Airplane Ride

as a former Flight attendant and a Mom of three boys I traveled with my first two a lot when they were little, and here is my best advice, although you have received great advice already... first the negatives, please don't medicate your child unless they have a medical problem, just not necessary! also DO NOT let your child stand in the aisle, it is a safety hazard and the flight attendant in within her (and the FAA's) rights to ask you to have your child remain seated the entire flight, if you flight hits any air pockets your child can be severely injured, because you will not be able to stop them from getting hurt, so please don't do this!!!

When ever possible I had my children ride in their own car seat in their own seat (you can check your flight to see how crowded it will be ahead of time and even if he is ticketed as a lap child you can put him in an empty seat when available, check with the gate agent if needed) they always know what to expect in their car seat, they know they had to be seated and with their belt on, I always treated this as if we were in the car same rules applied.

I always brought a DVD player with me, they didn't like the head phones but they would watch with the sound very soft (I couldn't even hear it) and they were fine, but if you feel they need sound you can use the ear buds and band-aid them on, or use over the ear phones. the iTouch or iphone/pad will also work for this. I would even let other kids watch with my kids, I figure why not, as long as the parent was attentive to their child and okay with them sitting with me. (only once did I ever have a problem with this and I sent the child back to his parent, who never paid any attention to her child.

bring lots of different snacks/drinks for your child, I always asked the F/A for a cup to put the snacks in (the little snack bags are hard to manage for a child) so they were less likely to spill, (my kids are now 5-8-10 and I still do this to avoid spilling).

bring books/toys and other forms of entertainment, that you know your child will enjoy. I Try to have something (food or toy) for every 30 minutes of travel that I'm expecting as well as enough for a one hour delay, I try to have at least one "new" toy that they haven't played with and I only let them have one toy out at a time, so that it is easier to keep up with things.

as far as the ears most of the time the problem is during decent (going down), that is when it is hardest for them to clear their ears, anything that creates a sucking action will help, sippy cup, bottle or straw, or thumb sucking will help, (I liked the dum dum lollypop idea) also you can gently blow in their faces and it will sometimes make them clear their ears (this works very well on babies but will still sometimes work on 18mo too) sometimes a strong mint will help clear nasal passages (if the baby can tolerate that type of candy (which an 18mo may not, I know mine wouldn't) if all else fails and your really believe there is an ear issue talk to the F/A she can fix a small cup with a hot moist napkin to help steam the ear open, just be sure that no hot liquid will drip out of the cup onto the baby (I would always hold it upside down to test) I have done this for passengers (children) on many occasion and it works well. better than drugs, also keep in mind if you do decide to medicate, some drugs will act different at altitude and may cause a different reaction than expected and you may end up with a hyper child instead of a sleepy child.

if you are traveling alone you will have to be "on" the whole time but if you are traveling with family/spouse you can also take turns "playing" with your child which is also a good distraction. Some airports have a children's play area where you can let your son play before getting on the plane, just ask the gate agent for advice, or find a empty gate and let him stretch/run around a little bit before having to sit still.

one last word of advice... decent doesn't always affect the ears, it also can stimulate the bowls, my boys would alway have to go to the bathroom or poop in their diapers during that phase of flight, so you might want to be sure you have a fresh diaper on them before decent, and one ready for when you get off ( I had to deal with many of stinky diapers that I could not change till we were parked at the gate)

have fun most kids will do MUCH better than the parents think they will but if all else fails you can try singing patty cake, I had to sing that for over an hour one time, but it worked :)

1 mom found this helpful

Same thing I suggest for car rides - a bribe bag. A bag filled with new toys that he hasn't seen before and take one out per hour (less if he doesn't seem to need it). Also, bring earplugs (walmart sells them in bulk) for nearby passengers if needed. There are also those magnetic drawing boards, and snacks. Talk to him before you go. Let him know what is going on and what you expect him to do. Also, depending on when you travel, try to tire him out before hand. Let him run in the terminal so that he will be calmer on the plane.

It's not a horrible question.. I feel the same way.. This is what I do:

- go to target where there's the 1.00 section, buy some things and wrap them. (when you wrap them it's so much more exciting for the child, even if it is just a little plastic toy)
-Get a longgggg string and make cheerio necklaces for all the people in your family flying.. They will eat them up fast so I bring a box of Cheerios on the plane to make more... My son always has fun making me rings, bracelets, necklaces.
- My son is into Bakugans and Transformers (and we're actually flying out to GA tomorrow), so I went and got him a new Bakugan and Transformer toy as a last minute emergency if he really gets bored and antsy....
-We bring our DVD on the plane and buy him a movie that was just in the theaters.. He's more interested in a "new" movie than one of his old ones
- I got him a lollipop where it has the sucker on one side and a funny smiley face on the other.. (just a different silly kind of candy)
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- if all else fails, snacks! Whatever they like to keep them quiet, lol

DVD Player w/ a new movie or a DVD of his favorite shows along w/ plenty of snacks. It worked wonders for us. Have a wonderful time at Disney World- it is truly a magical place.

I always freak out, and my daughter is never as bad as I think she is. My daughter is also 18 months, and we just got back from a trip 2 weeks ago. She did fine on the flight. The key for us was having a aisle seat so she could stand up in the aisle. (We didn't get her a seat, she wouldn't stay in it anyway). We brought some toys, but she didn't seem interested. All she wanted to do was stand in the aisle, so we let her. It did get tiring having to move her everytime someone came up and down the aisle, but it was worth it to keep her quiet. She doesn't watch TV, so a DVD player didn't help up, but it may help you. Benadryl didn't work for my daughter either. Cookies worked well. I gave her one of those cups she can feed herself with and some graham cracker cookies (Annies). Also, even though she doesn't get milk in the afternoon, I let her have some on the plane and it was great. She also really loved the squirt bottle of water we bought for her. Even though she spilled on herself it kept her occupied for at least 1 1/2 hours.

Does he have some favorite toys that you could carry onto the plane. I always brought a backpack full of cars, books and trains for them. If you can, just take whatever keeps him occupied at home. It will keep him occupied in the plane too.

But don't worry about it. Even if he does cry, he is not the first child to cry on a plane and he won't be the last one. Ignore the dirty looks of your fellow passengers; your baby has the right to be there just like everyone else.

And by the way, even if a baby cries, only the passengers right around you can hear it at a noise level that may be annoying. Further away from you the sound just adds a little bit to the already noisy environment of the rumbling engines.

You didn't mention if he was sitting on your lap or if you have a separate seat for him. If you have a separate seat, bring the carseat and buckle him in. That worked great for us the one time we did it, because she knows she has to stay put when she's in the car so this was no different. Two other times she sat in our lap.

It reallsy isn't bad at all flying with an 18 month old. The key is entertainment and you've gotten a lot of good ideas. PLEASE don't medicate him! I'm apalled when I hear that pediatrician's suggest such a thing. Not to mention that benadryl often has the opposite affect on younger kids . . . makes them all hyper. Do you have a portable DVD player or a iPhone/smartphone? If so, load up on some of his favorite movies/TV shows . . . just be sure to bring a pair of small headphones (not earbuds!) so as not to disturb the other passengers. And as for the other passengers . . . don't worry too much about it. Just don't let you son do anything like climb on, pull, or kick, the back of the seats. But if he cries . . . just do your best to sooth him and don't worry about the cranky people who somehow have the attitude of "my child would never behave that way" or "I would never allow my child to behave that way" because they are ignorant fools! Sorry . . . but it's true. I was a passenger on flights before I ever had children and it never bothered me . . . I always had sympathy for the parents and child because we as adults know it's not easy being cramped together. So as a parent I have even less tolerance for those who think they know better! The only thing that does annoy me is if a kid is kicking the back of my seat and the parent is doing nothing to stop it. And honestly, the flight isn't all that long.

Last time I flew with my daughter, who is now 20 months (a couple months ago is when we took the trip), she got really cranky and the man next to me handed me his iphone! He had put a Micky Mouse video on it and she was mesmerized! That was so nice of him and taught me that a little video like that can go a long way. She was quiet watching it for over 1/2 an hour! I might add that I called my doctor before that trip, too, and asked about the Benadryl and he said NO WAY.

Just brings toys and snacks. My boys started flying at 5 months, and have flown almost every year since. We lived in the UK when they were born, so the first 3 years the flights were very long, but they always did great. Just relax, and don't worry about what others say or think, anyone with kids knows what the situation is like!

As a passenger, thank you for your consideration. You have received some great ideas! Just do not let him stand in the seat and stare at those behind or stand in the aisle unless right next to you for the same reason or hang on to the front seat backs - I had this on my last flight and with the pain from my MS the additional shaking was pure torture for me. I have always thought I had the world's cutest kids but not everyone wants to deal with them especially at the cost of flying these days - other passengers have the right to their peace on the plane. I know your son will do great because his mom is great and cares!!!

Please remember that one of the worst problems for children on flights is how the air pressure affects their ears. Your son probably does not take a bottle anymore, but if he takes a pacifier, be sure to give it to him during take off and landing. Or give him a sippy cup or something to eat. They need to swallow or chew to keep their ears from hurting. My kids are older so we always have gum ready! Good Luck!

Here are some ideas to keep him occupied.
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How long is the flight? We were on the plane nonstop for 11 hours with my 2 year old for our summer vacation. He did much better than last year, when he cried so hard he spitted up as he was not able to fall asleep :-( This year he was just fine, mostly because he is a bigger boy now, I think. Little babies and bigger kids do fine on long rides but around 1 year old may be tricky.

So here are my suggestions based on experience:
*If possible, have both window+aisle seats without anyone sitting next to you so you can have some privacy.
*Bring along some favorite toys as well as new toys and books he has NEVER seen before.
*Take a portable DVD player and/or NEW colorful ipod or some other electronic device he can watch/play with.
*Take favorite snacks with you.
*Take 1-2 change of cloths for him and yourself.
*Read books about planes and airports before the flight and prepare him for the day.

If you plan to give Benadryl, try giving it to him a few days BEFORE the flight to see how it affects him. It may make some kids hyper. I felt terrible giving him Benadryl even though we already talked with his pediatrician about our unpleasant experience last year and he was the one who suggested Benadryl. Thinking that many kinds take it for Allergies and it is not poison and it will not do him any harm etc.. calmed me down a little. Also, it is much better for him than crying nonstop and throwing up! On the way there, it was a night flight and we gave him the Bendaryl which made it easier for him to fall asleep. Well, we did not even need to give it to him on the way back, which was a day flight, he was just fine and happy and fell asleep for nap on his own. You know your son the best and can judge if/when he will need it.

Have a nice trip!

I just flew with my 17 month old last weekend and he is a wild child! I was terrified of the flight to be honest haha. And there were moments where I wondered what the heck I was thinking bringing him on a plane! But for the most part it was smooth.

My suggestions:

1. Ask for a row with an extra seat so he can have his own space, if possible. This helped for my little guy. A window was also a perk.

2. Favorite snacks and drinks! These are a MUST and can occupy a little one for quite some time. And favorite drinks can be used during take-off and landing to help with ears.

3. Stickers! We were both covered head to toe with stickers by the time we landed, but it kept him very well occupied and happy. And I also brought some of his favorite books and a coloring book. Check out the $1 section at Target for cheap books and trinkets to surprise him with during the flight.

4. Comfort item. I usually don't let my little guy have his paci or blanket unless he is sleeping in his crib, but I made an exception for this trip, and it did help when he got tired and cranky on the plane.

Also, remember he is a baby and it's a lot to expect them to sit still and be perfect at 18 months. Travel is hard on adults too! So don't expect miracles, but be prepared and things should go smoothly :) Good luck!!

K

You've gotten such great ideas. For me, the bribe bag with the new cheap toys and party favors always worked. (And Target really does have good $1 items.) Washable markers are great because he can get on the tray table or seat back and you can clean it up with a wet wipe (I'm not saying to let him have at it on the seat back and tray table, but if a line goes off the edge of the paper, it's not a big deal to clean). Stickers for sure, and lots of snacks. Just pack lots of little distractions, and be prepared to play hours of peekaboo if that's what it takes. Your days of relaxing with a magazine on a plane are long gone. :)

For the ear pain, my best friend is a pediatrician, and he said to give my baby some tylenol or motrin when we got seated so it would be kicked in by takeoff. That helps to prevent the ear pain. Same thing with landing, when you can tell they're getting ready to make the announcement to put up the tray tables, give another small dose. When I didn't do that one time, my poor child screamed from the pain and was too upset to drink or suck on any candy. (I am happy to say that the passengers around us were sympathetic and didn't seem too angry with us.)

Good luck to you.

I don't like to give unnecessary medicine to my kiddos, and when I have had to give my DD benadryl, she wound up hyper instead of sleepy.

What we have done with our kiddos is we bring favorites along with us, as well as a couple of small surprises. My DD loved looking at books on the plane/in the car, playing with small toys, snuggling with her lovey, coloring with the color wonder markers, etc. We also made sure to have snacks~some healthy and some not-so-much. ;) She loved the dum-dum lollipops. (They also helped with the change in pressure on the plane.)

Will he be in his own seat? If so, I suggest putting his car seat in his seat. It will not only be safe, but it will also be familiar. If he is going to be riding on your lap, my best suggestion is to try to get a seat at the front of the cabin. You won't be able to have his bag of toys in the seat pocket in front of you, but there is extra room for him to stand up and move around if needed.

My biggest piece of advice is remain calm. If you remain calm, your child will too. They pick up on our anxiety, and that makes them anxious too.

Have a great trip!