Seeking Ideas to Occupy 18 Mo/old During Long Plane Ride

I went on a plan ride with my 18 month old about a month ago and one thing that I picked up on that seemed to be a good idea is that I went to the dollar store and bought several new toys/books/things to keep him occupied. They were all new to him and seemed to do a good job. The slinky and his beads really intrigued him.

pipe cleaners are a fun thing, and they are small enough to pack. We just took a package to Hawaii and made all sorts of shapes. I have a 4 year old and a 10 month old, so I feel for you with flying. Hope it goes well.

Try getting her a doodle-sketch toy. That way she can "color" and you won't have to worry about her eating the crayons. They make them very small too - about 5 inches or so! My son loves his!

I love this question! We have flown with our daughter literally everywhere including a grueling trip to Romania. We live in WY, so we had to drive 5 hours with her to Salt Lake City, UT, then we flew to Chicago, Rome and finally Romania. (The trip back I was on my own.) I had a small bag of tricks with me. The key is to bring new toys that she's never seen. I brought a small dolly which we played peek-a-boo with and made her do silly gymnastics among other things. I brought those tiny 3" by 3" books that have the flip back windows, and another small book that had a lot of detail in it so I could ask he about the pictures and words. The Richard Scary books have a lot of detail like that. I had some stickers to stick on her hands and feet. I also had some of her favorite little animals, cars, fisher price people, etc. The McDonald's toys finally came in handy because they're so small, or you could go to a dollar store and find some cheap small toys that interest her. Playdoh was a good one. They have small tiny fun-packs of playdoh, so you could pack a few containers if she's okay with playdoh. I had lots of little snacks too and extra mini juice boxes. I remember they didn't have juice or milk on the flight except some weird fruit punch. I had coloring books too that they gave me on the flight, but had the same problem with her eating the crayons and poking me with the colored pencils. Crayola has these great markers now that only color on the special color wonder paper. Those might be good for her and a new thing. On the way there we had a dvd to play for her on daddy's laptop (I hear some people won't go anywhere without the portable dvd player), but I didn't have that on the way back. I had her in an outfit that made it easy to change her right at the seat if need be and an extra set of light clothes. I guess I just had a lot of options for her low attention span, smaller toys, nothing that makes noise, and put my creative mom hat on. Hope you get lots of rest before the flight! Good luck!!!

Aside from a bag full of new things (such as stickers, crayons, etc) I made a little animal scene "toy" by taking pieces of different-colored stiff felt (about 4in x 6 in), punched a hole in the corner and hooked them together with a keyring so it looked like a little book. I bought a bunch of little flat wooden animals from Michaels and attached a piece of velcro to the back of each. My daughter could create little scenes with the various animals on the different colors - she really loved it and it kept her occupied all through Mexico too! Good luck!

Well, it seems that there are so many responses that when I respond, it just seems like another answer in the shuffle.I try to make an impact though. My answers are usually from a lot of experience that I could write a book. When I do respond, it's from my heart and I always want the person I'm writing it to, to take into consideration to what I'm saying. It's just that when you belong to such a huge support group it's hard to get your point across. There is one thing I can say, when a child hits the twelve month mark, you CAN give them benadryl and it is safe. Especially the dye free one. I've had plenty of experience with this topic and it will relax your child for the flight. It's an easy solution and all your worries will be gone. It's that's easy. Use no more than 1/2 teaspoon.Make sure it's dye free because sometimes the dye can actually excite a child. Thanks.

Two words - DVD Player

Along with all the other suggestions I would add that you try some Tea. Something like chamomile and catnip will help keep her calm. You can sweeten it with honey too. If you make sure she's tired before the ride and give tea I bet she will sleep after a while. Good luck!

I am not for sitting a kid in front of the TV...but on long car rides (6+ hrs) we purchased a portable DVD player and bought Baby Enstein videos and Zoo movies to help pass the time. It helps along w/books to read w/colorful pictures you can talk about and eloborate on the stories. Good Luck!

We go to the library, bookstore, dollar store, etc and fill a backpack with new books, toys, crayons, coloring books, puzzles, etc. Play dough or modeling clay is great too if your daughter doesn't eat it... another thought if you are really desperate - I saw a family that brought a portable DVD player and children's movies aboard - that worked great for them!
Good luck and have a good trip!

I always try to schedule long plane rides as overnight flights so that we sleep through it for the most part. If that is not possible I would try to change the schedule a bit so that the flight time is sleep time...whether its staying up later, getting up earlier or skipping a nap. Other than that I would bring alot of small new toys for her to open and play with throughout the flight. Also bring lots of little baggies of snacks. And of course her favorite board books.

K.

stickers are good on a plane, anything they cant throw i learned the hard way..or the guy ahead of me did any way..good luck

One of the items that we use for occupying our kids at church is a Fisher Price Doodle Pro. It's a magnetic drawing pad that can be drawn on over and over. The recommended age by the manufacturer is older than 18mo, but I use it for my 22mo old. I'm not sure how much it could entertain your daughter, but they're very inexpensive and don't require crayons!

18 months old is a hard one. Does she like music or to watch anything like Little Einsteins? I would pack a cd player and dvd player with some kid friendly headphones. Also, if you have not booked the tickets yet I would definately try booking them during her sleep time. Good Luck, I hope it all goes well.

Not to rely on the TV, but in this instance it might be worth bringing your computer or getting a portable DVD player for her to watch. There are some markers that Crayola makes that only show up on their paper so not so messy. And my friend mentioned getting a magnadoodle or etch-a-sketch. Oh, and lots of snacks!

Hi M.,

I too have to make a long trip with very young kids. I have 4 kids, 6yrs to 11 mos. Books are a great way to keep them busy. I like ones that flip open have velcro etc. I suggest a few new toys, that way it can keep her busy for a little while longer. Also lots of snacks. I just really like books because we can talk about the pictures, make up silly songs,... I hope this helps. Best of luck. I hope it is a great trip.

M.

Mr. Potato Head was awesome for us. Hannah was 18 mos and LOVED taking him apart and putting him together again. That kept her entertained for a good two hours straight. Another really great one was play-do. What I did was pack a backpack full of brand-new toys that I bought and hid until the plane ride. Every hour or so I'd pull out a new one. We never went as far as you're going, but I hope these tips help for at least a portion of the flight. Good luck!!

Doodle Pro, modeling clay (anything cheap and neater than Play-Doh), pipe cleaners, activity books (anything pop-up or moving), and Benzocaine! Benzocaine is an instant cure to pain relief and most doctors will prescribe it no questions asked if they know you are flying. We always take plenty of snacks and a new toy that has never been played with before. It's not as bad as we expect usually. Being overseas, you should have plenty of room for her to roam, which will help, too. GL!

When my son was six months old and we were only flying two hours, his doctor said I should give him benedryl to help with the flight. I say use it. It won't last the whole time but it will help.

Hello M.,
Believe me, I understand when it comees to keeping an infant/toddler occupied during a flight. My son is 2 years old and we've struggle with this since he turned about 11 mos. old. What I've done and seems to work is take a "Bag of Tricks" on the flight with me. These are new toys or toys he hasn't played with in awhile that, because of the novelty, seem to keep him occupied. Now mind you, it won't keep him interested for long as his attention span is nil, but it does seems to help. I also bring a lot of snacks on board...snacks he wouldn't get normally. I tend to bend a little when we're flying on our rules at home because, let's face it, I really don't want him throwing a fit. You might be surprised this time however that your daughter will sleep more than you think. You might also look at getting flash cards (my son loves these). I've laminated them and punched holes through the top corner and connected them with a key ring...so all he has to do is hold on to the cards and flip through them as much as he wants. Try the Magnadoodle too...or a small toy laptop that has buttons and noise makers. If you do look at giving her Benedryl, check it out on her first at home because with some children, like my son, it has the opposite affect. It actually hypes him up rather than tires him out, so you don't want to go on the idea that it will work on the flight, give it to her, and realize it will jack her up. Hope this helps.
Good luck.

A ROLL OF SCOTCH TAPE worked for us for an hour or so...sticky, interesting, fine motor skills, sticks anywhere, easy to clean up, cheap!

I'd use benadry anyway...I did it when my daughter was 18 months old and it was my sanity. I didn't over do it, or use it more than once...just long enough for me to get a break. But you do what you think is best. We tend to treat our doctor's words like gospel...but you're the mom and you get to choose.

We took our boys to Europe last summer 4 yrs and 1.5 years at the time. The one thing I found was that we packed too many toys for the plane.... it was hard to get things out the bag was heavy in the airport etc... If I was doing it again I would bring less toys! Just a couple that they liked... maybe hide a couple of her favorite toys a couple of weeks before you leave and then pull them out on the airplane and they will be like new toys! I had a friend tell me puzzles worked really well for her but it didn't work great for us and we lost the pieces! Also someone told me wind up toys..... but once I got on the plane and wound it up and relized it sounded like a ticking bomb I didnt think it was such a great idea! good luck, it will be better then you think!

Stock up on new lightweight toys and books. I would always make a trip to Half-Price Books and buy several new ones and hide them until time for our travel. If you do this they will be all new and will keep her interest longer. Another thing that we have loved is a portable DVD player. We didn't let our daughter watch much TV at 18 months, but for the sake of a more peaceful flight, we would use it on the plane. Try the Baby Einstein DVDs -- very bright and colorful.

On keeping your daughter calm, I wouldn't suggest giving any child benadryl when they aren't sick (I know some docs advise this, but I just don't like the idea)... A better alternative would be to try something natural to calm stress. We like the Bach floral called "Rescue Remedy" -- this is an all natural treatment made from flower essences; it is designed to calm stress and is perfectly safe for your toddler. You can buy it at Whole Foods Market. It won't knock her out and make her feel wierd and drugged, it will just help calm her edginess, and if she is already tired can help her relax and go to sleep instead of fight to stay awake. Just give her 3 drops about 30 minutes before you get on the plane. It has always helped us when we travel with our little ones.

Have a great flight!

Maybe you could try and schedule a flight where the majority of the flight is during her regular sleeping hours. Try doing only relaxing things before and during the flight.Watch the kind of foods and drinks you give her. Maybe you could bring her favorite blankie or pillow. Good luck :-)

See a similar post from today: Long plane trip with very difficult toddler

Lots of great ideas there!

M., my husband and I took our son (now almost 3) on his first long plane ride (24+ hours and several planes) when he was 18 months old. Some wise woman told me to take STICKERS!!!! They entertained him the entire time practically. Of course, we tried to get him up and about as often as we could. Take an inflatable beach ball for any layovers you may have...instant ball to play with without having to take up space. I don't know if you can afford it, but I would buy her her own seat. That way she can stretch out a little bit without having to cramp your space. Her having to sit on your lap for a long trip like that can be miserable for everyone involved.

Hi,
My 3 year old has been on 30+ flights in her life, I wish you luck! When she was about 18 months old, I bought a portable DVD player and bring that on plane trips. The batteries last about 3-4 hours, plus Walmart sells an energizer portable battery that will give you a few more hours. I take 3-4 DVDs and she is happy.
Also, are you taking the carseat? I used to take hers and strap her in, that way she could sleep easier and she was safe if I needed to use the bathroom. "One Step Ahead" makes a carrier for the car seat that enables you to cary it on your back like a backpack; I used this everytime I flew with her by muself and it made it a lot easier in the airport, I had my hands free. They are about $40, I plan on taking mine to the consignment shop soon but if you would like to purchase it i would sell to you! Good Luck!
A.

we once occupied my then 14 month old on an entire 2 hour flight by letting him rip apart the in flight magazine. the flight attendant didn't care as it kept him quiet and we kept it from going all over the floor.
silly games w/plastic cups have also consumed up to an hour.
try finger puppets (don't let her see them before the flight)
And, I echo the car seat suggestion. Make sure the seat is airline approved and then buckle it in and strap her in - our kids never asked to get roam around when they were in a car seat - but we also never had a flight over 3 hours.

That long of a plane ride will be challenging but, have lots on hand and be ready to entertain. We did take our son to Hawaii at 18 mo and it went much better than I ever could have expected and I have travelled with two by myself so here are my ideas. A little container of playdoh and cut up things, a portable dvd player and favorite dvd's and music (I really don't use tv a lot but, this is one time it can be a life saver), a little write on/erasable sketch toy (it comes with the writing utensilon it/doodle pro is one brand), aqua doodle has portable things and you just need to add water to your pen,a few new toys...keep them in the container...this helped one friend, her child loved to open. Ideas, matchbox cars....yes even for girls, a scarf to play hide and seek, music ideas in your head to sing to her soflty...little games. I am sure i have more but, this is what is coming to mind. The other one is snacks....anything and everything. I have brought candy a few times but, only had to revert to that once. Good luck....oh and plan on walking the isles as much as they will let you that is.

I don't know if you had planned on buying her a seat, but if you do, definitely bring her carseat to buckle her in! That way, she will be contained. A DVD player is good, as well as coloring stuff--I know you said she eats crayons, but have you tried markers? THose Color Wonder ones that CRayola makes are pretty cool--they only color on specific paper. Another alternative is one of those little Magnadoole things where they draw and erase over and over with the magnetic pen, or those coloring books that already have the color on them, and you just paint with water...I have brought all of those things with us before. Also, I would bring a TON of fun snacks that she hasn't tried before--to keep it interesting. I always pack stuff my kids don't usually get otherwise--like those tiny oreos, fruit by the foot, teddy grahams--junk food, basically. Unless you are worried about the sugar hyping her up! Good luck. Hopefully, she will enjoy the flight!

We've flown all over the world with my daughter, including a trip from Japan to Boston when she was 18 months old. We kept her occupied with little baggies of "surprises". They included stickers, crayons, little pads of paper (it eliminates dropping a big pile of paper all over the place), pipe cleaners cut into different sizes to twist and bend, snacks - including a few M&Ms stuck in as an extra treat. Then she also had a few of her favorite books and a favorite stuffed animal and small blanket. We gave her one baggie at a time about 20 minutes to a half hour apart (depending on the excitement of the particular bag). Then when she was done with a bag I'd make sure all of the items got put back into the baggie and the baggie returned to my "bag of tricks". That way you can go through all of the baggies and start over again - chances are that she will not remember that is was just a little while ago that she used the stuff. Books on tape work too if you can get her to put headphones on (mine wouldn't do that at that age)
We also made sure we kept her routine as much as possible. Meaning that we changed her into her pajamas at the time we would usually put her to bed (without worrying about the time change), read her a book, and create a little bed for her in her seat. She didn't always fall asleep right away, but with quiet reminders that it was bed time (and pretending to fall asleep myself) she would settle down and sleep.
Also, do not be afraid to ask the flight attendants for some help if you need it - most are very willing to help you out. One even took mine for a tour of the plane - including the area where they take their breaks underneath the passenger area!
And, of course be ready to walk the plane a lot, as long as they are not serving food and the seatbelt sign is not on, you can walk around the plane for as long as you need to. We played "I Spy" doing that a few times.
Good Luck

How much does she weigh? My daughter is 21 lbs and my pediatrician okayed 4 ml of Children's liquid benadryl for her. It helps with congestion and with her ears popping.

Along with all the standard ideas, a portable dvd player has saved us on a good couple of plane trips! I just use it as the last means to entertain...good luck!

Try asking the airlines but most of them rent DVD players, you can bring her favorite movies or shows to watch. Try maybe getting her "My First Leap Pad" too, that was a big hit on a 12 hour road trip we took when my kids were younger. Also those color wonders, where they cannot color on anything but the special pages and are non toxic if she does put it in her mouth.
You will be surprised that the sound of the engine she will sleep too. You will need to wear her out prior to getting on the plane, let her run around the boarding area for a bit, try to skip naptime that day ahead of time so she is sleepy.
I gave my daughter Benadryl when we travelled at 18 mos, mainly to relax and all the allergons that are in the airplane so she didn't get congested. I would think a 18 mos old would be fine with Benadryl, but that is just me.
I also brought extra snacks, water bottles and even suckers for take off and landing for the pressure. Since the plane ride is super long, I am sure they will let her stretch her legs on occassion and not have to completely sit still the entire trip.
How exciting!!! Have fun!

We took our two children (2 & 3) to visit my husband's family in Australia. We packed new little backpacks with all new things they had never seen. Toys included pop beads, drawing tablets (magnetic that erase), finger puppets, story books, puzzle books out of foam, cars, coloring books, view finders with Pooh Bear stories and lots of snacks. We took out a new toy or snack about every hour to two hours. I also made sure we had toy airplanes and airplane story books. This way they could pretend to fly our plane, understand boarding and de-boarding, etc.

We also took a portable DVD with headphones and ipod with headphones.

Try using Bach Flower Rescue Remedy to calm your child during the flight. You can get it at Whole Foods or a health food store. You may also talk to your pediatrician about using melatonin. There is a study of use on children as young as 12 months. It helped them sleep on the plane and really helped them get into the new time zone and again when we returned.

Good luck. It is possible but takes a bit of planning and luck.

R.

PS Sticker books worked wonders too.

I had the same issues flying with my daughter when she was around 1, crawling around and not able to sleep and being wiggly. The thing that helped the most with her the next time we flew was purchasing her own ticket and taking her carseat along. She could see out the window and felt more secure in her own seat. We have a special backpack for her that is only for traveling. It's supplied with a Magnadoodle and a couple of special books that seem more special because she doesn't get to use them at home. It might also help to get a small toy or two and keep them hidden away for a surprise when she's absolutely bored. Good luck with your travels!

Ditto the DVD player advice.

You may want to ask your question over at the "Travel with Children" forum on FlyerTalk
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=221
where you'll get lots of sage advice/tips from expert frequent fliers who travel with their kids. We travel a lot but not as extensively as some of the folks there--one guy's 4 year old child has Delta Airlines Gold Medallion elite status!

I'm not a fan of dosing but for long haul flights that may screw with her internal clock, I can see a very mild dose of something. Our son doesn't sleep with Benadryl, it hypes him up. We instead used something from Hyland's (the same company that made his teething tablets) when he couldn't get settled for a flight.