joolsnbump
I am taking my 20 month old daughter on holiday to USA next month and it will be a 7 hour flight from London Heathrow to Boston Logan Airport. Obviously since she is under 2 she will be sitting on my knee the whole time. Does anybody have any ideas on things to keep her occupied for the flight as it is a long time for her to be sat still. Also, we have to be at the airport at 4.30 am so what is the best thing to do? Put her in bed in light clothing and try keep her alseep for the journey to airport or still put her pjs on and get her up as normal?
Answer
Traveling will exhausting enough even w/o baby, so by all means let her sleep through as much of it as possible.
I'm not psychic, but I'll bet I can speak collectively for all passengers on board that they'd prefer sleeping child in comfy P.J.'s to a well dressed crying & fussy child.
When ever she wakes up, you can keep her BZ by pointing out new things around her at airport & while on jet. Show her the light, the air flow nozzle, the window. Describe how you are up in the sky where the birds fly. Lots of new & learning conversation.
Meal service will be another distraction and time to keep her BZ.
Bring favorite books & a new brightly colored book. Read with expression & animation. This may be a bit intrusive to other's ears, but again, much better than crying. After mel & stories, take her for a walk to bathroom. Hold her hand & let this be a slow process. She should be interested in every person she passes. Let her be. It's more exciting for her & walk gives her some activity. If aisle is crowded, pick her up & step back into seat area to let others pass. Do not shorten walk. the purpose is for her activity. Go to bathroom. Show her all the features. Be amazed that water comes from faucet. Let her see toilet flush. Give her a tissue to hold. Proceed back to seat just as slowly. (If you're close to bathroom, make trip to other end of jet & then back to bathroom and seat.)
When returned to seat. Can play, "Where's Mommy's nose? Where's your nose? Touch my ear, touch your ear. Touch something pink. Show me a bunny (if on her PJ's)..." Then feign tired with some yawns. Ask her to help put you to sleep. (Rub Mommy's face. Pat my neck...) Maybe you can get her into one more nap B4 landing. If she fidgets, talk about each person she saw on her "walk." Inform how everyone was quiet. (He was reading his book very quiet. She was playing on her computer very quiet. No one was mad at the lady who was knitting very quietly. You are being very quiet & everybody likes your good behavior...)
Have a doll that she can dress & undress, tie shoe, put barrette in hair. Help her get dolly ready for deplaning.
Other toys without noise as back up.
Keep talking to her while awake. If she fusses to do something not appropriate, explain why it's not a good idea now and quickly distract with what she CAN do. ("No we can not take another walk b/c it's somebody else's turn, but you can help dolly get her new dress on for when we get off of the plane. Where did mommy put her dress?" -- Let her look through travel bag.)
If awake for landing, get her excited to watch & feel things as plane comes down from sky like a bird does, "Let's see how it's different on a plane!" Talk her through it. Talk about things you will get to do when off of the plane. ("We will have to find our luggage. There is a big circle that moves. Will you help mommy find our bags on the moving circle?") Again, step by step. All details. Keeps her expectations up. She'll know what to expect. She may have her own questions that will add to keeping her entertained.
Ask her questions to keep her mind working on solution instead of her restricted movement. ("What was the color of our bags? How many did we bring? Do you think it will be cold when we get off of the plane? What else does dolly need to be ready to go?") Note: She does not need to know answer to the questions. It's all about keeping her mind BZ. Wears you out, but worth it to keep child happy & other passengers comfortable for such a long trip.
I did this ONCE with 10 month old. Even though she could not speak, she could understand words & they seemed to keep her mind BZ. But that was one, mentally exhausting trip for me.
Traveling will exhausting enough even w/o baby, so by all means let her sleep through as much of it as possible.
I'm not psychic, but I'll bet I can speak collectively for all passengers on board that they'd prefer sleeping child in comfy P.J.'s to a well dressed crying & fussy child.
When ever she wakes up, you can keep her BZ by pointing out new things around her at airport & while on jet. Show her the light, the air flow nozzle, the window. Describe how you are up in the sky where the birds fly. Lots of new & learning conversation.
Meal service will be another distraction and time to keep her BZ.
Bring favorite books & a new brightly colored book. Read with expression & animation. This may be a bit intrusive to other's ears, but again, much better than crying. After mel & stories, take her for a walk to bathroom. Hold her hand & let this be a slow process. She should be interested in every person she passes. Let her be. It's more exciting for her & walk gives her some activity. If aisle is crowded, pick her up & step back into seat area to let others pass. Do not shorten walk. the purpose is for her activity. Go to bathroom. Show her all the features. Be amazed that water comes from faucet. Let her see toilet flush. Give her a tissue to hold. Proceed back to seat just as slowly. (If you're close to bathroom, make trip to other end of jet & then back to bathroom and seat.)
When returned to seat. Can play, "Where's Mommy's nose? Where's your nose? Touch my ear, touch your ear. Touch something pink. Show me a bunny (if on her PJ's)..." Then feign tired with some yawns. Ask her to help put you to sleep. (Rub Mommy's face. Pat my neck...) Maybe you can get her into one more nap B4 landing. If she fidgets, talk about each person she saw on her "walk." Inform how everyone was quiet. (He was reading his book very quiet. She was playing on her computer very quiet. No one was mad at the lady who was knitting very quietly. You are being very quiet & everybody likes your good behavior...)
Have a doll that she can dress & undress, tie shoe, put barrette in hair. Help her get dolly ready for deplaning.
Other toys without noise as back up.
Keep talking to her while awake. If she fusses to do something not appropriate, explain why it's not a good idea now and quickly distract with what she CAN do. ("No we can not take another walk b/c it's somebody else's turn, but you can help dolly get her new dress on for when we get off of the plane. Where did mommy put her dress?" -- Let her look through travel bag.)
If awake for landing, get her excited to watch & feel things as plane comes down from sky like a bird does, "Let's see how it's different on a plane!" Talk her through it. Talk about things you will get to do when off of the plane. ("We will have to find our luggage. There is a big circle that moves. Will you help mommy find our bags on the moving circle?") Again, step by step. All details. Keeps her expectations up. She'll know what to expect. She may have her own questions that will add to keeping her entertained.
Ask her questions to keep her mind working on solution instead of her restricted movement. ("What was the color of our bags? How many did we bring? Do you think it will be cold when we get off of the plane? What else does dolly need to be ready to go?") Note: She does not need to know answer to the questions. It's all about keeping her mind BZ. Wears you out, but worth it to keep child happy & other passengers comfortable for such a long trip.
I did this ONCE with 10 month old. Even though she could not speak, she could understand words & they seemed to keep her mind BZ. But that was one, mentally exhausting trip for me.
Anyone have recent experience traveling with a toddler?
We are taking our 2-year-old daughter to visit my family for Thanksgiving. I'm pretty anxious about the trip. We went down two years ago, when she was just a 4-month-old infant, and it was not terribly difficult, but this was before the new travel restrictions - and before she became mobile, willful, and inclined to fuss and scream when her immediate needs aren't being met.
We're taking a car seat to use on the plane (she is a ticketed passenger), and an umbrella stroller. Any problems getting these items through security (MDW and FLL)? How much extra time should we allow, and does anyone have tips for keeping her entertained and relatively happy during the 3-hour flight?
Answer
You'll be fine. It's no big deal if you plan ahead.
I have travelled quite a bit with both my kids. I've even done it solo. It can be daunting but I have learned a few tricks.
1. It sounds like you already have your trip booked, but just in case, try to book a flight that coincides with your little one's natural sleep pattern so she is more likely to sleep on the flight. Her natural cycle combined with the white noise of the airplane will likely have her nodding off before take off. Even if it isn't her normal sleep time, the white noise makes a lot of kids very groggy.
2. You're smart to take a stroller. If it's a small, umbrella type, you'll breeze through security. You'll have to take her out and collapse it so they can run it through the machine. If it's a bit bigger, it takes a few minutes extra for them to examine it by hand. It's still pretty easy. I actually took a double jogging stroller this last trip. It was no more difficult and actually made my life easier.
3. If she has a little backpack, let her carry it on. If she doesn't have one, find a small bag that can be her personal carry on bag. My oldest loves having his own bag. Stuff it with small toys with a few that she has never seen before. These don't need to be fancy. Just little things. I sometimes wrap a couple like gifts to open to add to the distraction factor. I alway take crayola wonder coloring books and markers. The markers only write on the special paper and they are non toxic if they go in the mouth. If your daughter is a thrower, be wary of things that serve as projectiles with other passengers as the targets. My son loves little animal figures and action figures. Two of those and his imagination keep him happy for ages. If she has a favorite blanket or stuffed animal, let her take them on the plane. Don't worry about trying to fit the blanket in a carry on. Just hang it over the stroller or stuff it through a loop on one of the carry on bags. If she's a DVD watcher, bring one of those little DVD players and a couple of her favorite movies. Be aware that she'll need to use headphones and you will want to test the volume to make sure her ears aren't damaged.
4. Bring a sippy cup and her favorite snacks. Most flight attendants will happily pour some juice or water into the sippy cup for you. ( You can't bring liquids through security). A variety of snacks will keep her happy at intervals. Drinking the juice while taking off and landing will help her ears immensely.
5. Leave at least 20-30 minutes extra time. You may not need the extra time, but there are usually those unexpected moments with young children. If you need the extra time, you'll be glad you planned for it.
6. Get a bag for your carseat. They are a nightmare to carry without a bag. Dex makes one with a single strap that lets you carry the car seat like a backpack.
http://www.babyant.com/bv550165.html
It will fit any carseat made. Just put it in the bag before you leave, when you have more space and less pressure in your home than you would outside the airport. Don't worry about taking it out of the bag to lock it in. YOu can just unzip the bag and slide it down the sides of the car seat leaving the base in the bottom of the bag. You will need to plan for a few minutes for this to get through security. Some carseats are too big to go through the machine, so they check it out by hand. You can also stuff any blankets or toys in the bag with the seat to carry.
7. At security be prepared for the following. Everyone, including your daughter, will need to remove their shoes and jackets to run them through. You will need to take her out of the stroller and run that through security. This gets a bit hectic if you have a lot of carry on gear, and travelling with kids usually means you do have a lot of carry on gear. You cannot take liquids through, so any sippy cups will need to be empty.
8. When you get to the gate, inform them that you have a stroller to gate check. If you have a connection, let them know you want the stroller brought up at the connecting airport. They will give you a pink tag to put on the stroller with all of your flight info. You will wheel this down the area way and take your daughter out and collapse the stroller just outside the plane. Just leave it there, and they come get it to stow it underneath and bring it up when you arrive at our connection and final destination. It sometimes take a few minutes for them to bring it up, so no need to rush off the plane.
9. When it comes to boarding, most airlines allow people with young children to board first or early. Even if they don't mention it, push your way through. Getting that carseat buckled in with a line of people behind you is stressful. Give yourself as much latitude as you can to make your trip less stressful.
10. As you're seating yourself, make sure your daughter's bag and your bag with any goodies for her are easily accessi
You'll be fine. It's no big deal if you plan ahead.
I have travelled quite a bit with both my kids. I've even done it solo. It can be daunting but I have learned a few tricks.
1. It sounds like you already have your trip booked, but just in case, try to book a flight that coincides with your little one's natural sleep pattern so she is more likely to sleep on the flight. Her natural cycle combined with the white noise of the airplane will likely have her nodding off before take off. Even if it isn't her normal sleep time, the white noise makes a lot of kids very groggy.
2. You're smart to take a stroller. If it's a small, umbrella type, you'll breeze through security. You'll have to take her out and collapse it so they can run it through the machine. If it's a bit bigger, it takes a few minutes extra for them to examine it by hand. It's still pretty easy. I actually took a double jogging stroller this last trip. It was no more difficult and actually made my life easier.
3. If she has a little backpack, let her carry it on. If she doesn't have one, find a small bag that can be her personal carry on bag. My oldest loves having his own bag. Stuff it with small toys with a few that she has never seen before. These don't need to be fancy. Just little things. I sometimes wrap a couple like gifts to open to add to the distraction factor. I alway take crayola wonder coloring books and markers. The markers only write on the special paper and they are non toxic if they go in the mouth. If your daughter is a thrower, be wary of things that serve as projectiles with other passengers as the targets. My son loves little animal figures and action figures. Two of those and his imagination keep him happy for ages. If she has a favorite blanket or stuffed animal, let her take them on the plane. Don't worry about trying to fit the blanket in a carry on. Just hang it over the stroller or stuff it through a loop on one of the carry on bags. If she's a DVD watcher, bring one of those little DVD players and a couple of her favorite movies. Be aware that she'll need to use headphones and you will want to test the volume to make sure her ears aren't damaged.
4. Bring a sippy cup and her favorite snacks. Most flight attendants will happily pour some juice or water into the sippy cup for you. ( You can't bring liquids through security). A variety of snacks will keep her happy at intervals. Drinking the juice while taking off and landing will help her ears immensely.
5. Leave at least 20-30 minutes extra time. You may not need the extra time, but there are usually those unexpected moments with young children. If you need the extra time, you'll be glad you planned for it.
6. Get a bag for your carseat. They are a nightmare to carry without a bag. Dex makes one with a single strap that lets you carry the car seat like a backpack.
http://www.babyant.com/bv550165.html
It will fit any carseat made. Just put it in the bag before you leave, when you have more space and less pressure in your home than you would outside the airport. Don't worry about taking it out of the bag to lock it in. YOu can just unzip the bag and slide it down the sides of the car seat leaving the base in the bottom of the bag. You will need to plan for a few minutes for this to get through security. Some carseats are too big to go through the machine, so they check it out by hand. You can also stuff any blankets or toys in the bag with the seat to carry.
7. At security be prepared for the following. Everyone, including your daughter, will need to remove their shoes and jackets to run them through. You will need to take her out of the stroller and run that through security. This gets a bit hectic if you have a lot of carry on gear, and travelling with kids usually means you do have a lot of carry on gear. You cannot take liquids through, so any sippy cups will need to be empty.
8. When you get to the gate, inform them that you have a stroller to gate check. If you have a connection, let them know you want the stroller brought up at the connecting airport. They will give you a pink tag to put on the stroller with all of your flight info. You will wheel this down the area way and take your daughter out and collapse the stroller just outside the plane. Just leave it there, and they come get it to stow it underneath and bring it up when you arrive at our connection and final destination. It sometimes take a few minutes for them to bring it up, so no need to rush off the plane.
9. When it comes to boarding, most airlines allow people with young children to board first or early. Even if they don't mention it, push your way through. Getting that carseat buckled in with a line of people behind you is stressful. Give yourself as much latitude as you can to make your trip less stressful.
10. As you're seating yourself, make sure your daughter's bag and your bag with any goodies for her are easily accessi
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