Flying with Our 18 Month Old

if you are flying at night and she is really comfortable in her car seat, bring it on the plane. It made me feel more comfortable to strap in my little on to sleep. portable dvd players are great. and for my 'bad mommy' advise... benedryl or other cold medicine to help her relax and sleep. my 15 month old flew without her car seat and was on my lap, on the floor, in the isle and driving me insane for a short flight from sac to az. i forgot to use a 'calming agent'.

Check with your airline, but I'm pretty sure that if your daughter has her own seat and is below a certain weight (45 lbs maybe?) then she needs an FAA approved carseat. I had a Britax marathon and it worked fine...just uncomfortable to sit next to. :(

As far as entertainment, I took a Leapfrog for my 23 month old as well as a bunch of new books, touchy/feely alphabet cards, colorsafe markers with coloring book, etc. that I didn't let her see until we were on the plane. She thought it was great!

I fly with my 16 month old fairly frequently. The first time I took him on the plane after he started walking, I had him in my lap as I had previously done. It was the longest flight of my life. He squirmed and tried to get off my lap the whole time. There was very little leg room on this particular plane, so he kept hitting the seat of the guy in front of me. I fought him the whole time and it was a nighmare. After that, I shelled out the cash for an extra seat and brought his car seat. It's not a safety thing. It's just to restrain him and put him someplace familiar so he'll eat and sleep. I put snacks in the cup holder and he naps for a lot of the flight. I actually got to eat, read, and sleep! Best money I ever spent. I have a friend whose daughter will sleep on her lap, but her daughter is smaller and can sleep anywhere. So, it depends on your kid's temperament, I think. Another trick I learned from a mom was to go to the dollar store and buy a bunch of small cheap toys and hide them until you're on the plane and your kid gets bored. These are both tips I got from other moms and they helped me keep my sanity. Hope it helps you too.

N.

I am not sure if you are required or not to bring a cat seat along, but I totally recommend it on the plane. For one, your daughter will fit better in the seat and the familiarity may offer her some reassurance.

We flew without a seat for a short trip to LA and right when the seat belt light went on (we were getting ready to land) my daughter decided she needed to stand or be in my lap. The flight attendant was not very helpful or willing to budge on the "rules" (over 2 must be in own seat for take off/landings) so we had her screaming, scared and unhappy for the last 10 minutes with all of our belts loose so that we could contort our bodies around her.

Definitely bring new toys that she can discover on this trip and I also second the portable DVD player (or fly JetBlue which has TV sets in all seats).

Hope you have a great and fun trip!

My Dr advised that I give my child a dose of benedryl. This actually works wells and makes them sleepy. I've done this twice and it helps. I would suggest trying it at home first to make sure it doesn't have the opposite effect. I would also suggest tons of snacks and toys. Another thing is bring the portable dvd player.

Dear J.,

I do think that you need to use the car seat in her own seat. I would think that you can take her out of it to sit with you or walk a bit, and you can hope that she will want to nap.

Also, remember that she is a person too, and if she talks too loud or cries, then it isn't against the law, and the people around you will just have to endure it - especially when they see that you are doing the best that you can do. Kids have rights too, and they don't know all the 'rules' or are able to control themselves like adults should know how to behave. So, don't be tense if she isn't quiet - just be calm and keep in your head that it will be over soon. Flying to Colorado shouldn't be too long a flight. With snacks and a toy or two and a couple of books and quiet songs should get the job done. Good Luck, C. N.

My 2 1/2 year old daughter and I have flown every 3-4 months since she was 3 months old. If yours likes her car seat I say bring it along. I always schedule our flights during her current nap time or after her bedtime so that she sleeps as much as possible. When she is awake take plenty of snacks. My daughter doesn't like to watch TV, so movies don't work for us. She really just likes to talk to me (at 18 months we would play hand games or learn new songs). Any one on one interaction seems to keep her happy. I reccomend buying a car seat cover/rolling bag (babies r us $29.99). Use it getting to the plane and then off the plane to the car again. You can roll this bag or carry it like a backpack. I used a baby bjorn carrier until she outgrew it and now she will walk with me while I carry a small daiper bag and roll the car seat. You can also buy a cheap plastic stroller to get to the gate and then gate check it (this way it doesn't matter when they scratch/dent/bend it - because it happens almost every time). The car seat can stay in the bag during security check and it also keeps it clean as it goes through the scanner.

Hope some of it helps - we learned most of it through trail and error. Hope you guys have fun!!

I just came back from a 3 hour flight to Texas with my 22 month old and I purchased a seat for her as well. We took with us a lot of snacks, a coloring book, her favorite stuffed animal and her teething tablets, tylenol and dramamine just in case. On the way to Texas it went with her nap so she fell asleep by herself. On the way back it was night time but with the time change it was a disaster waiting to happen so we gave her 1/2 tablet of dramamine and she slept the whole flight. I wouldn't recommend taking the car seat because of its size and you don't know if she will want to even sit on it. They don't technically have to sit in their seat until they are two and my daughter sat on my lap for the first 15 minutes of take off to look out the window. Without the seat at least you will have some extra room. Good luck! :)

I fly a great deal with my 18 month old and have since she was 6 months old. My advice would be to have a bag of stickers,crayons, and any other craft type projects that you can keep contained to a small space. Also make sure to have a lot of snack food and if you allow tv invest in a portable dvd player. Window seat is helpful too.

Good luck!!

My son is almost 3 years old, and he has been on plane flights since he was 2 months old. We always take 1 backpack that has his goodies in it....a portable dvd player (a lifesaver!), his favorite toys that are easy to keep at a chair, snacks, and his own cups. We do not take his carseat on our flights with us, except as baggage. We've never had any problems, and everyone always comments on how good of a kid he is on the flight! So just bring your little one enough to keep her busy...and if you have a portable dvd player...definitely use it! Good luck!

P.S. I just read everyone else's responses, and I'm actually bit shocked at the amount of people who drug their kids for the ride. I'm, by no means, someone against medicine, but this just seems unnecessary. Also...the people who are saying it is FAA regulation to have a carseat....like I mentioned before, we've taken our son on many many flights, and never once had to use a carseat. We check our carseat every single time, and have been on different airlines also, so I can't believe that this is true. So make sure and check into that before you lug that thing on with you....

I just got back on Friday from a trip to see my family. My daughter is 21 months old and my son is 3 months old. According to FAA regulations she has to sit in a car seat (approved for use in an aircraft) if you have purchased a ticket for her otherwise she is a lap child. SHe also has to sit in the window seat. Our flight was four hours and on the way there she slept but the whole way home she was awake. I took a couple books and her favorite care bear. SHe also likes to color so I took a coloring book and crayons. Hope this helps.
A.

Lots of snacks!!!! Lolipops worked great for us. Break every nutritional rule you have!!! I now it sounds terrible, but it works. Also you can to the library and rent a leap pad for her to use.

Hello J.!

I only used a car seat with my son the very first time I flew with him. But every time since then he has always just sat in the seat. We have always taken a travel dvd player...works great for both waiting for the plane and for the actual flight. And something I have done with my son is purchased a new toy, book, or coloring book,etc. and didn't give it to him until we were on the plane.

Hope this helps!
M.