Seeking Advice for Long Plane Rides with an Active Toddler

T.,
I've seen some really great responses so far- some I'll def. be using for my one year old when we fly to Boston from Portland this summer. (We already know our six year old travels well).
However, I wanted to caution you about one thing.
With babies; sleep begets sleep begets sleep!!!!!!!
If you want your 23 mo. old to sleep on the plane then the last thing you want to do is keep him/her up or have him skip a nap!!!!!
The more well rested a toddler is the better they will sleep. If they are overtired at all, it only makes them too restless to actually get to a good, deep sleep period. So, if you are wanting your little guy to sleep through most of the long flight, I recommend making sure he gets his naps in the day before and the day of the flight.
Best of luck and have fun in Hawaii. The good news is that its a vacation- in the long run, even if his sleep schedule does get thrown off and if the flight doesn't go as well as you'd hope, it'll all be behind you before you know it. :-)

The great thing about the dollarstore toys is you can get more for less, and you dont have to feel bummed if you acidently leave them behind somewhere. Thats what we do with our son. I am a SAHM and love it despite our financially strapped situation. Its worth it! I hope you can find a way. Have fun in Hawaii!

Last June we took our 5 year old twins with autism and our 3 year old daughter on their fist plane ride from Oregon to South Dakota. While our trip was not as long as the one you are taking, we were also worried about keeping them all occupied so as not to have other passengers hate us by the end of the ride. I bought a small (6x7") tackle box from the craft section of the Dollar Tree and filled it with stickers, crayons, and other fun little things. We also bought a small backpack for each child to carry their busy box in. We also included small books, colorong books, snacks etc. One thing about the curiosity of little kids is that the very novelty of looking out the window will take up about the first hour of the trip. There will be so much going on. One suggestion I was given repeatedly was to bring benedryl (if that makes your little one sleepy) or to ask the doc for a safe sleep aid. We did not choose to do this as our flight was during the middle of the afternoon and we wanted them to sleep once we got all the way there. For the red-eye protion maybe having her skip a nap will make her sleep enough to go to sleep. Another thing we did was bring carseats for our 2 kids. Being in a familiar seat plus the rythmic motion of the plain put our kids right to sleep on the way home as our flight was really early in the morning. We too worried and I was really stressed by the time we were ready to leave but overall things went fairly well. I hope it all goes well and if you have any questions feel free to ask.

Books, lots of books. Also let her sit next to the window. When it is clear enough to see things this will occupy them. I also kept "treats" in their backback to distract them from take off and touch down. As far as sleeping I can't help with that. I took my 2 1/2 yr old daughter on a 1 and half hour flight in a small plane and she did fine. The only thing is if she uses "sippy" cups with straws then don't fill them before you get on the plane. When they pressurize the cabin, it makes them "explode".

You might be suprised, plane rides tend to put kids to sleep much the way a car would, especailly when you are traveling during there regular sleep times. I have traveled with my son (now 5) many time and I usually choose the late flights on purpose in that he is usually alseep even before take off =) You also should talk to you pediatrition, they may say its ok to give benydryl or dramamine. I had the ok from my doctor on our last trip (he was 4 at the time though) so I carried it with me but didnt have to use it.

Also I agree with the last poster who said go to the dollar store, fill a bag with fun suprises and new things and your kids will be happy for hours. Just pass things out one at a time.

When we took our then 10 M.O. daughter to Europe last year, we did indeed use Benadryl (BAAADD MOMMY... but really there are nothing more exsausting than a screaming child on a 12 hour flight). Our doctor recomended Benadryl, but strongly suggested to try benadryl out BEFORE the trip since the drug has the oposite effect on 10% of the kids (one thing worse than a screaming kid on a plane is a hyper, screaming kid :-) ).

Bring some old toys and some new toys... good ideas could be a magnetic drawing board, colouring books and crayons, books or stickers (my daughter will do anything for stickers). Save the new toys as surprises for when she gets bored.

Bring food you know she'll like (don't rely on what the airline can supply or what you can get in the airport unless you know excatly what you can get there already). A sippy cup is a must, I can tell from personal experience that sitting 6 hours with your pantleg drenched in OJ/OJ residue is not very apealing. Bring enough diapers to handle a potential delay and bring chewing gum for you 8 Y.O. for take of and landing.

That's what I can think of. I have more if you were going to Europe.

Enjoy Hawaii :-)

I just did a similar trip only mine was from alaska to cali which the total trip was 7 1/2 hours. I went to the dollar store with my 26 month old and let her pick out some new toys for the plane ride. She ended up with some coloring books and baby dolls. She was also not very intrested in tv so the other thing keep her busy. Make sure that you have some kind of sippy cup or whatever you are using so that when they pass around drinks you can just fill it up. Good luck and I hope the flight is not bad.

My husband and I took our almost 3 year old daughter (now 8) to Chicago. He thought ahead, I was really new at the traveling thing. He got us a fleight that was early in the morning. So he got us up really early. So when it was time to fly, she would crash. And she did, about 30 minutes into the fleight. So, if your daughter is still taking napes, I wouldn't give her one. Make her stay up as long as you can. Yes, she is going to be cranky. But if you want her to sleep on the plane you have to change the routin a little.
I just got my daughters a white board. I know what your thinking. A white board can be fun for both of the girls. With the white board, marker and an eraser. Your step-daughter can work on her "frequence" words. And you can teach your youngest daughter her alphabet. Plus, there are all kinds of work books that your youngest would enjoy.

And about you wanting to stay at home. If you want to do it, all you have to do is do it. Financially or not, it's a sacrifice your willing to make or not. I've been a SAHM for 8, almost 9 years. Yes, there are some challenges. But my husband and I knew that I was going to stay home before we even started our family. Our way of thinking is; if you can't sacrifice your job, then your sacrificing your child. Your child is the one that's loosing out.

Hi T., our peditrision told us to give our children pedicare, or benadryl he said it helps them to relax and most likely will put them to sleep and he said it was safe. so we did and what a big difference. and what we did was put our little one in her car seat and she slept, then it was easy for my husband to carry her to the next flight and she did not even wake up so that might be a thought. what we did for toys was i bought new stuff that they did not get to see then when they started getting bored then i pulled out the new stuff and it past the time away quick. but don't give it to them to early or they will get tired of it quickly then they will start acting up.i got coloring books and crayons, new barbies,pretend makeup and i helped them put it on.play doh. because they can play with it on the trays they love making things. i brought some new books to read to them. hope some of this helps.but maybe talk to your doctor about the benadryl or pedicare. have fun in hawaii. we are going in the summer.~L.~

Hi:
Wow -- you've got a trip ahead of you! If you're prepared, though, our experience has been that you (and your children) will do great.
We have traveled a lot with our daughter, now almost 5, since she was about a year old. She has her own "briefcase" for short trips (to the doctor's office with me, for example) and a child-size backpack for long trips (a long car ride or a plane ride). I then put into it things she'll like -- a sketchpad, construction paper, child-safe scissors, molding clay, washable markers, a little notepad for scribbling, anything I think she'll enjoy that will occupy her and also make her feel "grown up" for the trip. Into the backpack, I also put a small bottle of water, sanitized handwipes, a ziplock bag of cheerios or goldfish or a snack like this, a special treat (usually a wrapped cookie), and one surprise -- for example, a bobbly-head pen (a decorated pen with googly eyes or something fun on the end). She never knows for sure what the surprise will be and has great fun guessing.
You'll need to be prepared for takeoff and landing -- talk with your pediatrician first, but here's what we've done. When our little girl was young, we'd bring along a bottle or a sippy cup with water or milk in it. As the plane was going down the runway, we'd give it to her and have her drink and swallow as the plane climbed in altitude. The drinking and swallowing motion would keep her ears from hurting, as this motion "pops" the ears (adults do this by simulating a yawn or by chewing gum, but little ones can't). As the plane begins descending at the end of the flight, do the same thing. If the little one won't drink, the special treat you have in the bag for her should come out now -- the chewing motion will also help to clear her ears, plus the food will make her thirsty so that she'll accept the water (by this time, milk will be warm, germs will be building, and it will not be healthy for her to drink).
We also have a portable DVD player but have NEVER had any luck using it to keep our little girl's attention. She likes activity, having something to do, interacting with us, etc.
I've heard of parents giving their children medications like Dimetapp 20 minutes before a flight to make them sleepy, but I just don't like the idea of drugging a child. The exception to this is if the child is stuffy, in which case Dimetapp (for example) would make her more comfortable -- stuffiness and altitude are a very painful combination (I have actually had a ruptured eardrum from it and can't begin to describe how excruciating it was).
Anyway, as I suggested earlier, be sure to talk with your pediatrician for ideas. But our approach has worked every time with our little girl -- to the point that flight attendants and the people seated around us always, without fail, comment on how well-behaved she is, what a great traveler, etc.
Have an awesome trip!

I took my daughter when she was 3 from SeaTac to Washington D.C.! Make a special trip to the dollar store a day or so before and put together a special busy bag for them. Fill it with suckers for take off, and other things like toys and coloring books and other stuff. I also saw a few other moms drape blankets over the front of their seats and make little tents for the kids to hide or sleep under. Also, since she is a bit older, start talking about the trip with her and let her know what kind of behavior you expect from her in advance. Sometimes all kids need is to know what is expected of them and they're (most of the time) very focused on making mommy and daddy happy! Good luck, and remember, you're not the first person to bring a toddler on a plane, and people are WAY more understanding than you think they would be at first. Remember that your childs happiness and comfort come before all the rest of the passengers do!!!

Hi T.! I just got back from the Philippines with my 6year old daughter and my 4yr old son, so I know the stress you are feeling. First off, I splurged and I bought the kids a Leapfrog Leapster. This kept them entertained and there are many cartridges you can buy for various age groups. I also brought toys or books that the kids have never seen before, so when they got antsy on the plane, I would pull out a new book or toy to keep the occupied. If your 23 month old enjoys coloring, I suggest buying different color books that she hasnt seen...that would surprise her. Make sure you pack enough for the return trip too (or you can buy it there). For ideas try Highlights catalog (www.highlights.com)

ENJOY!