What's In My Toddler's Travel Bag?

Since I recently got back from a trip, I thought I'd share some key items that I packed in my toddler's carry-on travel bag.

​I've been traveling solo with my little one ever since he was about 6 months old. He's 4 1/2 now. I must say, he was a lot easier to travel with during the infant stage. At 6 months old til he was about 2, I kept him in an Ergobaby infant carrier (best invention for hands free). I also breastfed during takeoff/landing and he would pretty much sleep through the 5 hour flight. I definitely miss those days. Now that's he's an active toddler, traveling can be a tad bit challenging. I find myself packing a plethora of items to keep him busy during the flight.

For my travel bag, I used my Marc by Marc Jacobs Pretty Nylon Eliz-A-Baby Bag. I've had this bag ever since my son was born & find this particular bag to be great for traveling. It's spacious, durable & quite comfortable to carry around. 

What's in my toddler's travel bag?

▫️ Extra Clothes (Shirt, Pants, Sweater, etc)

​▫️ Toys/Quiet Activities - I usually like to bring new items that will keep my son entertained and quiet for long flights. Most items I purchased at my local Target. ​

• Melissa & Doug Reusable Stickers

This was probably the best idea, ever. My son is huge on peeling things, therefore activities with stickers are perfect for him. I usually go to the dollar store and stock up on sticker books. I brought a few $1 sticker books (comes w/ over 200 stickers) but this alone kept him busy - for 4.5 hours!! And the best thing about it is they're reusable. He was so obsessed with this sticker book that the little OCD in him decided to put every single sticker back on its proper sheet after he was done playing with it. The only con (for traveling), was its size. It measures at 14x11. Luckily I had a larger carry-on bag, so it fit perfectly.

Melissa & Doug Reusable Sticker Pad (Vehicles)

• Hot Wheels

​Hot Wheels are always a must for little boys. Since they had a sale at Toys R Us (Buy 1, Get 1 50% off) I decided to get a few new cars for the trip. I decided to wrap them individually with some old holiday wrapping paper to make it a bit fun for him when it was time for a surprise.

• Tsum Tsum Mystery Stack Pack

​My little one loves all the cute Disney Tsum Tsum characters. We love collecting them & these blind bags are perfect for little surprises on the plane.

• Activity Book w/ Crayons​

​​The hotspot section at Target is a great place to find pre-packaged activity books. I picked up some Paw Patrol & Minions books for about $3 each. They are usually filled with stickers, crayons, etc.

• Mini iPad w/ Headphones

​Since I don't have built in Wi-Fi on my iPad & the airlines didn't have Wi-Fi either, I made sure that the apps installed on my iPad required no Wi-Fi. Headphones are a must so others around you don't have to listen to the songs, games, etc that your kid is listening to.

Here are some apps that my toddler enjoys:
​Disney Movie (this app requires Wi-Fi to stream but you can also download your movies onto your iPad)
​Fruit Ninja
Puzzingo
Endless ABC's, Number's & Reader
​Lazoo - Let's Color!
Jigsaw Puzzles

Toddler Apps

▫️ Snacks
I packed some of my son's favorite snacks + a few special treats. My suggestion in this category is to pack more than you need, especially if your flight is a long one. Unexpected delays, tantrums, etc might occur, so it's always good to be prepared. I also like to pack a variety of snacks, just so he doesn't get bored of the same thing. Here are some snack suggestions:

- Granola Bars
- Fruit Snacks
​- Goldfish
​- Chexmix
​- Veggie Straws
​- Cereal
- Peanut Butter
​- Banana
​- Dried fruit (cranberries, raisins, etc)
​- Dum Dums Lollipops (these are great to suck on during take off/landing, sucking helps prevent pain in ears due to change in air pressure)

▫️ Toiletries (Toothbrush, Toothpaste, Baby Wipes, Hand Sanitizer, Lotion, Comb, etc)

▫️ Water Bottle
​I always make sure I have a bottle of water handy for my son when we're out. Since TSA won't allow liquids, I usually have my son drink all his water before we head in or dump the remaining liquid out. Bottled water at the airport is usually overpriced, so I bring an empty water bottle for my son. I usually just have one of the flight attendants fill it up with bottled water when we are on the plane.

▫️ Miscellaneous
iPad/iPhone charger (most airplanes are equipped with a USB port to plug in your device)
Ziploc Bags (great for snacks, toys, etc)

I hope this helps some of you moms and dads who are traveling with your LO! If you have any other great tips that I didn't mention, please share them in the comments below! Mahalo, Happy Travels! Xo