4 Hour Plane Ride with a VERY Active Toddler! Help!!!

I have flown so many times with two toddlers and just myself. One thing I have started to do is go to Target or the bookstore and buy new inexpensive books, and I spy's that way the kids haven't seen them at home. Another thing I have started to do is crafts. I get them at any craft store, and that are age appropriate. Felt or foam crafts are great.

I just did a trip cross country with my 2 year old by myself- here's how I (barely) survived:

LOTS of snacks!!!! We probably spent most of the time just eating. Also lots of books- paperback, not board books- too heavy. I bought some little toys that were just for the trip so that they would be more exciting- a Magnadoodle, a magnetic zoo scene where she could take the animals on and off, little animal figurines of her favorite animals, new crayons and a new notebook to draw in, and a new pack of hundreds of stickers which she spent a lot of time sticking all over me and all over the seats.

She is a little older than 20 months, but maybe some of those things will work for you. We also spent a lot of time walking up and down the aisle. Glad you'll have your husband there to help- that should make it better!

good luck!

One of our son's flew with his family to the Ukraine and the toddler was 15months going over and 17-18 months returning home. They got a portable DVD player because he loved veggie tales DVD's and that worked well for them. Our other son did the same this spring with his 3year old and it was only a 2-3 hr flight to Calif and he watched Bob the Builder. You'll have to check on the battery life which I think is just 2 hours before needing recharging. You may need an extra battery pack. Hope this helps...C. P

The obvious, of course, is a lot of little toys. My favorite for long trips are those little charachters (Disney, Sesame Street, etc, that stick on windows (paper doll type but thin plastic!) I took my daughter to Australia at 16 months (33 hour trip) and she played with those on the plane window for hours!

We have a very active 17 month old little boy and just got back from Mexico, which wasn't the funnest thing to fly with a child this age but we travel a lot.. He's probably been on at least a dozen rt flights and one to Hawaii.. What we've found that seems to work best and we don't buy a seat for him, yet!! Trying to streatch that free ticket as long as we can but if you can afford it or have the miles, I would suggest it at that age. What works best for us so far is a portable DVD player with educational fun videos.. seseame street, etc... but get one with good audio and buy some really good earphones or you won't be able to hear it over the jet noise in the air. If you fly Frontier, they have little tv's in back of the seats which is great too! Bring lots of snacks and favorite toys.. GOOD LUCK!! We fly to Cancun in November and he'll be 23 months, not really looking forward to that flight!

A word of encouragement! My granddaughter was around that age when we had to drive to Roseburg twice in 3 weeks. It's a 3 hour trip. She was in her car seat 4 times for 3 hours.My granddaughter was a very active toddler, also. We were concerned but she stayed in her seat the whole way. We'd planned to stop along the way but didn't need to. We took a few toys and a couple of toddler CDs. She slept part of the time.

I'd recommend taking her car seat although that means buying her a ticket. She's used to the seat and being confined in a car. This won't be much different; just longer. Take snacks and something to drink. Airplane air is drying.

Have a great trip!

Hi, I have traveled with my son every couple years (4 now). We try to book our flight during his nap or bed time. The Airline tried booking flights with other families traveling the same time. I did not feel bad with all the other kid noise.
Someone suggested taking carseat, they would not let use his. They checked it on when we got on the plane. I found a child harnes with a strap (looks like a monkey with a very long tail. This let him walk on his own and I did not need to chase after him and was able to use my hands for other things like a bag with toys and other things for him to do.
Have a good trip

Hi S.! I have two kids, three and one. We have gone on a few plane rides this year and we've found that sticker books work wonders! We let our two play with the stickers and stick them everywhere. It only takes a second to clean them up when the plane is landing and they have a great time! Good luck! T.

snacks and toys/activities that are brand spankin new to her.
It worked with my 2 yr. old when we traveled by air or car.

I let my 2 year old daughter pick out a new backpack a few days before the flight. Then I went to the Dollar Store and found several small toys to fill the backpack. The trick was not letting her see the toys before the flight! Once we were on the plane, I would wait for fussy moments and then pull out her backpack. I would have her close her eyes and let her put her hand inside to pull out a new toy. That one small toy would keep her occupied for quite awhile. I wouldn't pull out her back pack until another "emergency" would arise!
Also, the DVD player and lots of her favorite snacks would keep her happy. I used those organic lollipops from Trader Joe's--they can keep a child happy for quite awhile,too!
Good Luck and enjoy your trip!

My husband and I take our 3 year old to NY every Thanksgiving. If it's possible try to fly the red eye. My daughter sleeps for most of the flight. The flight attendents are really nice about letting you walk up and down the aisle if you need to. We also pack her a little backpack with small toys, books and her favorite snacks. Good luck!