Tomorrow afternoon, Ez and I will board our first flight of the day and approximately nine hours later we'll be in Boston! We are so excited to spent the next week visiting family. It's been way too long since I've seen this side of my family, and Ez hasn't even met a lot of them. My last east coast trip was four years ago - time really does fly! And really, nine hours to travel 3,000 miles is amazing. A feat of engineering and all that good stuff. But nine hours alone with a toddler in airports & airplanes is...a little less amazing. Downright scary, even.
Ez has already flown several times, and it always goes smoothly, but he's never flown more than an hour at a time. Obviously there's a big difference between one hour and nine hours. Usually I don't pack anything special for the hour flights. Just the usual two snacks I always carry, and maybe one toy. But for tomorrow, I'm packing a toddler emergency kit - as much entertainment and food that I can possibly cram into my backpack. I would love advice from any of you moms that have been there and done that. Any tips that kept your toddler happy while sardine-packed into a tiny space for hours at a time? Please?? In the meantime, this is what I managed to fit into my backpack:
Snacks:
- goldfish crackers
- 4 fruit/veggie snack pouches
- blueberry larabar
- pb&j sandwiches (not pictured)
- apple slices (not pictured)
- sippy cup
- straws
Entertainment:
- foam puzzle (foam hurts a lot less than wooden pieces when they're thrown at your head - you're welcome, other passengers)
- new Eric Carle board book
- mini cars + road maps (from those bargain activity books at B&N - I know it's a lot of small pieces and we're likely to lose some, but if it gives me any extra moments of peace, it's worth it)
- book for me (in case Ez naps - fingers crossed!)
- Pups (more for comfort than entertainment)
- my cell phone - I downloaded the Disney Junior app. Any other app recommendations?
Necessities:
- diapers x8 (1 per hour is enough, right?)
- wipes
- large ziplock bags - for dirty clothes, etc.
- a spare outfit for Ez
- sweater for Ez
- cardigan for me which can double as a blanket for Ez
- my wallet + copy of Ez's birth certificate
- phone charger
Here's a pic of Ez trying on his hand me down winter coat:
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| Too cute! |
Such great suggestions/ideas. I hope the traveling goes much smoother than you are anticipating. If he is into watching any specific shows, you can download one to your phone for fairly inexpensively for back up. You won't need wifi to play it either.
ReplyDeleteUm, good luck. I'm not sure I'm brave enough for such things. Tiny liquor bottles? Just in case???
ReplyDeleteGreat emergency kit! You have thought of everything! I hope you guys have a great time!
ReplyDeleteI'm a little late since you took your flight but that's a great toddler travel kit! We also usually bring some candy (special treats for being quiet) and stuff to color with and stickers. All favorites. I try to bring new toys and a few favorites too. We've traveled a lot and almost all long flights. I hope he did well. I'm always on edge bc my kid is the queen of not napping while traveling (car or plane)!
ReplyDeleteOh, man. Good luck! Hope everything went smoothly for you guys. I think you packed very wisely. Lots of snacks! That's always my recommendation. You are so brave. I'm going to go ahead and second the mini bottles of booze comment too! :)
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