Best toys and tips on plane rides with three-year olds!

DH and I are flying with our three-year olds in a week and a half for a five-hour flight and I'm trying to think up fun ways to entertain them and keep them busy! So far, I've thought of: portable DVD player for each with a few favorite movies and a new, surprise movie and a new rolling toddler suitcase/backpack filled with color wonder markers/books, small toys, stickers, favorite snacks etc... What toys/activities keep your toddlers happy and busy on long flights? Last time we flew with the kids they were 18-months and it was a nightmare--they did not want to sit, didn't care for the dvd player I brought or the activities too. I am optimistic that they will do much better now that they are three and a little older...DS loves movies but DD isn't as enamored, but she loves to draw...Any advice, tips, toys your kids love, would be GREATLY appreciated1 Thanks!

 

pipecleaners!! Seriously--- we used them at age 3 and even now at 5, they are awesome for long trips! I used to help them twist and shape them- now they can do it on their own.

Mine like/liked magnets--- large ones or colorforms. Easy to clean (like pipecleaners) and fun. Colorforms will stick to the fold down trays too!

NEW crayons and coloring books

Viewmasters and reels

books on CD (rent from library!) with the read along books

dry erase markers and white board (they have washable/small travel ones at TArget)

stickerbooks

small toys

memory or other small easy games (travel size)

Magna-doodle

their own cameras (the disposeable ones)

picture game (print off a bunch of pictures of things you might see) cross them off or color them when you find/see them

New books

Music CDs

We travel a lot and do not have DVD players....so those are our fallbacks for long rides!

Have FUN!

 

We've flown a lot with our two, most recently cross-country flights in May. Our favorite travel toys are the sticker kits from http://www.peaceablekingdom.com/ I've found them at Target and Barnes and Noble as well as bought some on Amazon. The Silly Monster and Race Car kits have been BIG hits. I also bought two of the reusable sticker packs for a trip we're taking next month. Plus they're compact and easy to pack!

Post It notes are also fun, lots of ways to use those. Small toys are tough, because ours always ended up on the floor, which was a HUGE pain to then get!

I haven't gotten some myself, but I think lacing cards might work well. They're flat and lightweight. Or, even bringing like cherrios or fruit loops, and stringing those before eating them.

 

Just a suggestion, double check with your airline that they will allow those rolling take along cases for the kids. I know they are small, but when we flew about 18 months ago, we had those for the kids, and in my checking online I found out they won't allow them on the plane. In fact, they were possibly going to make us check ALL our carry on bags. I called them, frantic, because I had twin 10 month olds and I needed my 2 diaper bags for sure, and what the heck were my 8 and 3 yr old going to do on the plane without their carryons. They told me to pack stuff into a very very very small bag and they might allow it on the plane So their cool new wheeled backpacks had to be left behind and I found some very small backpacks for them to use. I just wanted to mention it, I'd hate to get there and them make you check their bags because they have wheels on them

 

Two I-phones with tonnes of children's apps would do the trick for mine. I recently has a man give me his I-pad for a cross-country flight with my daughter and it made me realize that there is a time and place for everything, and a cross-country flight is the perfect time for one. This lovely man had a two year old daughter at home and had a tonne of games on his I-pad that kept my daughter entertained until she fell asleep. Thank goodness for kind strangers. If I were going on a long flight with my twins now I would pack our I-phones a new activity book for each of them, some cool snacks and a new, small toy. That's it! Simple is best IMO. Less to find, missplace or lose.
Have a great flight...

 

We went to Italy back in April, the boys were 3.5 exactly, and Annabella was 22 months old. The boys had their own backpacks that were chock full of stuff....that they didn't use. LOL! I was totally over prepared. The entire trip there was a total of 30 hours from our door to our final destination(3 planes). The plane we took(US Airways...yuck), had one good thing going for them-your own personal tv on the back of the headrest in front of you. LIFESAVER.

The boys were really awesome, besides Nicholas constantly talking. In their backpacks there was: playdoh(never touched), crayons/markers, ColorWonder stuff, silly putty(never used), one of those magnetic put the mustache on the guy thingy(whatever it is called!), ModelMagic(never touched), matchbox cars(not used), various snacks/lollipops. DH had the DVD player with videos-and *new* videos are a must! OH! The Leapster Explorers. DUH! They LOVE them-and only used them on this trip. It's crazy how quickly they pick up on it. I would think of investing in some type of hand held game player of sorts. On this trip, while IN Italy, they became rabid puzzle fans. It is crazy how quickly they picked them up-they were doing 50 piece puzzles before we left, without looking at the pictures.

The trip there, there was no more than 5 hours of sleep in the 30 of traveling. So they were UP most of the trip. They watched the tv in front of them mostly, along with using their Leapsters, or the DVD player, or my ipod touch. Those were the biggest hits-and kept them content the whole trip. They really were awesome on the flights. And Annabella even redeemed herself while flying, minus the landing parts!

Have a safe trip! I think they will surprise you!

 

I completely agree with Meaghan. I've been taking lots of stuff on our transatlantics and 12 hour+ flights between Asia and Europe but these days I hardly bring anything. It's a waste to carry it around. The only things I bring, a DVD player (though we always have on-demand personal entertainment with TV series, games and movies ... nothing beats a great Asian carrier), a few books, and some paper and crayons. That's honestly IT. I've seen it all, brought it all, but even at a young age, they never bothered besides possibly 2 or 3 things. Also I order kids meals and they get a kid's play pack (again, love Asian carriers) and with some sleep, we get through a 12-hour flight without any problems. In less than 3 weeks, we're on again, 12 1/2 hours, by myself with 3 kids. I'll bring my iPhone and iPod and a few more small things, and that's it. I usually have them choose something in the Disneyland store before leaving ...

 

Magnadoodle