What’s in my carry on bag: Long haul flight with a toddler

We just got back from a wonderful trip visiting my family in Australia – a 36 hour door-to-door journey from our home here in the United Kingdom.

Not only was this possibly one of the longest long haul transits we could have done, it also happened to be my 2.5 year old daughter’s first international adventure/first time on a plane ever.

Needless to say, I was very nervous about making the trip, and made sure to research all the things that would help make the journey as smooth as possible for us as a family, as well as our fellow passengers.

During the transit (which involved a taxi ride, two hours on a coach, 13.5 hour flight, layover, 7.5 hour flight, then a 2.5 hour drive) I would have been lost without my “bag of tricks” to keep my toddler entertained, fed and content – which it most certainly did! Honestly, the journey went way better than I could have ever hoped!

I thought I would share with you what I packed in this “bag of tricks” in the hopes that it may help your family on a long journey too.

Snacks

Snacks, snacks and more snacks. If I did this over again, I would only pack snacks I already know she enjoyed – I had gotten a few new snacks for Ada, hoping that the excitement of something different would entertain her as well as keeping her fed.

That backfired. She did not want a bar of any of the new snacks I brought, apart from one. Luckily I had packed lots of things she already enjoyed at home, so we made it through with those!

Nappy changing equipment

My daughter is still in nappies so I was armed with a pouch full of nappies, wipes, nappy bags and a foldable travel change mat, which I could easily grab out of my carry on backpack and take to the bathroom with me to change her nappy.

Change of clothes

I not only made sure I had a spare change of clothes for Ada in case she had a nappy leak or simply got herself dirty, I also had a change of clothes for myself in case of emergency – you never know if your toddler is going to spill a drink on you or wee/poo/vomit on you.

That may seem unlikely, yes, but if you ever are in that position, I bet you’ll wish you had a change of clothing with you!

I also took a pair of pyjamas for Ada, which I changed her into ready for one of the two flights, to treat that stretch of travel as “bedtime/sleep time”.

Entertainment

Facing 36 hours of travel with a toddler, my main aim was to keep Ada happy and engaged with different activities and forms of entertainment, in order to keep the journey as smooth as possible for the three of us as well as those nearby us, so the bulk of my carry on bag was made up of different forms of toddler entertainment.

I ended up packing many different activities, with our winning purchase being a Melissa and Doug Water Wow book – not only did it keep her engaged for a FULL HOUR on the plane, she also used it as entertainment throughout our entire 3 week holiday, when we were at restaurants, cafes or breweries.

I also packed a Melissa and Doug reusable sticker book, a blank notebook with pencils (triangular, so they didn’t roll off the tray table), a Bing wipe-clean whiteboard style activity book, two books (one of them travel themed that we had been reading together in preparation for the flight, and one of them being a brand-new lift-the-flap book), as well as some fidget-style toys.

They all entertained Ada for certain periods of time, but she also found entertainment in reading the in flight magazine and safety booklet, as well as playing a sorting game with the free pouch of a sleep mask and ear plugs that was left in the seat pocket for passengers.

I also (Of course) had a tablet pre-prepared with Ada’s favourite TV shows and movies downloaded onto it, alongside it’s charger and some child-friendly headphones – although Ada didn’t end up using them and just wanted to watch everything with no sound.

Obviously I am not against screen time, particularly when travelling, but I am aware other families make different choices – you have to consider what will work best for you and your toddlers when travelling.

Favourite soft toy or comforter

For comfort and a sense of normalcy, we took along Ada’s favourite soft toy – that she carries with her everywhere! – Bluey.

We were a bit concerned about loosing her, so I had packed a dummy clip too, in case I needed to attach Bluey to Ada, but luckily she kept a firm hold of her the whole time and never even came close to leaving her behind – which my husband and I were always on high alert for anyway.

First Aid Kit

I always have a mini first aid kit in my nappy bag in case of any emergencies, but I pared it down a lot to ensure I was only taking the bare minimum, and also sticking to airplane rules.

Basically, I ended up with some plasters and a bandage alongside a disinfecting wipe, some paracetamol, Imodium and Rennies, as well as some sachets of Calpol and Piriton, which were stored inside my clear liquids bag for the flight itself, then put into the first aid kit for the rest of the holiday.

Liquids

As stated above, I had some Calpol and Piriton in my liquids bag. I also packed Ada’s toothbrush and toothpaste, as well as my own, plus my deodorant, antibacterial hand gel, nappy cream for Ada as well as some lip balm and hand cream for me.

Essentials

Of course in my carry on bag I also stored things like my passport wallet which had the whole family’s passports, visas and paperwork for travel in COVID times, as well as my wallet, spare masks for the journey as it was mandatory to wear them on our flights and in most airports.

I also had headphones for myself, a travel neck pillow, antibacterial wipes and a little packet of tissues.

Extra

In my husband’s bag we stored extra nappies and wipes which we restocked into the nappy change pouch during layovers, as well as an extra ziplock bag with more snacks.

We also took one of those inflatable footrests for Ada to use during the flights to lay down flat and sleep, however these weren’t allowed on the airline we were travelling with so we weren’t even sure if we should take it or not, on the off chance of simply “getting away with it”.

In the end though, we never even tried to use it, and instead she just laid down on the seat between us with both armrests up to give her more room – She was absolutely fine like that and she ended up getting eight and a half hours sleep straight on the very first flight!

That was everything I took in our carry on luggage on a 36 hour long-haul travel journey. I hope this list and the video above comes in handy for your family’s travel adventures.

Keep an eye out for my next post, which will include a video of how the journey went for us in practice, and outlining my top tips for long haul flights with a toddler.