What We Packed in Our Carry-On For Our 1 Year Old
When we were gearing up to leave for our first international trip with our daughter earlier this year, I spent a couple of hours browsing blogs and Pinterest to gather ideas about what we should pack in our carry-on bags to entertain, nourish, and keep our daughter clean while getting to and from our destination.
Long story short, I found a lot of great advice from other parents who had taken their little ones on long-haul flights!
So in this blog post, Id like to provide you with a summary of the items that we brought along for our daughter, who was 12.5 months old at the time of our vacation. Ill break down exactly what worked, what didnt, and what we learned along the way.
Apart from our checked suitcase, we traveled with a few carry-on bags. I brought my Storq Carryall (you can find my full review of the bag here), while my husband brought a backpack and small duffel bag, and we also gate-checked our stroller and carrier. It certainly felt like we were carrying-on a lot of things, but in the end, we felt that it was better to be prepared with all of our daughters essential items than to be stuck somewhere without.
What we packed in our carry-on:
Toys & Entertainment
On the plane, our daughter ended up being most entertained by the small TV screens in the seat-backs, our headphones, seat belts, and plastic cups from the airline. That being said, we traveled with several toys in our carry-on to provide some diversity and to keep her from getting too bored. Most of the items we packed were from the local dollar store. Heres what we brought:
+ Tegu magnetic blocks - These six colorful blocks come in a felt carrying case, making them easy to store in a pocket or backpack. I really like the magnetic blocks, but I think our daughter still needs to be a bit older to fully enjoy them. She used them a bit on the plane and in our hotel room, but the concept of which blocks magnetically stick together was too advanced for her during our trip. Nevertheless, she did enjoy handling the different colored pieces.
+ Stacking cups - These stacking cups were inexpensive and we used them on a daily basis. While they werent the biggest hit in the airplane, our daughter loved them during the trip and we are still finding new ways to play with them now that were back at home. On a side note, I would normally gravitate towards purchasing wooden stacking cups over plastic ones, but we didnt want to spend a ton of money on items that had a chance of getting lost of left behind.
+ Post-it notes - This was a big hit! We brought along a small pack of post-it notes and stuck them onto the seat-back in front of our daughter. She enjoyed pulling the tiny papers off and examining them. Keep in mind though, that if your child is still mouthing items, youll need to keep a close eye on this activity as they might try to eat the paper.
+ Dimpl - Our daughter really only got the hang of this simple toy a day or so before we left so she was quite eager to pop the silicone bubbles back and forth when we pulled it out on the plane ride. It occupied her for a little while and when she wasnt playing with it I also found it kind of relaxing to use.
+ A favorite stuffed animal - This ones very simple. Just bring along your childs favorite or one of their favorite stuffed animals to cuddle and play with. If theyre not attached to a specific stuffie, I would recommend bringing along a stuffed animal puppet for more interactive playtime.
+ A small board book - We only brought along one board book, but you could certainly bring more than that if your child is very into books. I havent used them myself, but Ive also heard good things about indestructible books, which I imagine would be perfect for traveling.
+ Silicone teething necklace - This necklace came in handy when we had to hold our daughter in a position facing us during take-off and landing (a rather challenging task when handling a squirmy 1-year-old!). Either my husband or I would throw on the necklace and our daughter would play with it or chew on it for at least a few minutes to cover the take-off and landing.
+ Koosh ball - Our daughter passed this around and pulled on the strings a couple of times, but otherwise, it wasnt played with that much.
+ Stickers (not pictured) - Before we left I stuck a collection of sea animal stickers and insect stickers on the two insides of an empty metal tin. This was fun for our daughter to look at, but it didnt hold her attention for very long.
+ Small set of wooden animals (not pictured) - I found a small set of five wooden safari animals at our local dollar store which our daughter liked to handle and play with. You could probably find something similar where you live, or perhaps check out some options online like this woodland set.
The takeaway: Looking back, I would have also liked to bring along some reusable window clings (from any dollar store) which I think our daughter would have enjoyed sticking on and peeling off the plane window. Additionally, I would have liked to make my own busy bag, essentially a Ziploc or drawstring bag filled with various items (felt balls, pipe cleaners, magnets, buttons, etc.), for my daughter to explore.
What we packed in our carry-on:
Food, Drinks & Snacks
In regards to food and snacks, we stuck with things that we knew our daughter enjoyed and would actually want to eat. When youre traveling, there are so many new sights, sounds, and experiences that it can be quite overwhelming for little ones. Its important to bring along items that you know theyll already be familiar with eating so as not to add even more unfamiliar things while youre on the go. In my experience, traveling is not the right time to introduce new foods so stick with your baby or toddlers favorites. Heres what we brought:
+ A little snack container of yogurt melts
+ 3 bottles with travel-sized formula amount
+ Straw cup filled with water
+ A couple of food pouches
+ A couple of teething wafers
+ A little snack container of arrowroot cookies
+ A little snack container of cheerios
The takeaway: I think we did pretty well with packing our daughters favorite foods and we arrived with plenty to spare.
What we packed in our carry-on:
Hygiene & Comfort items
Finally, we also packed a few important hygiene and comfort items. We brought enough diapers and wipes to get us through our first couple of travel days, after which we stocked up on items as needed in our destination.
+ A small pillow (for naps in the plane and in the stroller) (not pictured)
+ Solly baby wrap (to use as a light blanket) (not pictured)
+ Diapers
The takeaway: Unfortunately, our daughter was sick on the plane ride home so I also added our pack of baby Ibuprofen to our carry-on bag. From now on, I think Ill always keep some sort of pain-relief in our carry-on as you never know when kids might get sick!
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