Traveling Tips with 18 Month Old

Pack as many different and new toys as you can! Traveling at that age can be hard b/c they are so busy, but you'll do fine! Here is a list of things I always take for my kids. I also stock up on random stuff I find at the Dollar Store or whatever so it's new and exciting.

favorite books
magna doodle
balloons (great for the airport while you wait, pass it on or throw it out)
cars/trucks
electronic books (like V-Tech or Fisher Price)
a kaleidoscope
pretend cell phones
Color Wonder markers or crayons
anything that can be dumped out and put back in (like Barrell of Monkeys, etc.)
snacks!

Also, just people watching and playing with ice cubes in the cup will keep him entertained for a while!

I wouldn't give your child benadryl, because they could have a reaction to it, or if you really need to give her something because of fever, etc, you will have to wait because she has taken the benadryl. Focus on how to make the flight fun for everyone.

Water Wow books are great. You can find them in Target and Walmart by the coloring books. There is a pen that comes with the book that you fill with water(1 ounce) and then your son can color the pages, the pages dry super fast and he can re-coloring them again and again.

New little toys that you can break out every hour for the plane ride. Then you can hide the again once you get to Hawaii and do the same thing home every hour. New books with flaps are great, usually keep them entertained for awhile. Small photo book with people he knows, the you can ask him to pick out people. You can take pictures of his toys at home and put them in there too and say where is your ball?

Bring a couple of different snack items, watch out for really sugary snacks because if your 18 month old isn't use having all that sugar he mood can change. I love the graham cracker that come individually wrapped, cheerios, gerber fruit puffs and earth's best cereal bars.

I would also bring his favorite blanket and if he has something that always calms him like a favorite stuff animal or pacifier I would make sure you have them.

good luck!

Portable DVD player and kids' movies or shows.

I, too, made a trip to Hawaii when my oldest was 18 months old. It was...interestingly fun :)

Flight: Toys, snacks, snacks and more snacks and a couple DVDs wouldn't hurt either (also a blanket and some cozy stuffed animals, if he has a few favorites). I never used Benedryl--I prefer not to unnecessarily medicate my kids. We did have him in his own seat with his carseat, so he was at least sitting in a familiar environment. At naptime, we tried to follow as similar a routine as we did at home (5-10 minutes of DVD + some walking around while being held). He did nap maybe twice for maybe an hour at a time--which is pretty good for the circumstances! However, he was exhausted by the time we got there. There may definitely be some crying/sobbing/screaming stints. Walk the plane. The flight attendants are usually very understanding about this and we ended up hanging out at the back of the plane a few times (so as to least disturb the rest of the passengers). Also make sure you have more diapers/wipes than you think you'll need! For both Oahu and Kauai, there are Walmarts close to the airport (or at least on the way to the hotels, as the case is for Oahu), so you can pick up the rest of the diapers, wipes, milk, etc you'll need for your vacation--no need to bring EVERYTHING!!

Jet lag: do your best to slip right into your normal routine as quickly as possible. That may mean keeping him awake (as much as he may be exhausted) for an extra hour or two so that he goes to sleep closer to his normal clock-time (vs body-time). Either that or you'll have a kid going to sleep at 4pm and waking up at 3am!! I remember one time we were out there again when my boy was 4-yrs old and he fell asleep at the restaurant we were at for dinner--he put his head down literally ON his plate (thankfully, we hadn't been served food yet!) and was konked out until morning!! But since he did make it to morning, he was able to flip into his normal schedule times--score!

Another tip I learned is to ship things back home. So, if you have diapers, clothes, toys, non-perishable food, souveniers, etc left over that you don't want to pack for the trip home, head to your hotel's business center or the nearest FedEx office (there are a few) and ship it home! At the current baggage fee rates, it'll be close in cost but FAR more convenient to not have to lug all the extra stuff through the airport there and then from ORD or Midway home!

But most of all...HAVE FUN!!! I'm so jealous!! We were supposed to go back this year, but had to back out due to finances and I'm thoroughly looking forward to when we have all that cleared up so we can go again. Hawaii (particularly Kauai) is my favorite place on the planet!

when my husband and I went there for our honeymoon we stayed on Chicago time. This worked out pretty good. We went to bed around 8 pm Hawaii time, woke up around 5 am and did early morning things. By the time we showered and dressed breakfast was open at the hotel and we started our tours and fun stuff. It worked out GREAT. With a child your age you could put him to bed at 7, and he should sleep till 7 am. We never had jet lag.

If you have never stayed in a hotel with him you may find that you need to work on getting him to sleep. We have done 31 states with our kids so far (aged 12 and 9 now) and we found that when they were that age we would put them in the pack and play, give them love, turn out the lights in the room, turn on the fan in the bathroom but shut the door, and leave the room. One of us would stay outside the door of the room reading while the other went to the pool or a walk or something. We also had to do this at nap time if we weren't driving at that time.

Hope this helps!! And to warn you, the flight HOME is at night, there are no meals served, nothing but sleeping people really.

please dont drug your child!!!!! if you are thinking about keeping him entertained during the flight just go and get a few new inexpensive toys or books to let him play with. bring the snacks he likes and is used to.

Benadryl will dry out the sinuses and likely won't cause sleep but deep intense pain. Deal with the baby in the normal way. Entertain them best you canl.

I have actually made the trip to Hawaii 3 times with my children, as young as 10 months. I was actually just there in June, my kids are 5 and 2 right now. First, I am personally against using meds on my children unless they are prescribed for a specific illness. So I am anti BenAdryl. Honestly, your child probably will nap just fine. They love the drone of the plane, it has a ay of lulling them to sleep.

Invest in a portable DVD player. It will be your saving grace. Coloring also seemed to work well for my kids. The plane is huge with 2 aisles, so don't hesitate to get your child up out of the seat to walk around. We usually did a couple of "tours" around the plane which helped them from going stir crazy. Also, for food, I have found that Gerber toddler meals in the little canisters with the pull-back lids work really well. They are fine not heated. My kids like the ravioli and mac-n-cheese. They'll only have sandwiches for sale on the plane so you'll need to think about lunch and dinner for your kiddo.

As for jet lag, there is a 5 hour time change until daylight savings (when it shifts to 4 hours). You will get to your hotel around your child's bedtime ( Chicago time) but it will be the middle of the afternoon in Hawaii. What we do is put the kids down for a couple hour nap, then get them up for dinner. You'll be tired too, so it won't be a late night for anyone. The nap will be enough to get Your son through dinner, but trust me he will still be tired enough for bed. in my experience, the kids have adjusted to the time zone much easier than us adults! They are just so resilient. Once you get past the first day, try putting him down for his nap at the usual time on Hawaii time, not Chicago time. Also, if your room has a balcony and a fridge, stock up on some drinks (or wine! It is vacation) and use nap time as a chance to sit outside with your hubby and hang out with a cocktail. It is fabulous downtime.

Hope this helps! Enjoy the trip...I am super envious : )

My daughter loves her etch-a-sketch that comes with a pen. We only use it on flights but she loves it. I also bring stickers, crayons, dvd player, and I let her go to the store and pick out the snacks she wants. I tried Benadryl, it didn't work on my daughter when she was 15 months, so be careful with it. My friend just moved to Hawaii with her 2 year old and when they got there (after many delays) it was 2 in the morning. They put him to bed and woke him at 7 am, his usually wake up time, and put him down for a nap around 12. He was tired, but he went to bed at 7 pm, his normal bed time and was adjusted. I've travelled everywhere with my daughter since she was 6 weeks old to all different time zones. You will be amazed how quickly kids adjust. You may have a rough first day, but try your best to keep him on his regular schedule when you arrive and you should be okay.

I always let my daughter get a full size Kit Kat when we take really long flights and we divide it up to have for the full flight. She loves it. She only gets it on long flights so it's extra special. Also, I let her get a can of cranberry juice on the flight and dilute it with water so it lasts the whole flight, but she loves it and doesn't get it at home.