Advice for Items for Carry on Plane for 2Yr Old

Dum Dums are a great idea!! I'll be bringing those when we go on our trip to CA!! Also, books are good if he likes to read. I second the magnadoodle and color wonder idea. Anything that is new, or that he hasn't seen in a while is good, too! IT will capture his attention longer. And, bring all kinds of snacks! Goldfish are great, fruit snacks, granola bars, and whatever his favorite snack is, bring it! I don't know what the new rules are about bringing drinks in...but if you can, bring or buy plenty of water. They ran out of bottled water the last time we flew...and whatever you do, DON'T drink the tap water! There have been all kinds of reports about the gross stuff in the tap water on planes.

If you have a portable DVD player, bring that. We don't have one, but there was a girl on our last trip that did, and she was completely satisfied watching her movie. I always buy a "special" toy that is new just for a plane trip. I don't spend a lot of money on it, but its new and it works for my girls...at least for a while!

Good luck and have fun! Where in CA are you going?
=) S.

The magnadoodles are great, as well as those magnetic boards with games that stick on (as long as at his age he isn't still putting things in his mouth).

Spy Bags are great too. You just say, "okay, find the star" or some other object that is listed on the back, and it keeps them really busy.

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5007915&section_...
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5007915&section_...

http://www.tsa.gov/311/index.shtm that's a list of things prohibited, how to travel with stuff - declare them, etc.

As far as toys... i don't know if you can bring playdoh but I did that with my 2 year old and he loved it.... we also did the travel sized magna doodle thing... and an aqua doodle. I bought some of those color wonder books/markers and he loved those as well... anything small, compact is worth it..don't do ANYTHING with little pieces b/c it'll wind up in the floor and you'll be crawling around to retrieve it before you depart.

Food...bring SEVERAL different baggies of STUFF... or bring the prepackaged snack size of stuff...

A friend of mine did lollipops for her kids (dum dums) and those worked like a charm! ;)

Bring an empty sippy cup, and ask that the flight attendant fill it once you're on the plane, prior to takeoff. They're fine with that, and given the liquid restrictions, aren't surprised. Bring snacks like raisins, string cheese, goldfish, etc. You can bring any food you like on the plane.

As for things to do, I second the DVD player idea - they're great! I brought Playdoh once, but won't again - my daughter ended up losing pieces on the floor, and it was a pain to pick up. Coloring books, stickers (definitely stickers), and those mini aquadoodle sets are great.

I travel often with my 2yo (just recently went to NJ for a week, Cali in March). I most often bring his sippy cup (10 oz) filled with juice and another filled with milk. I bring portable milk boxes, too (the 8 oz size Horizons). Every now and then they'll ask what's in the juice sippy cup and I tell them it's my son's juice. They won't allow just water (you'd have to pour it out before going through security). I always bring a water bottle for myself and empty it (but keep the bottle) before security. That way I just have them refill it on the plane or buy more water in the airport. Use to be you couldn't bring liquids that you buy in the airport (after going through security) on the airplane, but now you are allowed. So, you can buy juice, milk, water in the airport before getting on the plane if you like.

As for entertainment, we bought a portable DVD player a year ago for like $60- you can find good deals on them nowadays. I find it's the best way to keep my 2yo energetic boy happy (when he's not sleeping). I try to fly during naptime so he naps during the trip [of course, the Benadryl helps too ;-) ].