Flying with 13 Mo

It depends on how old your little toddler is. Here are a few things I have heard of and tried:

make a necklace out of cheerios and wear it around your neck for a fun treat to eat and play with

get lots of books from the library that you have not read yet and bring them out after take off

new toys that you have saved

my daughter loved the memory game at the age of 2 1/2 and we just divided up the cards so that she could find the matches and put them in the appropriate little slots

lots of walks up and down the isle

Hi L.,
Our 23 month old son has done this 6 times already. We always try to schedule a flight where at least part of the flight time is when he is napping. This is important because the longer the flight the higher chance of them getting bored and acting up. Or I would delay his nap time so he would get tired on the plane and nap. Make sure you also bring enough toys on board to keep them busy. Also, I don't know what airline you are flying on or what time, but we just flew on AA last week and the flight attendant told me that they no longer carry milk on the afternoon and evening flights. We were lucky to get it, since they had leftovers from the morning flights.

I know you are aly flying during the busy Thanksgiving season. But if your flight is not too full when you check in, ask to see if they can rearrange your seats so that your child can get their own seat. Just make sure you also bring the car seat on board. We have been lucky a few times and was able to get our son a seat without paying for it.

Hope the info helps and enjoy not having to pay for that extra ticket, while it lasts!

Make sure you have something she can chew on or suck on during landing. Pacifiers, bottles, lollipops; I frequently had a baggie of cut up grapes in the diaper bag for my boys. Bring some new small toys that she hasn't seen before. The airline magazines are good entertainment, as well as peanut containers, plastic cups, water bottles - you can always put something in one (a coin for example) because it makes noise when you shake it.

Bring some small snacks (Cheerios, fruit snacks), a sippy cup, and something she'll drink. I frequently had some juice and a bottle of water to water it down.

Something you can use to put under her to change a diaper is good in case you can't go to the bathroom to do it, as well as those disposable diaper baggies (Wal-Mart, Babies R Us, etc.). My backpack diaper bag has a fold-out plastic changing pad with places for diapers, wipes, etc.

If it's during nap time then you could give her a dose of Benedryl prior to help her relax and sleep, as long as it doesn't make her hyper.

If you have to get up the faucets in the bathrooms are fun to play in!

Good luck and remember that you'll probably never see any of the people you travel with again.

Judy

I have a 17 month old and we have flown quite often with him. I am always armed with one sippy cup of ice water and one sippy cup of milk. Make sure to buy/bring O.J.or something like that to put in your diaper bag. Most babies will sleep on the plane and do not be afraid to ask the flight attendant for anything you need. They are usually very helpful to families traveling with children. If you haven't made a reservation yet (if you have you can still call and request) ask for seats in the bulkhead row. This is not an exit row, but gives more room to spread out. Take advantage of the opportunity to get on the plane before anyone else. They will announce that when you are at the gate. Bring an umbrella stroller vs. your big one. Most of all, Good Luck! If your child cries or is not "good" on the plane, don't worry. Anyone who gives you a dirty look or complains deserves (in my opinion) to be kicked. It is hard being a mother and very hard to travel with a child.

Traveling in an airplane is not fun, but if you invest or borrow a friend's portable DVD player... your baby may sit still and watch Barney like mine. Good luck. Oh yeah, take lots of snacks, toys, and books if you don't find a DVD player.

Hi L. we fly across country 5 or more times a year from Dallas to Philly or washington. My first advice is to buy a seat. We used to travel weekly from TN to atlanta for medical treatment for our son and it only took one trip of turbulence to realize buying a seat is well worth every penny. In addition DFW TO NY is a long flight and your baby will sleep much better and longer snuggled into a car seat than on your lap. I have quite a few tricks of the trade I can offer from a car seat that turns into a stroller with the flick of a wrist no separate pieces etc to when to board the plane and what and how to medicate as well as snacks that work ear popping advice etc. Just fyi I now travel by myself with 2 toddlers across country since my kids are only 15 months apart and we have been travelling regularly since my first son was only 4 months old.

You might want to check out http://www.parents.com/articles/family_time/4117.jsp
or
http://www.parenting.com/parenting/article/0,19840,###-##...

I did alot of traveling with my son when he was around that age. Make sure you have a bottle ready for her to drink during take off and landing. That will really help w/the ear popping situation. Also, if she uses a binky that is also helpful. Take a change of clothes for her. If she is into any videos/DVD's bring those too.
If I can think of anything else, I'll respond again.

HTH,
W.

We flew from Dallas to NY when my daughter was 16 months old. We purchased a seat for her at a discounted rate. We brought along the car seat and buckled it in. She did great as we booked a late flight so a she would sleep. I'm not sure I would recommend holding a toddler in your lap for that length of time. My advice: put her in a car seat and book a late flight to ensure that she will quietly sleep. If it is a late flight, will she sleep in your arms the whole way? Bring small toys, books, snacks and be prepared to quietly entertain her with songs and fingerplays. Good luck!

We traveled with twins around that age. I hope this helps - it's difficult at that age b/c they are just starting to move but not enough to be self sufficient.

The best thing to remember is to BE PREPARED. Have twice as many diapers, snacks, and beverages as you think you might possibly need. Bring a few books - some old favorites and some brand new books your baby has not seen yet. A portable DVD player with your kiddo's favorite character can also be helpful. The Baby Einstein flashcards (numbers, shapes, animals, languages) worked wonders on our trips.

Try to maintain a typical feeding and sleep schedule as much as possible. If your child cannot calm down, don't worry about what others think - just focus on your child.

Good luck!!

Baby zone just sent out an artical today on flying with children. Hope it helps. See link Below.

http://www.babyzone.com/features/content/display.asp?cont...

We traveled to NY this past July with our 12 mo. old. All we had to do was have a bottle on hand and ready. He did great! Of coarse, I had everything I could think of that would help - small toys, books etc! He loved looking out the window...and some light babbling - but mostly slept. Good Luck!

Our toddler flew very successfully with brand new "busy" toys and something to drink on the way up and down in altitude. We also had a bag of toddler friendly snacks to keep him occupied. Take a change of clothes and extra diapers and wipes because the altitude caused a diaper explosion so be prepared for that. In the airplane bathroom I used a throwaway changing pad so he wouldn't touch the icky bathroom surfaces! Good luck. And don't worry too much. You will never see the other passengers again. If they aren't understanding that is their problem! :)

Hi,
We have travelled with our two toddlers- now 35 months and 21 months several times. We have found flying with our daughter to be much easier than with our son! I recommend Color Wonder markers and/or crayons. My kids also love board books with flaps to open, so I went to the $1 store and bought a bunch of little books that I didn't give them until we were on the plane. I also packed little snack bags of different things like Cheerios and crackers. I found that a "Mommy bag" filled with several different options for activities and food is very helpful.
Good Luck!
J.