It’s not long before we take our first long haul flight as a family. To say that scares me a little bit is an understatement for a variety of reasons. I really don’t like flying, but I appreciate to get to the destination at the other end, I have to go through the flight.
I have no doubt that Miss A will take it all in her stride, and she will be fine, but I have been wondering what to pack for her to keep her entertained during the flight.
- There will of course be plenty of in flight entertainment in the form of movies and games on screen. I have checked out the choices available for our flight and there are some great movies that Miss A hasn’t seen yet such as Muppets, and The Lego Movie, so that will keep her entertained for a little while. I’ll also be packing her screen consoles in hand luggage.
I don’t want to just rely on screens for such a long time though as I think we all need some stimulation for both mind and body.
- Sticker books are easy to play with without making mess, and can be picked up and put down quickly. I have been scouting around for some bargains to pack.
- Games that are easy to play including Spot The Difference and Dobble are two of our favourites that we will be taking with us. No mess and we wont lose pieces easily.
- Magic colouring books that use pens without making a mess are packed and ready to go. I love these and the fact you can buy them in travel sizes too. We took these on our last flight with Miss A and they kept her busy for ages.
- Loom bands appear to be the latest craze in this house, so a few bargain packs I have sourced cheaply are ready to go. Miss A can easily make bracelets using her fingers, she doesn’t need the loom or the hook tool, so it’s an easy activity that will keep her active.
- Audio books for when she needs a little rest and relaxation. Nothing too stressful but she can maybe doze and listen to her favourite stories through her headphones.
- For when she wants to interact, I am packing a selection of her favourite books. This way she can read or be read to by family members.
- Imagination games such as eye spy, what am I? will be virtually packed and ready to be played at short notice when needed.
- A good old pack of cards to entertain doing magic tricks, patience, which can be passed around the whole family.
- A favourite teddy bear will be coming with us for hopefully entertainment as well as comfort when quiet time is called for.
What have I missed? Anything I should be making sure I pack for a long haul flight?
I have absolutely no advice specific to flights – as I’ve only been on a plane once, for 40 minutes and with no kids! Do you need to take wipes and sweets for when their ears pop? That’s about the extent of my knowledge 😀
There’s some fab ideas for keeping kids entertained here, really useful post!
Brilliant ideas. We would that the boys needed lots of different things to dip in and out of.
Sorry, I have no experience of this but my children are usually happy to borrow our iPads for a bit on long car journeys.
I have no experience of this either but your tips are great x
Take something for her to chew to help with her ears popping, sticker books are always a winner, snap,my brothers kids used to take their Nintendo DS’s with them I think. Good luck x
We haven’t done any flying with our little one yet but I know that friends stock up on snacks and drinks at the airport after all the checks, just in case little ones don’t like any of the food on offer. You sound like you are very prepared. Have a lovely holiday x
These are great tips, we love Dobble! I can’t imagine taking the three children on a long haul flight just yet x
It sounds like you’ve got the entertainment well covered. I always take sweets to suck and sachets of children’s paracetamol in case of ear pain as well as plastic bags and spare clothes just in case anyone’s sick. I hope you don’t need any of those things and that you have a great flight and holiday.
Great tips – we fly with the kids and I must admit we heavily rely on tablets!
Some great ideas there. I haven’t seen those mess free colouring books they are a great idea that I will definitely be looking into for our holiday next year. Hopefully your daughter will have exhausted herself with all the excitement and might sleep for a little while too!
these are such great ideas! we recently went to france & sticker books were great for us! x
I am not a fan of too many sweets but lollies on flights are a life saver..not only to help ears for changes in air pressure but just because they take a while to eat. Have fun!
Great ideas! My daughter loves those loom things too… slightly obsessed! I would just take small toys of any description that they like to play with (not that I’ve done a long haul you understand lol!)…. Hope you have a great holiday, lucky things!! x