What’s in Our Kid’s Carry On Bags?

For our upcoming Disney World trip, we will be flying to Florida. It’s less than a 2-hour flight to Orlando, but even with such a short flight, each of our kids will be bringing their own carry-on bag with a few flight essentials. This will be our boys’ first flight so they are equally excited and nervous I bought a few items to help calm their nerves and make the trip a little more special.

The Bag

We bought our bags from REI on clearance, so I don’t have a link but these Osprey Daylite bags are very similar and a great price. What we like about these bags is they are sized perfectly for kids but still offer plenty of storage space. They will also be using these for their Cub Scout camping trips and hikes, so I know we will get a lot of use out of them

iPad

We don’t plan on spending much time on screens during our vacation, but you never know what will happen. If a flight gets delayed or canceled, I’d rather have a reliable form of entertainment for the kids. We love our iPads and these durable iPad cases that offer plenty of protection for kids.

Headphones

Of course, if we bring our iPads, we need to get headphones so we don’t disturb other passengers. We like these kid sized headphones that fold up to travel well.

Water Bottle

Each kid will bring an empty water bottle to be filled once we get past security. This will also be their water bottle for the duration of our trip so everyone will stay hydrated. We love the Klean Kanteen water bottles because they are durable and easy to clean.

Pop It

Pop-it’s are all the rage with the kids at school. Our boys have been begging for us to get them some. These fidget toys can help alleviate stress and anxiety, so I thought they would be a great airplane gift for the kids.

Activity Books

My youngest boy will get a sticker activity book (TIP: You can find books like this at your local dollar store). My two middle boys love the paint by sticker books. I doubt our teen will want to do any coloring, but he may want to bring a pen and notepad.

Snacks

Each child will get a large ziploc bag filled with snacks. Since our flight will arrive around lunchtime and I’m not sure when we’ll get to each lunch, I want to make sure no one gets hangry. So we are packing snacks like applesauce, goldfish, cookies and maybe even some special candy.

Stuffed Animal

Each child is allowed to bring a small stuffed animal on the trip. Most of my boys sleep with at least one special stuffed animal, and since we don’t have room for all of them, they are allowed to bring 1 in their carry-on. These Wild Republic Stuffed Animals are some of our kid’s favorites. (We have this exact wolf; his name is Wolfie!)

Since all of my kids are school-age, we don’t need to bring diapers, bottles, or other baby items, but if we did, I would pack most of those items in my carry-on. I like the idea that my kids have their bags that contain all of the things that will help make their flight more manageable and more comfortable. I think the boys will love their first flight, and I hope that their carry-on items will make it that much more enjoyable.

I also have a list of road trip activities for families that might be useful if you are planning a long drive.