Pack your carry-on bag

Packing your carry-on bag can be so confusing these days. First, check the current FAA guidelines, then modify the list below to fit your needs. This is our actual list for packing our carry-on when traveling with our toddler. If you don’t want to bring your whole laptop, I recommend bringing a portable DVD player or renting one from the airport.

Carry – on Bag Packing List:
• laptop or DVD player(and 3-ring binder to protect it)
• 2 or 3 DVDs (or as many as suits your family)
• headphones
• crayons and small coloring book/pages
• sticker books
• home-made trail mix:
– multi-grain cheerios
– pretzels and-or banana chips
– other dried fruit
– mini m&m’s
• soy milk or juice (shelf-stable)
• water bottle
• 2 meal setups:
– disposable placemat
– disposable silverware
– baby wipes
• 2 sippy cups (one for milk/juice and one for water)
• small plastic tray or rectangular plate
• 2 diaper setups and travel size vaseline
– For each diaper setup, in a zip-top bag:
– diaper
– 3 baby wipes (in a separate zip-top bag)
– paper towel
– disposable changing pad
• book or magazine for me
• handful of small toys (cars or dolls, etc.)
• extra zip-top bags
• baby wipes (in addition to the setups)

You may want to include an extra outfit for your child, and an extra t-shirt for you.

The small tray or plate is so your child can color or snack even when the tray tables are required to be stowed.

Water can either be purchased at the airport, or received from the flight attendant.If your child is feeling queasy, sipping ginger-ale can help. You can get this from the flight attendant.

Tip: Packing a few simple items can make an unexpected illness a lot less stressful. Bring a fever reducer -like Tylenol or Motrin. Also, bring the thermometer you use at home. We use an ear thermometer. The best reasons for bringing your own is that you already know how to use it and how accurate it is. Also, you know how sanitary it is. Of course, bring your insurance card at all times.