Oh what a Carry On! How on earth will I keep my 8 and 10 year olds occupied on an 8 hour long haul flight? We’ve mastered our frequent road trip adventures by turning up the music to drown out the bickering, or make a ‘leg stretch’ stop as a distraction. In a car they can (and do) pack half their bedroom – they make it a home-from-home. So with a long haul flight coming up tomorrow – even with me sitting between them to act as a referee – I’m worried about how I can keep them busy and happy for the whole flight. But what do I pack in their Carry On rucksacks? They can’t empty the contents of their bedrooms into them – last night Millie-Mae (or MM as I abbreviate her to) decided on what teddy to take … let’s just say it was so large it’ll need its own seat. My children don’t understand the concept of ‘travelling light’, so I’ve liaised with them both – but I’m packing the Carry On!
MM once had a Nintendo 3DS XL … never, ever played it. So mummy sold it. Guess what? 10-11 months after we’d parted company with it, she wanted another one. Apparently you can’t play Pokemon on any other platform. I couldn’t bring myself to oblige at Christmas, and with Toby also wanting one now he’s a little older, I decided that they could buy their own! Does that sound cruel? What I mean is that they get birthday and Christmas money on top of their pocket money – their purses bulge with notes, unlike mine! Dilemma though … they’ve been saving for a few months, but haven’t quite reached the magic £160 needed; the deal being that if they buy the console I’ll buy their game of choice. Thinking that a 3DS XL could solve the boredom issue on the flight, I started to look at online auctions for secondhand ones. But they were selling at nearly the price of a new one. So to bring this story to an end, I’ve brought them a new 3DS XL each – I’ve emptied their purses, so they are broke now. But when they get given their Carry On backpacks early tomorrow morning as we make our way to the airport, they’ll discover a brand new game console WITH their game of choice ready to play – aren’t I a nice mummy?! At £30 plus, they can buy their own games and I just hope that their one game each will keep them going …
What else in their Carry On? Well, a reading book. Anything to do with farts or poo will amuse Toby, and MM is heavily into her Percy Jackson books, so I’ve bought each child two new books – one for the going out journey and the other for the return. I’ve packed a small notepad and multi-ink pen in case they want to draw/write or play hangman. And they have a small selection of sweets … this is my tactic to stop them running towards any Pic ’n’ Mix stands at the airport! I will let them use their GoHenry cards to buy a magazine to take on the plane with them … but no sweets.
Oh, and headphones – very important. We are flying on British Airways, in cattle class, and I always worry about dodgy audio sockets, so I’ve also packed a couple of headphone splitters in case two need to share the same one. Films on offer look good … Trolls, the BFG, The Secret Life of Pets and Ghostbusters for the kids (Ab Fab and Bridget Jones for me).
We’ve already had a first argument before we’ve even packed to leave the house … who will get the window seat – arrgghh! MM wants it, but Toby does too. Toby will get it, assuming I can change the seats as soon as online checking is active. The last time that Toby flew in a plane was back in 2010, when we went to Lapland. He was 2 and can’t remember any of it. All his classmates are jetsetters, so I have kind of felt a bit sorry for him – if truth be known this whole trip has been arranged around him going on an airplane. So Toby gets the window on the way out: MM on the way back. I get to sit between them both while Huw can zone out for 8 hours across the aisle!
Oh I hope they behave themselves! I don’t think my request to stop for a leg stretch will go down too well with the pilot (and a bit awkward given that we’ll be over the Atlantic). I WILL keep them amused … I will, I will, I will … come on mummy, positive thinking!
Carry On ‘must takes’
I asked a few other mums (and dads) for advice on what to pack for children flying long haul. There have been some great suggestions. Here’s a few of them:
Jen from Just Average Jen suggests Top Trumps. Her 11 year old son loves them and they don’t take up much space [great idea – will seek some out at the airport]
Jetsetter Alison from Five Little Stars has flown long haul an incredible SIX times with her children. Her advice is not too overpack the Carry On as children don’t play with half the stuff you pack. Her top tip, other than the tablet/game console, is a non-spill water bottle for them to suck on if their ears get sore. Also, wet wipes [I never travel without them!] and an activity book to give them a screen break.
The Mum Diaries’ Jaymee hasn’t taken her boys on a plane yet, but have done long car journeys. She suggests simple pens and paper and it is so versatile.
Isabella from Fijian in the UK always packs a pair of PJs to change into after take-off, spare undies, a pair of socks, wet wipes and tablet with at least three games and/or movies downloaded, just in case the inflight entertainment isn’t up to much.
Family Makes’ Carol is also planning a long haul flight with her children. She believes that Kindles are going to be essential, and she’s taken a month’s trial of the Readly app for £1 which means they can read a variety of magazines – hopefully saving a fortune at WHSmith! [I will definitely look into this too.] She also plans to pack puzzle/activity books, and travel neck pillows to encourage them to have a snooze. [I forgot all about the pillows, eek!]
Great tips, and your kids will be so excited with their new 3DS! Thanks for including our tips too, and hope you have a great trip!
Great list of travel essentials for kids. I’ve yet to board even a short flight with my two, but these are useful tips for when we finally brave the skies.