Food and Flying with a 13 month old

[Kate-n-sam]

Hi
Looking for food ideas for the plane for DD, 13 months. She likes to self feed which I can see being a problem. Any ideas for portable, nutritious, not super messy food for the plane. Do you know if FA's can warm food or bottles on the plane? We will have about 10 hours of travel from door to door, so I'll need to bring snacks and a couple of more substantial meals. TIA for any advice. I'm suddenly dreading the flight with her. She decided this week that she wants nothing to do with her car seat and arches her back when I try to get her into it. Yay!

 

[Barb D]

I don't know for sure, but I think the flight attendants will heat things up. But it'll probably be easier for you to bring things that don't HAVE to be heated, so that you won't be dependent on it.

How about Cheerios, little plastic tubs of applesauce, cheese sticks (that you peel into small pieces for her), etc.? I'm sure someone will be along with some better ideas!

Have you tried putting a special car-only toy in her hand right as you're putting her in her car seat? Maybe that will distract her enough that you can get her buckled. Or maybe tickle her and kiss her as you're getting her in.

 

[prplcrzy]

I don't know about the heating of food on the plane, but I can give you some of my experience with my ds.

Our flight is a little over 3 hours, so it's not as long as yours. I always pack snacks, such as goldfish, pretzels, cereal, raisins and fruit snacks. As far as other things, you could bring pb&j, cut up fruit and nutri-grain bars (they sell mini size ones too, great for little fingers).

During take off I give him a sippy cup and a bag of fruit snacks. This way he's chewing and swallowing alot, which seems to really help his ears. Plus, I give him a little decongestant before we board the plane to help with his ears.

We also bring our laptop computer with us and watch movies, this is a great thing if you happen to have one and if your dd likes to watch them. This takes up a good portion of the flight for us and some snacks and new toys to play with and we're usually all set.

One of the best toys my ds loved playing with was already on the plane. The seatback phone they have, he loved just picking it up and putting it back!

Good luck and don't stress over it. There's not much you can do in advance and you never know what their mood will be that day. Just have plenty of supplies ready!

Have a great trip!

Nancy

 

[CEDmom]

We flew back from China with DD when she was 10 mo so I understand what you're facing. She was doing some self feeding at the time so we had Cheerios. Other easy food that she liked at that age were tofu hot dogs (cut into sticks), no salt added canned green beans, bagels, cheese sticks (cut in quarters), tiny cubes of melon, bananas, small pasta shapes (w/o sauce). I don't think the flight attendants will heat food because I don't think they have any means of doing that (i.e. microwave).

I suggest bringing a small cooler bag on board with frozen juice or Parmalet milk boxes to keep things cool.

 

[frannn]

I had a really big diaper bag packed with cheerios, juice boxes, bottles, parmalot (we switched to milk a few weeks before the trip), gerber graduate meals, and nutrigrain bars. As per her Drs instructions, we gave her a bit of medicine before the flight to help her ears not to pop. The Dr also recommened she suck on a pacifier to help her to swallow & xlear her ears. I brought small plastic princess figurines, her own baby keys (complete with light and sound), and a mini see & say. Needless to say, the medicine knocked her out for most of the flight, and the rest of the time she was content to eat cheerios and listen to mommy & daddy. The only issue we had with flying with her is the lugging of her (she was already about 20lbs), the car seat, camera bag, diaper bag, carry on, and dragging it all to the front of the plane to pick up the stroller. Next time, we are bringing other DD as well, who will be 11. She is a great big help, and pretty strong, so I will load her up as well!
Other food ideas- mini muffins, pretzels, meat sticks from Gerber, baby snacks, biscuits, crackers, mandarin oranges, applesauce, dole soft fruit cups. These come in handy for parents also!

 

[Nette]

Originally posted by prplcrzy
As far as other things, you could bring pb&j, cut up fruit and nutri-grain bars (they sell mini size ones too, great for little fingers).

Please don't feed a child under 3 peanut butter. It increases risk of peanut allergies and is a MAJOR choking hazzard.

 

[prplcrzy]

I didn't mean to imply feeding a child anything other than what you would normally feed them. My son was able to eat PB&J at that age because his Dr. approved it.

Sorry for any misunderstanding.

Nancy

 

[NotUrsula]

Yes, FA's can warm bottles for you. They will do it by setting it into boiling water; they will not be using a microwave.

Overseas flights will usually have milk available, but most US domestic flights will not have it on board.

However, if your child is at all prone to motion sickness, I would suggest avoiding all dairy (including cheese and cheese-flavored things) for about 3 hrs. before a flight, through the flight, and for about an hour after landing. BTW, a 13-mo old will NOT be able to use an airsickness bag, so bring supplies in case there are serious cleanup issues.

 

[MemphisDad]

Honeymaid now makes graham cracker sticks. They taste just like graham crackers and are little cookie like sticks about 3 in by 1 in. They are perfect for self feeders and are mess free compared to regular graham. They also come in cinnamon flavor. Nilla wafers are also good, but you will get more crumbs. Fruit snacks are great, as mentioned above, because they involve a lot of chewing and swallowing as well as tasting good.

They only problem I have had with fruit snacks is that my son will try to shove 10 in his mouth at a time (he is 14 months) and will ask for more even if he has 3 in his mouth already.