Flying with a One Year Old

Hi T., two of my cousins are both captains for a major airline. Since they have great flying benifts they can fly anywhere they want to go for free. With that being said, frequently they will hop on a plane (they are in Texas) and take their daughter to to the other grandparents house (in Memphis) to baby sit for a few days. Since she has became so used to this she will automatically stick her thumb in her mouth when the pressure changes. This has helped alot with this. She's not usually much of a thumb sucker, but some how she has discovered this. Anyway hope this helps. Not that I want your baby to become a thumb sucker (if he already isn't), but that's the only thing I could think of. Good luck!

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I flew with my 1 yr old many years ago and I made sure he had a sippy cup and cherrios to eat and I encouraged him to take many sips at take offs and landings. I don't know how much over 1 your child is but if he's on the older side than suckers are good and even gummys (juicy stuff makes him swallow more). Hope that helps!
C.

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i was going to give you my advice, it looks to me Gale has nailed it! good luck and have fun!!!

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Make sure you give him a bottle as you are taking off. Which means, don't feed him until about 2 hours before your flight. That way when you give him a bottle he'll fall asleep as well.

Make sure take lots of books :}

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We flew with my daughters to Oregon when the eldest was 3 1/2 and the twins were 1 1/2. We had safety suckers, sippy cups, a change of clothes for each of them, and plenty of diapers and wipes. We also brought coloring books and AquaDoodle coloring books. The AquaDoodles were great, because when the flight attendants asked if the girls wanted anything, we asked for water. Most of it got poured in sippy cups, but we filled the AquaDoodle pens with it as well. The kids were amazed that they could color with this one marker, and things would turn different colors in their book.
I will caution you that there is a cheaper version called WaterWorks that is not as good in quality. Definitely get the AquaDoodle brand.
We wish you happy flying!

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I'm getting ready to fly with my 4 year old and 2 year old. I was thinking that fruit chews would be good for the ears. I think I"m also going to go to the dollar store and buy a bunch of inexpensive toys for them and they only get them when they're on the plane - that way they'll be new and more exciting! Good luck!!

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Best thing for the ears is have him drink a bottle/sippycup/nurse during take off and landing.

As for the entertainment, bring toys and if you have a laptop bring movies if he is into watching them, bring toys for him.

Good Luck

I will be leaving in 13 days and flying with my 27mth old. We have a laptop and got movies downloaded for him to watch.

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All I can say is don't give him anything to eat or drink unless he asks for it first. I gave my then 1 yr old a sippy cup to help with his ears during take off and he threw up all over me, himself, his blanket, and the car seat! They had to give me a garbage bag to put it all in, except of course the seat which even after wiping it down smelled like puke the rest of the plane ride.

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Depending on your child, this can be challenging. Make sure you bring lots of snacks. Give him a bottle or sippy cup during take off and landing (since you cannot bring lots of liquids through security, be prepared to buy some once you get through). Allow your self a lot of time to get through the airport. If you are sitting waiting at the gate, let hime run/crawl around to his heart's content. There are so many new things for them to explore and it tires them out!! On the plane you may want to pull out a new toy that will hold his interest for a while. When my daughter was that age (we flew a lot), she loved just crumpling up paper. we would pull the inserts out of magazines, ahd loved holding as many as she could etc. Also, the good news is that a plane can have the same effect as a car, so he may go to sleep! I also used to sing songs and play wuth her hands. We still do those things on planes and she is 4. Good luck.

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Sippy cup and a lolly pop for take off and landing. As for entertainment that is challenging, but colors, books, blank paper and any favorite toys you can think of, light small stuff is best of course. Good luck!

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Hey there T.!
I fly out to California with my 3 year old and 10 month old quite a bit. I always bring a little carry-on back pack (the one's that have weels so he can pull it himself) with treats and activities. I always have a coloring book and let him color with colored chalk instead of crayons. That way if he marks on anything it can easily be wiped off. I consulted our pediatrician about his ears during flying and he said to give them a tiny dose of dimetap and benedryl. I really does help. They have never complained about their ears at all. Well, good luck with the flight!!!

-K.

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Don't forget a change of clothes for him and maybe for you if you can fit it. You never know what will spill. I like to put some toys away before the trip (or buy some cheap new ones) and get them out as "new" for the trip. Does he like stickers? You may need to help him, but that may keep him busy. Bring a little spiral notebook for him to stick them in. And more diapers than you think you'll need in case of delays. Good luck.

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