Greetings fellow Mouse Fan!
Whether you drive, ride or fly to Walt Disney World with kids, keeping them entertained on the trip can be a challenge! My favorite tip is the "trip bag." This is a small, child sized, rolling suitcase that we only use on special trips. It is just the right size for my son to carry or roll himself so it doesn’t really add anything to the list of stuff I have to juggle and it counts as his carry on item. It’s small enough that it could even count as his personal item if I have a carry on that I counting as "his." But the moist important part is that this bag is stocked full of things he has never seen before! This point is key in terms of capturing his interest. Any parent can tell you that new toys are always the most interesting! So prior to each trip I make a stop at Target for coloring books, new crayons, sticker books, magnetic toys, etc. And, of course, snacks! Granola bars, Goldfish crackers and lollipops or gum for take off and landing. He is not allowed to open the bag until we are on the plane!
My other favorite source of entertainment for Ryan is my iPod. I load it up with episodes of Max & Ruby, Sesame Street, Handy Manny, etc. and buy myself priceless half hours of peace and quiet. Ryan also has a V-Smile handheld video game system intended for young children. So I make sure to have a few different games for that stowed in that trip bag as well.
The trip bag also works beautifully for car trips. Car trips lend themselves more to travel games than plane rides as you can yell out answers without bothering strangers! MomsMinivan.com is an excellent resource for travel games and tips to help keep everyone in the car entertained.
Tomorrow: Strollers, Car Seats and other gear!
Sara Varney
Travel Planner