The thought of a four-hour flight with a two-year-old toddler and a 10-month-old baby has to be one of the most anxiety-inducing things I’ve ever experienced. How do you keep two little ones occupied for that amount of time in such a small, confined space?
Luckily for us, our 10 month old isn’t crawling yet, so she was quite happy to sit on our lap and play with sensory toys and look at books. But our toddler? He’s a whirlwind and needs to be constantly occupied.
Obviously, I packed the iPad — fully loaded with Disney films and episodes of Bluey. But there’s only so long a toddler will sit in front of a screen before they start itching to walk up and down the aisle high-fiving all the passengers. So, I came prepared with a bag full of toys and snacks to keep him busy.
Don’t get me wrong, we didn’t completely avoid the dreaded meltdown and there were a few toys that my toddler immediately turned his nose up at, but here are a few things that actually kept my toddler occupied for longer than five minutes:
The Holy Grail of Sensory Toys: The Light Switch Busy Board
This toy is a lifesaver. We bring it out regularly at restaurants and definitely on flights. Simple, engaging, and endlessly fascinating for tiny fingers.
Snack Box Full of His Favourites
Did you know you can take your own packed lunch through airport security? I filled a box with their favourite snacks and honestly, my toddler spent 90% of the flight munching on something. It’s a win-win: familiar food, full tummy, and no worrying about airplane meals that are rarely toddler or baby friendly.
There’s a reason these show up on every travel-mum blog – they actually work. They stick brilliantly to airplane windows and they’re just the right size for little hands to spin over and over (and over) again. Both my toddler and baby were mesmerised.
We’re deep into a sticker phase at the moment, and these jelly stickers were a hit. They’re reusable and leave no marks — perfect for planes. They ended up on the seat backs, windows, our foreheads… and we reused them for the flight home too.
If you haven’t discovered the Who’s in Your Book series by Tom Fletcher, run, don’t walk, to your nearest bookshop. These gorgeous, interactive stories are toddler gold. My little one reads them over and over and still loves it like it’s the first time.
This doesn’t just come on flights, it comes everywhere with us. You never know if a restaurant (or plane) will have toddler-friendly cutlery, and having our own means no stress at mealtimes. Ours comes in a little case, so it stays clean in the bag.
I packed everything into a soft, easily accessible bag that slid right under the seat. Mine was handmade by a friend, but there are plenty of gorgeous options on Etsy too.
Written by Gemma Horton @thestalbansmummy
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