Travelling with a 2 Year Old

Hi C.,

Bringing his car seat onto the plane is not mandatory, but it may make the flight a bit easier if he's strapped into his seat. My 2 1/2 year old son is a pro when it comes to flying (he's already earned free tickets on two different airlines), and he's always sat in his car seat. It's a comfortable place that he recognizes and he knows he's secure sitting in, so I've always brought it on with me. Sure, it's a pain lugging it through the airport and getting it on/off the plane, but having him quiet and happy in his seat is much more important to me. It's completely your choice, but it's something that I highly recommend. Plus then there's no fear of it being lost when you arrive in Florida.

As far as keeping him occupied, you may be surprised that he'll entertain himself while on the airplane. There's the window shade to play with, the safety manual and magazine to look at, and plenty of activity around him to keep him busy. I bring a backpack of little things to pull out in case of boredom (books, Magnadoodle, quiet toys) and wait until a dire emergency before I pop out my laptop with a favorite DVD. Definitely bring along some snacks (cut-up fruit, string cheese, crackers) to give him if he gets hungry, and an empty water bottle or sippy cup to fill up with water or milk on the plane. And don't ever forget that the lull of the plane may put him right to sleep. It works like a charm with my son, even if it's not his nap time.

Have a great time in Florida!

1 mom found this helpful

My son is 2 years old & I have traveled with him at least 6 times to Fl. The last time we went (right after he turned 2) we brought his carseat on the plane, what a MISTAKE! It's big, hard to get down the isle, hard to hook up (I had the bruises to prove it & then since there isn't much legroom & the carseat takes up the whole space he kicked the seat in front of him the WHOLE flight! On the way home, we checked his carseat & just strapped him in the plane seat. MUCH better flight, he was able to easily go to me, play with his cars on the tray & take a nap on my lap! I suggest you check the carseat & enjoy the flight!!

1 mom found this helpful

I would not put him in the car seat on the plane. He will have more room to move around and be happier. You can also use the tray (the car seat is too high to use the tray.

DVD player is great! A new toy- try Batman from CVS.

If you are going to be riding in a car once you get to Florida...take the car seat.

We took ours when we flew from PA to TX. We also got a cheap umbrella stroller to have in the airport. We didn't have to check either one.

Nanc

Hi C.
We have been traveling with our daughter since she was 3 months. She has been on about 15 flights or more. She is just about 23 months.
We only bring her car seat if there is not one at the desination. So when you get to Florida will you have a car seat for him? It is not necessary on the plane. We bring enough snacks that keep her busy for the flight time. We just bought before our last trip which was great is a portable dvd player. We watched Elmo videos and she sat for the whole 3 hour flight. Let him get up and walk around on the plane it does not bother anyone and it will let him feel he has control.
Good luck!
PS if his ears start to hurt on take off and landing have hime drink out of a sippy cup. The sucking and swallowing helps.

Cheerios, activities book with crayons, if you don't object, I would highly recommend a portable DVD player. Remember every seat is entitled to a carry on, so he can have his own with all of his travel goodies.
Bon voyage!

Hi C.:

My suggestion for helping your two year old to be calm and more relaxed is to research the benefits of Bach's Rescue Remedy. It has worked on my clients to balance emotions and energy when travelling or other.

Safe travels,
N.
Holistic Practitioner
www.WholeCreations.com

Hi C.,
We have never wanted to deal with the hassle of a car seat on the plane (we have twins, though, so we'd be lugging two of them), so we used the CARES harnesses that someone else here also recommended. The first time we used them we rented them from someone on eBay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Rent-a-CARES-Kids-Fly-Safe-Airplane-H...

And that went well -- I recommend the seller. The second time, we bought them. They are better than just the plane's seat belt because of the shoulder straps. It's safer for your kid if you hit turbulence.

Good luck!
A.

This strap that you attach to the plane was the best!

http://www.kidsflysafe.com/?utm_source=PASPTR&utm_med...

I checked the carseat when I travelled with my little guy and just had this seat strap. It made traveling so much easier. In fact i rented a strap from someone online on Ebay for about $20 -- rtaher than purchasing. However, if you find you'll travle a lot with your little one it might be worth it for you to purchase it.

Happy travels

I have 2 travel experience with my two year old son.
About the car seat I am not sure as I never travel with mine. I happen to have relatives or friends who had.(Keep in mind children are different). 1- Dress yourself and baby very comfortable.If your flight delayed you will have to become his toy and playmate. Take along in your carry on luggage, a few small toys and story books,extra clothes, crackers and of course with airport security a small drink.

good luck,
Enjoy
Mom of 2 and 6 years old boys.

Hi C.! I have traveled a bit with my kids and with two at a time(a 2year old and a 3 month old). It was definitely worth it to bring your own car seat on the plane. People will help you through security if you need it. If you don't bring it, you have to check it anyway. Kids are always more comfortable with their own things. I have had friends say their kid wiggled around way too much or were jumping up and down on the seat. Bring tons of snacks, a small car or truck and a coloring book with stickers in it with 2 or 3 crayons in a baggie. You'd be surprised how interested they are in everything around them. My son never fell asleep, but he was happy and well behaved. Hope this helped! Happy Trails!
J.

Hi C.
We just got back from Florida on Thursday!
We have a 18 month old daughter.
Funny but I posted a similar post here for your same reasons and I got great advice.
I would definitely take your car seat. You will need one when you arrive, so it is better for him to be in his own seat than to take a chance with a rental.
It is a little tough to get the seat belt through the car seat since their seat belt latch is thicker than the ones in cars these days, but it can be done. I read someone said that the airline attendents helped set hers up,,,,I wasn't that lucky, but that sounds great if they will do that for you.
One of the Mom's suggested that one of us go on ahead to set up the car seat and the other stay behind with our daughter and not board until last. This way she would not be sitting for a long time getting antsy in her seat.
I did that and I think it was a great suggestion.

To keep her busy, I had bought her several new books. (She is in the "Elmo, Elmo, Elmo stage"....LOL)
Those books kept her busy for a long time.
When snack time came, she got to eat the cookies that they offered and that kept her busy too.
I packed her breakfast too though as we flew out quite early in the morning. All the food helped to pass the time.
She did nap on the plane also for about 20 mins.
And lastly, I did take my laptop with me and I played one of her favorite DVD's. That was a Godsend believe me!
The trip there was great. She was a bit exhausted for the trip home and I spent the entire plane ride holding onto her feet b/c she kept kicking the back of the chair in front of her. UGH!!! The poor woman in front of her.
She never said anything and I know she heard me over and over correcting my daughter for doing that. But at 18 months, they really don't get it and they think everything is a joke....at least my daughter does!

Have a great trip!
I'm sure everything will go really well.
Your son is older and will understand more.
The fight crew may make a big deal about it being his first plane ride and may give him "Wings" to wear. (Sticker)
He will feel like such a big guy, so be sure to let them know it is his first trip!
He will probably be facinated with the whole plane ride!
P.S. get a luggage cart when you first get to the airport. Place all your luggage on it including the carseat....(If the strap thing doesn't work out well for you). We used the luggage cart and everything fit on it perfectly...and we had a stroller and a pack-n-play too)

Enjoy yourselves!
P.

If your son is super tall--do not bring the car seat on the plane because he will have very little leg room and will spend the whole flight kicking the chair of the person in front of him (as mine did!) You can get a Baby B'Air flight safety vest or other similar product which will keep him secure. Otherwise, if you do want to bring the car seat, I totally recommend buying a set of GOGO Babyz Wheels which can strap onto the back of most carseats--a total lifesaver!

In terms of entertainment, a mini Magna Doodle is a great travel toy as are lacing toys, Silly Putty and those reusable sticker books. Also, I always bring at least one small brand new toy for every long trip--which work's wonders because my son's attention to the new toy lasts longer (and if it's a wrapped present, you have the additional activity of playing with the wrapping paper!) --J.

I just came back from California with my 2 grand children ages 2 & 4. My 2 year old grand daughter is small, but I just put the seat belt on her. It worked fine. I also bought new books and small toys to keep them occupied. But for the first hour or so they were fascinated with the plane, looking out the window, asking about the buttons, playing with the tray table, etc. Neither of them take bottles, but I brought empty sippy bottles and put juice in them. Its important to have kids suck something to keep their ears open. Another thing that helps is to get to the airport early and let him run around, looking out the window and climb on the seats. In other words tire him out before you get on the plane and he might sleep.

We also flew with a 2 yr old to Florida. We didn't bring a car seat for the plane and we were fine. She was a couple of weeks away from her 2nd birthday, so she didn't need a seat. However, when we saw the rental car seat (junk), we wished that we had our own car seat. Our active two year old was squirmy on the plane. We bought a DVD player for the trip and she hardly paid attention. The Tootsie pops we gave her for her ears kept her happy and occupied, but probably didn't help out the squirminess, or her newfound love of pops. A trip to the lovely restroom on the plane gave us a little break with her. She loved looking out the window.

Since then, a little hand held Magna Doodle has kept her attention, as have lacing cards and stickers with a small notebook. We are taking a car trip next week and just picked up a kaleidescope and a little "magic wand" with glitter in it . . but we are traveling overnight and hoping that she sleeps. Good luck. I figure, as long as you aren't in first class, people expect to hear babies fuss a little.

I would bring the carseat myself at that age, One reason being that it's HIS, he'll be more comfortable, more likely to fall asleep, etc.. Another reason...won't you need it for the car once you get to FLA ?

i definitely recommend bringing the carseat, you will all be more comfortable. ask if you can board first, they might let you and may even hook up the seat for you, they did for us, it was great. bring some stuff for him to do, bring new things he hasnt seen before, and bring things you can attach to his straps somehow, its a real pain to have to keep squishing down between the seats to pick up everything he drops. a snack trapper thing is great. have fun.

Stickers, stickers and more stickers...when I flew with my daughter who was just about two at the time, I brought plain sheets of paper and tons of stickers...she sat for about 2 hours using every sticker I had!! I was covered in stickers by the time the flight ended, but she was happy and occupied the whole time!

Hi C.,

If he's in his carseat on the plane, it will reinforce that he always needs to be in a carseat. If he rides on the plane seat, like a "big person", he may get notions in his head that he can do this at home, in the car. Yes ... it is cumbersome ... but I think it would be better, in the long run, to stick with routine.

I hope you enjoy your trip!

I would definetly bring the carseat. That is a place that he will stay put, whereas he can always slide out of the seat belt of the normal seat and you don't want to struggle to keep him in his seat during the whole flight, yet alone thru take-off and landing. Leaps and Bounds even has a wheeler to mount the car seat on so that you can put your little one in the carseat and then pull him through the airport. That way you don't have to worry about where he will run to and don't have to carry the carseat. This has worked great for my son and this age. Bring the dvd player or laptop, that is another great suggestion by the other moms. Have him drink for take off and landing so that his ears pop. This way you should have one happy toddler.