Socrates
I have a long journey planned on my next vacation with my 1.5 year old. A fourteen hour flight followed by layover and then a 6-7 hour. We did not opt for an exclusive seat for him either. Any tips?
Answer
Here are a couple of tips from our own experience:
1. most importantly: call the airline and try to get a bassinette, and at least one seat next to it(that's the crib that attaches to the wall in front of the bulk head seats). the bassinette itself will probably be too small for your child to actually sleep in, but will hold all the extra stuff that comes along with a toddler. moreover, the extra leg room will give your toddler more space to play that is NOT your lap or the aisle...
note: bulk head seats are usually booked first because there's more leg room there, but parents with infants on-lap (younger than 2 years) have priority to these seats on most airlines. if you can't book the seat in advance, don't dispair - you can still get it upon check in: come in early and insist on it!
2. try to keep the child's routine as close to normal as possible. keep meal times and nap times as close as you can to your "home time". bring small packs of favorite foods and snacks with you, as plane food is not likely to top your kids list... you can heat up baby food by putting the container in a small cup filled with a half-inch to an inch of boiling water and stirring the contents. "Gerber" containers fit perfectly, or you could use the small, round, 4-oz disposable plastic containers (like "Glad" or such) which also fit in the coffee cups provided on airplanes.
3. of course, if your child has a favorite toy, stuffed animal, blankie etc., have it with you on board.
4. get a bunch of new, real-cheap little toys that you wouldn't mind losing / throwing away by the end of the trip. introduce a new one every hour or so -- it'll buy you precious time! i'd put under this category also some little arts & crafts items, like stickers and crayons.
5. have at least two full changes of baby clothes and lots of extra diapers with you, as well as a small "baby-bath travel kit", just in case your layover gets extended, your suitecases go astray, and so on... i'd also take an extra shirt for mom and dad, for any unfortunate accidents.
6. on the plane, don't be shy - let baby run up and down the isles. fighting it won't help anyway, and the excersize is good for you both ;-) plus, the more energy they spend, the more likely they are to fall asleep at some point...
7. talk to your pediatritian about baby-safe antihistamines - a small dosage may be all the help baby needs to get drowsy and sleep better when they're already over-tired, but the strange environment won't let them fall asleep...
8. take a deep breath, and remind yourself that, as hard as this one day may be, it's only one day of travel, and it, too, shall pass!
good luck! :)
Here are a couple of tips from our own experience:
1. most importantly: call the airline and try to get a bassinette, and at least one seat next to it(that's the crib that attaches to the wall in front of the bulk head seats). the bassinette itself will probably be too small for your child to actually sleep in, but will hold all the extra stuff that comes along with a toddler. moreover, the extra leg room will give your toddler more space to play that is NOT your lap or the aisle...
note: bulk head seats are usually booked first because there's more leg room there, but parents with infants on-lap (younger than 2 years) have priority to these seats on most airlines. if you can't book the seat in advance, don't dispair - you can still get it upon check in: come in early and insist on it!
2. try to keep the child's routine as close to normal as possible. keep meal times and nap times as close as you can to your "home time". bring small packs of favorite foods and snacks with you, as plane food is not likely to top your kids list... you can heat up baby food by putting the container in a small cup filled with a half-inch to an inch of boiling water and stirring the contents. "Gerber" containers fit perfectly, or you could use the small, round, 4-oz disposable plastic containers (like "Glad" or such) which also fit in the coffee cups provided on airplanes.
3. of course, if your child has a favorite toy, stuffed animal, blankie etc., have it with you on board.
4. get a bunch of new, real-cheap little toys that you wouldn't mind losing / throwing away by the end of the trip. introduce a new one every hour or so -- it'll buy you precious time! i'd put under this category also some little arts & crafts items, like stickers and crayons.
5. have at least two full changes of baby clothes and lots of extra diapers with you, as well as a small "baby-bath travel kit", just in case your layover gets extended, your suitecases go astray, and so on... i'd also take an extra shirt for mom and dad, for any unfortunate accidents.
6. on the plane, don't be shy - let baby run up and down the isles. fighting it won't help anyway, and the excersize is good for you both ;-) plus, the more energy they spend, the more likely they are to fall asleep at some point...
7. talk to your pediatritian about baby-safe antihistamines - a small dosage may be all the help baby needs to get drowsy and sleep better when they're already over-tired, but the strange environment won't let them fall asleep...
8. take a deep breath, and remind yourself that, as hard as this one day may be, it's only one day of travel, and it, too, shall pass!
good luck! :)
I need some advices about travelling with toddlers?
Hannah
I have a family emergency and i have to travel tomorrow with 4 toddlers.Only me,my 3 years old twins and my sister's 2 and 5 years old.It's a 9 hours drive.I'm really stressed.I downloaded some movies on my ipad,i bought sugar free snacks and car sickness meds.
Jcorvette 72-I'm alone with 4 kids.My sister won't be with me.
Answer
I had to make a long trip like that once alone with 4 of mine being really young. To put it mildly, it sucked! But, we survived it LOL. Here are some helpful tips for you:
Plan on stopping for at least a 15 minute break every 1 1/2 to 2 hours, unless they all fall asleep, then just drive until they wake up. Keep in mind little ones have little bladders, and bathroom breaks will have to be at least every 2 hours, more if they have a lot to drink. Make everyone try to go when you stop, even if they say they don't need to. Also include a break of no less than an hour to stop for meals. It will take that long to get everyone fed, cleaned up, and strapped back in. Map out your route so you know where there will be a safe, well lit area to stop for breaks and meals. Even with good planning, there will still be the ones that have to go pee again, 15 minutes after your last stop. So, allow yourself plenty of time for that.
Fill up the tank before you leave. That way if you are really lucky and they fall asleep, you don't have to stop for gas and wake them up.
It is best to travel at night if you can, so the kids will be asleep for most of the trip.
Make sure you have lids on cups, such as sippy cups or sports tops so if they drop it, and they will drop it, it isn't spilled out everywhere.
Put the 5 year old in the middle so they can hand the smaller ones things while you are driving.
Hope this helps you some. Good luck on your trip!
I had to make a long trip like that once alone with 4 of mine being really young. To put it mildly, it sucked! But, we survived it LOL. Here are some helpful tips for you:
Plan on stopping for at least a 15 minute break every 1 1/2 to 2 hours, unless they all fall asleep, then just drive until they wake up. Keep in mind little ones have little bladders, and bathroom breaks will have to be at least every 2 hours, more if they have a lot to drink. Make everyone try to go when you stop, even if they say they don't need to. Also include a break of no less than an hour to stop for meals. It will take that long to get everyone fed, cleaned up, and strapped back in. Map out your route so you know where there will be a safe, well lit area to stop for breaks and meals. Even with good planning, there will still be the ones that have to go pee again, 15 minutes after your last stop. So, allow yourself plenty of time for that.
Fill up the tank before you leave. That way if you are really lucky and they fall asleep, you don't have to stop for gas and wake them up.
It is best to travel at night if you can, so the kids will be asleep for most of the trip.
Make sure you have lids on cups, such as sippy cups or sports tops so if they drop it, and they will drop it, it isn't spilled out everywhere.
Put the 5 year old in the middle so they can hand the smaller ones things while you are driving.
Hope this helps you some. Good luck on your trip!
Powered by Yahoo! Answers
No comments:
Post a Comment