Flying with active 2 year old

[NewEnglandCamper]

My son is an active 2 1/2 year old and we are deciding how we should travel with him. We have a flight form NH to Orlando with a stop in Charlotte.

Questions:

* Do I need (or is recommended) to bring a car seat on the plane? Is it true it has to be in the Window seat position?
* What should I bring him to keep him occupied?
* Can I bring a stroller as a "carry-on" item.
* With the liquid restrictions does Manchester, NH (MHT) airport sell milk after security so I can fill up his cups?

I'm thinking that we could stroll him between connection gates vs. carrying him. He probably wouldn't walk (or at least not fast enough to make our connections).

Any hints, ideas, etc?

 

[mla2177]

We took my very active 2 yr old in July, we did buy him his own seat, but did not take a carseat. We gave him Benadryl (recommended by his pediatrician to help with the ears popping), and that seemed to wipe him out. He laid across the seat and fell asleep.

We also took him in the stroller and kept him in the while waiting so he didn't get ralled up before the flight (we occupied him with food and books), then right before you board the plane, a flight attendent will tag it and put it below the plane. They had it waiting for us when we got off the plane. Very easy.

Good luck, I hope this helps!!!

 

[NUHuskies#1]

Benadryl- late flight. Works every time. Mom to 3 (very active at one time 2yo) boys.

Edited to add:

See if you can get on 8:00PM Direct Flight from Manchester to MCO. That's the one we take.

 

[Valentine]

Hi there! I just took my 2 1/2 year old nephew ... and after reading the MANY MANY debates here on the boards regarding taking or not taking the car seat.... I opted on Taking it with me. Yeah.. we had to carry it... so what! We also brought his stroller.. and I put the car seat onto the stroller and pushed it through the airport... and he walked alongside me. We put our carryon's in the basket and on the handle of the stroller.. and yeah.. it was a bit of a pain putting everthing through security.. and keeping an eye on him... but it was soooo worth it on the plane. Consistently you read that kids recognize that their car seat is where they have to sit still and usually fall asleep. Worked like a charm for me. He was asleep before takeoff!

I also brought a portable dvd player.. and stickers for when he was awake...

So.. answer is.. go with what you know... Have fun!

And Yes.. the car seat must go in the Window position...

Kathy

 

[PatsMom]

The car seat always helped with DD when she was young. She knew the seat meant that she had to stay put. There were no portable DVD players back then or I would have bought one! We flew out of MHT last week. You will definitely be able to buy milk after going through security. I know that there is a McDonald's that will sell the small cartons. There is also at least one other place that sells beverages because we bought bottled water there - I can't remember if they had milk though. Agree with the other poster who suggested trying to get the direct flight - even if it costs more, it is worth it with a kid that age. It gets you there quicker!

 

[KristinU]

Yep, another carseat vote from me. DS is just so comfortable in his and he knows that once he's in he has to sit still. Another plus of the carseat is that he can see out of the window better...and if your DS is anything like mine, he'll love watching all of the ground activity out the window before takeoff - trucks, trams, conveyors, people heaving luggage, etc.

In flight we like stickers, books, and pipecleaners. I was wearing my fancy pipecleaner glasses for quite a bit of the flight on our last trip - but it kept DS happy! DVD is always a sure bet and will trump everything, so we bring one but use it if we've played with everything else.

Another tip that works for us is to tell DS that the person in front of him doesn't feel well and needs to rest so he shouldn't kick or push on their seat. That has worked fro travel at almost 2 and at 2 1/2...I'm wondering if we'll get another trip in with that excuse or if he'll start catching on that *everyone* that sits in front of him doesn't feel good!

Oh, and if you want to go with benadryl - make sure you try it at home first...some kids get hyped up from it rather than get sleepy. This is a touchy subject - some people would never dream of "drugging" their children, and others have had their pediatrician recommend it. Ours recommended it and we tried it for our first flight with DS, but it didn't seem to do anything either way for us.

You'll do great! Have a fun trip!

 

[NotUrsula]

Yes, if you use the carseat on the plane it has to go in the window position. It also cannot be placed in the row immediately behind the exit row or the row immediately in front of it.

If your child has not flown before, I would be *very* careful about giving him milk immediately before or during the flight. While dairy does not cause airsickness; if he gets airsick the milk in his stomach will make the experience much worse than it would otherwise be. I recommend sticking as much as possible to water or clear juices when flying.

 

[NewEnglandCamper]

. Agree with the other poster who suggested trying to get the direct flight - even if it costs more, it is worth it with a kid that age. It gets you there quicker!

This isn't an option. Our 5-6 hour flight with a stop over will be well worth it. Originally we were going to drive down (21 hours!!!) in my mid-size car, however we found discounted airfare through travelocity.

 

[NewEnglandCamper]

Benadryl- late flight. Works every time. Mom to 3 (very active at one time 2yo) boys.

Edited to add:

See if you can get on 8:00PM Direct Flight from Manchester to MCO. That's the one we take.

We will ask our doctor about Benadryl! Also a NU graduate (1992).

If we take a car seat one of our other children will be upset that they won't be able to lookout the window. So we will have to decide whether we will do this or check it.

We have "recommended seats". I'm hoping the airline will honor this. Has anyone had an experience where you thought you had specific seats but your kids were sitting in a different location?

 

[NewEnglandCamper]

Can I bring Playtex Cups full of milk through Security with my toddler????
If they can't be filled can I bring them empty??? I have read conflicting information.

 

[CleveRocks]

Can I bring Playtex Cups full of milk through Security with my toddler????
If they can't be filled can I bring them empty??? I have read conflicting information.

Bring all the empty cups you want. The restrictions are on liquids, NOT on vessels that can hold liquids but are currently empty. So bring the empty sippy cup, then buy milk or whatever AFTER you pass through security. As long as you purchased it AFTER security, you can take on any liquids you want.

then right before you board the plane, a flight attendent will tag it and put it below the plane. They had it waiting for us when we got off the plane. Very easy.

This is called gate checking your stroller. It is a very cool thing. But please don't wait until you walk down the jetway and are ready to board the plane to try to arrange this. You will cause yourself an unnecessary delay, as well as the crowd behind you. When you arrive at the gate area, go up to a gate agent (NOT a flight attendant!!!) and tell them you will be gate checking your stroller. They'll give you minimal paperwork, like a tag, to fill out. They'll tag your stroller. When it's time to board, wheel it down the jetway, and just before you enter the plane, go off to the side, fold up the stroller, and simply leave it there. A "ramper" will take it down to the tarmac and load it into the belly of the plane. After your plane lands, a ramper will bring all of the gate checked items to the beginning of the jetway, and you'll see them when you first exit the plane and enter the jetway. Since you're flying to and from Orlando, you certainly won't be the only passenger gate checking a stroller.