Tag Archives: air travel

Great Travel Games for Young Kids

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This time of the year, I start thinking about small things to buy for Buddy’s Easter basket. And one of the things I always look for is travel games. We’ve traveled a lot less in the last year due to the pandemic, but we still have taken several very long car trips. And sometimes, we’ve brought travel games to with us when we’ve had to wait somewhere like a restaurant or a doctor’s office. Here are our favorite travel games.

*Disclaimer- this post contains affiliate links for your convenience. As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.*

Travel Yahtzee

My family loves playing Mickey Mouse Yahtzee Jr., and we made our own version to play at home. (Our original is from the 80s and is at my dad’s house.) When we decided to do a 18 hour road trip last summer, I wanted to make a to-go version. I looked at the current travel Yahtzee available, and eventually decided to get a vintage one off of Ebay. I had that version as a kid, and I knew it would be easier to keep the dice contained. They way we play it is you have three rolls to get as many of the same kind as possible, with the number 1 being wild. If someone else has the same score already, you get bumped down to the next lowest score. I printed and laminated a score card and put it on a little clipboard left over from our Disney trip.

World of Disney Eye Found It Card Game

We’ve loved the World of Disney Eye Found It Card Game for a long time. It is a staple to play at home, and recently we sent a set to my dad so we can play it on FaceTime. To play the game, you have to be the first one to find a certain object on your card. Then you can discard your card and a new item is chosen. It’s great because it doesn’t take up much space, so it’s great to throw in a purse or carry on.

Spot It

There are so many versions of the Spot It Game. The one we have is Planes Spot It, which has both images from the Planes movie as well as letters. To play the game, you put down two cards and you try to be the first one to find the one thing they have in common. It comes in a heavy duty tin, so it’s really great for travel. We kept this one in the diaper bag for years.

Magnetic Bingo

We bought Take and Play Anywhere Bingo for Buddy when he was 3, and almost 3 years later, it continues to be a favorite game. This version of bingo has 24 different animals and a spinner to use to select the animal. It was a great game before Buddy knew his letters and numbers, and he still really enjoys all of the different animals. This one also comes in a magnetic tin that is very durable. The Take and Play Anywhere game series also includes hangman, memory, and fishing, which all look fun.

Road trip Scavenger Hunt Game

I bought the Briarpatch Travel Scavenger Hunt Card Game last summer before our 18 hour car trip. The box says the game is for ages 7 and up, but Buddy was able to play it at age 5 without a problem. We started playing it with a card holder, but then Buddy discovered that he can just prop the cards on the edge of the window. I modified the rules a bit from how they were written. We each choose 5 cards, and then we discarded them as we find the thing. I go through the cards before we play and pick things that I think are more likely to be seen depending on where we are driving. It takes awhile to play, and it makes a long car trip pass more quickly.

Spin and Play Board Game Book

I bought the Spin and Play Counting Games board book before our trip to Bogota in 2019. This board book has five different board games with two dice in the middle to spin. I liked it especially for that trip because it was easy to take in our carry on, and we played it both on the plane as well as in the hotel room. It’s also a great way to practice counting and simple addition.

Cars and Trucks Card Game

Cars and Trucks is another card game we’ve enjoyed on trips as well as at home. It’s not currently available online, but this war game is similar. We have played it on planes, and we like to bring it as a game to play when we arrive at our location.

Melissa and Doug Flip to Win Memory Game

Buddy likes to play memory, but it takes a lot of space to set up, so it’s not a great choice to play while traveling. So we got him the Melissa and Doug Flip to Win Memory Game last Easter to use for trips. It’s great because there are a lot of different game choices, so it’s nice to use even at home. The flaps are a little loud, so it’s probably better as a car trip game than a plane game.

Mental Games to Play While Traveling

While it’s great to be able to buy games to take with you on trips, it’s also helpful to have games you can play without anything else. We play these a lot while waiting in lines at the store, as well as when we travel.

  • Animal Game – One person chooses an animal and the other people ask yes and no questions until they guess it.
  • Alphabet Game – You look around at signs, license plates, labels and anything else you can find and look for the letters one at a time in order. We’ve found this to be a great game to play while sitting in slow city traffic where there are lots of lisence plates and billboards to see. We play this in grocery store lines as well.
  • iSpy – One person picks something they can see, and the other people ask yes and no questions to guess it.
  • Color game – We play this two ways. Usually we play it like iSpy, and one person says the color of the thing they see. Then the other people guess what it is. But we have also played it by picking a color and then seeing how many things you can find with that color. The person who finds the last thing of that color wins.

If you have any other travel game suggestions, I’d love to hear about them in the comments section.

Hotel Fun with a Preschooler

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My husband is working in Colombia this summer, so Buddy and I took two different week long trips there. We spent time every day sightseeing, but we still had a long amount of time in the hotel. Here’s a list of some of the things we did to have fun while in the hotel room.

*Disclaimer- this post contains affiliate links for your convenience. As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.*

Build Something

On our first trip, I brought train tracks, duplos, and these duplo train track pieces, which were a new surprise for Buddy. He had a blast constructing different arrangements with the blocks and tracks. It was a great way to make well loved toys feel like new. We also brought magnatiles with us on both trips.

Washi Tape Roads and Bridges

Buddy and I used washi tape to make roads and folded construction paper to make bridges. I intended for it to be for Buddy’s cars, but he wanted to use it as a runway for his planes instead. (Read more about this activity here.)

Coloring and Activity Books

I bought some new coloring books from the dollar store before this trip. Buddy especially loves the puzzles and activities in them. I also purchased some dry erase activity books from Usborne, which is what is pictured above. (We got the dinosaur wipe clean book and the big activity book.)

Play Games

Buddy loves to play games, so of course we always bring them when we travel. I bought a book of 5 board games (Spin and Play Counting Games) to bring with us on this trip. This book was awesome because it had two dice as spinners in the spine, and it was great practice with adding, counting, and reading numbers. Buddy also brought his favorite game, Sequence for Kids, which I packed in a gallon ziplock. We also brought travel bingo, Toy Story Uno, Cars and Trucks card game, and Disney Eye Found It (which we call the Mickey game).

Draw on the Windows

I brought washable dry erase markers for Buddy’s activity books, and we used them to make pictures on the windows. We looked outside and drew the things we saw. Buddy loved this so much that we did it multiple times on both trips! (Read more about this activity here.)

Read Books

Buddy loves to read, and we brought a bunch of books with us. Sometimes we would take the whole pile and cuddle up in bed and read. Hotel beds are so cozy and comfortable for reading.

Play with a Balloon

I meant to bring one from home, but I forgot. Fortunately we were staying at the most amazing hotel that gave Buddy two different balloons during long waits in the lobby. This one kept Buddy entertained for a very long time. We just hit it back and forth all over the place.

Make a Fort

Buddy made a fort on his own when I was in the bathroom. This is how I found him!

Put Together Puzzles

I bought a couple puzzles from the dollar store to put together in the hotel. I also got this nicer one, which was magnetic and had two different puzzles. The magnetic one was also great for doing on the plane.

Play Mats

Before our second trip, I decided to bring printed train mats and Thomas mini trains. Buddy loved having wooden train tracks with us on our first trip, but the printouts were much easier to bring and he was just as happy.

I was worried before our trip that I would feel cooped up in the hotel room, but Buddy and I had a lot of fun! By the end of our time there, it began to feel like home.

Planning a Magical Disney World Trip for a Preschooler

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We recently took a trip to Walt Disney World, and it was wonderful. I have been to Disney World several times in recent years with my adult friends. However, this was my first trip with Buddy, which meant putting a lot of extra thought into my planning. My family traveled with my best friend’s family, so we had a two year old and a three year old in our group. Not everything went according to plan, but most of it did. And amazingly, we had three and a half days of joy and laughter with no tears or meltdowns!

Ultimately, planning Disney for young children means doing everything possible to minimize waits and maximize fun. It takes some work to do it well, but in the end the effort is so worth it. (For me, planning is a large part of the fun!) Below is a summary of my planning timeline and links to other helpful resources.

*Disclaimer- this post contains affiliate links for your convenience. As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.*

More than 6 Months Before: Choose the Right Date and Hotel

I’ve become pretty picky when it comes to Disney crowds. Disney is crowded all year long, but the crowds are worse when schools are on vacation. As a teacher, it’s easier for me to go during school breaks. However, it’s worth it to me to use a couple of personal days to have a less crowded and happier Disney experience. My off season Disney trips have been in late April, early November, and mid January. I’ve enjoyed all of these times. This WDW Prep Crowd Calendar can give you more specific guidance about what times are good to go and what events are available during your stay.

You also need to decide where you are going to stay during your trip. I have stayed on and off property, and there are merits to both. However, I prefer to stay on property because you never have to leave the Disney fun. It also takes less time to get into and out of the parks. The latter part was especially important to me when traveling with a little one. I knew we would want to go back to the hotel for nap time, and so I wanted to be as close as possible. Disney hotel guests can also book their Fast Passes earlier (60 days in advance compared to 30 days). If you don’t stay on property, many of the good Fast Passes will be gone.

Buddy enjoying the playground at Art of Animation.

We ended up staying at the Art of Animation Resort, and we loved it! We had a lot of fun exploring the hotel on our first day, and the theming is so fun. One of the reasons we chose this hotel is the family suites, which were great.

Buddy had a ton of fun meeting all of the cars at our hotel.

Download the My Disney Experience App

This app is so helpful when making reservations for dining and Fast Passes. It’s also great for looking at trends in wait times. The times won’t be the same every day, but if you check often, you’ll see patterns. Some rides always have a long wait time regardless of the time of day, and some never have a long wait time. Seeing patterns can help you decide which Fast Passes you need and which ones you can skip.

180 Days Before: Make Dining Reservations

You can make Advanced Dining Reservations 180 days before your first day of your trip if you are staying on Disney Property. If you are staying off property, you can schedule your reservations 180 days from that date. These reservations open up at 6 am EST, so for particularly hard to get reservations, you will want to get up early.

My family enjoying our dinner at 50s Prime Time Cafe in Hollywood Studios.

I highly recommend doing at least one early breakfast in the parks. You can get in up to an hour before the park opens, and then you can be one of the first on a ride. We got a 8:10 am reservation at Tusker House at Animal Kingdom. We finished up a little before 9, and we were able to walk onto Kilimanjaro Safari without a wait. Our group used our Fast Passes at Epcot that day, so we planned an early breakfast so we could do the safari ride without a long wait. Just make sure to check that there are no Early Magic Hours at the park on the morning of an early reservation. (Read this Touring Plans post about Early Magic Hours and when they are scheduled.)

Tusker House breakfast and Mickey Mouse! It doesn’t get any better than this!

I also highly recommend doing at least one character meal if you’re traveling with small children. (And honestly, we always do character meals even if we’re only traveling as adults because they’re so much fun!) During these meals, you will have several characters visit your table, and you can get autographs and take pictures. These meals were one of Buddy’s favorite parts of the trip! We did Tusker House at Animal Kingdom, Garden Grill at Epcot, and Crystal Palace at Magic Kingdom. Touring Plans has a great list of the different character meal options here.

Buddy’s having fun meeting Dale at the Garden Grill.

60 Days Before: Book Fast Passes

Fast passes are used to skip most of the line for a ride. Not all rides have them, but the popular ones do. Everyone gets three fast passes as part of their Disney ticket. If you are staying on Disney property, you can make your Fast Pass reservations 60 days in advance of your check in day. Everyone else can do theirs 30 days in advance. Fast Passes open up at 7 am EST, and again, it’s worth getting up early for good ones.

You can only book three passes in advance, and they all have to be used at the same park. After that, you can book one pass at a time for any park. Once you use up that pass, you can continue to book one pass at a time. Fast Passes at Animal Kingdom, Epcot, and Hollywood Studios are tiered, meaning you can only choose one of the most popular options. WDW Prep has a great summary of Fast Passes available and the priority levels here.

Buddy’s favorite ride was the Dumbo ride! No fast passes were needed for this one though.

Our group chose to do the following fast passes:

Epcot: Seas with Nemo, Frozen Ever After, Spaceship Earth

Magic Kingdom (two days): Winnie the Pooh, Enchanted Tales with Belle, Seven Dwarves Mine Train, Buzz Lightyear, It’s a Small World, Space Mountain. While we did the rollercoasters, Buddy and my mother in law had fast passes for character visits. Peter Pan and Tomorrowland Speedway were on our initial list of Fast passes, but they were closed during our trip.

One Month Before: Make an Itinerary

If you have already booked your dining and Fast passes, they you already have a general idea of what parks you are visiting and what you want to do. But a month out is a good time to finalize what your day will look like. My friend and I ended up changing a couple of Fast Passes as we made our itinerary, so you don’t want to wait until too late to do this.

Buddy is ready for a day in Magic Kingdom!

There are lots of sample itineraries online to give novices a place to start. Disney Tourist Blog has a great list of different itineraries for the parks. When I put together my itinerary, I spent a lot of time looking at the map. Once you decide where you want to start in the park, then look at the things close by that you also want to do. For us in Animal Kingdom, it meant starting in Africa and working our way across the park to Dinosaur USA. In Magic Kingdom, we spent almost all of our time in Fantasyland and Tomorrowland.

Three Weeks Before: Buy Special Items for Trip

I made a special trip to the dollar store before we left. I bought glow wands, and I even found Mickey ones! There are tons of other Disney related things you can get there for your trip. I bought small Mickey ziplocks for snacks and Mickey and Frozen stickers for the plane. Also, I got a Mickey coloring book and crayons for the plane and waiting at restaurants.

Since we were leaving for Disney a few weeks after Christmas, I made sure to buy stocking stuffers that would also work for our trip. I bought this book for pressed pennies, and a few toys that could be played with in line. (I bought a Tangle Jr., a fidget monster, and hot wheels cars.) I also bought a Mickey Mouse look and find book that we used while waiting.

Chip thought Buddy’s fidget monster was a nut and tried to eat it!

Two Weeks Before: Make Hotel Requests and DIY Items

If you are staying on Disney property, you can check in ahead of time. When you check in, you can choose up to two room requests. I requested to be near transportation and main floor. I ended up calling because I also wanted my room to be near my friend’s room.

I also printed off cards for autographs, which will be put into a 4 x 6 photo album with printed pictures from our trip. The cards I used were from Hip 2 Save’s blog and Moms & Munchkins’s blog. I printed them on cardstock and cut them out. We brought them with a small clipboard and a click top Sharpie for autographs, and it worked well.

Buddy was a little shy when he met Elsa. But he was so excited to meet her.

Additionally, I printed and laminated this stroller tag from 2paws Designs. There are thousands of strollers at Disney, and having a large tag with our name on it helped. (It also helped that we had a yellow stroller and no one else did!)

One Week Before: Pack

There are lots of great packing lists for Disney, including this one from Wit and Wander. I would recommend bringing lots of snacks, sunscreen, a portable phone charger, and an extra pair of sunglasses. (I broke or lost sunglasses on three of the four previous trips. I brought an extra pair for this trip, and of course I didn’t need them!)

Good luck with planning your Disney vacation! If you have any questions or additional suggestions, please share in the comments.

Best Car Seats for Air Travel

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This has been a big car seat week for our family, because we finally changed Buddy’s car seat to be forward facing. We waited as long as we could, but he finally got too tall for facing backward in his seat. In the process, we’ve bought a new forward facing seat for Hubby’s car. All of this car seat change has me reflecting on the seats we’ve had so far, and what I’ve learned about traveling with them.

*Disclaimer- this post contains affiliate links for your convenience. As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.*

I’m often asked by friends with kids about how we fly with a car seat. Since Hubby works for an airline, we fly with Buddy often. We have also purchased car seats specifically because they would be useful for flying. This blog covers what I’ve learned at every car seat age.

There are a few options with flying with car seats. You can check your car seat with checked baggage. You can bring it through the airport and either check it at the gate or bring it onto the plane. And finally, you can rent a car seat if you are renting a car at your destination. I’ve never trusted that, and the options of car seats are very limited. Hubby and I never considered this to be a good option for us, so we’ve always brought our own seat with us.

Infant Car Seat

When Buddy was an infant, he flew on our laps. Because we didn’t have a seat for him, we always checked his bucket car seat. We bought this car seat backpack to help carry the seat into the airport. We always added baby food, extra diapers, and Buddy’s clothes in this backpack as well. I put all of these extras into extra large ziplocks, so I could easily pull out the car seat away from the rest.

Buddy’s first flight!

The one thing I wanted to mention about the infant seat is that you don’t have to fly with the base as well. Those bases are heavy, and I’m amazed when I see people carrying them through the airport! Our car seat was able to be strapped in with just a seat belt, and I think that is common for most infant carriers. (Be sure to read your manual to double check before you fly.)

I hated checking the seat because I always worried about it getting lost. We did lose a bag on one our flights with infant Buddy, but fortunately that was my luggage and not Buddy’s car seat.  It may be worth buying a seat for your infant to not risk losing the car seat. (Plus, your infant is safer in a car seat on the plane than in your arms.)

Baby Buddy in his baby car seat.

Convertible Car Seat

When Buddy outgrew his bucket seat, I got a Britax Advocate for my car. However, we knew we didn’t want to travel with that seat because it weighs a ton! After a lot of research, I got a recommendation for a lightweight convertible car seat from a friend of mine who flies with her kids even more than I do. She recommended the Evenflo Tribute LX, which is what we ended up getting. It weighs 9 pounds, so it was even lighter to carry through the airport than Buddy’s infant seat. It doesn’t have a ton of padding, but Buddy’s always been very comfortable in it. We’ve taken it on long car trips, and he seems just as happy in it as in mine. The best part about it is that it’s a very affordable car seat with great safety reviews. It’s also pretty easy to install in both cars and airplanes. 

When Buddy was under two, we still hauled this seat in the back pack and checked it. But once he turned two and we had to get him his own seat, we took it onto the plane with us. It was a great peace of mind knowing the seat wouldn’t get lost. To get the seat through the airport, we used this belt to tie the seat onto either my suitcase or Buddy’s stroller. You are supposed to be able to use the car seat as a stroller once it’s belted to the suitcase, but I never tested that out.

Buddy was forward facing on the plane in this seat (There’s not really enough space to rear face on a plane), but he was always rear facing in this seat in cars. The only big drawback to this seat is that it only lasts until 40 pounds, which is why we ended up buying a new car seat for Buddy this week. But since we paid around $50 for it in the first place, I don’t have a problem having to upgrade it after two and a half years.

Forward Facing

When I was researching traveling convertible car seats, I came across the Ride Safer Travel Vest. Hubby and I were so excited about the idea of carrying a vest with us instead of a car seat, and we had to wait two long years between learning about it, and when Buddy was finally old enough to get it. (The Ride Safer Vest is made for forward facing kids from ages 3-8.) This vest is basically a belt positioning booster, and it makes the regular car seat belt hit Buddy’s body appropriately. It comes in a travel bag, and it’s so easy to throw in one of our carry ons. We also love bringing it with us when we need to Uber somewhere. It is a lifesaver, and we love it so much!

If you have questions about flying with young children, please share in the comments section. Best wishes for safe travels!

What to do with a Preschooler in Glacier National Park

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Hubby and I both love Glacier National Park, and we have been talking for years about taking Buddy there. Once we decided that we were going to go this summer, we spent a lot of time looking for fun things to do with him. We were amazed to find almost nothing about young children and Glacier National Park. Most of what I found was activities to do with older kids – hikes that were several miles long, horse back rides, and kayaking. And the only one I found about young children was from parents who hiked a lot, and wore the preschooler in a backpack when he got tired. None of that was very helpful for me.

It took a lot of research and planning, but eventually we found things to keep Buddy entertained. All of our walks are less than a mile round trip, with interesting things to see along the way. We also found other fun things to do besides hike. I’m sharing our itenerary for anyone who might be considering a trip to Glacier National Park with a preschooler.

*Disclaimer- this post contains affiliate links for your convenience. As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.*

Day 1 – Travel day and Whitefish

Our flight landed in Kalispell, Montana around noon. We drove over to Whitefish, and we had lunch at Piggyback BBQ. I love barbecue and was excited to find a barbecue place that had a kids menu. We ate outside in the shade, and it was so delicious! There was a great view of train tracks and a bridge, both of which were very entertaining to Buddy.

After that, we headed over to the Whitefish Mountain Resort. Hubby read about their alpine slide, and we thought it would be fun for Buddy. Buddy was very scared about everything at first, but he ended up having a great time. We took a gondola to the top of the mountain, and the view was amazing! All of us enjoyed seeing the mountain bikers racing down the mountain. Then we went back down the mountain and tried the alpine slide. It was so much fun! Buddy loved it, and we did it three times! We took the slide down, and then caught a chair lift back up to the top of the slide. We saw a mother deer and a fawn from the chair lift, and it was neat to watch them during our ride.

Finally we stopped by a grocery store to buy food for breakfasts and snacks. Then we made our way to our hotel, The Izaak Walton Inn, where we had dinner and watched trains. This historic hotel used to serve as housing for the Great Northern Railroad crew, and it is right along train tracks near the Essex train station. We had stayed there before and loved it, and we knew Buddy would love it too.

Day 2 – Going to the Sun Road

We entered the park at St. Mary, and we drove down the Going to the Sun Road. Our first stop was to see St. Mary Lake, which is stunning. Then we headed to Logan Pass.

The parking lot at Logan Pass was packed, but fortunately we found a spot after a few minutes. We lucked out that a man mentioned to us that there were several bighorn sheep across the street and a short walk away on the Highline Trail. Then we came back to Logan Pass and did the Hidden Lake Trail.

The Hidden Lake Trail is 2.4 miles if you do the whole thing, but we did just a part of it. It is paved at the start, and then it has wide wooden planks, so it’s easy for preschoolers to walk. If you go all the way up, there are a lot of stairs, so it’s not entirely preschooler friendly. Buddy made it a long way before we needed to help him. But we saw a ton of wildlife before we even reached the steps. There were ground squirrels everywhere, and there was a mountain goat right by the walkway! We saw a bighorn sheep at the top of the mountain as well.

Buddy got these binoculars for his birthday, and they were a huge hit! We tried them out for the first time at Logan Pass, and Buddy was obsessed. He loved seeing the sheep up closer. He also pretended to take pictures of everything with them, which was a lot of fun for him.

We drove straight through the rest of the road until we got to Apgar Village, and then we had a late lunch at Eddie’s Cafe. We ate outside, and enjoyed the view of Lake McDonald. The huckleberry lemonade and the huckleberry cobbler were both amazing!

After that, we headed back to our cabin for some rest time. We got a family cabin with one bedroom and a loft for Buddy. It was great having a place with a kitchen and some extra space to relax and play. We ended our day having dinner at the hotel and listening to a summer concert by the train tracks. Buddy played on the hotel’s playground and ran around like crazy, and it was so much fun.

Day 3 – West Side of the Park

We headed into the park through the West Glacier entrance, and drove to the Trail of the Cedars. This is another wooden planked trail that is wheelchair and stroller friendly up to the halfway point of the trail. Then you can head back the way you came, or you can finish the loop. The rest of the trail is dirt packed, but mostly flat and easily walkable. The total loop was 0.8 mi, and you see a waterfall and the amazing Avalanche Creek. You can see all the way to the bottom of the river because the water is so clear! It’s truly incredible, and like no other place I’ve seen.

After that, we headed back to West Glacier for a helicopter tour. This tour was perfect for Buddy, because he loves to fly. It was loud and bumpy though, so it wouldn’t be appropriate for all preschoolers. We had a great time, and the views were incredible! It will be one of my lasting memories of this trip for sure.

We had our lunch in West Glacier, and then we headed down to Lake McDonald. It was an incredibly windy day, so there were a ton of waves in the water. We saw a mother duck and a bunch of ducklings try to swim across the bumpy water! Buddy had so much fun throwing rocks into the water, he didn’t want to leave.

For the rest of the day, we explored the west part of the Going to the Sun Road. We walked around at the Weeping Wall, and stopped several other places along the road to see the view. Buddy loved seeing all of the waterfalls. We stopped outside a tunnel, and walked on the sidewalk into a viewing balcony. Buddy loved yelling “Hello!” into the tunnel and hearing the echo.

We spent the evening with dinner and train watching again at our hotel. The third night was the one where we tried the huckleberry-apple cobbler topped with huckleberry ice cream, which was amazing. Even if you don’t stay at the Izaak Walton Inn, it’s worth going there for dinner just for this dessert.

Day 4 – East Side of the Park

We scheduled a boat tour of St. Mary Lake with the Glacier Park Boat Company. It was one of my favorite parts of our trip, and my #1 recommendation for families visiting the park. The lake was calm and still, so even though I get seasick in the ocean, it wasn’t a problem at all. Buddy loved being on the boat, and the views were incredible. Hubby and I enjoyed learning new facts about the park that we love. Halfway through our tour, we had a chance to get off and do a quick walk to Baring Falls. We all had a great time.

The next part of our day didn’t go as planned. I had read great things about doing hikes in the Many Glacier area. We wanted to go see Fishercap Lake because we heard it was a great place to see moose, and it was a quick walk from the Swiftcurrent Inn. We also wanted to go to see Swiftcurrent Lake from the Many Glacier Hotel parking lot. However, the parking lot in that area was completely packed, and we were turned away. On our next visit, we plan to go early in the morning or even stay at the Many Glacier Hotel for a night.

Instead, we drove up to Chief Mountain, which is almost at the Canadian border. There were lots of roaming cattle and a few horses, which Buddy loved. He even said the horses were his favorite animal of the trip! I was disappointed that we didn’t see more mountain animals, but Buddy didn’t care.

As we made our way south, we went back to St. Mary Lake to walk to Sun Point. It is only 0.1 mile to Sun Point, and then there are a bunch of cool rocks to climb on. It feels like you are the top of the world without being too close to any steep drop offs. Buddy had a lot of fun climbing up and down the rocks.

We drove down to the Two Medicine area of the park for one more hike. The Running Eagle Falls is a 0.6 mile round trip hike over level ground. It takes you to Two Medicine Creek, although you do have to cross a small bridge to get a good view of the falls. Buddy enjoyed throwing rocks in the creek, and it was a fun way to end our last day in the park.

Day 5 – Travel Day

On our way to the airport, we spent an hour at Lake McDonald. This time the lake was the way it usually is – completely flat and still. Buddy had a blast throwing rocks and poking the water with a stick. We were all sad when it was time to get in the car and head back to the airport.

General Tips for Visiting Glacier National Park

Buy food at the beginning of your trip. We visited a grocery store for stuff for breakfasts and snacks, but I wish we got lunch stuff too. It takes a long time to get around the park, and on the day we were at Logan Pass, I would have liked to have lunch in the middle of Going to the Sun Road.

Be prepared for no cell coverage. We had cell signal at West Glacier and East Glacier, but nowhere else. Our hotel had wifi, but our cabin didn’t. It was great to be off the grid, but there were times we wanted it. When we needed a different plan, we had to figure it out on a paper map. We had restaurants that we wanted to visit, but we didn’t know exactly where they were. It would have been helpful to be more prepared.

Bring some small activities for the car and park. We are very lucky that Buddy is a good traveler, and for the most part, he was happy to just have a stuffed animal in the car. But by the end of the trip, he wanted a little more, so I gave him Melissa and Doug Reusable Puffy Stickers. The combination of his binoculars and throwing rocks kept Buddy very entertained on our hikes. We are thinking about giving him a kids camera like this one for our next trip because he loved pretending to take pictures.

If you have motion sickness, bring some medication or wear a motion sickness bracelet. There are lots of twists and turns and bumpy roads in the park. I get mildly car sick in those conditions, but we were in and out of the car so much, it wasn’t too bad. On our last day, though, we didn’t stop very much, and I wasn’t feeling great at the end.

Make sure to have a car seat plan if you are flying into the park. We recently purchased a Ride Safer Car Seat Vest, and we love it! It made our whole trip easier. We were able to Uber to the airport, and then we put the vest away in our carry on. We didn’t need to worry about checking our car seat or lugging it onto the plane. When we were driving around the park, we just had to unbuckle him and we left the vest on. It made it much easier when we were getting in and out of the car quickly. I highly recommend it for anyone who travels!

If you’re planning a trip of your own, please feel free to ask questions in the comments section. And if you’re not currently planning a trip to Glacier National Park, I hope this article made you consider it. It truly is one of the most beautiful places in the world, and somewhere I think everyone should visit at least once.

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Airplane Activities for a Three Year Old

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My family loves to travel, and since I’m a teacher, we always travel a lot during the summer. Since it’s been awhile since we’ve flown with Buddy, I spent a lot of time looking for new activities for this trip.

*Disclaimer- this post contains affiliate links for your convenience. As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.*

This trip was our first airplane trip since Buddy turned three. Before Buddy was two, we always flew with him on our laps. But we worried about his carseat getting lost when we checked it, so once he had his own seat, we brought it onto the plane. (We always travel with our Evenflo Tribute LX, which I would recommend. It is cheap and only weighs 9 pounds!) Buddy loved having his own seat and we had the peace of mind knowing that it wouldn’t get lost. However, it prevented him from using the seat tray or reaching the window, so it limited some of our activities.

Now that Buddy is three, we could finally buy the Ride Safer Travel Vest. We literally have waited years for Buddy to use this vest instead of a car seat for traveling. It adjusts the car seat belt so that it hits his body correctly, making it just as safe as a regular car seat. We used it for the first time on this trip, and we loved it! It was so great not having a carseat as we navigated the airport. It also let me bring activities that used the seat tray and window again.

Here are the things I packed to keep Buddy entertained on the plane:

  • Duplos – Buddy is really into his Duplos recently. In fact, he wanted them brought on this trip so much that he snuck blocks into both my bag and Hubby’s as well! I brought a quart sized bag worth onto the plane. I made some small pictures of things to build for another trip, and I brought those too. (Read more about my Duplo Busy Bag and get the free printable here.)
  • Bingo game – I bought this for Buddy’s Easter basket. He loves the game Zingo, and I thought he’d enjoy a bingo game. He loved it, and played about 10 games a day during our trip!
  • Snakes and Ladders Magnetic game – I bought this right before our trip, because I wanted another travel game to play with Buddy. He enjoyed it, but he didn’t quite have the attention span to play the game all the way until the end. This will probably be great in a year or so.
  • Disney Eye Found It card game – I first saw this game on a list of things to keep you busy in line at Walt Disney World. It’s the perfect game for us because I love all things Disney and Buddy loves look and finds. We played this a lot on the plane, and on the trip.
  • Spot it game – There are a bunch of versions of this, which all look great. We have the Disney Planes one that also has letters. It’s fun because Buddy loves the Planes movie and it’s great alphabet practice. It is also easy to play with just one person or with a whole group.
  • Thomas the train minis and play mat – Buddy loves everything related to Thomas the train. We have several sets of the minis, and they are perfect for travel. For this trip, I decided to print and laminate some train tracks. I gave him a couple options, but he especially loved this free zoo train printable from In Our Pond.
  • Stickers
  • Paperback books and magazines – I love paperback books for travel because they don’t take up much space. We subscribe to High Five, and it’s great to have a lot of new stories to read and puzzles to do.
  • Hidden pictures sticker book – Buddy loves look and finds, so I was excited to find this sticker book with hidden pictures. It was a lot of fun, and it will last us a long time.
  • Playdoh and tools – I missed having this as a travel option when Buddy was in his car seat. He was very excited to have a chance to play with Play doh on the plane. I brought some tiny tools to go along with it. We have these and the small ones in this kit were great.
  • Window clings – I also missed this when Buddy was in the car seat. These are usually available at the dollar store, but this set of letter window clings looks fun.
  • Crayons and paper
  • Wikisticks
  • Small dinosaurs – Buddy loves dinosaurs and he helped decide which ones from this set came with us on the trip.
  • Kindle and headphones – We only let Buddy use our Kindle Fire on trips, which makes it extra special. I load it up with some videos, apps, and books before we leave. I especially love checking out new library ebooks to have new reading material for Buddy that doesn’t take up extra space. We have these Kids Gear Headphones, which have worked well for us.
  • Reusable stickers – We love colorforms, and we have a couple different sets. They are reusable vinyl stickers, and they take up almost no space. I bought Melissa and Doug Reusable Puffy Sticker sets for Buddy’s Easter basket, and they were great when we had a long delay at the airport.
  • Magnadoodle – We have this travel sized Doodle Pro, which is a lot of fun. So much fun, in fact, that when we left it behind at my dad’s house we bought another one at the dollar store. The Doodle Pro is much nicer, but when our suitcase is pretty full, the smaller dollar store one is great too.
  • Teeny Tys – Buddy loves all stuffed animals, and he always gets to take one of our smaller sized ones with us. I love bringing his Teeny Tys on trips because they are so small and a lot of fun.
  • Water Wow– These are reusable paint with water pads, that are not messy at all. We have a bunch of them, and we rotate them for different trips. When we fly, I leave the water pen empty and then fill it later with a water bottle. These also have a look and find aspect, which just makes it even more fun.
  • Snacks – I am a firm believer in over packing, especially when it comes to snacks on airplanes. On this trip, our plane left on time but we ended up diverted due to storms and stuck in an airport for several hours. It was late enough that all of the restaurants were closed and we had to have snacks instead of dinner.

We still have a couple more car and plane trips ahead of us this summer. If you have any other fun ideas for travel activities, please share in the comments.

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Easy Ways to Entertain a Toddler at an Airport

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My family traveled to Jackson Hole, Wyoming for Labor Day. We love to travel, and a three day weekend is the perfect excuse to fly somewhere new. I’ve written several times about activities I’ve done with Buddy on airplanes (read more here, here, and here). However, the things we do in the airport are completely different.

When we have extra time in an airport, I try not to pull out our airplane toys. If Buddy plays with them before the flight, they’re not as entertaining on the flight. Also, I don’t want him to sit for any longer than he has to since he has to sit for a long time on the flight. So here are some of the things we’ve done together in the airport.

1. Watch Planes

This is by far our favorite airport activity! Buddy is so happy to watch everything going on outside the airport. He loves the planes, trucks, and people. On one of our trips earlier this summer, one of the airport workers saw us watching and gave us a big wave! This activity keeps Buddy occupied for a long time. He was very frustrated in Jackson Hole this morning because in that airport, there are no jet ways and as a result, the planes are farther out and hard to see. But in most airports, it isn’t difficult to find a window with a great view.

2. Sing Songs

We do this most often when we’re waiting in lines at the airport. (Usually that’s waiting to get through security or on the plane.) “Wheels on the Bus” and “Old MacDonald” are great ones because you can add a lot of verses to make the song last a long time.

3. The Color Game

Buddy and I play this game every time we are waiting in line at the grocery store, and it works well in airports too. I say a color, and he has to guess what I’m looking at based on the color. Then he picks a color, and I have to find his item. (Buddy still likes to point as his object when he says the color, so he needs to work a little on this part of the game.) On this trip, we played in a gift store. Fortunately, Buddy can be in a store and not want to buy everything. However, if your toddler doesn’t do well in gift shops, this can be played anywhere in the airport.

Buddy found my “something black.”

4. Exploring 

I try to give Buddy time to stretch his legs before getting on the plane. Usually, that means we just walk around to see what we can find. Today, we found a small dog that let us pet him. Then we found a couch made with cow hide. (I thought it was kind of gross, but Buddy liked feeling the hair.) The interesting things at an airport always vary, but toddlers are curious about everything, so it’s not too hard to find something fun for them.

5. Scavenger Hunt

I have wanted to print out a scavenger hunt for all three of our summer flights, and I have forgotten every time. (I love this coloring one on Mama.Papa.Bubba’s blog!) Hopefully I will remember before our next trip. In the meantime, I just made up things for him to find based on things around us. Buddy loves animals, so when we were in the gift shop, we did some animal iSpy. Sometimes our scavenger hunts are more like, “find a square on the floor and stomp on it.” I change the game depending on where we are.

Buddy found a bear!

6. Playing Pretend

Buddy enjoys pretending to be different animals. I’ve blogged before about our animal movement game (read here). It works well in the airport too. Some example movements would be to hop like a bunny or fly like a bird. Today, he saw a movie with buffalo, and he decided to give himself buffalo horns!

If you look closely, you can see Buddy’s “horns”.

It takes a little effort and creativity to keep your toddler entertained without toys or electronics. But the effort it takes is worth it to have a happy toddler as you get on the plane. A happy toddler means a happy trip. If you have any other airport ideas, please share in the comments. And best wishes for happy travels, from my family to yours.

Having fun in Grand Teton National Park!

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Airplane Activities for a Two Year Old

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Summer is almost over, and we’ve finally finished all of our airplane trips for the season. Buddy has always been a good traveler. However, I’ve found that the more activities that I have on hand, the easier the trip is for all of us. This summer, we had four flights over the course of two weeks. The first two were an hour and a half and the second two were two and a half hours. Now that Buddy is two, he got his own seat on the airplane for the first time. He also is able to do different activities than he could when he was one. (Read about our one year old airplane activities here and here.) Since he had his own seat, Buddy brought his toys in his travel backpack.

*Disclaimer- this post contains affiliate links for your convenience. As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.*

Prior to our trips, I spent a lot of time looking for new toys and activities for the airplane. I tried to spend as little money as possible on new things. I set aside several small books and toys from our library reading program and happy meals. (Chick-fil-a board books are the perfect size for travel!) The dollar store sometimes has great cheap toys for travel, but it’s always hit or miss. I found great items in the dollar sections of Target and Toys R Us though. My new favorite place to find cheap travel items is Party City. There are lots of cheap stickers and toys there for treat bags that are perfect for travel.

I rotate our toys and books at home, so some items had been rotated out and seemed like new to Buddy. The only other things I bought used gift cards and rewards money I already had at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Target. I also created some DIY activities for our trip.

The activities I have listed here are from both of our trips. Some items went on both sets of flights and some were just used once. 

  • Thin paper books and small board books. They’re not in this picture because they traveled with us in the diaper bag, but I still love the Indestructibles books for travel because they take up no space.
  • Look and find books are Buddy’s new favorite type of book. I printed out and laminated a bunch of iSpy pages for him. I also found this Disney/Pixar Look and Find book in a box of rotated books. Buddy and I were both so excited about it!
  • I set aside the most recent Highlight’s magazine to have more new reading material on the plane.
  • I also made a quiet book for Buddy. Read more about it here and here.
  • The water wow book was new for this trip, and Buddy loved it! These books are a favorite for us for travel and when I’m cooking dinner.
  • Colorforms are amazing reusable stickers and play scenes. I bought one at Toys R Us and found another one at the dollar store. Buddy can do these independently and they keep him busy for a long time.
  • A notebook and some washable crayons. We also brought a couple Grab and Go coloring book/sticker packs and sticker books from Party City. The Grab and Gos also live in the diaper bag, so I forgot to pull them out for this picture.
  • I put some velcro dots on popsicle sticks to build with.
  • Travel sized iSpy bottle. (Read about how I made the full sized version here.)
  • Pom poms in a salad dressing container from the dollar store. (Read about the large scale version of this activity here.)
  • Light up squishy dinosaur from the dollar store.
  • A retractable measuring tape from the dollar store. This was a huge hit! Buddy loved pulling out the tape and pressing the button to come back again.
  • My old Kindle Fire and kid headphones. I put some Thomas the Train videos on here along with a few apps. I also got some ebooks from the library and free ones from Amazon Prime.

  • Fisher Price Clip – on Doodle Pro. I actually bought this before our plane trips last year, but Buddy wasn’t interested in it. He really liked in on our trips this year though.
  • Duplo Busy Bag. Buddy loves his Duplos! I made small pictures of things for him to build and put it in the bag. Read more about this activity and get the free printable here.
  • Finger puppets
  • Animal flash cards. I wasn’t sure if Buddy would like these, but he really did. They kept him entertained for a long time in the airport when our plane was delayed.
  • Small board books
  • Thomas the Train magnet book. We received this as a birthday gift, and it’s great for travel! Buddy loved having a small version of his “choo choo tracks” on our trip.
  • Jumbo Nuts and Bolts Set. I didn’t take a picture of all of them, but the set has six nuts and bolts with a pattern card and a travel bag. It took up more space in his backpack than I wanted, but Buddy really enjoyed them.
  • Gel clings. Buddy loves these and they are great for airplane windows. Unfortunately, since he was in a carseat, it was too hard for him to actually use it on these trips. This was a favorite activity when Buddy was on our laps. I’m sure it will be great when we decide to fly without a car seat on the plane.
  • I didn’t bring it on this trip, but playdoh is another great activity for airplanes. I wasn’t sure if Buddy could use the tray table in the car seat (he couldn’t), so I didn’t bring it. It will definitely be on our pack list though for the next trip without a car seat.

Here are a few pictures of these travel activities in action.

Coloring with the water wow.

Nuts and bolts on the plane.

Playing nuts and bolts with Daddy.

When we were in the airport, watching airplanes was Buddy’s favorite activity.

Buddy brought one of his many stuffed animals on our trips. Puppy kept Buddy entertained throughout both trips. I also had many snacks and drinks to help keep Buddy occupied during our travels. I especially encouraged eating as the plane was going up and down to keep Buddy’s ears popping comfortably.

I’m not sure when our next flight as a family will be. Hopefully, many of these activities will continue to entertain Buddy when he’s a little older. I’m always looking for new ideas, so feel free to share any travel activity ideas you have.

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More Airplane Activities for a One Year Old

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This Christmas, Hubby, Buddy, and I flew to Florida. Buddy’s Nana lives in Melbourne, and the flight is a couple hours for us.  This was our first flight with Buddy since July, and I was amazed how much he’s changed during the last five months. I blogged about our airplane activities in July (read that blog post here), and some of those items were brought with us on this trip as well. However, since I created many new things for this trip, I wanted to share them on the blog.

*Disclaimer- This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.*

Currently, Buddy is 20 months old. Every day, he’s becoming more of a toddler and less of a baby. He is much more mobile than he was in July, so I was concerned about finding airplane activities that would be interesting to him and make him willing to sit still for a couple hours. Just like I did for our last trip, I put these activities in two packages. The items in the picture above were in a gallon ziplock (except for the Kindle and headphones which were separate.) I also had a pencil pouch of items with a carabiner that clipped on to the back of the seat for easy access. We didn’t use everything on either flight, but I’d rather have too many activities than not enough.

New for this trip, I wanted to make some travel versions of some of the activities that have been featured on this blog. I used small water bottles to make a travel straw in bottle activity (original blog post here). Buddy has been into his I Spy bottle recently, so I used another small water bottle to make a travel sized one (original blog post here).  I put some of our homemade playdoh in a container (original blog post here) and bought some small cookie cutters and a roller to go with it. This was probably our favorite activity. Buddy loves playdoh and is willing to play with it for a long time. Buddy is just starting to get into TV, so at the last minute we bought Kidz Gear volume controlled headphones. These headphones allowed Buddy to watch his show  shows on my Kindle Fire without disturbing the people around us. While he didn’t spend too much time watching shows, it was great to have as a backup for when he was getting really antsy. I also downloaded some ebooks from the library on the Kindle.

Other items from the picture above:

  • Indestructibles books – These are one of my favorite things for travel because they take no space. Buddy loves to read, so the more books I could bring, the better.
  • Quiet book – I put this together for our July trip (original blog post here).
  • Playing cards from the dollar store
  • Small container with a strip of bells inside
  • Window cling gels – These are one of our favorite activities. I usually get them in the dollar section of Target. Buddy decided that these were fun to tear apart, so they didn’t all survive the trip.
  • Bath book from the dollar store.
  • Oball Go Grippers Car – Small and easy for Buddy to hold. When we aren’t traveling, this car lives in our diaper bag.

Items in the pencil pouch:

  • Chip clip animals from the dollar store.
  • Finger puppets
  • Small toys from the library reading program (I love freebie toys for the diaper bag and traveling!)
  • Small tape measure from the dollar store – Buddy loved this! He had a great time pulling out the tape and releasing it.
  • Small board books
  • Little slinky from the dollar store
  • Roll of painter’s tape – Whoever was the first mom to come up with this idea (not me) is brilliant. Buddy had a great time peeling and restocking the tape on the back of the seat.
  • Stickers in an Altoids tin – Buddy put some in a little notebook, but most of the time he just liked to pull them in and out of the tin.
  • Button snake
  • Triangular Crayons – I love how these don’t roll and they wipe off of surfaces with just water. We actually didn’t use these on the plane, but Buddy did have fun with them at Nana’s house.
  • Light up dinosaur from the dollar store
  • Pom poms in a small container (originally for dressing!) from the dollar store – Buddy had a lot of fun flipping the lid open and shut and poking the poms into the container.

Not pictured –

  • Toddler apps on my phone – Peekaboo Barn was particularly helpful when Buddy was getting antsy prior to take off.
  • Snacks and juice – particularly for taking off and landing to help with ear pressure
  • Built in entertainment – I always try to get Buddy to have fun with things already in the plane before I break out the toys. Buddy loves looking at the other planes and things out the window. He had a lot of fun looking through the airplane magazine and safety card and pulling them in and out of the back seat pocket. Buddy also liked playing peekaboo with the big kids behind us on the flight down to Florida. On the way back, the person behind us was sleeping (“Nappy!”), but Buddy was able to make a friend next to us who gave him some grapes and showed us pictures of his cat.

I didn’t get any pictures of Buddy on the airplane, but here’s one of him having fun on the beach in Florida.

I’m not sure when our next trip will be, but I’m always looking for new travel activities. Please comment if you have any ideas to share for toddler activities for travel.

Airplane Activities for a One Year Old

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Disclosure – this blog post contains affiliate links for your convenience. If you choose to purchase something using one of these links, I will receive a small commission. 

My husband and I have always loved to travel. Since Hubby works for an airline, we fly often. I’m happy to say that hasn’t changed much since we’ve had Buddy. (Although now we usually travel to see family instead of traveling to new places.)

Even though this was Buddy’s fifth trip involving air travel, Hubby and I were nervous. Buddy is 15 months old, and our last plane trip was several months ago when he wasn’t as mobile. Now that Buddy is used to moving around a lot, it’s hard for him to sit still for a long time. I spent a long time looking for ideas for one year olds to do on planes. However, a lot of ideas I found (coloring books, DVD players, etc.) were better for slightly older kids. Eventually, I found a bunch of small activities for our trip.

Before we got on the plane, I didn’t pull out any of the travel toys. I wanted to keep those for times when Buddy had to sit still. At every airport (we had three different flights on this trip), we looked for seats by a window with empty space. We let Buddy crawl around to burn off energy. He spent hours watching the planes through the window. Another game he loved was stroller basketball. We took our bag from dinner and crumpled it into a ball. Buddy loves balls, and so he loved this “ball” too. He put it in the stroller’s basket over and over again. Our first flight was delayed by four hours, and Buddy was entertained that whole time by these activities (and eating too).

Buddy loves watching the planes.

Buddy loves watching the planes.

I brought a ton of small activities for the plane. Our first and last flight were both over four hours, and I anticipated that Buddy would be awake for most of that time. Our second flight was much shorter (an hour and a half), but I still wanted new activities for that time. In the end, we didn’t need a lot of these activities. Our four hour delay meant that our first flight left hours after Buddy’s bedtime, so he slept that whole flight. He also slept for half of the short flight and more than an hour of the last flight. Luckily, we didn’t need everything, but I was happy to have more activities than I needed.

On each flight, I packed a pencil pouch of small activities and a gallon sized ziplock with a few larger items that didn’t fit in the pouch. I had another gallon sized ziplock in my suitcase of things to switch out for new flights.

Here is what ended up in the pencil pouch for our last flight:

Airplane activities 2

  • Pencil pouch – This was intended to be an activity as well as a holder of other activities. I added a carabiner to clip onto the seat back pocket for easy access. Buddy enjoyed pulling the zippers and pulling things out of the pockets.
  • Cubs teether
  • Post it notes – Fun to put on and pull off of the seat.
  • Dinosaur light up toy from the dollar store
  • Small slinky
  • Police car from dollar store
  • Poms container – This was a salad dressing dispenser from the dollar store and a few pom poms. I wanted to make a travel size version of this activity. This was Buddy’s favorite thing to do on the plane. He loved putting the poms in the container. He also loved trying to put the cap on the container.
  • Koosh ball
  • Penguin toy – We got this as a souvenir on our trip.
  • Finger puppets
  • Measuring tape from the dollar store – Buddy liked pulling out the tape and letting it go back in. He also liked shaking it to hear the noise of the keychain on the box.
  • Small board books – One of these was an old favorite and one was new. The new vehicle books were bought here.
  • Painters tape wrapped around a folded piece of paper. I ripped off tape to put on the back of the seat, and Buddy pulled it off the seat. We actually didn’t use this on this trip, but it was a huge hit on previous trips.
  • Pipe cleaner with some beads to slide around.
  • Altoids tin with cut out stickers and a small notepad. Buddy liked to hold the stickers, but he wasn’t interested in actually putting them on the notepad. He also liked dumping them out everywhere and opening and closing the tin.

This is what the pouch looked like when it was filled.

Airplane activity bag

Here are the additional activities from the gallon ziplock bags:

Airplane activities 3

  • Quiet Book – This was the main thing in the extra ziplock bag. (I was pretty sad that it didn’t fit in the pouch.) If you want to know more about this quiet book and how I made it, read my blog post about it here.
  • Pill case (from the dollar store) filled with snacks
  • Indestructible books – These are one of my favorite travel toys because they take up no space and can’t be wrecked.
  • Bath book from the dollar store
  • Animal chip clips from the dollar store – Buddy loves animals and he really enjoyed these. I brought an index card to clip them on, but we found other things to clip them on as well. Buddy really liked putting them in our empty drink cups, shaking them up, and pouring them out again.
  • Empty easter egg – Buddy enjoyed breaking it open and putting it together again.
  • Playing cards from the dollar store – When we have played with cards before, Buddy liked pulling them out of the box, holding them, and trying to fold them. I bought Pup Patrol ones because he loves dogs. We actually didn’t play with these, but I’m sure we will on our next trip.
  • Button snake with felt scraps – I thought Buddy would enjoy pulling the felt off and putting them on, but he wasn’t really interested. I think he’ll like this more when he’s old enough to practice buttoning.
  • Bead necklace
  • Window gel clings – This was another favorite of Buddy’s. He loved putting them on the window and taking them off. I got these at the Target dollar section, but you can get similar ones here.
  • Small container with a ribbon of buttons and bells – Buddy played with this for a long time. He liked shaking it and hearing the noise of the bells. He liked taking the ribbon out and putting it back in the container. He also liked putting the lid on the container.
  • Extra small books

Not pictured:

  • My phone with a few baby game apps
  • My Kindle with picture ebooks checked out from the library
  • Extra snacks and sippy cup
  • Stuffed monkey

We also had a lot of fun just pulling out the cards and magazines from the back of the seat. Buddy did this for a long time. He also liked stacking our cups after we were done with our drinks. He also liked looking at the people around us and waving at them.

If you have any other ideas for activities, I’d love to hear them!

*Edit*- Here is a more recent blog post of the airplane activities I did with Buddy at 20 months. Some of them are the same, but there are many other ideas as well.