A series of recent flights has caused me to evaluate and re-evaluate what I have been packing in my carry-on bag. The Boy is now two and some of the items that used to occupy space are no longer needed, while we discovered the need for some new items. I thought I would share a look inside what we carried on for recent trips to Minnesota (two hour flight) and Milan (too many hours of travel to count!).
- Books— I brought a few favorites and a new one. I also packed four or five in our suitcase to have different books for the trip back.
- A sippy cup— It helped to prevent spills when the air was bumpy, and also to keep him swallowing on take-off and landing.
- Bite sized candies— this time we used smarties, skittles and M&M’s. Because The Boy almost never gets candy at home, these were a very special treat for him, and he was eating them during take-off and landing of most flights.
- Food/Snacks— I packed Ritz Crackers fresh stacks, cheese, and ham. I forgot the cheese and ham for the trip to Milan, but I had additional snacks that worked ok, including Craisins 100 Calorie Packs, raisins, 365 Organics Quack N’Bites, and grapes.
- Diapers— I packed a few extra, but not nearly the number I used to!
- Wipes and a lot of them— The entire package, brand new, in the event of an emergency. A lot of things can be cleaned with wipes!
- Extra clothes— on set for each of us on the way over, and one shirt and pants for The Boy on the way back.
- Music— On the way to Milan, we used Kevin’s ipod touch, and I missed it on the way home!
- Crayons, pens, stickers and paper— The Boy loves to write and color. He spent hours doing it on a plain white paper drawing pad with his crayon rocks, and he can spend hours arranging stickers on a piece of paper.
- Play-dough— I left the eco-dough at home in favor of a few colors of Play-doh from a party pack.
- Blue painter’s tape— there’s a lot to be done with a little bit of tape!
I can fit all of The Boy’s items in to a Crockodile Creek Backpack ($25.99 from OompaToys.com). The mesh pouch on the side is perfect for his sippy cup, and The Boy can carry it at times himself. If it is too heavy, the straps adjust long enough for me to carry it.
Along with his carry-on, I carry a purse that holds my wallet, passport, book, sling, etc, but is not too bulky for me to carry along with the backpack and car seat (using the Go-Go Kidz). While many people are willing to help out, it is not always the case, so I try to plan for what I can do myself. The Boy does help by wheeling his chair though, so that is helpful!
What do you pack for short and long flights? Am I missing something? We have trips planned for May and June, so I’ll have more opportunities to alter my carry-on packing!
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
That’s a great list. The only thing I added on my trip in November were Colorforms. I thought they’d be great since they’re like reusable stickers. They were, but at home they keep getting lost, or thrown away, or vacuumed up, so I’m not sure if they’re worth the price. They’d be good for older more responsible kids though.
Also, if you’re changing planes somewhere, I’d suggest enough extra clothes and diapers that if you got delayed and had to stay the night you’d be fine. That happened to us in Madrid and all the shops were closed so we had to get diapers from one of the maids who had a baby. Also, except for a change of shirts (which I’d brought), we all had to wear the same stinky clothes the next day.
I packed about one and a half to two times the number of diapers that The Boy would need, because we had just one stop— Atlanta— where I knew, if necessary, the friend we were meeting would bring me anything I need or take me to a store. For the same reason, I didn’t pack extra clothes from the Milan to Tulsa trip for me. Getting stranded in Atlanta would have been PERFECT for us— a night to play with our friends! LOL!