Tips for Flying and Disney with a 2 year old?

[todzwife]

When we went with a tiny one last time, she was 6 months old. I've also gone with a 13 month old who couldn't walk.

What do you do with a young kiddo who CAN walk, wants to walk, is very independent and doesn't love the stroller?

And any tips on flying with this 2 year old would be appreciated too...it's been almost 6 years since we've flown.

 

[SweetMissy]

Don't go! LOL....only kidding, kinda. Our son was 2 at his 1st trip and we wish we would've waited until a little older. He didn't want to stay in the stroller, was cranky due to not having his regular naps and didn't really know most of the charactors. We did have fun but we could've saved the frustration and waited a year or so. However since we now have 3 kids, I would take a 2 year old because we're now used to the craziness, lol. As for flying....we took a portable DVD player, books and some quiet toys. He did great on the plane! Have fun!

 

[ElenaRN]

We just got back from WDW with our friends and their 2 1/2 year old DD.
We took an early flight going and a later flight coming home, so she slept for a majority of the plane ride.
They were also armed with tons of coloring books, stickers, toys etc. We also flew jetblue, so the TVs had Nickelodeon.

As for at the parks, she also many times did not want to be in her stroller. When she wasn't walking, she spent a lot of time on Daddy's shoulders.

 

[DisneyAndRedSox]

I have taken DD to Disney every year since she was 9 weeks old, the one time I got off the plane in tears was when she was 26 months old. That was the last time we put her in a car seat on the plane. After that trip we went out and bought the cares harness so she could move a little more while still being buckled in.

 

[ktlm]

When we took DD to WDW when she was 2, we kept her occupied on the plane with one of those little box sets of 12 small Disney board books. She played with it for most of the flight. Another thing that has worked, is to go buy some small "special" plane toys that she has never seen before. We usually get some type of new Color Wonder set (no mess unless you get the glittler one -Hope the people flying in our seats after us liked "pixie dust"); coloring book, activity book, sticker books, princess paper dolls, pens, paper, etc. Always worked great for us.

As far as the stroller. DD was strong willed, outgoing, fast, independent, and refused to ride in a stroller from the time she took her first steps at 12 months old...except for at WDW. She figured out how big that place was pretty quick and hopped right in. You may be surprised at how quick she decides the stroller is an okay thing once you get there. We definitely were.

Good luck! I loved our trip when DD was 2. It was such a magical trip for her, and I loved watching how excited she was about everything which was all "real" to her at that point.

 

[Moira222]

Our DD was 3 1/2 when we went for the first time and also hated to be in a stroller. We took a mini dvd player and a backpack full of coloring books and story books for the flights. she did very well.

We took our umbrella stroller and were so glad we did. We had a safety harness (aka child leash) but didn't use it much after the first day. We let her walk as much as possible (and put our stuff in the stroller) but she would tire out & then we'd use the stroller. it was never an inconvenience to have the stroller, and having our own meant that she could doze in it all the way to the bus back to the resort, and it was small enough that when the bus was standing room only we could open it and she could sit there instead of standing.

Have a blast!

 

[Queen2PrincessG]

It worked well to get the first flight out in the am. We got ot the airport at around 4am flight left at 6am. DD was awake but feel asleep about 45 minutes into the flight. I gate checked the stroller but was happy to have it so i could strap her in during the monorail ride over.

I had crayons coloring book but riding jetblue really helped. She watched Animal Planet when she was awake and was very happy to do so.

DD mostly used her stoller for naps eating her snacks. We took it with us each day but she insisted on walk/running everywhere.

 

[tsme]

The first time my daughter flew & went to disney was at age 2(2204). We rented a stroller & if she wanted to walk, we let her hold our hand & walk. But she spent most of her time in the stroller. She really preferred that to walking in a sea of people. As for the flying, one trick I learned early on was to go to the dollar store before hand. I bought a few cheap little toys & small coloring books with colors, etc & packed it up for her in her "special" small backpack. But she didn't get to see what was inside until we were at the airport or in the plane. That worked fine, plus I encouraged her to lay on my lap in the plane to rest. The only issue we had was more with the airport security. The lines were very long in Orlando & they had them snaked with barriers & by the time we made it to the screener she was having none of it. She didn't want to take off her shoes or put her pinkie (doll) thru screener. Total melt down. That continued until right before boarding, when she fell asleep on me. So beware of security lines!

 

[amym2]

As far as the plane, take the car seat (she's used to sitting in it in the car, don't make it an option on the plane, she has to sit) and lots of snacks. Mini magnadoodles are fun.

You'll probably find that she wants to walk some at the parks, and that's fine, let her get the energy out. But you'll want the stroller because it's likely that she'll get tired and be willing to sit. When DD was almost 3 we found the stroller was more of a pain than it was worth- she wanted to push it everywhere instead of ride in it. We'd leave it at one place at the parks and know that it was there if someone needed to run back to get it. But we did lots of chasing her and her riding on DH's shoulders.

 

[jeffnpa]

we traveled with a 13 month and a 3 yr old and flew. This may it will be with a 2 almost 3 yr old again. We took along a travel DVD player and let them watch a movie. by the time take off and we landed it took up all the time of the flight.

 

[ctniners]

The first time we went with our son he was 22 months...he was on our laps of course and was good...our flight was 3 hours so he took a nap ate something and we were there...it helped that our plane was leaving at 6:45 am so he was tired...

the next time he was 28 months (4/2011)...this time we brought a dvd player and he loved looking out the window...loved flying...we are going back in feb ...but this time he will have his own seat so it will be easier...we are bringing our 8 month old..that will be an adventure.

In terms of the parks and stroller...both times we went with our son the temp hit upper 90s (October/April)...he did get restless with the heat and waiting for 20 min for some rides..we tried as many fastpass as possible...we also tried to go to indoor attractions to get a break from the heat during the hottest times...on our second trip we took more breaks and went back to the hotel every day to either rest or go in the pool....both times he had a blast and so did we...many times he didnt want the stroller but when he was tired he would give in...enjoy it...one of my fears was the first time in the plane and what if he cried ...what would the rest of the passengers think..well once in the plane we realized there were many kids and babies..there was plenty of crying being done by other kids...if you are flying direct to Orlando chances are there will be other kids in your flight.....have GREAT time!!

 

[Daisy-J&D]

My first advice would be to use a carseat on the plane. We did that with our overactive 21 month old and it couldn't have worked better.

Does your DD like stickers? I went to walmart and loaded up on stickers and got a little sticker book. I handed DD one sticker at a time and she filled up her book! I found that smaller stickers were especially great (although a choking hazard so be careful!) because she really had to really practice her fine motor skills with a sticky little object. She may have stuck 400 stickers on that flight...

As for not wanting to be in her stroller - that was our number one fight. We had to take her in and out so many times thanks to stroller parking. I won't lie, it was pretty awful. I ended up carrying DD most of the trip because it just wasn't worth the battle. The parks were also too busy for her to run around on her own.

 

[Jenny3]

We just got back Friday; I too have a very active, very busy 2 year old who does not like the stroller. He did GREAT at Disney, surprised us all!

I highly recommend getting a good stroller like the Baby Jogger City Mini. The seat reclines all the way back and the canopy is huge. My son doesn't usually nap in strollers, but he did in this one! It was a godsend, honestly.

Also, the parks have themed playgrounds for the little ones to let off some steam and run out some energy - I would definitely plan a stop there. We did Tom Sawyers Island in MK, Honey I Shrunk the Kids in HS and the Boneyard in AK. After we ate, I let him run, then he usually crashed in the stroller for a good hour or two.

Take advantage of Rider Swap! Best concept ever.

I found 2 was a great age - he wasn't afraid of any rides or characters or shows, even the 3D ones.

For the plane, I downloaded movies into my Nook for him, gave him crayons (get the big triangle shaped ones from Crayola) and snacks. Our flights were either very early in the morning or late at night, so that helped too. I didn't bring a carseat, but he did great.

Good luck!

 

[Gemini7]

Excellent advice for traveling with little ones on a plane. When my children were young I always prepared little surprise bags in their backpacks complete with snacks, drawing items, and other items from the Dollar Store. Since all the items were new to them, they usually stayed entertained for a good part of the flight...including overseas flights!

 

[jonesephus]

When we went with a tiny one last time, she was 6 months old. I've also gone with a 13 month old who couldn't walk.

What do you do with a young kiddo who CAN walk, wants to walk, is very independent and doesn't love the stroller?

And any tips on flying with this 2 year old would be appreciated too...it's been almost 6 years since we've flown.

Flight-- by 2, we stopped taking the carseat on flights-- every time she wiggled, she kicked her legs out, right into the seat in front of us. I think I spent the whole flight apologizing.

Find a movie/player they like, at that age it was 30 minute shows for us. And have an arsenal of other distractions-- coloring books, suckers, stickers, little stretchy-squishy dinosaur worked amazingly well one time...

Park-- just be prepared to take a break in the middle of the day. go with the flow and see what works. When we took my YDD at 19 months she would not go near a character for 3 days-- until she met Rosetta and then it was hugs and smiles from there on out. If you are at all worried about them wandering off, I highly recommend getting a "dog tag" made-- I made one for each girl at the pet store with our cell #s on it and put it on a bracelet-- I was surprised how many CMs commented on it, though I know they are trained to look for stuff like that.

 

[taraplus2]

Great tips everyone.....Lots of info. Thanks!!!

 

[quikah]

We took our son at 1 to WDW and at 2 to DL.

We tried to do a bunch of ADR's when we went to WDW, it was a mess, I really wish we would have just done CS. The ADR's only really lined up well with his regular mealtimes once or twice. Even when the ADR was for his usual mealtime we were always waiting an extra 15-20+ minutes (and almost 1hr at Chef Mickeys, that one was terrible). The other times it was constantly dealing with a cranky kid who was either hungry or needed to nap.

We were much more laid back on our DL trip. Only did one sit down meal, and that was only because we lucked into free dinner vouchers because they screwed up our room (went to Steakhouse 55, awesome, $400+ bill for 5 adults, all free!). The rest of the time we did counter service and tried to keep to his regular schedule. Everyone was generally much happier.

Transportation at WDW can be hit or miss. Can be quick to get a bus or you can be stuck waiting around for 10-15 minutes. This is something we learned to plan for after a few days, leave ~1 hour before his usual naptime. If we had to do it all over again I would rent a car. DL was a dream in this regard. Take a 10-15 minute walk and he was in bed.

The plane trip can be tough. Our son will play with the iPad for hours if we let him, so long trips aren't too tough for us, but he still will get squirmy. Try to walk around a bit on the plane when the seatbelt sign is not on.

 

[BNM]

I am in the same boat for our upcoming trip to DL. I am really debating whether to bring his carseat. Last flight we took, he did kick the seats in front, but I CANNOT have him trying to get up during the flight. He feels secure in the seat. We may need it anyway, for the van transport to the hotel.
Somewhere I saw the idea of giving each kid their own box of band aids. Fun to apply to yourself as well as mom and dad. Our two year old will also watch an entire movie, no problem. My main concern is the car seat; what to do? It is such a pain in the butt to lug through the airport and security, but I would hate to need it and not have it......

 

[Missy29]

I am in the same boat for our upcoming trip to DL. I am really debating whether to bring his carseat. Last flight we took, he did kick the seats in front, but I CANNOT have him trying to get up during the flight. He feels secure in the seat. We may need it anyway, for the van transport to the hotel.
Somewhere I saw the idea of giving each kid their own box of band aids. Fun to apply to yourself as well as mom and dad. Our two year old will also watch an entire movie, no problem. My main concern is the car seat; what to do? It is such a pain in the butt to lug through the airport and security, but I would hate to need it and not have it......

I was worried about my ds kicking the seat in front of him also so I choose our seats so that my dh and other ds are sitting in front of us, he can kick my dh's seat all he wants I would get a seat for him, I can't imagine holding a squrming toddler the whole time,no thank you.

 

[maxiesmom]

If you do take a DVD player along for the plane ride (or any toy that makes noise, for that matter) be sure you pack headphones. Most airlines will tell you they are required. And even if you get away without using them for a while, if another passagner complains, you will either have to use them or shut the volume off on the toy/dvd player.

Also, if you can, put a family member in the seat in front of your little one. that way if they kick the seat, they are only annoying someone they know, not a stranger.