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Every time I fly, the same knot of anxiety tangles up inside of me: Will Emerie have a meltdown? Will I subsequently have a meltdown? Why am I so concerned about upsetting other people? Why am I wasting energy on this? And so the shame spiral plunges me deeper into some strange, soul-excavating journey, where the only real answer is: I’m a people-pleaser and a peacekeeper at heart. I’m working on the former, but I also don’t want to be a jerk—and I’d love it if my daughter actually enjoyed flights, like I do, rather than bucked and screamed.
So far, Emerie’s flown about every two months since she was born, and for the most part, they’ve all been good. But, now that she can walk—and wriggle out of my arms—I need more to keep her occupied.
And that’s how I uncovered the simple hack hiding right in the office supplies section of any big box store (and probably rattling around in your junk drawer): Post-It Notes. They take up hardly any space in your luggage, and I can just bust out a pack, slap a few on the tray table, and watch her peel them off and re-stick them, creating her own collages or simply savoring the crunching sound they make when she crumbles them. And, for a few blessed minutes, I can zone out and get a little bit of a break (since flying with an alert toddler = you’re center stage entertainment as long as they’re awake).
I’ve started keeping them in a slim box, with two palm-sized board books, a pair of kids’ sunglasses (another thing she likes taking on and off), water markers and a pad, and some magnetic faux-paper dolls. She’s a little young for the dolls, but I think they’ll become more popular as she gets closer to 18 months and beyond.
Yes, the Post-It Notes do require some cleanup, but it’s way less of a hassle than constantly running interference to avoid a sippy cup, play phone, or other hard toy being hurled at the surly guy in 24B. Which has definitely happened to me. More than twice.
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