We are going to Hawaii in 2 weeks and are super excited. This will be the first time taking both of the kids on a LONG airplane flight. I have a 6 year old daughter and a 4 year old son. I've got a couple of ideas on what to bring for them to do on the plane. I'm going to bring the DVD player and some paper/colouring books/crayon type activities. I'm debating about bringing Leapsters and bought a couple of new books to read on the plane. Does anyone have any other ideas about what to bring for the flight that won't take up too much space in our carry ons? Anything that was a big hit with your kiddos?
Thanks so much!
D.
If you are flying non-stop, I would start with drugs LOL (for you). Don't
take me seriously. You really need a bag of tricks to keep everyone
occupied. Hopefully they will nap part of the way. Guess make sure
you have new movies, toys. Not something they have already played with
or saw. Need snacks, lots of snacks!!!!!! Good luck.
For our long trips the dvd player and hand held games work great. Don't bring the noisy toys bc they are a pain to control. I have a 1 1/2 yo and a 3 yo. They each had their own backpack to hold their special toys that they carried on. They could only take out one item at a time. Walking to the farther restroom helped to stretch their legs during the long flight. And bring some motion sickness medication just in case. Call your pediatrician or family doctor for recommendations. Sounds like your pretty prepared. All you can do is pack for emergencies and pray for a quick flight. Good Luck!
I love Hawaii! You are going to have such a great time. : )
I sell Discovery Toys and have a few suggestions that will be fun and educational. Plus, they are very easy to pack in a carry on bag. You can view and purchase all my toys at http://www.discoverytoyslink.com/karenchao My specific recommendations are below:
For your 4 year old:
It's A Match! Deluxe Set: http://www.discoverytoyslink.com/esuite/control/product?P...
(also available with just levels 1 & 2)
Make It Fun Craft Kit: http://www.discoverytoyslink.com/esuite/control/product?P...
Make It Fun Party Craft Kit (10 different crafts so each kid can do some): http://www.discoverytoyslink.com/esuite/control/product?P...
Wipe Clean Workbooks (multiple versions available - all can be viewed online. I'm sending the link for the Learning to Read & Write set): http://www.discoverytoyslink.com/esuite/control/product?P...
For your 6 year old:
Wiz Kidz: http://www.discoverytoyslink.com/esuite/control/product?P...
One Odd Old Owl: http://www.discoverytoyslink.com/esuite/control/product?P...
Tricky Fingers: http://www.discoverytoyslink.com/esuite/control/product?P...
Have a great trip! Contact me if you have any questions or want to receive my monthly Discovery Toys newsletter.
Here is a list of toys to keep your kids entertained for the flight. Have a great time!
http://www.bigbluetrunk.com/ourcorner/550
I really like Patty K's answer! lol A propos of drugs, I have heard of parents occasionally giving their kids a dose of Benadryl, even if the allergies weren't acting up, on the belief that it would help the kiddos sleep better. something to consider....
Definitely bring snacks. Drinks too if you can get them on the plane with the rules about liquids.
Everything you are bringing sounds good. I would think about adding some travel games e.g. Travel Checkers (or chess if they play), Travel Scrabble etc. These are the same as the normal versions but have some way to keep the pieces from being jostled out of place (e.g. the checkers may have pegs to keep them on the board; our Travel Scrabble is plastic squares with letters on them , these stick to the plastic game board). Even if they don't play the game now, you could teach it to them, or they could just goof around with it (make patterns of red and black checkers, make words with the Scrabble letters but not in cross-word formation etc).
A deck of cards or two would be good too. If you know any dice games, bring those along. My one son loved origami for awhile. If we had been flying with him I would have brought that stuff.
How about a journal for them to write/draw in?
Have fun!
K. Z.
We are going to Hawaii in 4 weeks and it's our first time with the kids on a long flight. I have the same thoughts as you-DVD Player, arts & crafts, books....
I'll have to check back to see what answers you get for more ideas =-) HAVE FUN!
I just read Patty's suggestion about the drugs...LOL!!!!!!
We went last fall with a 7 month old and a 3 year old - and we didn't need to give our kids any drugs to keep them calm during the trip. My main suggestion is to have NEW things for the kids and only bring one surprise out at a time. You can even have them wrapped so the kids don't know what's in their backpack. They do have kid movies on the flight, so bring headphones because the ones they have aren't that good for kid ears. And, bring plenty of snacks because they don't supply enough - and they sell the meals now rather than supply them. So, we had our own meals and snacks. Just remember that you can't take fresh fruits and such into Hawaii - they make you fill out a form.
ENJOY Hawaii. We sure did.
