We have gone to the U.S. once a year for the last few years. Next week’s itinerary is our shortest ever at a “short” 19 hours. Coming back to China it will be about 23 hours. Both directions are two legs, and only one layover. Our long flight of about 13 hours is equipped with individual TV’s on each seat with some great children’s programming. That will keep the kids busy! Our short flight however will not have individual TV’s, and will last for about 4 hours. I have to have something for the kids to do!
I’ve learned the hard way that we don’t want to bring any more than the kids can carry on their own. There’s not much worse than lugging around 4 tired kids, backpacks, carry-ons, and all of their “busy” gear as well! With all of the traveling that we do, I feel like we have finally found a system that works for us!
Each kid has:
- Their own backpack. We try not to pack anything for the kids that won’t fit into their own backpack. Sometimes we slightly break the rules (more on that later…).
- We allow each of the kids to take one small comfort item from home. They all love sleeping with stuffed animals and dolls, so they get to choose their current favorite for the trip.
- A water bottle. Let’s face it, kids get thirsty, and no one wants to drag along a thirsty, tired, whiny kid!
- A few small snacks, depending on the length of the trip. I don’t usually buy a lot of individual snack sized things for the kids, but for trips like this, they are perfect. Whenever mommy say, “Okay, it’s time for a snack,” they can pull out one of their snacks.
- A pair of kid friendly headphones. The ones we found are big, but they cover the kids ears well and block out background noise while they watch movies. We are of course careful to monitor that the volume is not too loud.
- A zipper folder
of activities to keep them busy during waiting times in the airports, flights with no individual TV, etc. Figuring out what to put in the zipper folder is always what’s most difficult. I always want enough to keep them busy but not more than they need. This is what I packed for this trip.
The girls each got a new art book, a butterfly sticker book, folding paper, a small notebook, and new gel pens and markers to share. I also snuck a reader into each of their bags, but I'm guessing they'll just want to create if mommy doesn't make them read.
The boys each got a blank art book (they love these!), a pack of crayons, a small notebook, a pack of folding paper (which I'm sure they will probably just shred...hey, whatever keeps them busy!), a pack of Ikea stamp markers to share, and small zoo animals.
This is where I break my own rules that the kids things must fit into their backpacks. They boys have toddler sized backpacks that do not fit these folders. They will carry all of their own things except for these; Matt and I will each take one for the boys.
Of course, we always need a backup plan. We have two!
- The iPad with great educational apps.
- The computer with movies just in case we get stuck waiting in an airport longer than expected and get a little too antsy.
And that’s it. That’s how we plan to survive during this long trip back to the States. What do you pack for your kids when you travel? Do you have any great tips?
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All great tips Michelle. We also do a lot of traveling in my family. The longest trip being 24 hours to Bali with a toddler. Boy, did that exercise my patience. My daughter is 2 and still in pull-ups. So we pack the usual pull-up, wipes, her blanket, her cup with drink, her own snacks ( I just can’t leave it up to the airlines), iPad with educational games, a few books, her head phones and the kitchen sink (lol). On a trip last week, I packed some bubbles which were great on the plane. We just popped them before they got to any other passengers. It was delightful. Does China have a Target? If not, have the kids each pick one or 2 things from the dollar toy section in the Target at your US destination. They have lots of options and at a dollar a piece you can’t beat the value. Safe travels! I am going to put my advice to use…have a flight later today.
Lisa, bubbles sound like a great idea! Hope your flight went well!
Traveling with kids definitely gets easier as they get bigger. This is the first time we are without a stroller or any type of baby gear. They also entertain themselves so much better as they get older. I don’t expect to hear much of anything from the girls this trip.
A Target? That would be a dream come true.
I do plan to hit up Target and Dollar Tree before we head back in June.
Michelle, great ideas for packing minimally! And I’m with you that packing light is the ONLY way to go when you have children! Thanks for sharing this today.
Great ideas! I have been brainstorming ideas lately. We will be heading out on an 8 hour (plus stops) car trip this summer with our four kids. It should be interesting!
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You’re right. That should be interesting! Good luck packing bags that entertain and good naps!
Great ideas! The kids now pack their own bags or help each other. They like to bring mad libs as well as outburst or trivia pursuit like cards that we can do as a family.
Kids packing their own bags?? I can’t even imagine it!
Sounds like a great plan! And I love some Mad Libs. I did those a lot as a kid.