First Time flying w/DS's 5 and 17mo-suggestions?

[mommyof2boys]

I've have just booked our first family vacation. Will be flying to Tampa to visit brother for a few days, then rent a car and drive to DW.

I'm concerned with how my DS-18 mo will be on the plane. He's not a great sleeper, and he's FULL OF ENERGY. What are some tips to help with him? I'm sure he's going to want to run up and down the isle of the plane......will the flight attendants allow this (once we are at a cruising altitude)?
Also, I plan on changing his diaper right before boarding, but WHAT IF he has a large, stinky BM on the plane? WHere do I change him? LOL. Are there changing tables in those small airplane bathrooms?
My biggest fear, is that he will scream the entire flight (3 hours from CT)
I'm not opposed to giving him some tylenol to help him sleep, but what if that doesnt work??!!
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
I know some might suggest we wait before taking him on a plane, but I really, REALLY want to go. My older DS will LOVE it and I want to see my brother---he moved to Florida last year!!!!
Love the disboards, I've gotten some really great tips here!

 

[spoiltrotten12]

Why don't you take little colouring books and crayons to keep the little ones occupied? I also took small toys for my DD last year (she is 2 now) and this worked for us. I was very nervous that she would scream through the entire 8 hour flight, but after playing for a bit she fell asleep.

There are normally changing tables in the bathrooms, there was on the plane we were on.

You never know, your DS may surprise you and sleep for part of the flight.

Another thing that may help is try and let your son sleep little as possible before the flight. We tried this with our DD the night before (as we had an 8am flight we had to be at the airport for 4am), but she kept dozing off and we didn't have the heart to wake her up, so it didn't really work for us but you could try.

 

[pbharris4]

Portable DVD Player!! Charge it up before you leave and a favorite DVD or two.

 

[spoiltrotten12]

Portable DVD Player!! Charge it up before you leave and a favorite DVD or two.

ooooooooooo good one!

 

[mommyof2boys]

Great Ideas!!!! Especially about the portable DVD player. My DS 18mo is addicted to the Wiggles so we can bring along one of their dvd's. Thanks!

 

[PlutoPony]

Try to get rid of as much energy as possible before boarding - find an empty gate nearby and let him run around so he'll be worn out when he gets to his seat. Maybe send one parent on with pre-boarders to get his car seat set then get on with him during general boarding so he's on the plane as little as possible. Also, some report Benedryl works to "take the edge off", but for some children it acts as more of a stimulant so try it with your child first to see the reaction. The FA"s won't appreciate him running up and down the aisles I'm guessing- if they're doing drink service the cart will be blocking the aisle. Plus, as narrow as the aisle is a small toddler running would probably be pretty disruptive to those sitting there.

Take snacks and drinks for him so they're available when he wants them, not just when the FA gets to you. Don't have a lot of suggestions for changing diapers on a plane - the airplane bathrooms seem wayyyy too tiny to do it there, especially if there's any turbulence.

Have a good trip!

 

[Hoosier Mom]

We are flying also with an 18 month old. I'm going to pick up some stickers, color wonders markers, and a small new toy for a surprise. I read on the Dis about a mom bringing a roll of scotch tape for her toddler to play with. If it occupies his time, I'll try it.

Also bringing his sippy cup, blanket, and snacks. I thought also I may bring some dum dum suckers. He's not had those before.

My husband likes to wear earplanes for his ears while flying. Has anyone tried the earplanes for children? I wonder if they work or if they even fit a toddler.

 

[LuvTinkBell]

As a mom that is also a flight attendant, I have a few ideas. I second the Color Wonder markers or fingerpaints. I also let my DD who was about 16 mos. at the time play with Play Doh for the first time. I was sitting next to her so I wasn't afraid she'd eat it! She was quiet over an hour and a half.

Some people like to wrap the surprises they bring, then the kids have to take the time to unwrap it, though there is usually paper everywhere and at security if they can't tell on the xray what's in it they will open it...

Lots of snacks, juice boxes, favorite blankie or stuffed animal, and a fully charged DVD player and you'll be good to go. Don't let him see the DVD player til after takeoff, they can't be used for taxi, takeoff, and landing, so we kept ours hidden til we could turn it on.

 

[carone0318]

When our kids were little, I was afraid of how they would handle the "popping" of their ears, the dr recommended giving them a decongestant to help with the "popping" problem. Just a tip!

We always find the DVD player to be a hit and also the gameboys too.

Because you are flying I would suggest that you bring your own snacks/sandwiches/drinks. If your flight gets delayed most planes don't offer much more that pretzels, even if you sit on the runway for 6hrs (our experience last yr.)

 

[nicolem]

When we took DS last December at 17 mos, I bought a bunch of cheap (age-appropriate) toys at the dollar store. The plan was to introduce them one at a time, as he got bored with whatever he was playing with. If he dropped it, we wouldn't stress about losing it because it only cost $1. In actuality, he got bored very quickly by all of them! Fortunately, we also brought our laptop and he watched his Baby Einstein DVD (with no audio) for the last 1/2 of the flight.

For our upcoming flight, I'm going to bring the same arsenal of cheap toys, plus a small Magnadoodle, the portable DVD player with whatever movie is currently holding his attention, and stickers. We're also going to try Benadryl for the first time. My doctor recommends it for flights with toddlers, but I've been leary of trying it till now - I just feel guilty drugging him, ya know?

We also bring juice boxes for takeoff and landing - he usually gets very diluted juice, so when he has a chance for the "real" stuff, he sucks it down quickly. So far that's helped us with the ear popping situation.

Oh, and I had a HORRIBLE experience on our last flight (American) when we needed to change DS. I don't know what didn't agree with his little stomach, but we didn't realize there was a problem until we got on the plane. Before takeoff we asked about a changing table, and there wasn't one, but at the time there was no one seated in the evacuation aisle, so they let us go up there and change him in the floor. Well, 1.5 hours later we've got another mess on our hands (and I mean that *almost* literally), and by this time the evacuation aisle is occupied. We changed him as quickly as we could in our laps and in the empty seat between us, and when we were almost finished, an extremely snooty - and loud - flight attendant came up and said we were "offending the other passengers." He said we would have to take DS to the lavatory to finish changing him. At this point he's got a clean diaper on, but no pants, and there was no way I was going to carry him all the way to the bathroom just to put his pants on! Plus, the "wear seatbelts" sign was on because we were in turbulence, and I wasn't going to risk walking around with DS. And let's not forget about the fact that that tiny little bathroom is barely big enough to hold ME, let alone me and a squirming toddler ...The flight attendant never came back to check on us or to offer to pick up our dirty diaper (or even our cups) - I think he was too embarrassed or afraid of what I might say. I wrote to American when we got back and got a very apologetic letter from their customer care. They said that the flight attendant was very out of line, but that most other carriers don't have changing tables either, so they hoped we wouldn't let this experience affect our future use of American.

We're flying Delta next weekend, and I'm anxious to see if they have changing tables.

Good luck to you! I don't blame you a bit for wanting to go to WDW and to see your brother!

 

[auaci]

My son flew for the first time when he was 4.

We picked up some bargain books at the bookstore and did not let him see them until we were on the plane.

Also, I think we used something called earplanes. These were basically tubes you plug in his ear. He did not complain about the popping ears.

Just a note - When the plane took off he looked at his mama and told her he did not want to do this again.
However, (he is a little girl crazy) when the cute FA offered him a coke like he was a full adult, he was ready to fly again.

Good luck.