It’s that time of year again. My daughter and I were headed back to the United States for a couple of weeks to spend time with family. Unfortunately, my husband had to stay behind with our dog to work. Meaning I would face the long flights alone. I made a personal goal to not have any screen time on the flights and instead make it a fun experience for both of us to take on together. There were some ideas I already knew I would do based on shorter flights we’ve done recently such as stickers and snacks (they are always a win). But with a flight this long and tantrums in full swing, I knew I was going to need a lot more ideas. So I began my research.

From homemade crafts to Amazon finds, the list below has what worked best for us. It’s everything you need for traveling with toddlers (especially if you’re hoping to avoid screen time).

As an Amazon associate, I do earn a small commission on some of the links below at no extra cost to you. However, all the products were chosen and kept by me for their worth. Thank you in advance for helping to support this blog.

Toddler travel ideas for your next flight

1. Magazines
Reading time on the plane can be a life saver. The grocery store has a variety of kid-friendly magazines. I began to stock up on them a few months before our flight. My daughter is a big fan of Frozen, so I focused on those. They are lightweight, easy to bring, and full of colorful pages and stories. It was a bonus that she had never read them before. This kept her occupied for awhile.

2. Reusable sticker books

I’ve never done stickers on the windows, although I know that’s very popular. Instead, I went for sticker books where you can put the stickers in different places depending on the theme of the book. Jojo loved these and played with them for quite awhile. When I started to notice she was losing interest, I’d swap one out for a new theme and she’d go back at it again. I’ve added her favorites below.

• Melissa & Doug Puffy Sticker Playset, Princess
• Vicloon Sticker Book, 2 Pack Stickers

3. Airplane seat extender (instead of a blow up footrest)

I don’t know about you, but I was nervous to try the blow up footrest. I’d heard horror stories about people who had tried to use them and got told by airplane staff that they couldn’t. Plus, the thought of trying to blow it up in a crammed middle seat with a stranger next to me really freaked me out. So I decided to try this extendable foot rest instead that easily velcros around the seat: Moollyfox Aircraft Children’s Footstool, Airplane Seat. I figured, worst case, I take it off without causing a scene. Luckily, Jojo really liked it. She could comfortably put her feet up and have her activities on there too. She never fell asleep on the first flight, but she was able to fully lay across it which helped with some quiet time. It also allowed for the seat belt to come through if needed.

4. Montessori busy board

This is a must. Jojo was engaged with this a few different times throughout the flight. I can’t say enough good things about the one we used: TUNJILOOL Busy Board Montessori Toy. I had bought her a different one for a flight a few months prior but it didn’t interest her as much as this one. There’s various interactive activities and even a little dry erase board that she loved drawing on. She spent a good 15 minutes just taking the erasers on and off the markers.

5. Seek and find books

A friend recommended these to me. I was a little worried about them being too old for Jojo, but she absolutely loved them after catching on to how it works. There’s so much going on in the different pages that you can find way more than the few things they suggest at the bottom. They have several different categories to choose from. We used the following on our flight, but I’ll definitely be getting more soon: On the Farm and Wild Animals.

6. Pom poms in a pill box

I was shocked at how long Jojo played with this activity. She was engaged for over 30 minutes. I’d seen this idea several times on Pinterest and different blogs, but I’d never tried it before. It was so easy to make, I started by ordering 2 Piece Pill Box, Portable Pill Box and OfficeTree 500 Colourful Pom Poms for Crafts. Then I chose seven colors and put five pompoms of each in the different boxes. I also had a clear container in the shape of a rainbow with individual slots that I brought too. She loved transferring the colors from the pill box to the rainbow container and organizing them in different ways.

7. Bring along one of their favorite stuffed animals

I had gotten a stuffed version of Elsa as a surprise for our flight. When we boarded and got all settled in our seats, I pulled Elsa out, saying she must have hid in our stuff so she could fly with us. I also said that she’s never flown before and might need our help along the way. Jojo was so excited and loved having her with her the whole flight.

8. Create your own 100-words book

All you need is a binder, some clear dividers with small slots in them, construction paper, and puffy stickers. From looking at fun new stickers and learning about objects, to peeling the stickers off and sorting them, there’s a variety of uses. To make this, I got a Longan Craft Photo Card Kpop Binder. The small sections were perfect to fit pieces of colorful construction paper that I cut out into rectangles. After you cut out the different pieces, get puffy stickers of anything that interests your kids. I order the Vicloon 3D Stickers for Kids, 22 Sheets Puffy Stickers because you get so many for the price and it has all different types from dinosaurs and sea creatures to trucks and cars. You can choose to write the word of the object on the card or not. In the past I did that, but for this flight I left it off. Then, you can simply read through it with them and learn the objects. When they tire of that, show them how to peel the sticker off the paper. Since they are puffy stickers, they should come off fairly easily. From there, use bags or containers for them to separate out the stickers from the paper (I used the blue throw-up bags they give you). You’d be surprised how engaged your child will become. Plus, they’ll probably find their own unique ways of doing it along the way too.

9. Popsicle sticks in a water bottle

This has been a hit ever since Jojo was a baby. It’s also as easy as it sounds. All you need are popsicle sticks and a plastic water bottle. Usually I’ll bring some popsicle sticks with me and then get a plastic water bottle at the airport. After I finish drinking it, it can be used to put the popsicle sticks in. You can also tailor it to their age. If they are interested in colors, numbers, or the alphabet, you can add that to each of the different popsicle sticks to make it more engaging.

10. Coloring

If you have an artist on your hands, the Triangular Anti-roll Crayons from Crayola are perfect for flights (any brand should work). They stay really well on the table without rolling off so you aren’t chasing after them the whole flight. If your child starts throwing them though, that’s another story (we’ve all been there). Coloring books can be bulky, so I usually just bring a few pieces of construction paper and plan to color that. Some airlines such as KLM also give you small coloring books if you have a young child with you.

11. Put pipe cleaners through different objects

Pipe cleaners are great for bringing on the plane. They are lightweight, easy to pack, and fun to play with. Plus, they have tons of different uses. You can braid them, make bracelets, create different shapes, and so much more. For this flight, my focus was putting them through stuff as I hoped it would keep Jojo’s attention the longest. You can get giant beads for this, but I was nervous about the mess. Instead, I got these felt squares, TRIXES 40 Sheets Colourful Felt for Arts and Crafts, and cut them into different shapes: circle, square, diamond, heart, rectangle, triangle, etc. Try and make at least two or three of each shape. After they are cut out, punch a hole in each one. Your child is then able to try and put the pipe cleaners through the different shapes. It takes a lot of focus to fit it through and keep adding more on. Make sure you test it first before bringing it. If you don’t have pipe cleaners, you can use a shoelace or a straw if they are small enough. The best part about them being in shapes is that it’s also a great talking point for them to learn and sort the different shapes together when they no longer want to put the pipe cleaner through.

12. Ask for a kids meal

A friend of mine suggested this and I will never look back. Depending on the airline (we flew KLM), you can select a children’s meal. It came in an adorable bluey box with nuggets, fries, juice, yogurt sticks, and more. They even had some snacks catered to kids too. If you’re looking to do this, make sure you select it more than 24 hours before the flight. Unfortunately, I was too late on our flight back and wasn’t able to select it.

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At the end of the day, you need to go into every flight knowing there will be times that aren’t easy. Personally, I think flights can be hard and I’m not two years old, so imagine what it must be like for them. Make it as fun as possible and they will feed off your positive energy. If they don’t sleep, that’s okay. If they’re upset with the airline food, that’s okay. If they cry here and there, that’s okay. The stress trying to get them to sleep or be perfect the whole time will set you back more than it’s worth. I came away from our flight feeling even closer to Jojo. We genuinely had a fun time. It was such a bonding moment knowing we got through it together. We were there for each other at every moment along the way.