Seeking Good Travel Toy(s)

[zuzu]

We have a couple of plane trips planned for May and I'm trying to decide which toys to bring for a soon-to-be one year old. (I'm asking a bit early in case we need to place an order.) Can anyone recommend any good toys for the airport/plane? Ideally something on the smallish side, not noisy, and not likely to be thrown/scattered all over like blocks/stacking cups. Someone recommended some sort of "busy box," (at least I think that's what she called it) but the only ones I've seen have been really large and/or noisy. We'll pack some books and finger puppets, and with any luck, she'll sleep through most of the flights, but I want to have something else just in case. Any other tips for entertaining a little one on a flight?

TIA for any suggestions,
Melissa, mom to Sarah (5.10.03)

[boys2enough]

Hi, we just took round-trip 12+ hour flights with Gabriel (17 months old), I packed tons of toys for him, but he would not have anything to do with those: when he's in a good mood, he wanted to flirt with the ladies sitting behind us, playing with the earphone, plastic cups, crawling around and walking around. He kept on wanting to go to the lavatory for some reason! lol. When he was in a bad mood, tired but couldn't fall asleep, he just cried, and none of those toys worked to distract him.

I didn't think he was interested in books then, so I only packed 2 books (old favorites): Doggies and Blue Hat Green Hat by Sandra Boynton. Turned out those 2 books were his favorite of all the toys I brought him. Food and snacks were great help, on the other hand.

This was our experience. For our upcoming trip to NC, the flights will be only 2 hours (Thank goodness!!!!!), I don't even plan on bringing any toys for him, just some books and lots of snacks. But every child is so different, you know your DD the best. FWIW, my $0.02 is to load up on snacks and finger food, and do not overpack toys. Your idea of books and finger puppets sound great to me. The only other things I could think of are travel size Magna doodle and Color Magic (coloring pens that will only show on special papers) if your DD is interested in drawing. HTH. Cheers, Lin

ETA: If you don't mind the investment, I would say getting a portable DVD player may actually be the best way to distract the kids. But the battery on those players usually lasts for only 2-3 hours? One mom actually suggested recording movies onto Digi cam tapes and play them on the Camcorder. The battery lasts much longer than on a portable DVD player. HTH some.

[Twin Mom]

I have taken a few airplane trips with my now 18 month old twins. One thing we did was take a bunch of plastic links and hook whatever toys we brought to the end so that if they threw them they wouldn't go far (rattles, a whoozit, skwish, etc.) We just changed the toy as needed to keep them interested. We did buy seats for them so we hooked the other end to their car seat strap but you could hook the links onto your seatbelt if you are holding your daughter. We also brought small stuffed animals - Baby Elmo and Big Bird. My kids love to hug and play with them. Peek a boo or where's baby? using a burp cloth, blanket (or even a napkin) also works well. My kids still crack up when we play that.

We brought a portable DVD player, but we didn't end up using it on the plane, just in the hotel when my husband and I were getting ready each morning and sometimes before we went to dinner.

Definitely bring lots of snacks. We had lots of snacks and bottles/sippy cups available and were sometimes able to get extra milk from the flight attendants (they don't have much though because they use it for coffee and don't really serve it). Of course if you are nursing or using formula that will make it easier since you won't have to keep the milk cold...ice packs only last so long.

Good Luck with your trips.
Aileen

[Momof3Labs]

One word - Barfy. That barf bag makes a great hand puppet and had Colin in a fit of giggles for the last (hardest) 10 minutes of our last trip.

[zuzu]

Thanks so much for your suggestions! I'm still cracking up about Mr. Barfy!!

We use the links everywhere else, so those will be perfect for the plane. DH would leap at the chance to use this as an excuse to get a portable DVD player, so I'm just glad he doesn't read these boards. ;) Good idea about the Digi cam tapes.

The last plane trips we took were several months ago, before she was crawling, and she did well. She has just been so active the past few months, I wanted to be prepared. At least she does like to people watch (everyone gets a wave and a "hi" these days), so that should help keep her occupied too. Our trips are relatively short, so we'll load up on the snacks, break out the silly games, and hope for the best.

Thanks again!
Melissa, mom to Sarah (5.10.03)

[Sarah1]

We've flown 6-7 times w/DD, and it's been my experience that smaller toys just end up falling on the floor and getting sticky and dirty. They just take up space and end up creating more work for you!!

The only thing I bring for entertainment is the portable DVD player and 2-3 DVDs. If you travel on a plane a few times a year, I think it's worth the investment (as is a Sit 'n Stroll, but that's for another post!). I'll sometimes bring one or two of her favorite board books, too, but that's IT. Less is more on a plane!

[nigele]

I love to take bath books on the plane - they are lightweight and don't hurt anyone when they get hurled through the air!

[ak_becky_book]

I don't have a portable DVD player, but I have seen a power convertor to use on the airplane (on ebay, but I am sure they are available elsewhere). They are called auto/air adaptor's (I googled DVD airplane power) They ran from around 30 to 100 $'s. Ebay was generally even less. I am researching portable DVD players and getting all my justifications for my husband.

As far as toys for airtravel. I flew from Alaska to Orlando with an 11 month old. I brought some soft play books (she liked these the best), a pretend telephone. I know I brought more toys (some kind of soft play/activity toys), but the books and phone are all I can remember. It was a late night flight, so she slept alot. I had her in those fuzzy PJ's (our planes are normally very chilly), and we were all roasting by the time we got to Orlando (this was in November). So I would dress the baby in layers that are easy to get on and off (depending on the temperature). I did bring a bunch of snacks and sippy cups.

Good Luck (we are already thinking about the 2 year old trip)

Rebecca
Mom to Samantha
12/1/02

[myllam]

Hi,

One thing that occupied DS when he was one was a small napkin box. I would fold it up in my luggage and on the plane, unfold it, and he would have a great old time putting things in and pulling things out of it. I also used his little toys to do jack in the box type popping out of the box with it. (Hope this makes sense :) ).

[zuzu]

Thanks for the additional suggestions! We just booked another long weekend trip for June, so I really appreciate the advice.

Maybe with Father's Day approaching, I'll surprise DH with a portable DVD player. Hopefully the prices have dropped since we looked at them a few years ago.

Melissa, mom to Sarah (5.10.03)

[momma_boo]

Just wanted to let you know that prices have dropped A LOT.

Most places seem to have a basic one for 300 (even less sometimes).

[zuzu]

Good to know.
Thanks, Esther!

Melissa, mom to Sarah (5.10.03)

[wendmatt]

We travelled in March with dd (now 17mths) and took a portable dvd player, it was worth every penny! We also took the toy with the hinges that I read about here and it did keep her occupied for quite a long time. Also the Dora the Explorer magnadoodle. It's quite alot bigger than the travel one but not heavey and this seemed better for her little fingers. She really liked it and played with it for quite awhile. Also got a new lift the flap book which was a big hit. SO I'd say it was worth taking toys with us, but bigger ones not small ones to lose on the floor! Def the snacks too. I gave her a lollipop for the landing as she was getting really fussy by then (an almost 6hr flight) and this kept her very happy, was good for the ears and is something she would never usually get!
Good luck