Has anyone ever traveled on an airplane with a toddler?

AMBER M

I am going to visit my friend in VA, I live in Ohio, which is 10 hour drive or 1.5 hour flight. I really want to opt for the flight but what do you do with an ancy 19 month old for that long? And what if he cries and people get mad at me?

Answer
19 month old. I would suggest getting him his old chair. You can do alot of things.

1) talk to your Dr. about ears popping on left and landing.
2) snacks and drinks
3) dvd portable player
4) plan around nap time and or bed time

if you can pull that off. have an easy carry on and when its time to fly get there early get the little one to sleep. extra blanket and let him sleep/nap during the take off and most of the flight.

5) special new bag of toys

color books, crayolas, books that have flip opens, and waht ever your child loves!

6) a new baby doll or for boy a new what ever he likes

7) its not a long flight at all. Could be 12 hours or move if you were going to a diff. country. It will be over before you knwo it. Have the child look out the window. When seat belts are off let him stand up and strech his legs.


have fun..its ok if he cries a little. things will be ok. people will understand. just sooth him the best you can. Its a part of traveling.

Airline regulations when traveling with Toddlers?

California

We are travelling on an airplane next month with my 2 year old and 4 year old. From the FAA website, I know that I can bring a carseat for my 2 year old (but not my 4 year old who is over 40 lbs), and juice (in a bag) for both. Are there any other limitiations concerning food? We'd normally bring snacks (crackers and fruit), but I can't find if this is even allowed to carry on any longer. Anyone with recent experience?

Thanks!

Answer
When I went to Hawaii with my son (almost 2) and daughter 4 I brought tons of snacks. Crackers, chips, gum, Ruby's cheeseburger and french fries, etc. They even allowed me to bring baby applesauce on with me. I also brought some strawberries and raspberries but had to eat them all before we got off the plane. (Rules of Hawaii) One thing that helped was I brought empty sippy cups and as soon as we got on requested cans of apple juice. Then you don't have to worry about them spilling the flimsy plastic cups.

Some toys that my kids liked were those magnadoodle and aquadoodle. Just fill up the pens with water on the airplane. You are allowed 3 ounce of liquid but why bother. I would rather not be held up with security with two kids.

If you bring baby food make sure to tell them about it at the checkpoint.

I ended up checking a bag with snacks, water, and juice boxes so we would have some ready when we got off the plane.

Also about carseats. I checked my carseats. My son was under two and didn't have his own seat. And airplanes do not let you use booster seats. It was nice not to have to lug those up to the gate too. If you think it will help your 2 year old sit still then I would suggest it. Get a carseat carrying backpack. It is so nice!! I fit a carseat, booster seat, and huge pack of diapers into it. I got mine on www.babycenter.com

You can take your stroller all the way up to the gate. This was nice because we used it to carry our bags too. At the gate they put it underneath and then when you get off the plane it is waiting for you at the door of the airplane.

Oh...one more thing. Have you and your children wear shoes that are easy to take on and off.

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Suggestions of activities for a toddler and a preschooler on a long trip?

travel toys for toddlers on airplanes image

myfirstbab

I'll be traveling with my 3 1/2 years old daughter and my 19 months son next week. The flight will take about 7 hours followed by a 14 hours transit time then another flight of about 2 hours. Any suggestions about any activities mainly during the transit time (The first flight is at night so my kids will for sure be sleeping during the whole flight)
Thanks a lot for your help.

Answer
I don't have to say what you already know, which is that this could be a difficult trip if you are unprepared.

My first piece of advice is to let the both kids have thier own seats and a car seat (make sure it is approved for use on an airplane, not all are). Even though your son is under two and qualifies as a "lap baby", this will be a very difficult task on this long a trip.

It would be useful to allow the kids some time to run around a bit before boarding, so try to arrive a little early. Don't worry if they are too hyper at this point; let them blow off their energy. See if the airport you are departing from has a children's play area, and let them run loose. Don't skip any naps, but maybe only allow a short ones to keep them ready to sleep during the flights. Skipped nap = cranky toddler; short nap = sleepy toddler... :)

Here are a few other things to consider... First is hydration! The air in the cabin comes in from a source on the engine (called "bleed air"). Being from the ambient air outside, it is remarkably dry. It is around ten to twenty percent relative humidity, if that much at all. The problem here is breathing. We lose water normally from sweat, urination, etc; but in an airplane we also lose a lot from just breathing. The moisture comes out when we exhale.

Any adult can easily become dehydrated if not taking in adequate water, but for a small child, this is an even greater concern. As long as your flights are, you should make sure they stay well hydrated. Avoid sugary drinks, of course; but water, sugar-free, etc. would be useful here.

You will likely have to purchase the water or juice inside the terminal as they do not allow sufficient quantity of liquid through security screening. Also, I do not trust the "tap" water on airplanes; drink only the bottled water...

A bottle or sippy cup, pacifier, teething ring, etc to suck on is also a must. During ascent and descent, the cabin pressure will change and as a result, it is easy to get an ear block. These can be very painful, but are relieved by negative pressure in the mouth and throat. If it is really bad, you can try to yawn with the kids looking at you, the yawn reflex is strong and it often results in equalizing the pressure (ever yawn after watching someone else yawn? or did you just yawn because you've read this?). You can also try gently massaging the forehead, neck, and around the ears if it doesn't clear.

I've flown so many sick kids, I'm pretty good at recognizing the "ear block" before it really becomes an issue; and it during the early onset that it is easiest to treat. Look for fidgetyness, reaching for the ear, changes in breathing patterns, etc. Even slight, subtle clues would be enough to try the "yawn reflex", or give her a sippy cup, bottle, etc. The combination of yawning and sucking give enough negative pressure to the ear canals to prevent a true ear block from developing.

If it does develop, it can last for days, so be vigilant here.

Also, some people fret about pacifiers or bottles at this age. If either uses one, don't hesitate. In this case, it is a blessing! Potty training is also not encouraged on long flights. While enroute it is usually possible, there are long periods where the "seat-belt" sign is on, or the line is long, and the child "has to go now".

Toys and distractions are also requirements. Nothing big or fancy, just something that might occupy them for twenty or thirty minutes at a time. You can recycle them throughout the flight.

Coloring books, toys that beep or vibrate, Be creative, but you don't have to go too crazy either. You can even go so far as setting a small budget for them and letting them pick something out at the airport shop; but remember not to give it to them until you're in the air.

Finally, see if you can get a bulkhead row seat. This will give them the opportunity to have a play area on the floor without being able to get away as easily. Just put a blanket down and some toys, and they will have thier own space.

I hope this helps! I'm a flight paramedic and have transported many children. I am also a frequent traveler, including many international destinations. I speak from both a professional medical provider and a frequent flyer. I've seen dozens upon dozens of parents travel with small children. Some preparation in advance will go a long way in making the flight a comfortable one.

Cheers!

Can someone suggest small toys for a 16 month old to use on a plane trip?

LOVE

We have a 14.5 hour flight to Tokyo and I know that I will need lots of entertainment for my little man.. Of course I can't bring big toys, but does anyone have ideas for small toys that I can bring on board?
P.S. My baby is a boy..

Answer
This is a tough age!

I was a Flight Attendant for 13 years and whenever we saw a toddler come onboard, we knew it could get tricky. After 10 years of working on airplanes, I then found myself one of those mothers. I fly, usually alone, with my three children between Europe and California about twice a year, starting when each was 4 months old.

Not to scare you but the hardest trips for me were when mine were this age. They don't like to be confined. You can't really reason or negotiate too well with them ("If you stay seated now...") I had one 11 1/2 hour flight when my son slept all of 20 minutes. Get a good nights' sleep yourself before leaving!

For entertainment, what does he like to play with at home? Probably tons of toys which are big and noisy! My trick was to bring new things. It worked for my mom when I flew as a toddler and I did it with my own kids.

Remember that it only needs to be new to them. Some moms get creative with second hand toys. Have several and pull them out as the flight goes on. My son especially liked things he could take apart and open up. He loved anything with wheels and those cheap plastic animals kept him busy for ages. Buy a whole container of them and divide them up in small bags. Keep pulling out the bags as the hours go by. If you lose one or two, it's no great tragedy.

Books are good, especially those with chunky pages. Coloring pads, magnadoodle pads worked well. Please don't get into drawing things for him. My mistake! I once drew cats all the way across the Atlantic (or at least felt like I had...)

Whether to bring a portable DVD player is up to you. Is he a big "screen watcher"? I only had one of those. The other two had the attention spans of knats so I never bothered. Will he wear the headphones? Perhaps practice at home first. What about watching the imagines without the sound? I never brought one but other moms swear by them. He seems a bit young but by all means, do what you think will work.

I do hope you have a seat for him. I suggest you bring his carseat and use it onboard. Check to make sure it's FAA certified if you're flying a U.S. carrier. Here's a site that explains more;
http://www.faa.gov/passengers/fly_children/crs/

If not, check with your airline and/or aviation authority of the the airline's nationality. Huge variations of rules regarding car seats onboard.

He'll probably be more comfortable in his familar seat and he's much safer than in your lap. Having said that, commercial air travel in the industrialized world is very safe and there's very little chance of anything happening. You'll be grateful to have the extra space and be able to put him down when asleep.

Try to book "bulkhead" seats. These are the ones with the wall in front. They are located throughout the cabin. This will give you more freedom to get in and out of your seats and prevent him kicking the seat in front of him. Toddlers are good at this! Unfortunately, you can't sit in exit rows with a child.

He'll want to move so try to do that when there isn't a meal service (or those pesky duty free carts) in the aisle. All the carts are super-heavy and the perfect height to hide a toddler. Keep an eye on him at all times.

If turbulence hits while you're up and about, don't go back to your seats unless it's steady enough to make it safely. Sit on the floor if you have to, one hand to hold on and the other around him.

A great tip I got from a cousin and used myself is to learn to change them standing up. The changing tables in airplanes are small and at this age, they hate to lie down in strange places. Practice at home and then you can use the bigger handicapped lavs instead of trying to cram both of you in the little ones. Keep him away from the emergency button. They are attracted to the red color and love to press it.

A few years ago I wrote an article for a local newsletter. I later expanded it and put it on a blog to share with other parents. Many of them in turn, gave me some more great tips. It's totally non-commercial so feel free to visit;
http://flyingwithchildren.blogspot.com

I go more into packing, getting that car seat through the airport and feeding tips. Information from someone who actually worked in the industry!

Have a great trip to a very child-friendly country!

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