Tuesday, March 3, 2015

What We Packed: Toddler Carryon and Backpack

Marrying someone from another country means it is inevitable that you will travel at some point with kids. This is my first post of many documenting our trip to Hong Kong ~ our first with little man {he was 2 years 4 months at the time}. This was my third trip.

When we first decided to travel home for Chinese New Year, my teacher brain began to plan. I am the OCD, rule following, must have a plan part of this marriage!

This post will show what we packed and how we packed (Part 1 for Declan)


Little Man's BackPack 

Books:
The books chosen were ones on topics he loves right now (transportation vehicles). A huge plus to these books is that they are interactive and he can spend a while on one page lifting the flaps and naming items. The airplane book was read to him before our trip to help get him ready. 


  1. Slide and Find - Trucks by Roger Priddy 
  2. Busy, Busy Thomas (Thomas & Friends) Nifty Lift-and-Look Board Book by Rev. W. Awdry 
  3. The Noisy Airplane Ride by Mike Downs and David Gordon 
Activities: 
I picked up several zippered pencil cases from Wal-Mart one day. My goal was to fill them with items that would keep our little man entertained during our very long flight. Movies usually cause him to get a little rowdy because he is sitting still so long. 

Pouch 1: Coloring 
  • Disney Planes Play Pack Grab & Go {Included two sticker sheets, one coloring pad and 4 crayons} 
  • Crayola Coloring Pad Disney Pixar Cars (picked up for $1.00)
  • 1 My First Crayola Triangular Crayons 8 ct
***I removed the crayons from the Grab and Go and just put in the triangular ones since they don't roll. Huge plus with a tray table and confined space. 

Pouch 2: Valentines Craft  ***Since we were traveling on February 12, this was the perfect craft. 
  • White cardstock hearts cut using a template 
  • Red construction paper strips {for the accordion legs and arms}
  • Valentines Stickers Chosen by Declan himself (Target)
  • Googly Eyes {Self-adhesive is best}
  • Glue stick 
Pouch 3: 
  • Popsicle Sticks with Velcro attached to the ends 
  • Matching Wooden Circles {Transportation Memory Game} I got the idea from here and used the wooden circles (Michael's), but I printed photos of vehicles using my computer's clip art. On one side, there are emergency vehicles (firetruck, ambulance, police car) and the other side has construction vehicle such as dump truck and excavator. 
Pouch 4: 
Felt Button Snake  {Button Snake}
Lace and Learn Shapes ~ Farm Theme {Birthday Gift}


Toys:
Car Roll Mat with 3 cars and 3 trains {Car Mat Tutorial} I liked this one best. I followed it mainly, but added an extra piece of fabric behind the road to create an extra wide pocket. In this pocket, I inserted a Train Track sewn onto felt and a felt Dumptruck page with buttons. {Dump Truck With Button Up Tires"

Snacks:
Sippy Cup {One that doesn't leak!!}
Snacks {Box of raisins, 1 package Dehydrated fruit (Costco), Annie's Cheddar Snack Mix, 1 Peter Rabbit Organic Fruit Pouch}


Extras ~ You know, Just in Case

I wanted to have something to surprise him with when he got anxious or fussy. These were based on his likes at the time. 

Disney Planes Racing Dusty Crophopper Die Cast Plane
18 Wheel Truck with a car that goes inside a trailer {He loved the one our neighbor had}


CarryOn:

  • 1 Pack size 5 Super dry diapers
  • 1 Huggies Designer Tub {Full - Came Free in a box of diapers from Costco}



    • 1 Huggies Natural Care Clutch 'n' Clean Refillable wipes holder with arm strap - great for airport and walking around Hong Kong {Free in box of Costco diapers, but can be found at Wal-mart}


    • Small soft blanket (From a dear friend's mom for Declan's baby shower)
    • Summer Infant ChangeAway Changing Pad (with two diapers inside for ease of getting to the airplane bathroom)
    • A zippered pouch for night time items ~ comfy 2 piece PJs, Disney Cars Softee Fuzzy Socks, Lavender Stick, My First Blankie, The First Years GumDrop Teething Pacifier, Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown{We decided that since the flight was 16 hours and we would be getting up so early to get to the airport that we would follow the same bedtime routine on the plane} 
    • One extra set of comfy clothes like drawstring pants and a loose T-Shirt {Our poor little man is prone to car sickness}
    • Headphones and Leap Frog {Loaned to us by generous friends}
    • Memory Foam Pillow 
    Reflections on the airplane ride:

    The best thing we did for this trip was keep little man on his schedule the day before and he had a great night of sleep. 

    The second best advice found in my research was to follow bedtime routine on the airplane. This worked like a charm on the way over to Hong Kong. We took Declan to the airplane bathroom at his normal bedtime. We changed his diaper, brushed his teeth, and put on his PJs. We then went back to our seat and read his favorite bedtime story, rubbed his forehead with Lavender, gave him his lovey and blanket and after he got comfortable on the seat between daddy and I he fell fast asleep lulled by the sound of the airplane's engine. 

    The third best advice was to pack a couple of new toys for him to open during flight. This worked great for when he was getting restless and we had to keep our seatbelts on. We opened the new truck and he spent a long time just rolling it along the tray table. 

    Something I did that probably was overkill- all of the pouches of activities. We did use the crayons and stickers and he loved the Valentine's activity. The rest we never opened! 











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