What I’m Packing For Our 9 Hour Flight With 3 Kids

In a few weeks I’m taking my kids to The Netherlands to visit my sister. We are all so excited! My parents are coming along but my husband is not so we’ll be making the long journey alone! My kids have several long flights under their belts and I’ve learned a lot each time about what to pack (and leave at home).

I think I’ve done a really great job this time around minimizing the *stuff* and focusing a few things to keep them busy on the flight. The reality is my older kids will watch movies for a few hours and then fall asleep with their headphones on. I’m hoping for the same for my 2 year old!

I’m trying a new tactic for packing – I filled these hanging toiletry cases with the essentials and then stuck them inside their backpacks. I also put a notebook, headphones and snacks in. I left plenty of room for souvenirs!

Hanging toiletry cases
Headphones with jacks to use on the airplane – we’ve had these for a few years.

Here’s what I put in each of their cases, you can see more in this video!

Alice – 2.5 years old

Window Gel Clings – These never get old!
Pretend Play Wallet & Credit Cards – This is a favorite for long plane rides! I can’t tell you how long it will entertain a 2 year old for!
Post-Its
Crayons– Love these for young kids, they write so smooth.
Dry Erase Travel Pack – All the girls will share this.I swapped the markers for these dry erase crayons, less mess!

Flora – 5 years old

Aaron’s Thinking Putty – mini size!
Water Wow Letter Cards
Road Tape
Wooden Candylab Cars
Sensory Seek & Find Bear – All the girls will share this one, too.

Piper – 7.5 years old

Pocket Water Color Book
LCD Writing Tablet
Bead Kit
Sparkly Gel Pens

Here’s all my travel gear going in my carry on!

Wet/Dry Bags: I am using these for my liquids while flying and anything I need them for on the trip.
Antibacterial Hand Wipes: For allllll the things while traveling!
Travel Backpack: This will be my first trip with my new travel backpack, I’ll be sure to report back. I love all the compartments and have it packed up and ready to go!
Steripod Toothbrush Covers: With nearly 10k reviews, I got these a few months ago with our trip in mind. They allow air to move through and keep the germs off your toothbrush and work on electric toothbrushes, too.
Olly Sleep Gummies: These are my go-to when my sleep cycle gets out-of-whack. Within a day or two I’m able to sleep back on track and they really help me with jet lag. I’ve been using them for a few years.
Inflatable Toddler Bed: I ordered this for Alice to use at our AirB&B. It looks like the perfect size for her and I think she’s going to love it! It has a hand pump which is nice when traveling internationally.
Liquid IV: I always get so dehydrated when traveling so I’m bringing these electrolyte packets to have on the plane and for the next few days after we land.
Cream Packing Cubes: I love these durable packing cubes, they are a higher quality than the other packing cubes linked in this post (but I love those too).
Toilet Seat: I got this to foldable toilet seat to use for my newly potty trained gal!
Toilet Paper Foam: I shared this a while ago on Instagram when we started potty training Alice and have continued to use it non-stop. It transforms toilet paper into a wet wipe and is great for messes and ….little ones who are still learning to properly wipe.
Luggage Scale: I finally got a luggage scale so I can avoid the anxiety of my bags being over the weight limit!
Bubble Bum Travel Booster: This is our favorite travel booster. We’ve used it on a few international trips and it works great. It’s inflatable so it gets pretty compact for your carry on or suitcase.
Blue Packing Cubes: I think we have 3 sets of these packing cubes at this point. They are extremely lightweight and easy to fill and pack. I use them for so many different things when packing and have a different color for each child.
Snug Straw Lids: These silicone lids are life changing when traveling! We used the sippy cup version last summer with such success. They prevented so many spills and fit on nearly any cup, fantastic for both eating out at restaurants and at an AirB&B.