Need Ideas for Plane Ride with an Almost 2 Year Old

Hot Wheels/Matchbox cars were a hit with my children (boy and girl). Also, someone gave my son a small can of Play-doh when we were traveling by plane once. I was hesitant to allow it, but he had a blast rolling it and pressing it on the little table top. And it kept him SOOO quiet! For my daughter stickers keep her entertained for long periods. I gave her LARGE stickers and paper, and she stuck them down to her heart's content. (Just make sure they're big and the child is well supervised! LOL.) Does your child like books? A new book or two could be in order.

We love Wikki Stix, which are wax covered colored yarn -- like a cross between crayons and clay and no mess! You can get them at Hobby Lobby in the kids' art supply aisle. There is another product called Bendaroos, but the wax formula isn't as good. On a side note, although the Wikki Stix temporarily stick to anything (fun!), don't leave a coil of it on a painted wall. Apparently it will take the paint off! Good luck!

I always go to the dollar store. I pick up a few items of course very small portable items. The trick is to wrap them and place them in a bag. When she starts getting antsy you bring out the bag and let her unwrap them one at a time. As soon as she gets tired of one toy you bring out the next. Believe me this works wonders for long airplane rides and car trips!

For the crayons, make sure they are the triangle ones. The round ones just end up rolling of the pull out tray and under seats and you spend 1/4 of the trip with a whiny/crying toddler because the crayons are gone. Well, at least we did when we flew to Seattle (also about 4 hrs) in October with our 22 month old. We didn't have a DVD player or any videos for her to watch, but she got a new board book for the trip that she'd never seen before and it had multiple flaps on each page you got to open and look under. She also loved to play peek-a-boo with a blanket, so we made sure that was available for her. We didn't buy a seat for her so a lot of the time, she wanted to stand between our legs.
If you have a laptop, I found this site:
http://www.kiddiesgames.com/en/baby_games.php
It has flash games that you should be able to download & then let your kiddo play without having to be hooked up to the internet. My daughter's favorite was the Musical Clang ones. She just had to touch the keys & it would make noise. Thankfully, not so much to bother the other passengers.
Good luck with your trip (and the security check point)!
R.

snacks,books to read, puppets that you both can play with,and the movies. do not forget her best friend (toy) and blanket.

I would get fun, new snacks that she doesn't usually get. Also, think of every way possible to entertain her-songs, silly (quiet) games. BUT what has really been helpful to us in the past was a "goodie bag" of small toys. You can buy these from the dollar store OR you can ask your friends to give you any small toys that they are just dying to get rid of, including happy meal toys, leftover party favors, tiny stuffed animals. You can use these every so often as a reward for being good-HTH-Good Luck!

and don't forget "THE TALK". At home talk about what SPACE is. That you need to be respectful of other people's space. When we got on the plane and got settled AND the people in front of my children and in back of them were seated, we'd have the talk about what space is on the plane. The fact that the chair back was the space that belonged to the person in front of them and when they kicked the chair it was bothersome. I'd have the person in back of them demonstrate so they'd understand. Then we'd talk about the tray connected to their space and how they couldn't bang it up and down, but do it gently and have the person behind demonstrate improper use so they could feel it. Then we'd talk about their chair back and how it was part of the person's space behind them. THEN and most importantly, we'd talk about the air and how it was their space, but also belonged to EVERYONE on the plane and they needed to respect that other people didn't want to hear whining or crying. They needed to use an indoor voice and be quiet. We could talk, but they couldn't yell or whine. I showed them where the bathroom was when the captain turned off the seat belt sign and where everything was in it and how it was used - this usually took about 10 to 15 minutes and I kept the door open in case someone needed to use it. EVERYONE around us always appreciated my talk and I had people tell me I needed to give it to everyone on the plane :) I'd also offer to purchase the people seated directly in front of the kids a drink before we ever lifted off. I never had anyone take me up on the offer, but most told me afterward that it was a very generous offer to make. Having the child meet the person sometimes helps if they're betting a bit out of control. Good luck!!!!

You've gotten a lot of really great suggestions. I totally agree with lots of snacks and new toys in addition to the dvd player. Something else to keep in mind - I always vowed to never be a parent that put my kid on a leash but I had to when I traveled alone with my then 2.5 year old and 15 month old sons this past summer. Because we were bouncing around a lot I didn't want to worry about taking the stroller so I purchased a little monkey backpack leash for my older son and wore the younger one in a sling. It was great in the airport. He could run around and exert a ton of energy before we ever even took off.

Take things that don't have parts to fall on the floor or get in between the seats. I have learned that traveling with my 7 year old.

When mine was your little ones age, I would give him a small dose of Tylenol just before the plane began to taxi out of the gate. By take off he was relaxed and a lot of times falling asleep.

Mine was/is a very active boy. But, he tends to sit still and behave on planes. Allow him to move around as much as possible in the airport. If she is potty trained, take her to the bathroom just before boarding time. Don't let her know there is a bathroom on the plane, or she will HAVE to go. Take a deep breath and don't let yourself get flustered, they can sense it. Be sure to carry a carry-on that will fit under the seat, not one that has to be put in the overhead. You will want to be able to reach it frequently, so put it on the floor in front of you.

Matchbox cars, ponies, barbies, small baby doll, small stuffed animal, Little People. And plenty of snacks! I also take an empty sippy cup to have filled with water or apple juice on the plane. Encourage her to drink during takeoff and landing to help her ears pop. Take a change of clothes and extra diapers and wipes in case of an accident spilling a drink or you never know, getting sick!
Good luck!

I totally agree about snacks - I usually bring at least 5 different kinds! They will let you bring juice for your child if it is in his/her cup already or in a sealed container. Also, great idea about small toys, too, and books! I would suggest, if you are flying on an airline that lets you choose seats, that you choose a window seat. It's a little more tricky for getting out, but I found it gives you and your child a little more 'space' to bounce around. Have fun!

Fun SNACKS!!! Fun stuff to eat that won't get all over everything if it spills. I always save the best for last, so if she's pretty done w/ all this airplane stuff by hour 3 1/2 you can whip out the chocolate covered peanuts or the yogurt pretzels or whatever she would like and she'll settle down with them happily.

Stickers! The triangular crayons are better too, they don't roll. Good luck.