Air Travel with 12 Month Old

Crayons and a some coloring books, snacks, go through the sky miles magazine and look for the doggies, kitties, mommies, daddies and so forth. Maybe take a laptop and play a movie if he likes to watch Elmo. He can even wear headphones. He might think that is fun.

Hi D.,

I have traveled with my daughter a lot! The thing that saves me is a portable DVD player. I hope that works, good luck!

J. M.

A mom asked this same question just yesterday, and I see she got 5 responses, it was "Travelling with a 9 mo old".
Good luck and have a great trip!

Everyone gave great advice. It says you are not buying him his own seat. I know it is very expensive to travel these days, but that was my saving grace, having their own seat. He already knows by now that once strapped in the car seat, you cant get out. When he's on your lap, he will constantly want to run around. Take off and landing take awhile, and that whole the seat belt light is on, he has to be in your lap with the seat belt on. Very difficult for a 1 year old. Plus if you experience any turblance and the seat belt light comes on, then he has to stay on your lap the whole time. It is sooo much safer and easier to have him in his own seat in a carseat. You will be fine if there will be any problems because you will be in a seat belt. A little one on a lap can just fly out of your arms if there is any type of problems with the flight. We managed with twins, lugging two car seats through the airport. Travel size magnadoodle was our saving grace. A sucker is a good thing for the ear issue. It's a treat and no choking hazard. Good luck!

We took my daughter on a 4 hour flight when she was about the same age. When we were getting off, people kept saying "she was so good I didn't even know there was a baby on the plane" I used coloring books with the triangle crayons that don't roll, brought her favorite snacks, a couple of her favorite books and a couple of new books, and finally a portable dvd player. We aleviated the change in cabin pressure by giving her a bottle of plain water during takeoff and she slept through the descent (she even had an ear infection at the time). The main thing is keeping them engaged so they don't have the time to focus on getting upset. I would also suggest the harness for flying with a child on your lap-it's red but I forget what it's called-it helped because it limited her movement, and when she fell asleep it made it easier for me to hold her for the rest of the flight. also asked for the small airline pillows from the attendant and put it on the arm rest to make her more comfy and she took a real good nap. Hope that all helps.

We traveled with ds when he was an active 10.5 month old as a lap baby and I have to tell you it was the most exhausting 2.5 hours. Are you not bringing a carseat at all or are you checking it? I would be very hestitant to check it. Because luggage gets thrown around so much I would be afraid it would break. I have heard stories of this happening. Also, it could get dropped really hard and sustain damage that can't be seen. Then you have the expense of buying a replacement seat. If you plan on renting a seat with the a rental car, be cautious here too. You don't know if they will have the correct seat in stock when you get there. Pieces have been known to be missing, the seats are expired, they have been incorrectly cared for (like washed with a harsh chemical). This is a device that is designed to save your child's life and you have to be willing to trust everyone before you who has used it to have used/treated it correctly. If money is really an issue as far as getting baby a seat, I would at least bring the seat with me. A lot of times the flight attendant will let you bring it on if there is an empty seat. We did this when we flew. We were able to use the seat one way and it was so nice to put him in there to keep him contained. We decided after that experience we would no longer fly with a lap baby though. I was reading online something that has really stuck with me. They require that the coffee pot be belted in but not the most vulnerable of children. Made me think. Anyway, bringing along some new books and toys helped distract him, nursing during take-off and snacks too. Good luck and enjoy your trip.

Hi D.,

My experience flying with my son went much better than I thought it would go - and it was closer to a 6-hour flight. The biggest thing was that we essentially skipped his daily nap because being in the airport and around people was so different and interesting. We had some of his favorite toys, but as soon as he was bored with all the new stuff around him, he just fell asleep and slept for about 3 hours.

I think the most important thing is not to be self-conscious. You have a young child and you are traveling, there's nothing wrong with that. Don't spend a moment wondering/worrying what anyone else may be thinking, just do what you need to. I would recommend water in a sippy cup/bottle (whatever he likes) and some food, so that he can use the chewing/swallowing motion to pop his ears. My son preferred the water.

My portable DVD player helped me soo much on an international flight & 2 1/2 hours wont even need the use of a second battery. I would also suggest a variety of snacks & turn them into a game on that little table, about 1/2 way thru walk him down the aisles slowly--that will take up a 2 1/2 hour flight & I use smarties (Iknow not real happy that they are candy) during take-off & landing, they are so small & they make the baby/toddler swallow during that time--give them slowly--some people suggest milk too, but the smarties really make the kids salivate & swallow, no issues landing or taking off 4 times for me using this trick. Good Luck & bring his favoite movies for the DVD, oh & it will allow you to eat in peace at restaurants too--dont forget the charger.

If he is nursing, make sure to nurse on take off and landing to help with ear pressure.

You can rent of buy movies on Itunes for your Ipod-- try one of those.

Bring a new toy, and don't give it to him until on the plane.

Bring snacks he likes but doesn't usually get.

And if all else fails (this is horrible), use some benadryl and he will sleep through!

I know someone suggested using Benadryl, but be aware: Even though Benadryl can make some children sleepy, it has the exact opposite reaction on other children (it makes them wide-awake and hyper!) Aside from the obvious risks of dosing a child with medication he doesn't need, be very careful about using Benadryl if you don't know which way your child will react.

This might be weird, but we travel a lot so I bought a cheap iPod Shuffle and loaded it with kids songs from CDs we've got at home. If my son starts to fuss, out comes the iPod and he's happy for at least another half an hour! (This is AFTER we've gone thru all the books and crayons and normal kid stuff...)

My husband chased our little girl around the airport before the flight, so she was tired enough to take a nap on the plane. We also timed our flight so that it was close to her nap time. And then we ensured a nap would happen by giving her a little Benadryl, which not only helped her sleep- but Benadryl also acts as an anti-nausea agent. Our doc said it was fine to do this... Good luck!

I would just suggest bringing some favorite books and magazines, quiet toys, maybe crayons/paper, stickers. Any quiet activity will do. Also don't forget snacks! Eating always keeps my dd occupied. But my BEST advice is nurse, nurse, nurse! That keeps their ears from popping too much and keeps them nice and quiet and calm and sometimes lulls them to sleep. We flew when my dd was about 11.5 months. She did great. We got tons of compliments.
Good luck and have fun :)

Will he watch a movie? My daughter loved movies at that age, my son had no interest at the same age. We've had success with etch a sketch. Mostly it's us parents drawing but my kids love erasing. I've also bought misc. lighted or small moving toys (like wind-ups) in the travel toy areas at toy stores. For me a dozen was not too many! Personally Benadryl was a disaster for me. My daughter doesn't really get hyper on it but since she was never able to sleep anywhere but her bed (my son too for that matter) she spent the whole flight (3 1/2 hours to grandma's every two months) fighting the drug and was a basket case. Now my son at 12 months was easier even though he is usually a crazy man because he is entertained by my daughter. We fly a lot and every time is different.

The great advice I got from friends - that really worked - were these...
- make necklaces using mint dental floss, cheerios and, every so often, a fruit loop. My kid loves cheerios, loved to wear the necklace and was thrilled when she got a fruit loop, which she'd never had before

- stickers stickers stickers. Buy cheap ones and stick them on your kiddo. Mine spent lots of time taking them on and off, putting them on me, the seats, etc. It's fun to play together too - stickers on the nose, toes, etc. I actually keep them in the diaper bag all the time now and even whip them out, when needed, at the grocery store!

- a NEW toy. In my experience, noise is so muffled on the plane that something that makes a little noise isn't an issue.

Good luck!!

Allow plenty of time to get to the airport. Don't be rushed. Babies can sense your tension. Make sure he is sucking on a bottle or breast-feeding, it will help his ears on take off. Pacifiers will help too. Benadryal is not a bad idea - check with your dr. I give my (older) kids a small red sudafed before they take off - just to help with ear pressure, especially if they have something sinus going on. Check on-line for guidelines for bringing liquid baby food on board. They've made changes that are not as stringent as in the past. I'm guessing that you will bring a car seat for him and he will be in it for the ascent and descent. Flying with young kids really becomes a hit or miss - my kids are avid travelers and still, they forget that they are tapping the seat in front of them or just busy being kids. My son was 5 months old when he first flew. You'll keep him busy the way you keep him busy at home. As my pediatrician said to me many years ago...., "your baby will be fine on the flight, it's the other passengers that may be challenged by them". Try not to bring lots of toys that ring, ding, bark, moo oink or make loud or obnoxious noises. If you must bring one...use it closer to the end of the flight. Make sure you have a good "changing pad" in the event you have to change a diaper on-board. When my kids were babies, it was pretty easy to travel with them, despite all the extra luggage. Only a few challenging flights I remember, especially the one when my son was 2 years old, active and verbal. He cried and beat on the window all the way from California, sobbing...."My car...all GONE!. Daddee...why my car all gone???!" Yes, we returned the rental car. Despite all of our attempts to console him, nothing worked - he's 10 now and still has a passion for cars! God bless the Grandmother and the ONLY person on the plane who found HUMOR in his relentless sobbing! Making friends on a plane are a great thing! And, there is comfort in knowing that you may never see these people again! Have a great flight.

My DD was 18mos the first time I traveled with her. We had her in her own seat with her car seat which was a comfort to her. My pediatrician actually recomended benadryl for the trip.

ring pop suckers and endless shacks...

Let him run around at the gate & burn off some energy. Try to hold a lighter nap before the flight.
The movie is the best idea...or even just relaxing music in headphones that he loves at naptime.
Enjoy flying! It's fabulous most of the time.

When you get the gate ask the attendant if there are any open rows. My experience has been great with getting an open seat for my son. It really helps having the extra space even if they sit on your lap the whole time.

Bring lots of books.

We just got back from a 6 hour flight and the dvd did the trick as well as snacks, books stickers. Good luck!

The hum of the airplane always puts my kids to sleep. We travel an 8 hr. flight to England often. So we always try to time it that it's nap time when we take off or soon after. Also, continuous healthy snacks (not sugary...that will make it worse) always do the trick. Make sure you have a sippy cup very close in case you son's ears pop. The flight attendant will give you water before take off. I always picked up a couple of inexpensive toys and saved them for the airplane so they have something new to keep them occupied. Books are great too. For me, it's always easier than what my mind builds it up to be. It's also good to take a short walk around the plane but you can't walk around as much as you use to be able to. Also, when you check in...ask if the flight is full, cause they may block out a seat if it isn't and allow you to take your car seat on which works wonders. But that won't work if you're not planning on traveling with you car seat. Hope that helps.