Flying with a Toddler - Greene,RI

I flew with my son a few times when he was between one year old and 18 months. Two of my best tricks were to (1) bring a roll of scotch tape (endless entertainment) and (2) bring a wide-mouth water bottle stuffed with little toys (little car, lexan spoon, rattle, ball of string, etc). And, a good back up is an ipod with a cartoon or family photos on it. If you want him/her to hear the movie it helps to have external earphones (not earbuds). Good luck!

Hi T.,
What worked with my son when he was little was to get him a little container (backpack, lunchbag) with treats, foods and drinks that he likes. Looking at them and eating them kept him entertained for quite a while and also alleviated any ear pain he might have felt with takeoff/change of altitude. I really just let him indulge to his heart's content. Afterward when his belly was full he'd sleep! (We'd flown enough for him to have "learned" that after you eat, you go to sleep.)

The new toys and books that people are recommending is also great. I'd let him pick a toy out and not let him use it till on the plane so it's completely new. Usually entertained him for a while.

Good luck!

Hi T.,
As a flight attendant my advice is to bring toys, books, dvds, and whatever your kid loves the most. Also be prepared for a longer flight than is scheduled (weather looks rainy here but good in New Orleans). Bring EXTRA and special snacks not just the normal amount. Buy a juice or milk in the airport in case you have turbulence during the beginning of your flight and the crew cannot get out of their seats to assist your little one when they are hungry/thirsty. An extra set of clothes just in case they get sick (this happens regularly)helps too.

As for the car seat, I am a big proponent of car seats on planes for all infant/toddlers and always bring my big honking one for my 15 mos. old when we fly. It creates continuity and whenever the seat belt sign is on he is buckled just like everyone else. A lot of people don't think you should bring one...I guess it's a matter of choice.

Definitely call your Dr. about the cold. If it's in his head he could be absolutely miserable. I almost never work with a head cold.

I never care if parents let their toddlers run up and down the aisles as long as the service is over and the seat belt sign isn't on. Most passengers don't seem to mind it either esp. since it usually involves a happy child not a screaming, crying one. Good luck and have a terrific trip.

H.

A word of caution of about using Benadryl, as previously suggested! It makes some kids drowsy, but some get really, really amped up. I've had to give my two year old Benadryl several times for hives and she gets WIRED - bouncing off the walls wired and cannot settle down and finds it very upsetting. She completely exhausts herself and cannot go to sleep either whenever she's had it. It's one of those things though that you just don't know until you try it, but a plane ride is not the first time you want to find out your child has that reaction to Benadryl!

I flew out of the country with my toddler a few months ago and she was wonderful both legs of the trip. We brought a backpack of snacks and toys that were new to her, as others have suggested, and we took her carseat and she had her own seat, which was wonderful. She was buckled in for the long haul and knew she wasn't getting out which made the trip easier. I also have this thing that attaches to her carseat that makes it roll just like a stroller or luggage that makes our whole trip easier. Call some local stores that specialize in kids items to see if they have this: http://www.gogobabyz.com/products-c26-gogo_Kidz_Travelmat.... I couldn't fly without that. It eliminates the need for a stroller, keeps the kid safe & one place during your trip through the airport and leaves a hand free to still roll your other luggage too.

Have a nice trip!

hey there!
we just went through the same thing, flying with a 16 month old who was fighting a cold...i was a bit stressed about the idea as she is an active little girl so i thought it would be tough, but honestly its not that bad at all. we brought a bag full of new (or favorite books), pictures of people that she knows and loves, stickers, sippy cup, snacks and little toys. I overpacked but was well prepared. we shifted her nap time to the flight time and as long as she had a something to suck on (breast, bottle, nuk) while taking off and descending we were fine. we were travling all day long, but with lots of patience and cuddles we made it, and look forward (with confidence) to traveling in the future. There are several homeopathic remedies (such as bach rescue remedies, teething drops etc) that help to calm their nervous system and mellow them out. Also essential oils such as lavender and chamomile are great for that as well.
good luck with the trip, safe journies and have soo much fun!
peace

I recently flew with my 20 month year old, and I found the following things helpful:

1. getting a seat in the first row (we were on Southwest- so no first class). This was great- she had room to stand up and move around in front of me.
2. bringing lots of books to read- especially those thin, cheap page books- much lighter to carry than the board books.
3. Plenty of snacks and something to sip and chew on. If your child has any congestion, it could make the air pressure changes tough, but something to teethe and chew or sip will help.
Good luck, it is hard to be entertaining for a long flight, especially when we are used to just being able to sit back and read on flights.

T.-
I have flown a number of times with my kids, now 5 and almost 3. One thing I suggest is if he has his own seat, bring his car seat. This usually helps because they know they can't get out of their car seat. Bring lots of snacks (and some that you use for "bribes", cookies, special snacks he never gets to have), bring toys. Maybe you can head to the dollar store and get a bunch of new toys so that they are new and eciting for him and not old ones he's played with a million times before.

As for the cold, you aren't supposed to give kids under 6 anything besides Tylenol, Motrin or Benedryl. So Tylenol Cold is out. I would call your pediatrician and see if it is okay to give him Benedryl or if Motrin will work. If he can't have Benedryl maybe bring a few lollipops he can suck on during takeoff and landing, or if he still uses a bottle that will work too.

Also, if you have a portable DVD player or an itouch iPod and download his favorite movies on there.

Good luck!

A.

Good luck!

I got my toddler a little backback. When we fly, or even go on long drives, I go to Target or the dollar store beforehand and buy 10 dollars work of stuff for her to play with. I also pack a couple of her favorite books and toys. I take things out one at a time for her to play with. One must: Play-doh. My daughter had never played with it before, and I took some on our last flight. She played with it quietly for an hour!

I also try to schedule the flights so that it's over her naptime so that she will sleep through part of it.

And don't forget snacks!

Hi. I have flown a few times with my 2 children by myself.. The best things to do are: do not get on the plane first. wait till the last second...the longer you are sitting there the harder it is...bring a toy to open on the plane, something new to play with...ask for an aisle seat so you can get up and walk to the bathrooms a few times...even if there is a line, walk back and forth, also, bring some snacks for the kids...a dvd player is always great, if you bring crayons, only bring 2-3 they fall and it is hard to pick up...watch that your child does not bother the people in front or beside you...Have a great flight..

Hi T.,

I flew with my daughter last fall when she was 18mos old. To say I was worried about it was an understatement! I bought a colorful insulated lunchbox with her favorite Ses.St. characters on it and packed it with little snacks and sippy cup; all things she would normally have during the day. She also had a child size backpack that I used to hold a favorite small doll, Fun Pad, crayons and a couple of other small toys and little board books. She also had her blankie that she always carries around. We had a connecting flight and were in the air nearly 8hrs total with a 2-3hr layover so it was a very long day for us. I gate checked her stroller so that I could have it during the layover.
During the first leg of our flight which was several hours, she did get fussy at first because it was all new and strange to her; lots of people, new surroundings, cramped space, but after playing with the window shade for awhile, singing songs, playing peek-a-book with the kids sitting behind us, she fell asleep for a couple of hours (thank goodness!) When she woke up, she did get antsy and wanted so much to be moving around. I let her stand/sit by my feet and play with her toys in the backpack; she was safe and within hands reach. During the layover, we had lunch, I let her run around a bit and then in the second flight which was only an hour, she slept. Coming home was pretty much the same deal. However, I was really fortunate that each of the four flights we took that trip, we were seated with very kind, understanding passengers. One was a newlywed young man who thought she was sweet, one a working mom who missed her own toddlers, and an older gentleman who was looking forward to being a first time grandpa soon. He asked told hold her when I couldn't get her to fall asleep; within seconds she was out and slept for a couple of hours. He told me I nodded off too and thanked me for letting him hold her because his own daughters were all grown up and he was so looking forward to holding a grandchild before long. :-)
I think if you do your best to think ahead to keep food, toys etc as familiar as possible and allow your son time to burn off some energy if there's a layover, you'll be fine. People often talk about the complaints of flying with toddlers, but the truth of the matter is that the majority of flyers will at some point be flying with one themselves so a little understanding and patience goes a long way.
As for being sick with a cold, I dealt with that too and you just kind of have to roll with it. One thing to try if you haven't before is Humphreys tablets. You can find them in the baby needs aisle of Walgreens and probably other stores. They are homeopathic teething tablets, but also work well to calm fussiness because they have chamomile. I still use these on occasion for my 6 & 4yr olds. I brought them with me on my trip and they did help my daughter the one time I gave them to her.
Good luck and have a wonderful trip! I hope your son feels well soon too :-)

P.

My pediatrician recommended Tylenol cold for flying with a baby that is congested to help with ear pain. Or plain infants tylenol should also help with the cold symptoms and cabin pressure changes. As for running around, we used to travel to Europe a lot and our son would get a few sessions of aisle running to get his energy out. It's a lot less disruptive than a cranky child! And most of our fellow passengers got a kick out of seeing him go flying by. Good luck and enjoy your trip!

does he have his own seat? if so, bring his carseat b/c he will be used to sitting in that. i just flew with my two year old who is always on the go. i used his carseat, and i brought milk, snacks, crayons, paper, a couple fav books... and i bought a portable dvd player. he slept most of the first leg to fla... and the second one he was happy to read his books... except during takeoff and landing, when he gave the whole plane a play by play of what was happening.

I've flown a fair amount with my kids (now 16 months and 3), and the thing that seems to keep them the most occupied is interactive books. So, books with flaps or jigsaw puzzles or wipe-on/wipe-off pages.

Bring a few new books (especially tactile ones) and new little toys or other little things he can explore. I brought a baggy with cotton balls and other little doo dads for DD to explore. I've heard other people suggest wrapping them up as unwrapping adds to the interest. Lots and lots of snacks. Stickers can provide endless entertainment at that age, really. At the airport let him run around as much as possible. DD has always been really good flying and slept exactly half the flight no matter how long it was. Just try to stay calm and relaxed because he will pick up on your stress. Also remember that the plane is really loud itself so your child (unless he is really freaking out) is a lot less noisy than you think.

T.,

I went to Seattle with a 16 mo old and found that having some 'special' toys, with us helped. The special toys were ones that he hadn't played with before, or were relatively new ones. It was a long flight, so we definitely did our share of walking the aisles. People on the plane were so nice, and we stopped and said hi to most people each time we took a trip.

Videos are also helpful. If you have a portable DVD player or a laptop computer that has a DVD program you could use either of them. In this case, we brought videos that we knew he really liked.

One piece of advice, if you son is on the larger size, you might find that the car seat allows him to kick the seat in front on him. We did put him in the car seat on the plane, and he kicked the seat in front of him. Luckily there was another seat that the person could move to and that person was agreeable. We haven't used the car seat on the place since.

Good luck with your trip.

We flew from RI to CA last summer with our two kids; my son was 14 months at the time (and 4 year old daughter). We brought his car seat and it seemed to keep him quite calm. We hadn't used one on a plane with our daughter when she was younger, and I was skeptical about how it would work out, but he seemed fairly content throughout. He definitely had a few squirmy moments, but overall I was pleased, and will bring it again when we fly the same route again this summer. People had said that because kids are used to sitting in them in the car, they accept it on the plane. That was my experience.

As for the cold, bring along things he can suck on to help clear his ears (same for your daughter). Sippy cups of water and/or a pacifier if he uses one. When my daughter used a pacifier, I allowed her to keep it during the whole flight (at home it was only for sleeping, so it was a treat). We did have one flight with her when she was sick and it was hard. I wonder if there are any natural decongestants that he could take? I never looked into that.

The other part of staying content is to bring lots of toys and snacks. Just keep rotating through them. Finger plays and songs to entertain are great, too.

I hope it goes well. I would love to hear an "after" report and anything new you learn along the way - we travel regularly.

K.
SAHM to 5 year old daughter and 23 month old son.

T.,

I would make sure you have nasal spray for your son's cold. And lots of tissues. Also I find cheap new toys and books help keep her attention on these instead of other things. I get things at the dollar store or the dollar aisle at Target. I don't spend a lot of money so if it get lost I don't really care. Also snacks that your son likes.
Also I have found a walk up and down the aisle does help.

Good luck,
L. M

1. secure him in his own seat.
2. benadryl
3. video ipod