Any Advice for Plane Travel Advice with a 19 Month Old

I can tell you from personal experience that if you are going to use a car seat check the label on yours before dragging it through the airport. There will be a safety label that says whether it's FAA approved or not. I think most of the newer ones are but be warned that the flight attendants will check. I know before my son was 2 he could sit on our laps, no car seat or seat purchase required. Just a thought on something you might want to check out. Hope that helps.

I have been traveling with my daughter since she was 10 months old, she's now 3 1/2. I've always used her car seat because I felt she was secured better and she wasn't going to get up and wander around. The car seat is FAA approved, you need to check the side of yours, if it's not, they won't let you bring it on. The main advice is to have lots of things for your child to do. I sometimes buy one or two new things just for the plane ride, that my daughter hasn't seen or used yet. I also bring books to read to her, coloring books, stickers, washable markers, favorite packable toys snacks, snacks, snacks. I bring an empty sippy cup and ask for apple juice for the cup from the airline attendant. I also choose a flight time that's at her nap time. We get on, she eats lunch and hopefully falls asleep. It makes it much easier to travel if you schedule around your child's schedule.
I hope you have a great trip. Good luck.

I've done that before but travel rules have changed...I suggest you check with a travel agency or airline. Be sure to take gum or a binky!

Check with the airline's website to find out what car seat and carry on baggage regulations you must follow.

Ask for your seats to be located near the restroom so you can take care of potty needs.

Also, sit near a window so the child can look out.

Bring quiet toys to play with: Cloth books, hand puppets, preschool Etch-A-Sketch, sticker books, small doll. Miniature photo albums of familiar people & things.

Avoid markers,crayons, matchbox cars, blocks.....they are forever spilling onto the floor and rolling up and down the aisles.

Non-messy & non-sticky finger foods and snacks help to quiet hungary tummies, as well as keeps their hands and mouths occupies. (Give them a snack to chew during take off and landings to keep their ears from popping).

Small cups with lids are a must! And don't forget the binky!

Hi Wendy:

My son is almost 1 year and has traveled 3x since his birth. He is a good little traveler. Most recently, I traveled to NY to visit family and he was wonderful.

Until your child is 2 years of age - s/he can be a lap child which saves you money & having to lug a car seat around the airport. Take your stroller right onto the ramp before boarding - they'll have it ready for you as soon as you take a step off the plane. Another really great thing is if your plane isn't full - you may luck in with extra seats to let your 19 month old have his/her space to spread out. I was fortunate on one leg of the trip to NY to have a row to myself and on the way back both legs I had a row to myself. (praise God)

So - take advantage of not having to pay for an extra ticket. You simple hold them when taking off and landing - and they love to play with the trays, have a snack and even look out the window.

Let me know how you make out. One more thing - in regards to their ears.... it isn't taking off that causes the problem - its landing... and that all depends on how fast the pilot descends...

I agree with most of the advice on here. I've flown several times with an "under 2" and if you can afford the extra ticket, it's worth it, especially if it's a long flight. Kids are used to being in their carseats, so they don't want to get down and wander around if they're in a carseat.

The only things I didn't see mentioned were:
Take advantage of early boarding. People with small children can board the plane early. BUT what we do, is either my hubby or I will board early with all the stuff, so we can pack it away without getting in too many people's way. The other person stays in the terminal with the little one, to let her run around as long as possbile.

Also, if you can choose your seats (most airlines will let you do this online after you purchase your tickets), choose seats near the front of the plane. That way, you'll get off the plane sooner when it lands. This can be especially important with a squirmy toddler.

I've found that you won't need as many toys as you think you'll need. The new place, people & crinkly pretzel wrappers are fascinating to them at this age. Good luck!

I used our carseat. These days, they make ones that have wheels on them. A godsend in an airport. My kids (now 8 and 3) liked using Colorforms (or the like) on the plane window. These are plastic stickers/window clings. Actually, any window cling would work. We used some Christmas ones on our home windows; I'm sure those would work also. The only Colorforms I've seen, lately, are shapes (pretty boring). But when I was little they came in all different kinds. Good luck. Oh, I also would go to the dollar store/2nd hand store and get "new" toys just to bring out on the plane. How much you buy depends on how far your trip. But I brought a lot in case the novelty wore off quickly. Maybe also portable DVD player? I also just read some of the responses. While it is not mandatory that a child under the age of 2 be in a seat, it is by far the safest. A child on your lap is not safe on a plane. You think you can contain them if there is a lot of turbulence, but it just doesn't happen that way. You wouldn't drive with him on your lap, so.....

Also, the reason why many babies cry on planes is b/c of their ears. Keep your little one drinking/swallowing. We had to sometimes force this on our kids, but it prevented them from the popping ears.

We traveled with our son when he was that age. We didn't use any car seat. We bought him his own seat on the plane (which you don't have to do for children under 2), and just kept him on our lap for take off and landing. He did really well on the plane. Our son never has used a pacifier, but we brought along a bottle which was a life saver! He didn't have any problems with his ears because he would suck on the bottle. We also brought along a laptop (remember to fully charge it) and Dvds. And I also got him a few new little toys that he saw for the first time on the plane (a new train, a book, crayons and paper). Since he he hadn't played with some of this stuff, it held his attention a lot longer.

As far as car seats...I was told you aren't allowed to use your regular car seat. They make you check it which is a total pain. You can only use the special certified airplane car seats which can be expensive. We didn't bring any.

I was terrified to fly with a 19 month old. I worried for weeks about all the potential problems. But I will tell you...he was perfect! It was just so exciting for him.

Good luck!

I say don't do it. I know a lot of people who have flown with their small children and they said they would never do it again. All of their kids basically spent the whole time crying because their ears were hurting from the pressure which upset everyone around them and in turn made the parents feel bad for upsetting other passengers and because they knew their child was in pain and could do nothing about it. If you can get away with it you should drive. At least then you know your child will be comfortable and will probably sleep most of the time (if your child sleeps in cars) and you will not have to worry about dirty looks from other passengers.

we went on our first airplane ride when my son was 19mos to Penn. he did awesome...i used his carseat and just make sure you take toys and books along with ya...my son did awesome on the way there and back..he does take a binkie so i didn't have to worry bout his ears...that's the only thing that ya might be a little concerned about! hope you have a great trip!

We just had our first flight with our 1 year old. It went pretty smoothly.

If you decide to buy a ticket for him to have his own seat, you need to make sure your car seat is approved for flying... I'm not sure how that works, so you might want to check on that. Check out www.faa.gov/passengers/childsafetyseats for more info.

He can sit in your lap for free until he's 2 years old. You'll need to bring his birth certificate for proof of age.

Next time I think we will get her a seat of her own. She was pretty restless and climbing all over us. She eventually fell asleep, but we were exhausted!

You can check your stroller at the gate. I definitely recommend that! That way it's there for you until you board the plane and as soon as you get off. You don't have to worry about carrying him all over the airport.

You can also check your carseat & a pack n play if you need to. If your renting a car at your destination, most rental companies can provide a carseat. You can also rent a pack n play or crib at your hotel. We did both and it saved us a ton of work and worry.

Make sure to carry on a few fun toys that are either new or that he hasn't seen in a while so they hold his interest.

You can't bring in your own drinks (except breastmilk & formula), you have to let them know you have it though. I brought an empty sippy cup and just filled it with bottled water after we cleared the security check.

Definitely check with your airline (they should have something online) about traveling with children. Southwest has some good travel tips on their website.

Also... you can save packing space by buying diapers at your destination.

Whew... I've written a book! I know how stressed I was flying with my daughter the first time, so I really hope some of this is helpful!

Good luck!

Our son's first airplane trip was at 18 months and he did awesome. We took some finger foods (Goldfish and biter biscuits)and a pacifier for him to use when his ears bothered him. We also took the portable DVD player and headphones for him to use and his favorite lovie. It helps to travel very early morning or late evening when your baby will most likely fall asleep. The planes aren't nearly as full at that time so if you have to get up and walk with him or if he cries, you aren't as stressed about disturbing other passengers. Because if you stress, he'll stress.

Hello Future traveler,
I am a non-active Flight Attendant and the best advice I can give is that our babies ears are 10 times as sensitive as ours. So when the plane is about to take-off and a few minutes before landing, have him suck on something. (like we do gum)(pacifier, sippy-cup, suger-free suckers) It helps with there ear drum pressure. When babies ear drums get overloaded with pressure they start to scream because it hurts like a really bad ear infection. It's also not good for babies to fly when they have ear infections because it feels even worse. If he doesn't want to suck on anything, try to get him to at least chew on some crackers. Use your own car seat or at least bring it with you so it will be available for a rental car usage, or when you just need your own time on the flight and want a break. Sometimes if the flight isn't full, they will have an empty seat you can sit by to put the car seat there at no extra charge. If the flight is full and don't have room- they can gate check it to be picked up as soon as you get off the plane. Same goes for the stroller. HANDS WILL BE FREE! through the airport.
What child isn't active while on a flight!... If the seatbelt sign is off and the flight att. is not doing her beverage service, Let your baby get some excersize up and down the isle a few times.Don't let those business people give you an evil eye. I'm sure they've been there a few times...
-Some advise for all mothers that fly with children of any age with ear infections: If none of the above is available, flight attendants always have napkins and warm water for tea! Use that as a heat compress for there ears... Always, Always carry tyenol!... Hope this helps!

I love traveling. I have a 9 month old son and a 6 year old step daughter we see during summers (travel time). Having the little ones around definitely makes for fun and interesting travel stories!
First, I'd like to wish you all the luck in this endevour. I traveled alone with my son when he was 4 months old. It was definitely stressful. But I found that the more relaxed I kept myself, the more relaxed he was. I had a bag packed of trael-size intersting toys and books for him. In the end, it seemed that my unopend package of chips and my empty plastic cup of water was most entertaining.
Most of the time you can travel as "infant in lap" until the child is 2 years old. This definetly saves on travel expenses. Because the child sits in your lap, you can check on your carseat and shouldn't need a special one. Checking it on will help so you won't have to lug it around if you're doing "infant in lap" travel.
The company you are flying with should have tips for traveling with children of this age on their website. Their advice is good advice! They mention things such as: take more than enough diapers if the child isn't yet potty trained. Give the child a drink during take off and landing to help their ears adjust (or you can give them gummies or anything to get them sucking and/or swallowing).
When the flight attendance suggest their help...take it!!! Any help releives travel stress!
Oh, and if you have a stroller, you can take that to the gate and they'll check it on at the gate so you don't have to carry or walk at child pace wherever you go. Hopefully your 19 month will be able to expend his/her energy before getting onto the flight. This way he/she'll be ready to sit for a while!

I wish you all the best! After your travels are over, I'd love to hear how it went and if you have any advice or fun stories from the flight. I'm always open to more ideas when traveling with the little ones.

We have traveled by plane many times with our son, who is now 3. His 1st trip at around 9 months, we bought him a seat on the plane and used his car seat. We have had great results with this. He is happy and secure (especially since he's so used to being strapped into his car seat), and we have our seats to ourselves. Makes for much happier travels than all the passengers I see struggling with young kids on their laps.

Hi Wendy I traveled a lot with my son when he was that age. If he will sit in the car seat, buckled up, and the seat is FAA approved (will have a sticker to that effect) it might be worth the hassel of bringing it on board. Otherwise just check it and know that he has to be buckled during taxi and takeoff. Bring chewy/crunchy snacks for take-off and landing - they will help relieve ear pain. Let him run in the terminal to release some energy before you board and bring lots of books to keep him entertained during the flight. Be prepared to have lots of passengers coo and smile at him!

Hi Wendy

I agree with all the advise Jodi gave, the only other things I would suggest is to fly early in the day so you have less chance of getting delayed and if you fly on days that are less traveled and you are flying w/ your child as a lap child you have a better chance of having an open seat next to you so your son can end up w/ his own seat. Eather way you travel, with him on your lap or if he ends up w/ his own seat have him or you and him sit by the window. I found when I flew w/ my son at about that age when we sat in an isle seat he had to many things to look at which led to him not wanting to sit or take a much needed nap.

The other thing that helped me, but I was traveling alone was an umbrella stoler w/ a basket under it for our stuff. His regular troler was just to bulky to travel with by my self. I also got a back pack so I had less in my hands.

As far as a car seat if you are flying w/ your son as a lap child you will not need one for the plane. I was flying w/ my son to visit my parents and my dad purchased a car seat for us to use while we where there and then returned it when we left so we did not have bring one with us. I know most rental car companies also have them to rent so if you are getting a car that is a nice option instead of traveling with one. We also did the same thing with a play yard, my dad bought one for us to use while we where there and I just packed a crib sheet and he returned it when we left. Of course if you are staying in a hotel they should have one for you to use (a crib or play yard).

I tried to travel with the things he would need and want and worry about the big bulky stuff once we got there. But that was about 8 yrs ago and things have changed as far as what you are allowed to bring and how much so you may also want to check w/ your air line to see what is allowed or check out the FAA web site. I would pack dry snacks incase of delays and for on the plane. As far as drinks security will take them, but you can buy them once your past security and they have several juice and other drink choices on the plane. I would just make sure he has something to suck on for take off and landing like his drink or a sucker ( a small sucker is a nice reward for good behavior on the plane and in the airport). And I also agree with having some Motrin or Tylenol for before and after flying. I liked Motrin better, but either one can help.

Good luck and have a safe, great, fun trip. Enjoy!! :))

T.

Hi Wendy,
We used his own carseat on the plane. They like us to put the seat near the window. We made sure we took food and milk for him to drink and made sure he drank something or was chewing on something on take off and descent. He had not trouble, no crying or anything. My husband brought his laptop so Sam could watch movies. We also brought lots of small toys and some books he really liked. It also helped that sometimes our flights took off close to nap time. :) When he was under two he slept well on the plane. This last time he didn't sleep much; he is 3 1/2 now. I hope this has helped.
C.

I've flown several times with my young kids. At 19 months, I didn't purchase a seat for my child, they are able to sit on our lap. Two times the plane hasn't been full and so we were able to have an extra seat. I would suggest taking a portable DVD player. That is what saves us every time. My girlfriend buys little surprise toys and puts them in a new little backpack bag for her girls, and lets them open one up every 15-20 minutes. They love the surprise, and love playing with whatever they got. I just flew with my 9 month old, and we did not take a carseat either- he just sat on our laps. Do whatever you feel comfortable with, but wanted to share our experiences with you.

We have taken several plane trips and we found that if we just had them sit on our lap (which they can til 2), they did much better. We flew southwest and if there are extra seats they will let you use them for free since you wouldn't have to buy a ticket for your child. We tried using a carseat the first time and my daughter hated being confined. She uses a carseat all the time so we thought she would think it was second-nature. We took the carseat to the front and stored and it. She sat in our lap and looked out the window. We also took a ton of snacks, drinks and books.

You can use your own car seat. If the flight is not totaly full you can let him sit in the seat beside you. If the flight is full they will check his car seat and you will hold him in your lap. One of the best things I learned was to take the stroller. You can keep him in the stoller until you get to the door of the plane and then they will gate check it for you so that when you get off the plane it is waiting right there for you! You also want to have something for him to drink or suck on when the plane is ascending and descending so his ears don't hurt. I hope this helps!

We took our little one to Florida and we used our own carseat - it worked great! One month later we flew to California for a weekend and we let her sit on our lap. BIG word of advice - Use a car seat!!! She slept about 3/4 of the trip, and she felt secure because she was in s car seat she was familiar with.

Best of Luck! C.

I took my daughter to LA when she was 18 months old and we used a convertible stroller car seat. We used it on other trips, too but on this trip I used it to take lots of walks, get through the airport and in the rental car. They are a little pricey, but well worth the money, especially if you travel often. We even use ours as a second car seat for our second vehicle. Here is a link for a company that sells them and gives you the full name to look elsewhere. I have seen alot of these in use when I travel and everyone raves about them. http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId...

If you don't buy an extra ticket, you don't need your carseat, you just hold your son on your lap. You can check your seat and stroller right at the jetway. They tag it at the check-in counter at your terminal. If you check either one at the regular check-in couter, bag it because sometimes it rains and then you're stuck with a wet seat/stroller. It's always safer I think to check them at the gate so you know they're under the plane. They bring them up for you in the jetway on your way out, so wait for it.

Games, toys, books, blankets, food, pacifier (if he uses one), milk/juice or nursing are all necessary things to have available. He may cry from the take off or landing because of his ears, so encourage him to swallow nothing or anything (or suck something). Don't worry about people who may look annoyed, because they have no room to be upset (they too were probably crying somewhere when they were children). Most people are surprisingly helpful and understanding. Chances are your son may not even cry and he may end up sleeping.

You may need to bring tylenol for after the flight in case he gets irritable after the flight or later that night. Sometimes they get jetlag and can't unwind.

Also, don't bring any liquids in your carry on for your son because they'll just take it from you and want to search everything else. You'll have to collapse your stroller and stuff it and the seat through the xray machine. Hope this all helps. Let me know if you have any other questions. I've done this several times and it's really not as bad as it may seem. You can also get online or call your airline if you have other questions. Have fun!