Entertainment Ideas for 20 Month Old on Airplane Flight

When my children were young I took a 24hr bus trip to Mesa Az to see my mom(I was afraid to fly)my daughter was 3 and my son was 5. I called my doctor and she recommeded Benadryl
or a childrens travel sickness medicine. She said it would keep them calm and sleeping most of the time, this would keep them safer because they would not be moving around or trying to get out of thier seats (which would keep me calmer also) she also recommeded bottle water and snacks they were used to so that thier stomachs wouldn't get upset. You should check with your doctor to see what they recommend.

If you have a laptop computer and there are a few movies your son really enjoys watching then I would suggest taking that along. Baby Einstein saved us when we took our one year old to visit the in-laws in Montana. :)

If your layover is in Atlanta it won't be too bad because they have play areas in various parts of the airport. I just flew with my daughter (15mos) in may. I packed snacks and the flight attendants were great about giving her stuff. She actually really enjoyed playing a couple of plastic cups for at least 15min, but she's younger... I would suggest crayons and paper; and small handfull of lego like blocks or the rings that interconnect (something that won't get totally lost from each other); a soft toy/blanket for snuggling if he gets tired; and Benadryl/(dramamine if he gets easy nausea) for if he just goes completely nuts or freaks out; both will make hima little drowsy and help him to nap. As much as we hate giving our kids stuff, if he gets scared it's really the most humane thing to just ease him and let him rest, don't torture him by letting him be scared and sreaming the whole trip.

I've traveled with my son on planes since he was 9 weeks old. When he was about 18 months, one of the best investments we made was in a little portable DVD player. I play a couple of his favorite movies like Baby Einstein DVDs or Elmo. I also usually brought snacks and a favorite book or two. Something new that he's never played with before also helps.

I usually lucked out with great fellow passengers and good flight attendants who were willing to help me if necessary. As my son has gotten older it has become much harder to get him to sit still for very long. During the wait to get on the plane, I usually will walk him around the terminal or find a somewhat empty area where he can run off some steam. If I'm lucky, he'll fall asleep while in the air (but usually he falls asleep as we are landing. Go figure!) Good luck -- your son will probably surprise you! Happy Travels!
C.

Hi P.,
There was a previous request not too long ago from another mom who is going to be flying with her 15 month old. Her name is Angela D and she left the request on Oct. 2 titled Traveling to California with a 15 old. It had some pretty good suggestions along with a response from myself. It might be helpful to look it up.
Good luck on your travels and I hope you enjoy your trip.
M.

Try some headphones with a CD or MP3 player and load it with good kids music for him to listen to. Then, run him ragged during your layover. Maybe that will result in some rest for the second half of the flight.

I recommend snacks and a sippie cup full of water for ear popping and well being. Also toys and books and preferably not toys that will annoy everyone on the plane (especially if you have to sit by a stranger who dosen't have kids=).I would suggest trying the Benadryl a couple of days before your flight. My peditrician recommended this to me before we flew with my daughter to Denver at 19 months old. She said sometimes Benadryl has the opposite affect on kids and could make them excited, not tired. Hope this helps.

When my son was that young and we travelled, we put away a couple of his favorites toys well before the trip and then packed them to take along. That way, he had something that he was familiar with (and we knew he liked) and he wasn't bored with it. We also took along very interactive books that we could read to him. My word of caution about crayons: be careful taking to many because if you drop them, they have a tendency to roll....chasing crayons down the aisle of the plane was a nightmare, even though everyone was understanding. Finally, take some fun snacks, plan for at least twice as many as you need, you can also "play" with them.

Hi P.,

You already have some great advice, just wanted to add some ideas that I used with my girls when they were about htat age, we travel every year to Argentina (day and night flight) so flying to Denver.....easy as cake!:)
Things that helped me a lot: chewable fruit snacks so your baby can chew while landing and whenever you feel your ears tight or plug. I am not shure if it is because they are chewing or because they like the "candy" but it helps!
Other thing, baloons! Many size and colors, water baloons the little ones, you can put some anywhere! They are little and don't take any space and you can inflate them any time you need them (make sure you take enough in case they pop:)
Lollipops, they are great for emergencies!
A new toy, one that is not big but that will keep your child entertained just because he has never seen it before (you know how it is).
You can also get favors for birthdays, they are very inexpensive and small enough, like, balls with lights, light sticks if you travel at night, musical instruments (the tiny plastic ones for parties ar not noisy) A couple of your favorite books to read to him over and over....
Something to doodle on? Once I got a pencil that has for colors in the lead and my little one spent a long time trying to figure it out.
My kids always enjoyed the trips, and even slept wondeful at night. Don't forget the stroller for any waiting at the airport, he might even take a nap while waiting.
And most important of all, relax! He can sense if you are nervous and that won't help.
Have a great trip and enjoy your stay with family.
Mariana Abadie
www.MyKidsFirst.com

My 1 and a half yr old loves to color.You could get the color magic paper so he doesn't stain himself or one of those boards that are magnetic and the pens attached to it:)Books are always good:)Maybe flash cards with pictures and letters.Don't forget snacks:)Things like that keep my girls happy at long doctor appointments.Pretty basic stuff but maybe it will help:)Good luck and have a safe fun trip:)

why not get some chunky crayons and paper, or does he like to eat crayons--I know my kids loved to color at that age--- or they have those little kid proof puzzles, or maybe take him to the store and let him pick out some things to play with on the plane. I'd say during the layover position your selves where he can either watch the planes or run around with out disturbing people too much, I'm sure he'll have some wiggles to get out. Make sure you carry on is security item if he has one that will make all the difference in the world. Good Luck!

Few suggestions that helped with my daughter. She is 27 months now but has been on a plane..round trips..4 times. She loved her travel doodle, books to read, lots of snacks, or a movie if you can travel with a lab top and for the lay over my husband and I took turns chasing her (airport was pretty empty) while we waited to board our plane (they need to move on lay overs it really helps to wear them down before asking them to sit still). I am not a big supporter of having my daughter watch tv but it really helped us out to let her watch a movie on the lab top.
Travel safe and good luck!

I just flew about a month ago with my 18 month old, I took her favorite books, a coloring book and what ever else I could stuff into a carry-on. AND make sure to have a big sippy or two to have him continuously swallowing as it is difficult for their ears to pop. I also put her in the seat next to the window, so she could look out and point at the clouds. The plane ride was not so bad, it was the lay over where she got bored and fussy. Good luck and have fun!