Taking a 1 Year Old to Hawaii

My whole family went to HI when my twin nephews were just 6 months old. It worked out just fine on the plane. My brother and his wife took turns walking them around the plane when it was safe to do so and entertained them with toys, etc. Does she ever watch DVDs made for little kids? She may be too young but we got Baby Einstein DVDs for my daughter's first big car trip at age 2 and brought a portable DVD player and that was a huge hit. You'll be busy but it will be worth it. Have a great trip!

Go for it!! Hawaii is so beautiful. I took my son there when he was 6 mos old. He was good and the motion of the airplane helps a lot. When he was 10 mos I took him to Anchorage (7 hours). This trip was harder (but I was by myself). I pulled out new toys all the times. I basically let him do whatever he wanted to keep him happy, even if it meant ripping a napkin into several pieces (which we did for 30mins!!). I work for an airline and travel all the time. Sometimes kids are good sometimes they're bad. I usually request to sit in the back. That way the sound is more muffled and there's more room to stand up and rock/play with the baby. Even if the plane ride is a nightmare, the vacation will be well worth it.

Depends on what kind of trip you want. We took our son to Spain last year just after his 1st bday. It's definitely challenging just because of the logistics of being away from home for so long (2wks) and staying in hotels with a little one. The flights were tough b/c he just started walking and wanted to explore the plane. We all had a great time, and we don't have a single regret about taking him with us. If you like to relax and sun at the beach for hours, that's tough because the baby will be very active wanting to go to the water, trying to eat sand and you have to plan for their meals and snacks and naps. You do have to be more conscientious about how much sun they're getting, too. BTW, we have a baby "tent" for the beach and my son will nap in that. It's GREAT and I highly recommend getting one. I also recommend renting a condo so that you'll have a kitchen, laundry and more space. Also, families tend to rent condos, so they're much more forgiving when a baby is crying or screaming. You can totally take her along....but it also would be a great vacation for just you and your husband.

Your carry on bag should have 9 hours worth of activities for your daughter. It would be nice if she will sleep most of the time but that's not a guarantee. And by 9 hours of activities I mean roughly 18 or more different things (b/c their attention span is so short) such as books, stuffed animals, dolls, crayons, paper, etc...any of the things she normally ____@____.com to keep to the @ home schedule while in the flight. Keep snacks handy. AND only bring the activities out 1 at a time. Allow her to play with only 1 until she gets bored (and you know those signs) and then present the next toy. Don't let her see the bag full of activities. Otherwise she'll go through it all within the first hour and you're stuck trying to keep her entertained in a small amount of space for the next 8.

Hi M.-

I've travelled with my daughter quite a bit starting at about 8 months. At that age they start to get very ansty sitting for a very long time but they also usually sleep for a couple of hours. The biggest thing to remember is to keep her mind occupied. Buy a lot of little new things and pull out something new for her to look at every so often. On one trip my daughter was fascinated by a wrapped granola bar for an hour just because of the bright colors and the texture. Also, we would give her a dose of Tylenol just before take off so that she wouldn't have pain from the pressure change. Also make sure that you have something for her to suck on or better drink during take off and landing so that her ears pop. Another thing that I found helpful was to bring her teddy bear on the plane so that she had something familiar from home to help soothe her. I also bring plenty of snacks for all of us for any flight. Good luck! Have a great trip-you'll love it!

go now before she gets older!!! this age is a golden time.
hope you have fun!!!

I would do it! You say she is pretty good natured so you can probably keep her entertained. Will she be a lap baby on the plane? That might be a little more challenging but with two of you it will be easier. I'm sure others will post advice but for me I would say:
1. definitely get the dvd player if she likes shows - you won't regret it. Be sure to charge it up completely and know where you stand on the battery (nothing worse than getting her all set up to watch and then.....oops no power!)
2. Try to feed her during take-off and landing to relieve ear pressure
3. Buy a couple new toys/activities to whip out when she gets fussy.
4. Bring a complete change of clothes for her in case of spills.
5. Bring plenty of food for her (and you!)
I hope you are staying for a week because it is a long flight and the trip back over night isn't pretty!

Have a great time! Hawaii is gorgeous!