Traveling for the holidays? I know it can be stressful traveling anywhere with a toddler…especially through the airport and plane. No fear! Children and babies deserve to be in public spaces, regardless, its nice for everyone if you can keep your little one occupied and at the least not have a complete melt down….
Find a Kids Lounge at the Airport
You would be surprised how many airports have a kids lounge or kids play area. We flew out of San Jose airport which is the smaller of the three airports in our area and they still had a small children’s play area. It WAS a bit far from our gate but a great place to take my son out and run his energy out before the flight
If you happen to be at an airport that doesn’t have a kids lounge then I would recommend simulating some sort of chase/tag game to get them going. My son also loved going up and down the moving walkways and running alongside it and waving to all the people. Try to find a lounge but get creative if there isn’t one!
Toys….but Make it New and Keep it Simple
I’m not saying you have to go out and buy new toys but I definitely recommend hiding a handful of toys and ‘reopening’ them on the flight! Extra points if you’re able to add a few faves. We do the Lovevery subscription so if I know we have an upcoming flight then I’ll keep one of the toys in hiding and open it on the flight. This is great because it takes time to open the toys and he will usually play with a new toy longer.
KEEP IT SIMPLE! I packed the Roku TV remote and pretended to change the channel on the plane TV and my toddler found it hilarious. He then turned the remote into a chew toy *shrug*….and it takes up virtually no space. Don’t overthink easy fidget toys that’ll keep their hands busy. Busy boards are always a great go to! Linking one of my favorites HERE.
Does your little one like Peek A Boo? Bring an empty wipe and cut one end off and grab a mini stuffed animal. Peek A Boo that stuffed animal or your fingers through the wipe dispenser and you’ve got a simple game!
These spinners are GREAT to keep little ones hands busy!
<3 Happy Traveling