Hellobee

Olive and Charlie have been on 24 and 26 flights respectively —  from hour long flights on puddle jumpers to 14 hour international flights, with their own seats and as lap infants. As they get older what we pack in our carry-on bags continues to pare down, particularly toys, but these are the items that I always have with me.

1) Water Wipes – I like these because they’re completely natural, made of 99% water and grapefruit extract. I use them to wipe hands, faces, and whenever we get on a plane, I put some hand sanitizer on a wipe and wipe down all the surfaces like the arm rests, remotes, and tray tables (which all kids love to play with). The last thing I want is sick kids on a long international trip.

2) Advil – Mr. Bee and I are both prone to headaches, and if you’re traveling internationally it’s probably difficult to find your pain reliever of choice so I always have this on me. No one wants a headache when traveling long distances with young children! I also carry dramamine because Mr. Bee tends to get car/sea sick.

3) Character band-aids – Boo boos happen and nothing makes a kid feel instantly better than a character bandaid. These take up no space so I always have some on me no matter what because Olive is prone to falling pretty often.

4) Children’s Advil – I always carry Children’s Advil with me onto all flights in case the kids get sick because children’s medicine is much harder to find, and I want to have a pain reliever I know I can rely on. I also used to carry Benadryl with me in case the kids had an allergic reaction to something, but so far they haven’t had any allergies (and have a great aversion to trying new foods), so I stopped carrying it.

5) Ziploc Bags – I absolutely must have gallon and quart size freezer bags (they’re much thicker than non-freezer bags) when flying. I pack the liquids I’ll need on the plane like children’s advil, toothpaste, etc in a quart size bag, but I also use them to organize everything. I put like items together like diaper changing supplies, snacks, and small toys in gallon size bags. They’re a must for toiletries in your check-in bag to prevent them from leaking. You can even organize kids’ clothes according to complete outfits in individual bags.

6) ipad – Especially now that my kids are a little bit older (2 1/2 & 4 1/2), the ipad is an absolute must when we travel. We load it up with educational games and shows, and other than paper and crayons, they don’t need much else to keep them entertained on long flights. We also bring headphones for the kids, but half the time they end up not using them.

7) iphone – My iphone is my computer, camera, kindle, and white noise machine all in one. Before leaving for a trip, I load it up with books because I can read more books on our trips to the Philippines than I can all year! I brought my dslr the first year we went, but having to wear a baby and constantly needing my hands free, I never even used it. Now I travel with my iphone as my only camera, along with the olloclip lens. You might also want to load some shows that you want to watch because Amazon, Hulu and Netflix do not work abroad, and if you’re traveling to a remote location like El Nido the internet connection can be unreliable. And don’t forget to bring your own headphones!

8) White Noise app – I’ve been using this app since Charlie was a baby, and we cannot live without it when we’re traveling. Charlie was fussy on his first flight as a baby, and I played this white noise app right by his ear (I use the Pong phone case which reduces radiation by 81%). He instantly calmed down and slept through the entire redeye flight. Since then I’ve continued to use this trick, most recently on our flight back home from the Philippines this weekend; it helped Olive sleep 10 straight hours! International flights have a lot of distractions since they usually serve two meals, so this helps drown out all the noise and you can’t even really hear it above the sound of the plane’s engine. It also comes in handy when we’re all in a hotel room together. Typically both children don’t fall asleep at the same time, and Olive still naps while Charlie usually skips his most of the time. This is where this white noise app that Mr. Bee and I both have on our phones comes in handy to keep one kid asleep when the other is still up. I used the free version for a long time, but it’s definitely worth upgrading because you can still use your phone while white noise is playing on the paid version, while the program closes when you exit the home screen on the free version. I’ve used this app so much that it’s paid for itself many times over!

9) External battery – Korean Air planes have usb ports at each seat where you can recharge your phones, but we always carry two external batteries with us when we travel and they get daily use (especially since electricity doesn’t run all day on El Nido). This one is powerful enough to fully recharge your phone and ipad at the same time.

10) Lightweight bag – We always seem to pick up extra things at the airport like snacks, gifts, duty-free items, etc., so I keep an extra lightweight bag like a Baggu with me.

11) Fanny pack – Oh yes I went there. I’d been wanting a fanny pack for a long time because it just makes sense for a mom who needs her hands free. Wristlets and cross bodies didn’t work for me because they got in the way when playing with the kids. I finally bought a small fanny pack shortly before we left for our trip, and I love it! It fits my phone, keys and my essential cards, and it’s especially perfect for travel when I’m always lifting Olive onto escalators, scooters, planes, etc. It feels so secure because I never take it off so I don’t have to worry about forgetting it or getting pickpocketed. I even just wear it over my shoulder as a regular bag if it isn’t flattering to my outfit.

12) Aden & Anais muslin blanket – This is Olive’s lovey so we always have one with us, but I carry two of them as lightweight blankets for each kid because you never know when you’ll need to cover up your kids for a nap when you’re traveling. The kids have passed out on scooters, boats, hotel benches, loading gates…

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I used to carry a lot of toys and snacks, but I’ve realized that I need very, very little as we’ve all become more seasoned travelers. We typically eat before we get on the plane since we have to arrive so early for international flights. We also have long layovers when we eat. And international flights provide so many snacks and even toys for the kids (at least Asian airlines do), that I try to carry as little as I can and check-in as much as I can.

What are your must-haves for flying with children?