Kelly S
I leave in 10 days on a plane ride with my 20 month old and im nervous, what should i bring? how did youre kids react to the taking off anf landing? any advice would be great thanks
Answer
I'm a former Flight Attendant and I fly a lot with my three kids. My oldest was very active and I remember at 20 months, he slept 20 minutes of a 11 1/2 hour flight. I was pregnant and very tired when we arrived!
This is a tricky age to travel. They like to run and hate to be confined.
One "sanity-saver" is to get him his own seat. Children are much more comfortable and settled in their familiar car seat. If you have not booked a place for him, try to see if they can arrange an empty place next to you and bring his car seat to the gate. Be nice but they often do this for families if the flight is not full.
Bring your car seat to the gate and if you are not successful, it will be gate checked with the strollers and wheelchairs. Never check a car seat in as luggage. It could too easily be lost and/or broken in transit.
It would be very hard to hold a 20 month old calmly in your lap!
Make sure your car seat is approved for air travel. If you are flying a U.S. company, here is the FAA's page on the subject;
http://www.faa.gov/passengers/fly_children/crs/
If you are flying a non-U.S. company, see your airlines' website.
Don't worry about the ears. This is an over-rated problem and quite frankly, in 13 years, I barely remember any children having problems going up or descending. If you are concerned, visit the doctor in the next few days and make sure his ears and clear and infection-free. Flying with an infection or other blockage could be painful, if not damaging. Healthy ears can handle pressurization changes.
If you want to give him something to drink, by all means offer but please don't wake him or force. The critical time is not landing/touch down but the TOP of descent, when everyone's ears have to reverse pressurization. The AAP suggests simply that the child be *awake*. Just moving his head, talking, etc. helps the ears.
http://www.aap.org/patiented/flyingbaby.htm
For entertainment, I found at that age, less is more. Coloring things, play dough, pipe cleaners, stickers, small plastic toys like cars or animals and chunky books with openable flaps work well and keep them busy.
Get him a couple of new toys and surprise him during the flight. Something new will occupy him longer.
I can't recommend a portable DVD player for such a young age. Usually they wont wear the earphones (do NOT play it over the speakers in the plane). Experiment at home if you think it would work.
Don't fixate on getting him to sleep. Other passengers will not complain about him if he's quiet and playing. They will also not complain if he's crying and you're trying to do something about him.
Bring a change of clothes for you both and at least 1/3 more diapers than you think you'll need. Learn to change him standing up because the changing tables on airplanes are tiny and most toddlers hate to lie down in a strange place.
Don't worry about security. Most exempt liquids meant for a child. In the very unlikely case that they would take a something away, they'll just take it from you.
Get plenty of sleep, both of you, the night before. During your journey, let him drink, eat and sleep as he wants. Be a "good parent" once you get to your destination but just get through your trip sanely.
For more information, nine years ago I wrote an article on this subject. It's based on both my personal and professional experience of flying with children. It's totally non-commercial and other parents from around the world have contributed;
http://flyingwithchildren1.blogspot.com
Have a good flight!
I'm a former Flight Attendant and I fly a lot with my three kids. My oldest was very active and I remember at 20 months, he slept 20 minutes of a 11 1/2 hour flight. I was pregnant and very tired when we arrived!
This is a tricky age to travel. They like to run and hate to be confined.
One "sanity-saver" is to get him his own seat. Children are much more comfortable and settled in their familiar car seat. If you have not booked a place for him, try to see if they can arrange an empty place next to you and bring his car seat to the gate. Be nice but they often do this for families if the flight is not full.
Bring your car seat to the gate and if you are not successful, it will be gate checked with the strollers and wheelchairs. Never check a car seat in as luggage. It could too easily be lost and/or broken in transit.
It would be very hard to hold a 20 month old calmly in your lap!
Make sure your car seat is approved for air travel. If you are flying a U.S. company, here is the FAA's page on the subject;
http://www.faa.gov/passengers/fly_children/crs/
If you are flying a non-U.S. company, see your airlines' website.
Don't worry about the ears. This is an over-rated problem and quite frankly, in 13 years, I barely remember any children having problems going up or descending. If you are concerned, visit the doctor in the next few days and make sure his ears and clear and infection-free. Flying with an infection or other blockage could be painful, if not damaging. Healthy ears can handle pressurization changes.
If you want to give him something to drink, by all means offer but please don't wake him or force. The critical time is not landing/touch down but the TOP of descent, when everyone's ears have to reverse pressurization. The AAP suggests simply that the child be *awake*. Just moving his head, talking, etc. helps the ears.
http://www.aap.org/patiented/flyingbaby.htm
For entertainment, I found at that age, less is more. Coloring things, play dough, pipe cleaners, stickers, small plastic toys like cars or animals and chunky books with openable flaps work well and keep them busy.
Get him a couple of new toys and surprise him during the flight. Something new will occupy him longer.
I can't recommend a portable DVD player for such a young age. Usually they wont wear the earphones (do NOT play it over the speakers in the plane). Experiment at home if you think it would work.
Don't fixate on getting him to sleep. Other passengers will not complain about him if he's quiet and playing. They will also not complain if he's crying and you're trying to do something about him.
Bring a change of clothes for you both and at least 1/3 more diapers than you think you'll need. Learn to change him standing up because the changing tables on airplanes are tiny and most toddlers hate to lie down in a strange place.
Don't worry about security. Most exempt liquids meant for a child. In the very unlikely case that they would take a something away, they'll just take it from you.
Get plenty of sleep, both of you, the night before. During your journey, let him drink, eat and sleep as he wants. Be a "good parent" once you get to your destination but just get through your trip sanely.
For more information, nine years ago I wrote an article on this subject. It's based on both my personal and professional experience of flying with children. It's totally non-commercial and other parents from around the world have contributed;
http://flyingwithchildren1.blogspot.com
Have a good flight!
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