

Do you know where I can get them in hongkong? Thank you.
 
You can get pipe cleaners at Bookazine and I've also seen them in the little toy stores in Wanchai market.
 
i agree, stickers were a life-saver, post it notes work too if you do not have any stickers with you, you can play a silly game and paste it on different parts of your body.
 
I've just downloaded several episodes of Bob the Builder and Thomas the Tank Engine onto my ipod for my son to watch during our flights to the UK next week. I've also relented and bought a magazine with free stickers and a gift on the front.

Stickers, small character toys, and crayons were a hit during the last flight. Richard Scarry's "A Day at the Airport" book went down a storm, I think it cost $40 in Dymocks. It's a very lightweight book with lots of detail to point out and discuss.

A few days before we flew we took him to the airport with the book and a Fisher Price plane, and walked around the terminals and visited the Air Experience area. We were concerned that he would be alarmed at the airport, but we need not have worried as he's very nosey and enjoyed all of the sights.

The only time he had an absolute meltdown was when his precious blankie fell behind the seat. Mach III level screaming - hoorah!

Good luck
 
any recommendations for Itouch apps for the toddler set? I was going to download a few for my 5 year old...did not realize a 17 month old can play games too!

I found pipe cleaners at the local stationery store. stickers I get in the Wan Chai market. Not sure my toddler has the dexterity to peel them off the page, guess I have to hand them to her?
 
no reason why a 17 month old can't peel stickers... IF you start the peel first.

i use them a lot at playgroup. they are great for: hand-eye co-ordination* for practicing the "pincer" grip and many other things, too!
 
I have used them for a long time at this age group too - personal and work wise. Help them first and they should be fine! Also, scratch and sniff books can be fun and educational too.
 
The iPad was great on our last trip. We loaded it with books, movies, games and whatnot. Battery life was well over 10 hours, and we managed an hour or two with it.

Sleep was, of course, the best time occupier. We got them down about 7 of our 14 hour flight.
 
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