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One of the most common worries I’ve seen from parents traveling with young children – surviving a plane flight! Every day there is a panicked parent frantically searching how to entertain a baby or toddler while being trapped in a flying metal tin in the air. Whether the flight is 1 hour or 17 hours, families everywhere are faced with this concern.
Is it hard to entertain a baby or toddler on a flight?
Yes and no – it doesn’t have to be hard if you are prepared. In many ways, it can be easier to entertain and take care of a young child on a plane than in a car. You don’t have to pause your journey every time you need to change a diaper or feed your little one. You’re not worrying about reaching the fallen toy in the backseat of the car or how to pay attention to the road while soothing your baby’s cries.
But we’ve all seen the joke about young children on planes – it can be hard to be stuck for so long in a crowded plane with strangers. We worry about bothering them. We worry about being judged for not being able to get our child to stay calm. We worry that our child will be panicked and screaming to get out mid-flight.
Will my baby sleep on the flight?
To be honest, I’m not the person to ask about baby sleep – my son hated sleep and this was the root cause of my own postpartum depression. However, in general, your baby will most likely be lulled to sleep by the sounds and vibrations of the plane. If your baby is on a sleep schedule, try to book your flights around their normal sleep times. You’ll want to also be prepared for the “worst case scenario”. If baby doesn’t fall asleep, remind yourself that it will be okay. It’s one moment in a (hopefully) long life of moments and you will handle whatever happens.
If you have a toddler, lots of parents recommend buying inflatable foot rests to create a bed-like space with the toddler’s seat. They’re easy to blow up and deflate and typically come with a small travel bag. Just make sure you try it out before the trip to make sure there aren’t any leaks and so you can set your expectations. You’ll also want to do a little research on whether your flight carrier allows you to use the foot rest – it would be terrible to find out on the plane that they’re not allowed! Inflatable foot rests are also recommended by Preethi from Local Passport Family!
You’ll also want to consider noise-canceling headphones (if your child will wear them) to block out the sound of the beverage cart or frequent announcements. We loved these cute little tiger headphones and they held up well through my toddler’s three weeks of abuse. (Pro-tip: if you do screen time, make sure you download any content you can prior to your travels and check to see what works – I can’t tell you how much stress was caused by not being able to get certain videos on our old iPad we brought with us.)
Many parents and experts recommend using a car seat for your baby or toddler to help create a sense of familiarity – this can help little ones feel more at ease to fall asleep. It’s also statistically much safer to have a little one in a car seat or FDA-approved seat belt. This Cosco convertible car seat is an affordable one we recommend if you don’t want to lug along your everyday car seat.
What should I bring to entertain my child on a plane?
Our recommendations for entertaining young children on a plane will depend on the child’s age. Between 0-3 months, most babies will just eat and sleep. Your main concern for the youngest babies is to bring something to help with ear pressure – you’ll most likely have these necessary soothing and feeding items on hand (or on chest if you’re nursing!) already. Below you’ll find some ideas for older babies and young toddlers – and remember, try not to “show your hand” before you board your flight – the surprise of new toys/snacks is a huge part of
Best Ways to Entertain a Baby on a Plane
Here are some of our favorite ways to entertain a baby (under 12 months) on a plane. I’m sharing non-screen related activities because I believe it’s best to use screens as an absolute last resort. I know there are many families that don’t believe in screens, as well, so I’m going to focus on items you can bring specifically for your baby.
Bring Board Books for Baby
These are some of our favorite board books – go for crinkly or interactive – and choose either a favorite or something new!
Busy Toys to Entertain a Toddler
Go for toys that keep your toddler busy when prepping for your flight. Choose from classics such as coloring books, stickers, finger puppets, anything that can stick to a window. My son loves his buckle toy that keeps him focused and busy. Gel clings are also great alternatives to stickers since they can be easily removed. If you have a kid who loves to draw, look for magic markers that only work on paper to prevent damage to chairs and trays.
Usborne books has an amazing selection for sticker books – including reusable stickers! They’re small enough to fit in a toddler backpack, too. On our most recent trip, I filled my son’s backpack with new toys and treats just for him. He was so excited to have his own bag and to find new items in it throughout the flight!
Also, check out this Magic Painting Book – all you need is a small cup of water from the flight attendant for a mess free toddler activity!
I also love this Melissa and Doug puffy sticker book – it’s not as large as their other sticker sets, so it can fit in a small carryon better. The stickers are reusable and Melissa and Doug have a variety of scenes to choose from!
What plane snacks should I pack for my toddler?
There’s nothing worse than being out and about with a hungry toddler and you’ve got no snacks. Planes are good about providing snacks and drinks to passengers but you can’t control the timing or the selection. You don’t want to end up stuck on a flight with an upset toddler who doesn’t want to eat a bag of pretzels from the airline steward. During your travel prep, make sure to take some time to prepare some snacks to throw in your carry on.
Lots of parents online recommend using pillboxes or craft organizers like these to make snack time healthy, diverse, and fun. If you have the space, these are a great idea – kids will be excited about the box and you can provide a variety so kids can choose what they are interested in.
Here is a great recommendation from @kids.eat.in.color on Instagram on what to include in your snack box: