How to entertain toddlers on a plane

Make sure all your gadgets are fully charged, there is nothing worse than forgetting this and the battery running out early in the flight. We always make sure we take our iPhones, Kids Amazon Fire and Nintendo Switch, these are guaranteed to keep toddlers entertained a plane or any other form of transport for that matter!

Make sure your gadgets and laptops are full stocked with a variety of cartoons and your toddlers favourite shows. In our case Paw Partrol, Blaze, PJ Masks and Peppa Pig.

We bought Brody a wide variety of books ranging from stories, colouring in books, sticker books and reading books. We again tried to relate the books to his favourite shows. We bought most of ours from Amazon as they have a wide range of books for kids. However you can also get these at the airport.

It’s a good idea of have a surprise up your sleeve when flying with toddlers, just in case everything else fails. In our case it comes in the form of a Kinder Egg or a selection of small toy like these, if he promises to be a good boy.

Kids get hungry and when they do they let everyone know about it. So it’s a good idea to have a snack box lined up until the in-flight meal is served. If possible try to keep it healthy ranging from fruit, rasins, cheese and biscuits etc. However we always have a selection of sweets ready too.

Bringing their favourite toy on holiday can be risky as something always gets lost. However we have found that it helps comfort them on the long flight, especially a teddy or doll they can cuddle into. On our last trip he brought ‘Doris’ which was a doll everywhere with him and it made him so happy.

Depending on the age of your child, we used to give them a bottle of milk just before take off and on landing to help with the pressure. We found this worked really well and he didn’t complain about his ears at all. You can check out the best baby bottles here.

It’s always good to take them on a little walk around the plane to aid circulation and health reasons, but also for a change of scenery. Toddlers can become bored very quickly. Be sure to wear something comfortable on their feet such as slippers, you can find a large selection of kids slippers here. You can choose from your favourite disney character such as Minnie Mouse, Disney Cars and many more.

Keep your iPhone and tablets packed with apps for kids. Try to get some educational games and puzzles on there. His favourite game is called Kids Doodle for the Kids Amazon Fire tablet, there are a whole host of other great games too. Guaranteed to keep toddlers entertained on long haul flights.

Providing your toddler with their on backpack gives them a sense of ownership that they are carrying their own bag. They can carry their own books, crayons and toys for the flight. Check out the best kids cartoon character backpacks on Amazon.

Try giving your child healthy food that takes longer to eat, this will occupy them for longer. Such as rasins, grapes and strawberries are a great selection and are full of natural sugars. It can be tempting to offer sweets, however try to resist as they are high in sugar and containing a sugar fueled child on a plane could be tricky! You can order a wide range of healthy snacks such as these organic snack selections.

Make use of the in flight entertainment, a different variety and something new can often keep them entertained for longer periods as they are not bored. There is usually a wide selection of animation movies, games and tv shows on long haul flights. If your airline doesn’t have in flight entertainment I would highly recommend getting an Amazon Fire for kids, they are great value for money and are specifically for kids.

We reserved our baby milk from Boots at the airport as we were not such how much we could get through security. Best to do this than run the risk of them being taken off you then Boots not having any in stock. Better safe than sorry.

If in the unfortunate event your child is ill on the flight, it’s always a good idea to have Calpol and Ashtons teething sachets on hand. We purchased 3 packs of 15 sachets making sure we had more than enough for the flights but the holiday as well.

Why not bring their favourite travel blanket and a flight pillow for toddlers. Keeping them comfortable is very important to keeping them happy on a plane. If they are comfortable, relaxed and happy they may even have a little sleep for you. Check out the best flight pillows for toddlers here.

A ride along case which your child can sit on, these are a life saver at times in the airport, you can literally let them sit on it and pull them along. Kids love them too as they come in all sorts of colours and characters. Check them out here!

Flying is a spectacular thing for children, so embrace this with your child. Try to get a window seat and show them the clouds, sea and houses. As you get closer to landing try playing a game with the like i-spy.

These can be a life saver on holiday especially on long haul flights, as your battery can go dead. With the amazing piece of kit you can charge 3 devices at the same time so your gadgets always stay fully charged on the go. An essential travel accessory and highly recommended, check it out.

Accidents can happen so always bring spare clothes in your baby bag or hand luggage. Pack some spare pajama’s for the flight as they are comfortable and snuggly for them. You can get some really cool patterns and designs of all sorts of character which they will love, check these out.

If we are travelling long haul, we try to do a night flight, as he is a good sleeper. It does help to make sure they are comfortable and snuggly, so we purcahsed the travel pillow and blanket set from Snoozihedz. He loved it, they do different characters and they are super soft and warm. When we went to Dubai, he literally went to sleep on take off and woke up when we landed.