Favorite Travel Toys

Arranging the Flight

Paperwork

Seating Issues

Car Seats and Strollers

Packing

Food for the Flight

Favorite Travel Toys

Equipment at Your Destination

At the Airport

In the Air

At Your Destination

Jet Lag

Resources

Something old, something new...

We took two bags and filled them w/ dollar store toys. It didn't matter what they were, but the fact that they were new made them interesting for much longer.... Our best discovery, however, was push button books. Our girls had never had any and we bought them two for the trip. They never seemed to lose their appeal.

I found it was helpful to have a lot of new toys that they had never played with before, as well as some old favorites that I had taken out of circulation a week before our trip.

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Bring something familiar. On the way back, we brought the music box from the mobile in our carry on bag, so that we could play them the music.

Twins List Toy Suggestions

AVOID!! Small stuff that has to be retrieved from under seats (like matchbox cars). It's really emabarassing to crawl around the other passenger's feet trying to retrieve something, not to mention rather difficult. Same goes for things the babes might throw.

• Something for coloring: If you bring the box of 64 crayons, make sure you hand them out one at a time, or you'll spend the flight picking them up. Coloring books are fun, but take up space. Try a small pad, or some post-it notes.
  Other options: the travel-size Magna-Doodle is one of the most frequently recommended travel toys. Magic slates are also fun, since you won't run out of paper (and the stylus won't leave marks on the seats or the walls!).
  
  
• Stickers and sticker books: There's also the option of reusable vinyl stickers, or travel-size felt boards.
  
  
• Stacking/nesting cups:

  My all time favorite travel toy: First Years stacking cups. They take up very little room, can be used as bath toys at your destination, double as real cups when necessary, and are reasonably fun on their own (my girls prefer that I play, too, but what else is there to do on a plane? Watch a movie?)

• Odds and Ends: Bring some small toys which slip easily into a pocket, or a special new bag for each child. Matchbox cars, small wind-up toys (the kind that walk or waddle across a table), kids' meal toys, one or two small soft balls, "maybe like a Koosh or a fabric ball", all come in handy at the airport, as well as on the plane.
  
  
• Building toys: You may also want to bring a small selection of Duplos, Legos, or other building toys. Duplos may be better suited for the plane, but any building toys will be appreciated at your destination.
  
  
• Books: Bring a selection of paperback books. Lift the flap books may keep the children entertained without parental involvement.

  My top choices for travel are Where's Spot & Spot's First Walk, both areavailable in paperback, [and] the girls can "read" them themselves.

• Dolls & stuffed animals:

  Their favorite things [are] puppets! Puppets are great - you can do little puppet shows over the seat back when they get cranky (this works well in the car too).

• Homemade photo books:

  At the drugstore you can get a "brag book"-- a small plastic book, 4"x6", where the pages are sleeves to hold photos-- you can put in friends & places at home or family you are going to visit.

• Bubbles: You (and your fellow passengers) may not want bubbles on the plane, but you'd be amazed at the smiles you'll get in the airport!
  
  
• Movies on the camcorder: If you're not on one of the new planes with individual screens and a kids' channel, you may be able to interest your children in watching something on video.

  Another thing that we thought would be great, but she didn't want to do was watch movies on our camcorder. We have one with a swivel screen and we recorded Lion King, Winnie the Pooh, etc. She did watch it at the hotel though and that was great since she didn't understand French TV.

• Treasures from the seat pocket: don't forget that your kids will be fascinated with the head sets and other goodies in the seat pockets:

  The airline magazine in the seat pockets often has cool pictures to look at (cars planes, etc), and my guys got a real kick at 3 yrs "reading" the evacuation procedures placard in the seatback. They really liked the pictograms.

• The beverage cart: Meals are a great distraction!

  We ordered kids meals for each of them and it was nice that they gave our 2 1/2 year old a lot of finger food. Fruit rollups are especially good because they take time to eat. She had never had these before so the novelty was also nice.
  

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  Every time the flight attendants brought something around the girls were entertained. They liked all the little dishes and things. Meals were a bit high-maintanance because of the cramped quarters, but well worth it for the entertainment value.