How to Keep 13 Month Entertained During 4 Hours Plane Trip?

im gonna b honest with you its gonna b very hard.I took my 2 year old 2 disney and we had 2 take 2 planes there.She was scared 4 the first 1 but then she was ok with the 2nd one.I had 2 buy a ticket 4 her so she had her own seat which im glad i did cause i wouldnt b able 2 hold her down but every kid is different.I liked the experience.

I agree - bring lots of new toys, interesting things that keep her busy. Also, when I traveled with our daughter at 13 mos. (long plane ride) I found that bringing a snuggly-type baby carrier (that you wear) was invaluable. My daughter is also very active and would only fall asleep if she was restrained, and we didn't have her car seat on the plane.
Good luck and have fun!

A portable DVD player along with some new movies. We love the baby einstein dvd's. Helped to keep our little one entertained at that age on the plane. Of course snacks like others have suggested. We also brought one of the magnetic doodle pro type of things with us and drew pictures and letters for him. Goodluck.
Also try to have a window seat so she can look out and I would avoid an aile seat so that she doesn't want to run around.

I have flown with a 20 month old and then with a 22 month and 5 year old to Holland for 8 hours. I bought party-favor toys at Walmart and sticker packs at the craft store. I bought the Disney princesses (little plastic dolls) but took them out of the package. All light weight and small, and it allows you to pull out a new thing every half hour. We walked up and down the isles and visited the front and back of the plane and said "hi" to stewardesses. Take-off and food will distract her. I bought them a seat so that I would have a comfortable space. They wore a tiny backpack with their own blanky and a stuffed animal. My doctor suggested giving them Benadryl since it makes them sleepy (as long as you know yours doesn't get hyper from it). I did not use that during the plane ride (we left at 8 PM and they fell asleep at 11 PM) but have used the CVS version (diphenhydramine) at hotels when they would just not fall asleep. I think if you prepare and just relax about it, it will be fine. I have sat in planes with crying babies and active toddlers, and that is just life. Don't worry about others, just make it as fun an experience as your exhaustion will allow and your mood will rub off on her! Oh, one more thing: I put small snacks in one of those 7 day pill boxes where each day snaps open. Just opening the holes and finding what was in there kept them busy, later on in the car as well.

A few quick ideas--
1.) A magna doodle type toy (magnetic drawing that you can erase and redraw OVER & OVER!), especially convenient in the small size. Just be sure to have your drawing skills honed.
2.) Save all those return address labels you get in the mail, they can be used as stickers and are great fun to stick on lots of different things. Bring plenty of paper, but the car seat (which is a must on a plane, by the way) is a great thing to decorate and they come right off most car seat surfaces.
3.) Taking walks up and down the aisle (when the seat belt sign is off, of course) helps as does having favorite snacks.
4.) Also, any chance you could work a nap in during that four hours?
5.) Be sure to have something for her to drink during take off and landing to help her ears with the pressure.
GOOD LUCK!

We've traveled quite a bit over the years with our son (now nearly 5) starting when he was about 9 months old. My best tips for the little guys:

1. snacks - little ones and lots of them (like goldfish, teddy grahams, etc.) and give them one at a time to her.
2. photos of family, pets, etc. My DS spent at least a half an hour one flight giggling at a couple of photos of our dog.
3. stickers (as mentioned)
4. pipe cleaners - don't be afraid to look stupid (i.e. wearing pipe cleaner glasses or making pipe cleaner people dance!) Believe me, fellow travelers would rather see a silly parent than a screaming child.
5. more little snacks
6. if at all possible, get her a seat on the plane and take her carseat - it will be a familiar place for her and perhaps she'll fall asleep (always works for us).
7. some favorite soft activity toys - we had a little soft doghouse that had 3-4 little puppies that you'd put inside through various holes. That kept DS busy on a couple of flights.
8. some favorite books with lots of pictures - even magazines with big bold pictures to talk about.
9. did I mention snacks??? ;)

Have a great trip!

I took my son from here to Hawaii at the same age and was amazed how much less of a problem it was than I thought. You daughter will probably sleep for half of it (and your arms will grow very tired)! But the things that entertained my son most on the trip were:
1) Playdough - those little tiny tubs you can get at Walgreens;
2) MagnaDoodle - she can draw and no mess and you won't lose the stylus crayon b/c it's attached (also at Walgreens)
3) Some cheap, lightweight paper back books that she can (literally) tear through and you won't mind (and new ones she hasn't seen before) - they slide easily into the diaper bag; the airline magazine it also good for that!
4) check yourself out (on line or library) one of those books that teaches you finger-play songs ("Two Little Blackbirds," "One Little Two Little Three Little Fishes," "Where is Thumbkin," "Patty Cake," etc.) - and you can entertain her.
Good luck!

Snacks, Snacks and more Snack. Healthy ones of course. We too our very active 2 1/2 year old to AZ this summer (5 hours). What kept him most occupied was munching on cheerios and other snacks. Coloring, stickers and even a Bob the Builder DVD. Unfortunately he turned out to be a seat kicker. I literally had to turn his car seat so he couldn't reach the guy in front of us. After that as long as he had something to munch on and play with he did pretty well. On the way home we wore him out running around before the flight, so he slept for a while. It was definitely an adventure.

I have traveled a lot with my daughter and I have found each trip to be different. If she is on your lap, the best you will be able to do is bring several new toys that she has never played with that will entertain her. Only take one out when she is about to lose control. Suggestions: Crayons/coloring book, Travel-size magnadoodle/aquadoodle, and new books you can read her.
I also postpone/plan a meal time for the plane and so she eats for 15-20 minutes of foods/snacks. I even bring treats that she normally would not get at home. They make her happy and keep her quiet!
Good luck! D.

Hi,

The best thing would probably be to bring as many things like books, toys, and have her walk up and down the aisle. When I flew with our kids that young, all they wanted to do was walk up and down the aisle. Good Luck.

E. P.

When I traveled with my twins when they were young I wraped little gifts in colored tissue paper and gave them one at a time as needed. This mad for good entertainment.. they loved these magnetic books I got for them.. try to find things that are new and do not make noise. Also, a travel dvd player was handy! Good luck!

L.,

My doctor suggested to us to bring new toys and books. Things she hasn't played with or seen before. I also plan to bring her lovey and some of her favorite foods. Singing quietly can also help and when reading the story elongate as much as possible and try to point out things in the pictures and ask her to find things too. I spy books might be a little too much but I'm not sure. If she needs to get up and walk the aisle as long as they aren't serving food you will probably be ok. Try for the window seat so she can look out the window too. Talk to her about where you are going and why and what fun things you will do when you get there. If there will be any animals you can talk about them too and ask her questions about them - my parents have a cat and we talk about her on the way so she remembers about how to be gentle and loving with her. Also what her name is and what color she is.
I think basically a lot of smaller quick activities will help rather than longer ones but if you can get her to talk to you it might be easier.

Good luck,
L. M

I took my very active daughter on a plane trip when she was 13 months and it wasn't as bad as I had anticipated. She was entertained by just being there. Fellow passengers are very kind as well and you might get lucky and be near people who enjoy small children. Just a new face is entertaining. Otherwise, favorite books, snacks, and hopefully a window seat.