Having anxiety about taking my toddler on the plane!

[finchydee]

We leave in 16 days for WDW! I am so excited but it's also hit me that soon I'm going to have to take my 16 month old DD on a plane! She is very energetic and not one to sit for long. Im following all the tips I've read and packing a bag with snacks and plenty of small new toys for her. I guess I just want some reassurance that I'm going to survive this LOL my doctor said to give her some Benadryl but I really don't want her to start off our vacation drowsy and out of it. Any other tips anyone could give would be greatly appreciated!!

 

[TinkerBelle920]

We leave in 16 days for WDW! I am so excited but it's also hit me that soon I'm going to have to take my 16 month old DD on a plane! She is very energetic and not one to sit for long. Im following all the tips I've read and packing a bag with snacks and plenty of small new toys for her. I guess I just want some reassurance that I'm going to survive this LOL my doctor said to give her some Benadryl but I really don't want her to start off our vacation drowsy and out of it. Any other tips anyone could give would be greatly appreciated!!

Do you have a portable DVD player that always works magic for us

 

[finchydee]

I'm taking my iPad that has her videos on it do you know if my dd will have to use headphones to watch her movies? Or can I just keep the volume low?

 

[la79al]

What I have discovered after several flights to and from Florida is that the planes are usually at least half full with families going to/from Disney World and there is usually at least one loud baby or toddler per flight. Even if it's not a crying LO, they can still be pretty loud. Don't worry too much about your DD being 'that' child. And if you go the Benedryl route, make sure you try it ahead of time. I have heard that in some LOs, it has the opposite affect .

 

[Hannathy]

she will need headphones.

If you are thinking about the Benedryl try some ahead of time, some kids it does the opposite and makes them hyper.

Just realize that the entire time you are on the airplane either you or your DH's time will be spent engaging your DD, unless she falls asleep, so don't anticipate reading, talking or napping.

 

[finchydee]

Thanks for all the info! I will definitely try the Benadryl out before our trip. I know all of my time will be spent entertaining and caring for DD on the plane but I'm VERY used to that LOL

 

[bearloch]

be ready with tylenol incase of ear pain! lol i hd tons of eveything but that when i needed it. I have seen parents in the airport running their kids around hoping to tire them out! good luck

 

[RedHeadedFairy]

This may not be a popular opinion, but I found those teething tablets to be very beneficial when DD was 17 months & we took her first flight. She was on-again-off-again teething so I always had them on hand. They helped her to relax but didn't knock her out. Also, she used her pacifier for take-off & landings & it helped the pressure in her ears. For snacks I packed a huge variety but in small amounts in snack-sized ziplocks. That way I could just hand her a baggie (she was soooo independent!) and let her have at it.... it wasn't enough for her to make a big mess or get too full.

 

[theduhaimes]

I have a child who did not use a pacifier and we used a small dum dum pop for take off and landing to let him suck on.

 

[hfuellgraf]

I would find a LARGE, no choking, Lolli pop; coloring books; a little benadryl about 15 minute b/f you get on the plane; sippy cup and snacks! Good Luck!

 

[fitgirl36]

I'm taking my iPad that has her videos on it do you know if my dd will have to use headphones to watch her movies? Or can I just keep the volume low?

I've been on many flights to Orlando with kids sitting around me. Kids that had handheld games or IPads were not wearing headphones and I didn't hear the devices at all. I don't think headphone are necessary if the volume is low.

 

[Caseheidi]

We flew across country (Seattle to Orlando) when DD was 18 months. I found that having a new toy worked great. We got her one of those doodle pads, and it fascinated her. Another great thing was stickers. They were a new concept, and she loved decorating a piece of paper. We were in first class, and the flight attendants were great about us letting her stand between us in the aisle as well. I also agree with making sure she has something to suck. DD had her own seat (flew in her carseat) so I could not hold her during lift off, so she needed her comfort items for that time. Over all, as nervous as I was before the flight, it all worked out great. She even slept on both flights!

 

[DoryDorito]

She'll be fine. I recommend stopping and picking up those little sticker books, those plastic animal toys, iPad and a blanket. My babies always cuddled me with a blanket on the pane. Remember, lots of people fly to Orlando with babies. You can on,y control so much and generally, people are understanding when a child has a rough flight. Relax and enjoy.

 

[Alexsandra]

First avoid Benedryl. It made my toddler so tired and grumpy he cried the whole time before takeoff and then fell asleep but it was not worth it for the first 30 min. Before takeoff. I had no choice that time since he had an allergic reaction to something he ate but I am not big on drugging my child just to pacify him. (personal opinion, not judging others) I travel all the time with my two boys. I have taken at least 2-3 plane rides each year since they were born. Yes, there have been moments where i thought to myself "i'm never doing this again." but for the most part it is always smooth sailing.

This is what I learnt:
1)always take day flights. A drowsy, sleepy kid equals a grumpy kid.
2) iPad with their favorite movie or game works best. I just play it with volume on and other passengers are just happy to have calm happy kids next to them. The plane motor drowns out the noise anyways. Mine watched a whole movie on the way there. He also read an interactive book: mickey's spooky Halloween which he loves!
3) special snacks that take a while to eat really does the trick. Package of Mini chocolate chip cookies or toddler cheese puffs for example are snacks that I rarely give so they are happy and take a while to finish. This keeps them busy for a good 15-20 min.
4) forget crayons, little cars, or anything that can roll off the trays and get lost under or in between the seats. They'll be having crying fits to find their toys and you'll spend half the flight on all fours looking for stuff. (not fun)
5) bring something like a new pop up book with animals for example. That really captures their attention.
6) make sure your diaper bag is easily accessible and pack 2-3 changes of clothes (1-2 for diaper messes and other for food or drink accident)
7) bring mini bottle of baby Tylenol on plane in case of sudden fever ( this happened to me on my last trip)
8) make sure your little one drinks on the way up and on the way down or sucks on a pacifier as to relieve ear pressure.
9) if your kid does start crying, don't worry. You will be surrounded by parents who understand. Never feel bad or guilty, you can't control what happens. Just concentrate on comforting your little one.

No point in worrying about it. Your child will most probably be fine. At that age they are curious and move around a lot but it doesn't mean that they'll be fussy on the plane. Just take it as it comes. Just remember, you'll land soon enough. the worse that can happen is that they'll cry or be fussy but that can happen in a restaurant or in public.

You can check out my blog http://disneyplaning101.blogspot.ca/ for more tips on traveling to WDW with a baby/toddler
Good luck!

 

[finchydee]

Thank you all so much for all your help and advice. I feel a lot better about the flight for our vacation! I got a bunch of cheap dollar store toys for her and she still takes a pacifier so I hope that helps with take off and landing.

 

[brymolmom]

My rule of thumb with young kids is try everything else you brought in your bag of tricks but if all else fails - doling out M&M's...one at a time, slowly, usually did the trick for my dd.

On a plane rule #1 is consideration to other passengers...That means yes headphones for the child and also means that doing whatever it takes - even if it's something that you would NEVER consider at home (like chocolate for an hour straight) to be as considerate as possible.

 

[CandleontheWater]

Headphones are not necessary if you keep the sound really low. If I can't hear it sitting next to DS, it won't be bothering anyone else. It is really loud on airplanes, even with the sound turned all the way up on the ipad, you can barely hear it at all.

I understand the whole "be considerate to other guests" bit, but I think most travelers would rather hear a tiny bit of ambient noise from an Ipad, than me keeping up a constant chatter of reprimands and entertainment, and I'm sure NO ONE wants to hear me singing "twinkle, twinkle little star" over and over again.

 

[bumbershoot]

I'm taking my iPad that has her videos on it do you know if my dd will have to use headphones to watch her movies? Or can I just keep the volume low?

Please have her use the headphones.

I understand the whole "be considerate to other guests" bit, but I think most travelers would rather hear a tiny bit of ambient noise from an Ipad, than me keeping up a constant chatter of reprimands and entertainment, and I'm sure NO ONE wants to hear me singing "twinkle, twinkle little star" over and over again.

I'm 100% opposite. I'd rather hear the interaction than the noise of someone else's game or movie.



We use Earplanes for DS to deal with any ear pain. Shop ahead of time to find the little kid ones, but it's possible she's actually too little for them. When without earplanes, we get the trader joes organic, naturally colored, NO corn syrup lollipops. If we used a DumDum, we would be thrown off the plane b/c corn syrup products cause DS to be violent and extremely, and unpleasantly, hyper. Which is why Benadryl won't work on him, b/c it's made syrupy by...you guessed it! (found that out at a dental visit when his ped dentist lost his mind and insisted on it for no good reason at all)


Will she have her own seat? Will she have her carseat? If so, it might be better since she knows that she is to sit in carseats.

 

[ElenaRN]

We have flown with DD when she was 9m, 11m and 15m.
Every single trip was a different experience. Some have been a total nightmare with her screaming most of the flight. Others she has been a perfect angel.

We took a new toy, a new book, and a few snacks that she doesn't usually get at home.
DH also downloaded some Mickey mouse Clubhouse episodes on the Ipad.

If your LO is walking, make sure you take a few walks up and down the aisles. Saying "Hi" to all the other passengers and kids is always a ton of fun!!

The great thing about Disney is that there are a ton of kids on the flight. Most often even if your child is not behaving, you will only get looks of sympathy.

ETA: I tried Benadryl a week before a 6 hour flight Thank God I did. It had the revers effect on DD and she was hyper for 2 hours.

 

[Madzac]

I have flown with this age 4 times and will again in a couple weeks... I know it can be stressful but usually it goes much better than you worry!

Everyone gave out all my advice so I just wanted to add... you will probably never see any of these people again, so if worst case, your child is fussy, take a deep breath, do everything you can and count the minutes, lol!