active 2-yr-old and flying

[akghutton]

Just looking for some advice regarding how to keep an active 2-yr-old in his seat and entertained on the flight from NY to Orlando. Any tricks that have worked for you, I would love to hear.
Thanks

[Gillian]

Drug him :D

no, seriously, I think there was a thread about this not long ago. We are flying in the Fall with our then 2 yo.

I'm hoping that a large variety of toys, books & snacks will keep him happy. I'm going to pack all of the following:
new small cars & trucks from the dollar store (dispensable)
some of his favorite books
car & driver magazine (works for both of us :) )
crayons & a pad of paper

I"m also thinking of a tape or CD player with his favorite music. I don't know if he will wear headphones, but I plan to try it! He loves his songs! Sometimes it's the only thing that makes him happy in the car.

I'd love to hear everyone's suggestions!

[akghutton]

Gillian,
We actually had a relative recommend us giving our son cold medicine before the flight to make him sleep! However, any type of decongestant actually has the opposite effect on our son; he gets really wired. Oh, well so much for the drugging idea.:)

Thanks for your other suggestions; they sound like good options for us.
Keely

[Bella2000]

Yes, there was a post on this topic. I'll see if I can locate the thread. Will he be in a Car Seat? This was a safety decision for the plane initially for us but it also helped contain DD in seat and made it more like a car ride. It helped her stay focused on all of the entertainment we brought.

[Bella2000]

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=210996

[Dana_Buckley]

We just returned from WDW with our 2 yo - flying from San Diego! I also fly often to Cincinnati (another 4 1/2 hr flight) This is what I packed: lots of stickers & paper, (after he puts the stickers on, he 'circles' each one with a crayon) crayons, coloring book, books w/flaps inside, those thin square books (they aren't heavy), and animal flash cards. For this trip I bought a tape player ($10 Target) he listened to the headphones for an hour! It was great! He also plays with the buttons on the arm rest, although sometimes annoying if it is for the light.
Call ahead and request a toddler meal, on Delta it was cheese sandwich, banana & cookies. Snacks I bring, Ritz bits, goldfish, teddy grahms.
If at worst just let him walk up & down the aisle a bit, it just may be difficult to get him back in the seat, but I have done this as a last resort before. If you are changing planes, let him run around the airport gate area, climbing on seats, whatever.
Your trip will be fine. Have a great time!

[robinb]

Use a car seat. My 2 year old DD is also very active, but she knows that she needs to sit in her car seat. We don't end up wandering the aisles.

I *am* taking notes, though. We're flying to France in August and will not be taking the car seat because we don't want to schlep it across France on the train with us. An 8 hour flight with an unrestrained 3 year old ... what fun! At least she won't have the "reach" to kick the seat ahead of her and the tray table will come down all the way.

[akghutton]

Thanks everyone for the great ideas. I love these boards; everyone is so helpful and creative.
Keely

[llane]

Car seats are a must for us. My children know they have to stay seated. I know if I let them get up an walk I'd never get them to sit down again.

Juice boxes and water sport bottles for the cabin pressure and their ears.

I bought new books, crayons and stickers for the trip to orlando. A travel magna doodle was a big hit.

For the trip back, I bought little things at wdw as a surprise. Light up pen and paper, stickers and the little rubber figurines.

Hope this helps.

[beattyfamily]

I know exactly how you feel! I've flown with a 2 1/2 (no car seat) year old, then a 14 month old (car seat), then a 2 year old (car seat) and a 2 1/2 year old (no car seat to FRANCE).

By far the car seat trips were the best but it also depended on the child.

Our last trip with no car seat was the worst so far but still not that bad considering it was for 7 1/2 hours to France. She wanted to sit with mama then dada then mama again then dada. That happened the whole trip except for nap time. She did use her crayons and magna doodle and magic markers (that only write on special paper), but it didn't last long at all! But I also think that if she were in a car seat she would have been crying most of the ride to see mama or dada, which ever wasn't sitting with her and she would have wanted OUT. It's a battle to keep them happy!

I've heard that allergy medicine like benedryl works very well for sleepyness and also for their ears. It's reduces fluid in their ears which will help with ear pain. I haven't tried this because I found out about it the day we were leaving and didn't have time to stop and get some but it's worth a try for a long trip.

I've also bought skittles since their chewy.

I hope I've helped a little. Basically, every child is different and sometimes car seats don't always work but sometimes they do depending on your child. Most entertainment stuff you bring will only work for a short while and try some Benedryl and skittles!!!

Good luck!

[Chance's Mom]

Will they let you "check" him? :smooth:

[debster812]

Do you have a laptop with a DVD drive? Might be worth buying a DVD or two. Or...do you have a camcorder with the flip out screen? It's a little small, but you could copy a couple of favorite videos on to camcorder tapes and show them.

Other than that, the other suggestions are all great too!

[docswkids]

I love the dvd idea.
I have thought about asking the airline crew to check the kids(just a gate check perhaps?) or inventing a self contained sound proof space suit for each of them to keep the noise level down! Thank goodness my kids are getting older!
I used to wrap all of the little toys and books I would bring so that my kids would have fun unwrapping the presents and then play with them.
It is crucial to bring snacks and drinks. Many flights serve no food and even when they do, a delay or unexpected problem could be a disaster with a toddler.
I dont think benadryl is a good idea. It made my kids absolutely wired off their rockers. They used to get sedated from sudafed, believe it or not.

[iluvtig2]

work really well for us. DS (now 2+) has flown from Ft. Lauderdale to Boston, Jamaica, and Las Vegas. The vinyl, peel off window stickers in different shapes stick on the windows and he can move them around. (Same with the Colorforms) He is still little enough that I have to make sure he doesn't try to "taste" them.

Also, felt boards work for entertainment. We do stories and what not.

Be sure to have enough juice or water available for take offs and landings.

We rely on the car seat. The time we did not bring it we regretted it. He, too, knows he is supposed to sit in his car seat.

Have a wonderful time!!!!

iluvtig

[Chance's Mom]

One thing I just remembered- Freeze a couple of Capri Suns or other pouch drinks. By the time you need them, they will thawed, but still cold. If you have a milk drinker, the milk on most planes is this really strange preserved stuff that is not cold-yuck! Stop at one of the food places before you get on the plane for a carton or two of milk.
As your little one gets older, I have a few ideas. There is a new Fisher Price toy called Pixter. It is a little computerized screen that you can play bingo, tic-tac-toe, etc., or draw on. It is a cross between a game boy and an etch a sketch (although much more sophisticated) and is only around 30 dollars. My 5 year old loves it. The thing can even play bingo!
Legos will also work magic for you in another year or two! I always buy a small lego for a surprise. My DS uses the tray table to work with the legos. This will keep them busy for a long time.

Sticker books are great. Book stores like Barnes and Noble usually have a great selection of unusual sticker books. I just got a really nice Lilo and Stitch one for our Aug. trip.

We also treat the plane just like the car. You have to be buckled up at all times! Looking out the window will also be very amusing once you are making your descent into Orlando--very exciting!!!

[akghutton]

Again, thank you for all of the great ideas. My husband and I had a good laugh over the "check him" suggestion.

We do have a laptop that we plan to bring to show DVD's on the trip. My husband said that playing the DVD's uses up the battery quite fast, so we are making a list of ideas for when the laptop battery dies.

The sticker and colorform ideas are activities my son would enjoy. I will have to get over to Barnes and Noble for some sticker books before our trip in August. I also love the idea of putting small surprises in gift bags for the flight. My son would definitely play with the paper and bags for a a good amount of time.

Also, thank you for the advice about freezing Capri suns or buying milk before getting on the plane. My son loves milk, so I will make a note to get some before boarding.

One last question, for those of you who have brought your car seats, did you call the airline ahead to make sure that the seats would fit?

Thanks again!
Keely

67 days until WDW!!!
:D

[Dana_Buckley]

It may not be a good idea to wrap small surprises anyomre. Unfortuately, security may make you unwrap them.

[llane]

Just something to check out.

Some airlines let you rent a dvd player at one airport and return it at the next. My friend just flew to California and this was an option for them.

[BrerMom]

The car seat is wonderful. Kids know they have to stay in them in the car and don't argue on the plane.

If you haven't already booked your flight, this worked very well for us and our DS2: We scheduled the flight after his bedtime. It really worked out well. We landed in Orlando a little after midnight and he slept almost the whole way. We were able to crash in a hotel in Orlando and then hit the ground running in the morning.

[ahutton]

We have done flights with our now 2 yr old, and did a drive trip several weeks back. I found that making a surprise bag with a couple favorite toys and snacks was good, then as she really came unglued we could pull out something new.

Benedryl works really well for making them drowsy and also is a huge help with the pressure, and it clears their sinus passages. Dum Dum Suckers are also huge, as are ring pops and any other hard thing on a stick. I tried Life Savers once, ironically, she choked.

Whenever we possibly can we book flights during what would be nap or sleep times. Although it is a little harder on us with some late nights, there have been several flights where she was asleep before the plane left the ground and woke up only to get into her car seat after the luggage had been claimed and car rented. We take her stroller and gate check it, and use it as the work horse to carry the carry on luggage. Just allow yourself extra time and patience going through security. Every agent has had a slightly different procedure about how they want you to go through and get very impatient if you don't catch all of their directions the first time around, and some of their expectations were unrealistic for a 2 year old. One agent wanted her to walk through the metal detector completely alone, and got her so scared she couldn't stop crying for quite a while. I also have been directed to take a drink of whatever was in their bottle/cup - just be aware and prepared.

All that said, we have never (knocking on very solid wood right now) had a bad flight, and a few were Phoenix to Orlando runs which is a long haul!

[epcotfan]

Children's Gravol (Dramamine) Anti-motion sickness medication works wonders for inducing sleepiness. My mom flew to MCO with my cousins and their mom gave them children's gravol. It kept them more relaxed and they slept through the flight. This is always a must-have for preventing air sickness. It must be taken about 30-45 minutes before departure time for it to work.

[skiptomypooh]

We just got back from a Colorado trip with our two-plus DS (went to DW in November too). He sat in the car seat the whole way. One thing really made a difference: he loves music and we found speakers made to go in the car seat or on the stroller. They are very small in a cushioned pocket at fit over the top of the seat/stroller. They plug into any portable music device using the standard headset jack. You adjust volume very low, and the child can hear, but others can't. Once you're at the parks you can hang it on the stroller and use it then too.

I second all the other notes about activities and the importance of bringing drinks. Just one other warning, my DS's car seat was great, but we couldn't put down the tray table. It became quite the struggle when we got wiggly towards the end. Better if he doesn't know it's there.

Have a great trip!

[marcyinPA]

Has anyone ever brought Play-doh on the plane? It would keep my little one occupied for hurs, and I'm seriously considering packing it in the activity bag for next week, but I don't know if I'll get dirty looks from the flight attendants???

[DVC-LEROY]

Our son's first trip was when he was around 2 and we made sure to have a backpack full of snacks, juice boxes, sticker books, blankie and a tiny travel magna doodle. During our 3 hour flight we pushed the arm rests up and let him stretch out a bit and even get out of his seat every so often. He's incredibly active. Trying to put his hands between the seats in front of us to distract people was his biggest thrill besides eating the snacks that the flight attendants brought. Our pediatrician had us give him a decongestant before the flight - for ears (as well as drinking/eating during take-off and landing) - though it did keep him a bit more settled. He'll be on his third trip at 4 this year - and he can't wait to get on the plane!

[Laurabearz]

We are pros at flying with our two active girls.... (now 3 and 1 1/2 years, but we have flown a lot with them)

Masking tape.... this is a great ammusment for them. They make giant webs (still in there seat) and love taping everything (the seat in front of them, the window, the tray table) It is messy.... yet easy to clean up. And importantly.... novel... it is the ONLY time they play with it so it keeps them occupied for a while.

Try your best not to go to the bathroom (IE get up) from YOUR seat.... that always opens up a can of worms... coz then they want to get out too.... keep them locked up if posible (now that my oldest is potty trained.... UGH LOL)

Run around a lot before you get on the plane.... run up and down and around and round...... but allow about 15 minutes to calm down before boarding the plane.... read a book about planes... look at the plane out the window.... talk about being safe in the plane like you are in the car..... waiting in line.... that sort of thing.

::::::::::shrug::::::::::: Hope some of that helps... I could go on and on..... HAVE FUN!!!!!!

[tjmw2727]

All Great suggestions. I agree that the car-seat on the airplane is a must. Keeps them seated and they are familiar and comfy in it also most kiddos know they can't get up. I use lollypops for take off and landing - they don't get many at home so its new, helps with the ears to be sucking and the sugar helps with airsickness. We bring lots of junior juice boxes and sports water bottles to help with ears and keep hydrated. Personally I don't offer milk as you tend to get dehydrated in flight and milk can make it worse, YMMV. I also bring healthy snacks as the air food is often not suited for children. We have used model magic - similar to playdough but not as messy and no odor. Comes in individual bags so its handy to pull out. I also save happy meal toys that won't be missed if lost under the seats! We have also found a paint with water book to occupy over an hour!

To the poster (sorry can't remember name) who found the speaker/earphones - could you post more info, that sounds great!
TJ

[surfgirl]

*love* the masking tape idea -- that WOULD be a treat for my dd!

I have a fried who's 2 yr. old dd was very apprehensive about flying. She wished she had a few "old" books/toys that were comfort items instead of ALL new things. I hide favorite toys about 2 wks. before we go away and then its a big surprise to see them again!

for car seats -- if it says "approved for airplane use" or "FAA certified" then you should not have to call ahead, but you may have to show that label (printed on the side) to a flight attendant (I did about 25% of the time).

Has anyone ever used the car seat vests? (from One Step Ahead). They are only FMVSS (car) certified, but look great for traveling on planes also. I don't think they are airplane certified - does anyone know why? Has anyone tried them and been rejected? They fold incredibly small and while not as safe as primary car seat, look ok for short distances.

[almostGoofy]

Here's the website for DVD rentals at airports for those of you who are interested:

www.inmotionpictures.com

Rental is only $12 - 15/day. You can pick up at one airport and drop off at the other. Unfortunately, they're only at about a dozen airports and they weren't available at mine (LAX) but are at MCO.

[Jordan's MOM]

Another easy cheap idea is pipe cleaners. Take of package of multi clolored one and let your child create all sorts of things. They will spend hours, they are quite and so cheap it does not matter if they get lost. You can get these at the craft section of Wal-mart or simular store. Happy flying.

Jordan's mom

[ppony]

I was just going to get on and say that we had already purchased a portable DVD player for the trip. I'm PARANOID about being one of "THOSE" people with the kid that won't stop screaming. It's been great in the car in longer trips too. But I've herad SO many good tips here...I think I'll be loaded for Bear :D when I hit that loading ramp. Love ALL the ideas. Gotta print them out!

You guys are masters.
Drugs...duct tape...:p

I think the car seat is a great idea...I was wondering if we had to check it and what could happen to it "down there". This avoids the issue.

[skiptomypooh]

Hi All,

Sorry for the delay, didn't check this thread. The product is called Quiet Rider and I bought it online. I can give you the location if you PM me (I'm new, but I don't think we're supposed to post web pages).

As I said above, they plug into a standard headset jack on a portable tape/CD player. The come with a cord about 10ft long which you can wrap up and stash behind the speakers or use to run throug a car from the backseat up to the player in the front seat. You just use the volume control on the player that you have. They are very quiet, so, in the car or on the plane, the child hears the music, but the adults around them wouldn't know it was going on. They cost about $30, but were definitely worth it.

Hope this is helpful.

[KJMAX1]

We just used our Sharp viewcam to record several of my daughter's favorite videos, and the Disney channel. We drove from Seattle, to Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, California, Oregon, and back home. My daughter LOVED watching her shows, and it kept her very entertained in her carseat! We also had magnetic colorforms, not the plastic window kind, that we purchased from Zany Brainy. They had a ton of little things that we bought for the trip and my daughter loved them. They will also gift wrap for free, which added a special feature to my daughter's new toys.