We are going on a 11 hour overseas flight in a few weeks with my son (6) and daughter (will be 3). It's an overnight flight but my kids don't sleep much. We've done this trip before but it's been a couple years, last time my daughter was a baby.
Are there any great new travel toys out there? Or what have you found to work on those long confining flights? Both kids are really...energetic, shall we say, and will get restless. My son is a certified Lego maniac and loves any building toys. My daughter also likes Legos and is somewhat into coloring and other arts and crafts. I will have plenty of snacks, of course. I'm looking for things that are:
-engaging
-small but not with a lot of easily lost parts (I know, I know, Legos...sigh)
-not messy or noisy
-of course, preferably inexpensive.
So lay it on me. What has kept your kids from turning into circus monkeys on long flights?
Thanks in advance...
ETA yes I forgot to mention we have an iPad and kindle fire...duh. I will have to get some new apps and games. Any recommendations there?
Lego has some fun building apps. Star Wars lego and lego duplo app are great for a lego builder. Good luck.
You don't mention electronics - that is what keeps my kids busy on long flights. If you have smart phones or a tablet computer, there are lego apps you could download so your son could 'build' lego stuff without physical legos.
My 7 year old loves his 3DS, and my 3 year old will play games and watch videos on the iPad for hours on planes.
melissa and doug has these animals and other things you can lace. buy triangular crayons (they won't roll away). a 6 sided puzzle might keep them entertained briefly. some new videos on your tablet or the tv would be good. consider a balloon for your layover.
we did a long haul to Australia (24 hrs there and 26 on the return, with a 22 month old ("lap child"). If we can do it, so can you.
good luck to you and yours,
F. B.
Sticker books.
Activity and coloring books.
Magnetic puzzles (many games have a travel-sized magnetic version).
Good luck!
DS, iPod Touch, iPad...
You can find some fun one piece toys, but they are bulky and won't hold interest for that long. I believe in limiting technology, but not on overseas flights! Try these iPad apps... Bugs and Buttons. Reading Rainbow (download stories while you have the wifi.) ABC Music. Don't let the pigeon run this app. Also, good old paper and pencil activities. Maze books, hidden pictures, sticker 'scenes' etc. Try Dover Publishing. Their website has so much cool stuff you'll want to go crazy, and luckily, they're cheap. Also, there is another kind of activity book publisher whose name I don't know. They have stuff like a book that shows you how to make friendship bracelets which comes with the yarn. They have all different themes; try your local book store.
My son is six. We recently got him a crayola 3-D coloring book, where you use a 'slick stick' to reveal the pictures underneath. Nothing earthshattering or particularly creative, but it was engaging enough that he kept at it during a 2 hour car ride. slightly messy, but nothing a couple paper towels can't handle. (The slick stick has a waxy reside, but that's all.)
The cool part is that the 3-D glasses that come with them can be used for regular blue/red (cool/hot color) drawings. Dover also makes 3-D coloring books which come with the glasses and the kids can color the pics.
3-D is all the rage at our house right now.
There are also sticker books for Lego Ninjago with removable stickers and I'm sure they make them with a theme your daughter would like as well. I'd nix taking Legos on the plane, though. We have had to ban them from outings after their little round heads kept rolling off the table at a restaurant.
My best toys for the 5.5 hour cross country flights with my boys:
- Duplo set that comes with a book. We had the farm one, it was great! The kids could read the book, build the animals, play with the animals, and build other things with the blocks. Plus, Duplos are much easier to track!
- Various metal cases with magnetic games. This last trip we had Hangman, Sponge Bob (that had multiple games inside), and a Build-a-Robot set. Some of the pieces got lost, but it wasn't a great tragedy when they did :)
- Leapster with headphones
- Remember to get over-the-ear headphones! The ear buds were too big to stay in my younger son's ears.
- Toobs, whatever your kids are into. I let mine each pick one, they chose knights/dragons/castles and cowboys/cowgirls/horses.
In addition to electronics and coloring, Melissa and Doug have a magnetic dress up toy that is a small metal container that holds the clothes etc for the dolls that are part of the container.
They also have a memory game for travel, hard to explain but it uses blocks on cords to hide the images.
Good luck and have fun!
Put some new games on the iPod Touch or iPad.
For my last overseas flight, I took an Ambien....but that won't work for the kids. :-)
A melatonin will help at bedtime.
Also, pack up REALLY early and take them to the park to run around and play, and then to dinner. Go easy on the sugar/sweets. Basically, wear them out and feed them so they're content and tired.
If you can, try to get a center bulkhead seat. That way, the kids can sit on the floor in front of their seats and play. You can also spread out blankets and pillows down there for them.
DVD player with movies...get the kind that has a jack for two head phones then they can both watch the same movie.
With any plane-ride-entertainment ideas, you ALSO have to think... about how many pieces of things, you want to carry around and keep track of.
So, if you bring coloring books/puzzles/toys/stuffed animals... you need to really decide if you want to have to carry all of these things in your carry-on and then, keep it organized and keep track of it, each piece/crayon/tiny toy/stuffed animal, so that it does not get lost etc.
Versus, if you just bring a hand-held electronic devise, you won't have to carry around so many plane-ride-entertainment things, for both, kids.
You just need to bring the device and its charging cord.
And being you are going overseas, be sure to bring an international plug adapter/travel plug adapter. And for your cell phones, too.
