Flying with kids: 9 festive items to bring on board

Traveling with kids during the holidays isn't always the most relaxing activity. Lots of people, lots of lineups, potentially lots of delays due to weather and other potential problems (labor disputes and volcanoes for example). But if you bring a bit of the holidays with you on board, things just might feel a bit more fun.

Here are 9 items that might help make a flight with your kids a little more festive this Christmas season:



1. A Rudolph nose
Two girls at our pre-Christmas Open House were wearing these festive novelty items. It's just a round, red, blinking nose worn with an elastic strap around the head: simple and fun for kids. I'm thinking I might bring a couple of these along on our next flight for some silliness and laughs!


2. Antlers
Let your kids wear some antlers on the flight or wear a pair yourself: a little bit of fun and a little bit of holiday spirit.



3. Elf shirt
These come in kids' sizes and adult sizes. Making your fellow airplane passengers (or airport personnel!) smile is never a bad thing.


4. An elfish outfit for your baby
Your child can look festive AND be comfy at the same time.


5. Christmas puppets
Hand puppets make great toys for on-board play with your kids, whether it's Christmas or any other time of the year.


6. Mini candy canes
Stuff some of these in your hand luggage and bring them out when the need arises, like a long lineup at security, or if there's a flight delay.


7. A bold Christmas sweater
Some call them ugly Christmas sweaters, but some are just... bold: with bright colors, bright patterns, or really big designs on them. If it brings a smile on the flight, it's worth wearing it I think.


8. A festive book
Whether you bring a regular book, or an audio book, or a book on your tablet, a story to go along with the season can be a great way to pass some time with your kids at the airport or on board.



9. A festive app
There are a lot of different apps for the holidays out there, for example Santa Tracker for the Android. A fun way to spend some time and give your kids some holiday cheer!