Toddler Activities: Airplane Activities for Toddlers

You love your routine of catching up on sleep whenever the plane is in a nice, steady glide in the air. It’s bliss!!!

What could go wrong?

Oh if you’re travelling with a toddler, the “what could go wrong?” question doesn’t apply.

As cute and lovable as they are, toddlers are not the best flying companions. They are impatient, restless, struggle to sit still, and largely unpredictable. You look away for a few seconds and bam, your cutie spills your seat companion’s juice, then proceeds to cry the plane to a standstill.

If you think traveling is already a stressful activity, try adding ‘worry’ to the mix.

Could your experience be better? To be fair, high altitudes aren’t so great for your toddler either. They could get headaches, dizziness, nausea and a few other not-so-fun symptoms that come with the lower oxygen levels.

However, With enough preparation and provision, we can….. oh no we can’t promise you a seamless journey. But with the toddler activities and tips, there’s a higher chance of you not losing your mind. 

Basic checklist when traveling with a toddler

Experienced mums are nodding right now, lol. I’ve learnt to do a number of things before the flight and while I settle into it to make for a stress-free trip: 

• Take note of the timing of a flight before you book it:  People often advise against evening travel with toddlers because they tend to get restless and easily upset. So here, you would need to consider flying early. 
• Before your flight, make sure you and your toddler both use the restroom.
• Buy a separate airplane seat for your child to ensure you both are comfortable.
• Dress your child in comfortable layers.
• Protect your child’s ears because the pressure from the airplane could cause some kind of disturbance in their ears, which could cause them to cry. 
• Bring twice what your toddler might need on the flight. This includes food, clothes, entertainment, and so on. Entertaining toddlers is a great way to keep them engaged and happy during the flight.

ALSO READ: 5 Tools To Build A Healthy Remote Culture

Toddler activities to keep them entertained during a flight

1. Plan for offline entertainment such as toys, coloring books, or even games that don’t require WiFi, especially if you’re flying in a plane that doesn’t allow internet access on board. 
2. Download episodes of your child’s favorite shows. 

The good news? Some startups are full-time dedicated to providing premium offline and online entertainment for kids. It comes as a bonus that most of the solutions are educational and helps your child’s further sensory development.

Let’s take a look at 5 startups to check out as you prepare a catalog of toddler activities.

1. Cocomelon

My daughter learned a lot of her early vocabulary from J.J and family (Cocomelon Universe). She is obsessed (but in a good way… I hope?)!

At 137 million subscribers and over 3.6 billion views as at June 2022, Cocomelon stands tall on premium entertainment for toddlers. 

Many flights offer on-the-air internet. But I prefer to save Cocomelon’s videos using Netflix’s offline viewing. Just in case. 

I also bring a back-up tab, since I’d rather not use my phone to keep the battery fully charged for emergencies. It’s a trip. You never know what might … umm … trip up.

2. Omoberry

If you are African, or generally a person of color, you’ll love how relatable Omoberry is. Their characters are diverse and inclusive, and the overall content comes from storytelling angles of an African child. I’m Nigerian, so I do relate. A lot!

Omoberry takes extra care to bake awesome values into their (mostly original) rhymes and themes. So if you would love your child to not only disturb less, but also get empowered in the process, Omoberry’s got you.

In summary, while you are on your flight, your child can peacefully enjoy nursery rhymes, a relatable storyline, and/or learn life’s greatest lessons. 

3. VoxiKids

You know how you always wished you could do more to help your child build their speech? Voxikids gives you all the tools and games you’ll need to help your child develop.

If you have a toddler with speech problems, then their time on a flight is as good as any to stay on a course that could be both entertaining and tailored for them. 

Voxikids – a mobile app for learning – specialises on helping kids with autism, pronunciation and speech problems, or experiencing language delay with the use of interactive exercises in the form of games.

If you are a parent to a kid with speech problems and would like to be more helpful, then VoxiClinic is for you. VoxiClinic is a SaaS platform that connects speech therapists with parents/children. The platform is rich with specific tools and content developed in collaboration with speech therapists, for speech therapists.

And yes, you walk away with speech therapy recommendations and activities suitable offline as well as online.

What to do if things get out of hand

Wouldn’t it be amazing if everything went according to your plan, and your bundle of joy cooperated with you 100% of the time?

There is the … ahem ….. possibility that all your efforts to keep him/her under control will go to waste for reasons best known to them.

So just before you lose your mind, here are three obvious and not-so-obvious solutions for if (more likely when) things get out of hand.

1.  Whip out the food

Sometimes, your toddler is just hungry. You might think, “but I just fed him/her/them.” Well, small stomachs tend to hold small quantities. It might be a good idea to stock up on your toddler’s favorite food or snack boarding your flight. You don’t want to introduce a new diet at 40,000ft.

2. Take them to the airplane bathroom

Yes, this is quite an unusual solution. 

The thing about this is that airplane bathrooms have been said to be interesting and especially to children. 

Make sure the plane is safe to move around in, especially with your child, then carefully lift them and take them to the airplane bathrooms, activating your tour guide powers, and see if it helps them calm down.

3. Enlist the help of other passengers

When things seem like they’re out of your hands, you can enlist the help of other passengers. You’d be surprised at how many people are ready to help if you just ask. 

Everyone wants a peaceful, stress-free flight. Plus there would be at least one person that really understands the struggle that is also willing to help. 

Seeking and further getting help from a “stranger on the plane” might just be what calms your toddler down. 

And if everything that has been suggested here fails, you might just have to ignore the haters, while still trying your best to calm your child down. 

In the course of trying to calm down your toddler, if there is a passenger next to you, it would be great to offer that they switch seats with the assistance of the flight attendant to take them away from the stress you are going through. Then, all you are left with is to try your absolute best with your child. 

Conclusion

We covered a basic checklist when traveling with a toddler, toddler activities to keep them busy during the journey, and suggestions for when things get out of hand.

Have you gone through a stressful flight with your toddler? How exactly was it? What are the steps you took to keep your toddler under control? More interestingly, what mistakes did you make the first time you flew with your toddler? Share your experience with us!!

Also, if you are out there developing an app, or a show that focuses on toddler activities, reach out. We would love to know about it!

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