toys & books on the plane

[TheCalicoCat]

How do you pack this stuff? Does your child carry it? (Mine is 3.5 - if that matters) Do you just use a big (though not too big as not to fit in the overhead) bag for the everyone (2 adults, 1 child)?

Does your purse hold their stuff?

[6rugrats]

How do you pack this stuff? Does your child carry it? (Mine is 3.5 - if that matters) Do you just use a big (though not too big as not to fit in the overhead) bag for the everyone (2 adults, 1 child)?

Does your purse hold their stuff?

Our rule has always been that everyone carries and is responsible for their own things, and that included when they were three.

 

A small rolling bag or backpack is great for children. They can hold their own toys, books and snacks. It's nice if it will fit under their seats so they can get their things on the plane themselves. No need for mom to be responsible for everything and everybody.

[Mom2B&Z]

Our rule has always been that everyone carries and is responsible for their own things, and that included when they were three.

 

A small rolling bag or backpack is great for children. They can hold their own toys, books and snacks. It's nice if it will fit under their seats so they can get their things on the plane themselves. No need for mom to be responsible for everything and everybody.

 

I agree. DS2 was 2 yrs old on his first flight and carried his toys in a small backpack. He was allowed to bring anything he wanted as long as it fit into his pack and he could carry it when full. Now they bring their school backpacks, but same rules apply. When everyone has their own bag you can put them at each child's feet, so you don't have to worry about overhead bins being available near your seats. That way everything is easily accessible throughout the flight.

[ohok]

My son got a Cars rolling backpack as a gift shortly before our most recent flight (he was 2) and we packed his toys and books in there along with some munchies everything else was in my purse or my husband's carry on backpack but his toys were only in his bag. He rolled it through the airport a little but I had to pack it halfway through the airport. As for our clothes my family of 3 uses 2 checked bags and we split our clothes between both so if one's lost we all still ahve clothes to wear.

[cb at sea]

Everyone is allowed one carry-one...make use of that, if you need to! You can put whatever you want in each bag, but do make use of the allowance! Doesn't matter who carries it...each person gets 1 carry-on and a "personal" item! So far!

[boulders]

My kids had a rolling backpack until they were too old for it. I allow them to pack it, with the reminder that they have to pull it - so we try not to fill it up with books. :o

[TheCalicoCat]

Thanks for all of the tips. My son has a regular back pack & I guess next weekend (YAY - YIPPY - Already? Where has the time gone?) we will pack it together with a good set of ground rules.:)

 

On our first cruise with him 1.5 years ago, we over packed. Luckily our first stop was Port Canaveral - we shipped stuff home!

 

Heck we are already planning on Shipping stuff home from Alaska.;)

[bus man]

Our rule has always been that everyone carries and is responsible for their own things, and that included when they were three.

 

A small rolling bag or backpack is great for children. They can hold their own toys, books and snacks. It's nice if it will fit under their seats so they can get their things on the plane themselves. No need for mom to be responsible for everything and everybody.

 

If your screen name is an accurate description of your family size, I can certainly see why you'd feel this way! :)

 

I think yours is a fine system. But to provide a slightly different perspective for the OP, we (Mom and Dad) pack the kids' stuff into our carry-ons. (Our kids are 5.5 and 3.5) This forces us to travel light, in that we only bring aboard for each kid a notebook with pen, a small electronic gadget, and a stuffed animal. We also keep the snacks with us, so that we can regulate how much is eaten when and thus keep the kids from consuming it all at once and then wanting more later on.

[Ready 2 Go]

OMG! We will be traveling with our 3.5 yr old on his first plane flight. It never crossed my mind to get him a rolling bag. He will absolutely love this. What a great idea.

[mikesteg]

Just under 2.5 years old:

 

 

The kids have their cameras, a couple of stuffed animals, and perhaps a couple of toys. Books and snacks travel in the diaper bag.

 

OMG! We will be traveling with our 3.5 yr old on his first plane flight. It never crossed my mind to get him a rolling bag. He will absolutely love this. What a great idea.

 

We had the Melissa and Doug Trunki(s), and they sucked (which is unusual for them). Didn't latch well and aren't easy to carry otherwise, so they wound up on the stroller handle... which then tried to fall over every time we stopped. :rolleyes: That's probably too young for him anyway, but I mention it for others.

 

We now have hard sided ones like this. They are much better, but they require an overhead space.

 

So, we tend to use the backpacks above. We travel with up to 6 carry-ons (camera, laptop, 2 diaper bags, 2 backpacks), which makes these nice since they can share a foot space with one of the other bags. It's good (ie. necessary to survival) to have the kids' bags accessible rather than overhead.

 

This forces us to travel light, in that we only bring aboard for each kid a notebook with pen, a small electronic gadget, and a stuffed animal. We also keep the snacks with us, so that we can regulate how much is eaten when and thus keep the kids from consuming it all at once and then wanting more later on.

 

We manage to travel with most of our carry-ons somewhat empty. I'm not willing to sacrifice a proper carrier for the laptop or camera, and we need to have 2 diapers bags in case we can't sit together. We usually fly Southwest, so we don't know seating in advance.

 

Everyone is allowed one carry-one...make use of that, if you need to! You can put whatever you want in each bag, but do make use of the allowance! Doesn't matter who carries it...each person gets 1 carry-on and a "personal" item! So far!

 

My wife always gives me a dirty look when I point out that we can check 8 suitcases for free on Southwest. :D

[cantw8togo]

We travel with only carry ons and the kids can take what toys they want (within reason) provided it fits in the smaller carry on, which they keep at their feet. We have been doing this since they were 5 and 8. We pack a snack or two in their bag that they have access to, but they still have to ask before eating in case it is close to meal time. I pack extra snacks in my bag incase there are delays and food isn't available right away.

 

Robert Munsch books come in a 3" x 3" size which are great for travel. http://robertmunsch.com/

[TheCalicoCat]

If your screen name is an accurate description of your family size, I can certainly see why you'd feel this way! :)

 

I think yours is a fine system. But to provide a slightly different perspective for the OP, we (Mom and Dad) pack the kids' stuff into our carry-ons. (Our kids are 5.5 and 3.5) This forces us to travel light, in that we only bring aboard for each kid a notebook with pen, a small electronic gadget, and a stuffed animal. We also keep the snacks with us, so that we can regulate how much is eaten when and thus keep the kids from consuming it all at once and then wanting more later on.

 

Thanks for the perspective. Since my son does not regularly carry a back pack - it may be novel & fun, or it could be a lead weight that he "can't/won't" carry.

[scarlett81]

DD aged 5 uses a lightweight rolling backpack. In it we keep her leapster, coloring books with crayons, her Nabi (a kids Ipad), snacks and a thermos that I fill in the terminal prior to boarding-I HATE the flimsy plane cups that have 'spill me' written all over them.

I also keep wipes and a couple extra diapers for DS aged 1, plus an extra outfit for both kids. I also stash a kitchen dishtowel or two in there, comes in handy for spills or crumbs, when you don't want to wait for the attendant to bring paper towels over.

[mitsugirly]

I personally use our bag that we take with us while in port to the beach. It's a nice size and of course material (so it's flexible) and we only put a few things in there for our daughter (who was 3 on her first two cruises last year and will be 4 on our upcoming cruise) and then just our personal items and camera. I put it on the floor below us during the cruise. It's out of the way and I can easily get to it during the flight to get things out. We never use the over head compartments (I just feel it's too much of a hassle). It works for us.

[Ready 2 Go]

The backpack is a really good idea also. It would be easier to stuff that under the seat. And it will keep my hands free if I end up with it!!:rolleyes:

[Cheryl H]

We each have 1 rolling 25 inch checked bag....then for carry-on, we each have 15 inch rolling suitcases with changes of clothes, dvd player, etc. Each rolling carry-on has a sleeve on it so that it slips over the checked bag once we claim them.

 

For our son's personal item, he carries a string bag with his DS game, snack, or whatever he wants to keep with him at his seat. His rolling carry-on goes up above in the overhead.

 

His string bag is a Mario one we found at Toys R Us, but I've seen them at athletic stores too. I think Nike and Adidas have string bags.

[Geldhart]

Mine are 7 and 11 (will be 8 at cruise time). Our rule has been they "carry their own". We have them back a couple of days ahead of time and then have them wear the backpack around for a bit while we walk the dog. If they can't handle that - then they have to remove stuff.

 

We also give the one with the lighter load (backpack plus suitcase), that still contains all the necessities that we have printed out a $5 cash bonus for the trip. If they are both within a kilo, we call it a tie and give them both the $5. It really helps to prevent the "I need everything, but it's so unfair that I have to carry it" whines.

 

We only allow 1 weigh-in, so they both make pretty mature decisions about what they need, want, and can do without. For my DD, her iPod is a necessity, but she will do without the DS, and all the books. My DS is pretty good about the number of trucks and stuff animals he brings. One hot wheels car can be the police car, fire truck, ambulance, and the race car all at the same time.

 

This coming cruise, DD may be on crutches or a knee scooter, or a wheelchair due to an ankle injury, so she may get a special "no carry" permit this time.

[Mom2B&Z]

Thanks for the perspective. Since my son does not regularly carry a back pack - it may be novel & fun, or it could be a lead weight that he "can't/won't" carry.

 

When DS2 was 2 yrs and we weren't sure he would carry his backpack, our plan was to simply sling it over the handle of the rolling carry on. That way it still stayed accessible, didn't take up any extra hands to carry but he still got the opportunity to have his own bag. The only time he didn't carry it was during the 4am check in at the airport (after a night of not sleeping...), otherwise he was fine.