What To Pack In Your Toddler’s Carry On Bag

When you are flying with toddlers, the biggest question can be what to put in your toddler’s carry on bag.

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We use these small backpacks so that each child can carry their own toys on trips. This keeps quarreling to a minimum as well, since that way each child knows which toys they can play with and which belong to another child.

You could also get the mini rolling backpacks like these, but I’ve found that trusting my little ones with wheeled baggage always ends with some one’s toes being rolled over 900 different times in the airport.

Then it comes down to what to put in the backpacks. If you have time to plan ahead, start puling their small, favorite toys out of their rooms while they sleep. They shouldn’t know that you’re taking them, so it will be a happy surprise the day of the trip when they open their packs to see some of their old favorites that they thought were lost!

The next thing you’ll need is kid size headphones. I love all the entertainment on planes, especially international flights, but that doesn’t mean much if their headphones are constantly falling out. This was a huge problem on one of our flights, which made me realize I’d never fly without toddler headphones again!

My friend Kate  always suggests to travel with an empty sippy cup. This way you can get through gate checks without a liquid issue, but also have something that’s not an open cup for the kids to drink out of on the plane. Simply ask the stewardess to fill up the sippy cup instead of a plastic open cup on the plane.

For entertainment, another favorite are the water-wow books from Melissa and Doug. They can be used again and again, which make them perfect for families who travel a lot. It also comes in handy because if you buy one for each child, they can use them on the first trip but swap for the return trip home!

Make sure you stock up on snacks for the little ones as well. We all know how hit-or-miss plane food can be, and it’s even worse for kids. Make sure you bring plenty of filling snacks for them to munch on to keep hunger (and crankiness) to a minimum.

We found these free printable dot-dot sheets to be a favorite too. Use these dot pens to play!

Lacing toys are another great plane activity. Since the cards are large and the strings are long these don’t get lost if a toddler dropped them.

If you bring a coloring book and crayons, make sure you get the triangular crayons! That way if you hit turbulence the crayons don’t roll around or get lost!

If you are considering getting a tablet to keep the kids busy on the flight, we recommend the amazon fire for kids. It comes with a 2 year warranty, so if the kids break it they replace it NO QUESTIONS ASKED. That’s something that comes in handy if you’re buying something for your toddlers to play with (I won’t let them near iphones/ipads yet).

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Are you planning a trip with toddlers soon? What are you planning to pack in the toddler carry on bag to keep them entertained on the plane? Share your tips in the comments!