Flying with Our 2 Year Old

When I fly with my kids the doctor recommended benadryl. I know some people are against it but it does relax them and makes it easier for them to sit and most of the time they fall asleep, especially with their carseat. Otherwise crayons and books or the color wonder books. That is the best I can suggest.
J.

Change her diaper or have her use the bathroom right before you board.

They do let you board before other passengers if you have a small child to have extra time etc. If you do this your child will be sitting and constrained longer. You may want to board last and let her get all her wiggles out.

If your lucky she will sleep most of the flight.

If you put her next the window she may not have such a big urge to get out of her seat or bother other passengers.

Have her chewing or drinking something during take off. Fruit snacks work good if is to young for gum.

We fly frequently with our son and here are my keys to success. We get to the airport early so that we can have a worry-free trip through check-in and security. Then when we get to the gate we encourage him to run around, climb, do anything physical. We do a diaper change right before boarding time. I do prefer to board early because it makes it easier to find space to store stuff where I want it. And I am more likely to be able to get a blanket and pillow from the flight attendant. These things I keep under the seat in front of us: a small mesh bag with one diaper, a changing pad, and wipes; a bag with toys, snacks, and a small blankie or lovie. Everything else gets stowed in the overhead bin. I always bring some new toys and books and even wrap some in colorful paper so it takes him some time to unwrap them (anything to use up another few minutes). If the flying is turbulence free we always take one walk in the middle of the flight and it is nice if there are other kids so we can stop and socialize for a minute.

One more hint. If you have not flown lately I strongly recommend going to the TSA website and reading the list of items that are prohibited or need to kept in limited quantities in your carry-on. Having your quart size baggie of liquids and gels all organized and accessible makes security a breeze...and the TSA agents always thank me :)

Have a fun trip, most kids travel on airplanes with zero difficulties. My son is extremely high energy but we have only had one bad flight out of dozens. I've never even considered Benadryl and we've never even used a DVD player (although if I was flying more than 6 hours with him I would try the DVD).

R. ~

Traveling with Alex - what fun! If she still takes naps, try to get her to sleep at some point during the flight. Here is what we have done:
For my son, all the meds that are supposed to make him tired make him hyper instead, so we didn't give him anything, but we had a sippy cup so he could suck on something to relieve pressure on his ears. That seemed to help. My nephew (who is 3) got a sucker for landing and take off and I don't know if sucking on it helped, or just the novelty of the treat, but hey - whatever works! As far as keeping the kids entertained, pretty much what all the other moms said - each boy got a new toy for the plane ride and then we had books, small (quiet) toys, and other gadgets. Also, ask a flight attendant if Alex can talk to the captain because it is her first plane ride - that was really cool (for mom and dad too!). Have a great time!!!

By the way, it's good to see you on here! Congratulations on graduation - it sounds like you already got a job, nice! : )

~ E.

Hi--

We flew to HI with our 18 month old and we did use benadryl and we also used some numbing drops for her ears. Both worked wonders but some kids don't react well to benadryl so I would try it before hand. Also, we flew when she would sleep, the passengers were great as were the crew. They let her run and have fun in the open seats. I'm sure not all flights will allow this since it may be full but for us it helped. at least the flight is a shorter one! Good luck, have fun and just know at some point that flight will end.

Have a great trip and don't worry about the plane ride! I've traveled with my 19 month old so many times I can't remember. Bring lots of different types of little toys and crayons. Creative Kidstuff has bins by the register with small finger puppets, wind-ups, mirrors, etc. Matchbox cars are also great, but your daughter might like something else. A slide zipper bag with a few of these would be entertaining for a while. We haven't done the DVD thing, but may try it next time. I agree that you should let her run around at the airport and then get on the plane last. Also, try not to sit in the very back of the plane. When she wants to say hi to people, everyone's backs will be to her. Trust me, friendly people on the plane make the trip go by faster. Enjoy your vacation!

We've done a fair amount of traveling with our kids and they always liked books and things to color. Make you also have something for her to suck on while the plane is landing - otherwise, her ears might hurt on the way down.

We have a 4 year old and a 2 year old and have flown to Ohio and to England in the past few months. Pack a carry on bag just for your daughter so you are able to get to her stuff very quickly and easily. Do not carry liquid in her cup before going through security as they will take it off you! Have books to read to her, coloring books, small toys or a new toy you pull out on the plane for the first time. Make sure she is not too hungry or tired before getting on the plane! Have her comfort item available if she has one. Good luck! We found the time in the airports is actually worse than the flights themselves!!

A woman in my ECFE class told us the greatest thing ever to do on a plane. When they took their 2 year old to Florida, she made a bunch of cookies and bought earplugs. When they boarded the plane and everyone was situated, she handed them out to the passengers around her and made friends with them all. That way, it was humorous and more light-hearted when/if her child acted up on the plane. ha!

When we took our VERY busy two year old on the plane, we ran and ran in an open area in the airport before hand. We also bought some flip books with a ton of flaps. We wrapped them up and gave them to him on the plane. Also, flash cards worked. He would go through and sort, stack, name the items. That kept him busy for a while. We got small toys at the dollar store and wrapped them too. My son usually likes watching movies, but he didn't like wearing headphones with the DVD player on the plane.

I flew with my 3-year-old to China last year. Snacks are key. Little surprises--coloring books, little stuffed animals, etc.-- are good, too. We also took walks every once and a while. Mixing it up worked well for us.

Hi R.. Watch out for the Benadryl - it had the opposite effect on our three year old. She was hyper, hyper, hyper! Take stickers and markers and lots of books to read. Good advice on boarding last. Our daughter had no problem with taking off, but the landing - de-pressurization for over an hour - cause terrible ear pain. She screamed and screamed. We bought kids size ear plugs - specially made for airplane landings - and that has made a huge difference. Good Luck.

The portable DVD player is a great idea and was a life saver for my husband and I when we traveled with our two young boys. I also would maybe have some books on hand and crayons and paper. We bought a great picture book by Richard Scarry that shows the different areas of the airport and different job duties of airline workers. That was a lot of fun to read while we waited in the gates because the boys were able to point out what they saw in the book. Also, make sure that you have something for your daughter to drink when the plane takes off and lands; juice boxes work great. This will help relieve the pressure on her ears. Hope that helps and you have a great time on vacation!

Hi R.!

First of all, good for you for taking some time and getting away. I've traveled a few times with my near 3 year old daughter. Some have included long overseas trips. I recommend hand puppets. You can buy them at Target, or just make some from old socks. They are easy to pack, playful for her, and generally irritation free (though it depends on how loud you both get with the giggles)! When we took our 2 year old to Japan, she wasn't very much interested in the DVD player, so you may want to have back-ups like card games - memory cards with Disney characters are a great way for her to get to know the characters, assuming you're going to Disneyworld. I also recommend string or lace toys. You can find these at ToyWorld. One example includes small wooden toys with a rather thick piece of string. Your daughter will spend a long time stringing up the little snake. One warning...when the pieces fall to the floor on the airplane, they're pretty much lost forever!

Good luck and have a safe and enjoyable trip.

A.