Hello lovely Mammas,
Today I am sharing my favorite post with you that is “What I pack for my five year old for an Airplane trip?” I have been reading these posts all over the internet ever since my little girl was born and I have always enjoyed reading posts like this one. Why is it so interesting to see what others pack??!! I agree it’s also helpful at times when you have no idea or really stressed out about the airplane travel with your little one.
Every family is different and so is every child. So, what worked for some moms didn’t work for me but I must agree I have come across some great tips along the way. Endless road trips and some international travels has given me some experience on what works and what doesn’t with my daughter. Also, priorities do change both for me and for my child. When she was just a baby, the only thing I would worry about was what would I feed her on a long haul flight. I have shared that experience on the blog before and you can read that about that here and more entertaining options here. But now, I focus more on the activities to keep her entertained. Of course, I do pack her a few snacks that I know she would enjoy and she will mostly be happy and content.
Do I have a roll on suitcase for my daughter?
Yes, I do have a roll on suitcase and it accompanies us on most of our travels.
What do I put in them?
While we are on a domestic airplane which means usually we are traveling for less than a week. So, I will have all her things like outfits, blankets, hats, body wash,socks,extra shoes packed up in the suitcase and all her activities will be in her small backpack.
On the other hand, while we travel internationally (which is usually 20+ hrs) the suitcase will be filled with activities, a blanket, pajamas, couple of extra outfits and extra snacks .
We have a family iPad that I will have on most of the trips but I keep it as the last entertaining option for her.
So, here is the detailed list on what I pack for my five year old.
Extra outfits
I always have extra outfits on hand because, little kids are a bit messy or clumsy at times. I wouldn’t bother for a small stain or a little spill but on one of our trips, my daughter spilt the whole cup of water on herself . In such cases, an extra outfit packed in your carry on will definitely come in handy.
Hoodie & Blanket
Airplanes tend to keep their temperatures very low and it can get very cold. We definitely pack the hoodie so that my daughter can cover her head and be warm. I must admit that a blanket takes up so much room in the luggage because of which I see some people carrying it in their hand or draped over their kids strollers. While that’s fine, I prefer to pack it in her suitcase so that its tucked away and stays clean. A blanket helps during naps on the flight for added comfort.
Wet wipes, facial tissues
Well, I guess it needs no explanation. Does anyone’s child hates sticky fingers? Mine does. So, I have to have hand & face wipes at all times.
Hair comb & extra hair ties/clips
After wiggling around and taking naps the hair gets messed up. Especially if we are going somewhere sight seeing or visiting some one, I like to comb through her hair and fix it. Also, sometimes we lose a hair tie and having extras saves the day.
Sunglasses and Hat
I keep sunglasses in her carry on back pack so that it doesn’t break in the checked bag. It is also easier to take it out and wear as we leave the airport at destination. Again, the same goes for the hat as well.
Lip Balm and Moisturizing oil/cream
Lip balm is a must have item on my list. The airplanes tend to get very cold and with that the skin becomes dry. So, having a lip balm on hand is very essential. It’s better to prevent any cracking lips than trying to treat it later. I use sweet almond oil as moisturizer for my daughter. It’s natural and works very well and also can be used to moisturize her hair. I just make sure to just take less than 3.4 Fl.oz to be complaint with TSA.
Tylenol, Band aids, thermometer
Did you know there is no size limitation for taking fever medication? Yes, there is no size limitation for taking medication however it is recommended to bring the smallest size available if possible. I take thermometer with me so that I can confirm the fever in case I suspect my child getting hot, be sure that she has a fever and then give her Tylenol.
Band aids are a must have for us too, kids run all the time no matter how many time you yell ” Walking feet, please”. They get hurt with a boo boo or not a band aid will always help.
Head phones
I bought these lil gadgets headphones last year and it has been great so far. They come in a bunch of different colors and they are designed to limit the volume so that it stays within the safe limit for kids. I love that they are soft and comfortable on the ears too. We mainly use this to watch movies on the plane. We do have a family iPad which I let her use occasionally on long flights.
Empty reusable water bottle & Snacks
Domestic flights hardly ever serves anything except the peanuts or pretzels. My little ones likes to snack while traveling so, I take some snacks with me while we fly all the time. I try to keep things mostly on the healthier side as much as possible. I always pack a trail mix with almonds, cashews, pistachios and raisins. Grinding & chewing the nuts helps my daughter during take offs to prevent ear pain. Other snacks usually include homemade cookies, crackers, fruit leather, granola(mostly homemade) and also a fresh fruit. We take her water bottle with us and fill it up at the airport water fountain/filling station. This way we have the water on hand whenever needed.
Toys
When it comes to toys , I have always been debating whether to pack them or not. So, finally after a few trips I found that for a short flight I usually take only a small soft toy and leave the rest home. For entertaining during the flight now that she is older, we have other activities packed which I will talk about next.
However, for long flights I still do pack a few smaller toys like princess figurines, ponies or a something that she likes to take with her which doesn’t take too much room in the carry on suitcase.
Activities
As I mentioned earlier, now that my daughter is five she loves doing lots of activities. I purchase the activity books from dollar tree and they come with fun stickers and matching, counting activities. She loves doing them and it also gives me an opportunity to involve and interact with her as she is still young to read and do these things herself. We also take a couple of favorite story books (usually light weight paperback edition). Play packs and stickers are just as good. Before we leave, we print out a few coloring pages of her favorite characters and she loves coloring them. I do also pack her markers/crayons. I also like to have a plain book so she can draw pictures out of her imagination or write a story about something she has seen or her experience about the trip. Another great option is to print out a airport scavenger hunt and so they can do this while waiting to board the airplane.You can find one like that here.
So that completes my list. We usually have all of the above mentioned things pack in my daughter’s carry on luggage. I have a roll on suitcase and a small back pack for her. Sometimes, things change and we might pack some more things but this is usually our basic packing list. Most of it applies for a road trip as well expect the fact that I will be packing more activities to keep her entertained and more snacks to keep her tummy full.
I would love to know what other things do you pack for your child that has really helped you on your flight ? Let me know in the comments below.
I hope you enjoyed reading this post and it was quite helpful to you.