Flying with toddler

[la79al]

In December it looks like we will be flying with an 19 month old. I don't plan on getting her a seat. I'm not sure what I plan on doing with her stroller (small travel system stroller). It will be my sister and I and probably a pretty small diaper bag. DD has not flown yet so I have no idea what to expect and I have not done the airplane with a baby thing before so I am a little lost. I know when we took along a booster seat 4 years ago it was a PITB. We're using DME this time though so no carseat Any tips, suggestions, etc? TIA

 

[sabrecmc]

Snacks. Lots of snacks. But easy-on-the-tummy snacks like Cheerios and saltines (which will help her drink, which helps her ears).

My now-3-year-old is a professional air traveller at this point. Try to schedule flights around naptimes, if possible. Juice (you must buy it after you go through security) for take-off and landing to help the ears pop. I also use some of that Simulac Earache rememdy stuff to put a few drops in her ears just in case.

19 months may be a bit young for a portable DVD player, but it can be a lifesaver. I think my daughter was over 2 when I got one for her though. Stickers are wonderful for a 19 month old on a plane.

You will gate check the stroller, so you can use it in the airport.

I do still recommend a carseat if at all possible for a couple of reasons. First, it is obviously safer on the plane. Second, your child is used to it and it keeps them from wanting to roam the aisles. Still, I flew without one on one trip when my daughter was a year old and it was fine (and still safer than driving). You'll be fine. People do it all the time! It is nice you'll have help. My motto when flying with my child is that I'm in charge of her and the other person is responsible for everything else, lol.

 

[adventure_woman]

You can just gate check the stroller right at the airplane door.

DVD Player - that is a LIFESAVER! I also bring other stuff for my DD, but we never use it, only watch movies. Get episodes of her favorite show (Mickey Mouse, Little Einsteins, etc.)

The only thing - a small diaper bag? I bring so much stuff with us. Change of clothes for everyone (who knows when baby will spill something on you). Lots of diapers. Stuff for the first couple of hours in your hotel. (Our luggage didn't arrive one time until 5 hours later. By that time, it was bedtime, so i was glad I had packed her jammies, blanket, bear, etc.)

When my DD rode on my lap, it was actually a LOT easier than when she turned 2 and HAD to sit in her own seat. She was NOT a fan of that, especially during takeoff and landing (I was not allowed to hold her, and we didn't have her carseat).

Flying isn't hard with a baby (I have even done it by myself twice (at 8 weeks then almost 2). The good thing is, you are going to Orlando, so there will be TONS of kids on your flight.

 

[adventure_woman]

Juice (you must buy it after you go through security) for take-off and landing to help the ears pop.

FYI - you are allowed to bring a certain reasonable amount of juice with you THROUGH security. Whenever we go through Orlando, they have to take it to be tested to make sure it hasn't been opened, but with babies that is allowed. BUT, now that I say that, I'm not sure until what age. My DD was 2 yrs and 3 months in January, and we didn't have any trouble bringing through 2 bottles/containers of juice for her (the little 8 oz bottles or juice boxes you can buy).

 

[sabrecmc]

FYI - you are allowed to bring a certain reasonable amount of juice with you THROUGH security.

Yes, you're right, of course. It has been so long since I've had an actual baby to go through security with that I forgot you could do juice as well as forumla/breast milk. I generally find it much easier nowadays to just buy her some juice once through security, but back in the day, I did have her sippy cup filled with juice and it was never a problem so long as you tell them about it up front.

I don't know at what age a child is no longer considered a 'baby' eligible for this special exception...perhaps once over 2 years and no longer an "infant"? Good question.

 

[Nissan_Rogue_Squad]

But I'm not sure about the car seat thing. I've seen many people use them on airplanes, but our DD who is 3 and flown on 3 separate trips has never used one. She didn't like the fact that she had to sit in her own chair this past trip, but aside from take off and landing she was able to spend time cuddling with either me or mommy. And the reason I say about the car seat is that I believe the FAA doesn't approve any car seats, but does recommend another type of restraint, info can be found here. http://www.faa.gov/passengers/fly_children/

Also DVD's are a must. I'm not sure what I'm going to do for our up coming trip as our DVD player is not DOA and I know she's going to want to watch something. Look for children's earphones (smaller in size), and also a splitter so you can listen too, that way you can make sure it's not too loud.

Other than that everything else that everyone has contributed is good, just take it all in and use what you need based on your child. Some are easier to travel with than others... For instance my DD is wonderful to travel with... my DW on the other hand

have a great trip!
Jason

 

[la79al]

Thanks for the help guys. I am really hoping that heading down we will be leaving early enough that she will sleep through most of the flight and the plan is to tire her out so she sleeps through the one coming home too . I will definitely remember to grab the DVD player though. And she will probably be as happy with water as juice so hopefully that part will be easy. And I'm sure once I start to actually pack the diaper bag, it will end up being much larger than I am envisioning.

 

[woodkins]

Okay...please don't beat me up too much here, We have taken our dd (now 6) to WDW 2-4 times a year from about 9 mos old. We always fly from NY to MCO & I always buy her a seat. I cannot imagine having to sit for 2-3 hours with myself, a baby on my lap and 2 other people in the tight confines of the 3 plane seats across. I would especially feel sorry for who ever the 3rd person is assigned to that seat. I know I wouldn't want to be squished in to 3 seats with two other adults and an almost 2 yr old.
We always brought a car seat for her until she was in a booster style seat, which we then checked with out luggage. Certain car seats are approved for aviation use (we had a Britax brand) and the flight attendant helped us buckle it in, they were very experienced. We used the same rules as in a car, if the plane is moving she needed to be in her seat. It was very easy & comfortable for all of us. I brought lots of snacks, markers, dvd player etc. Lollipops are also great for takeoffs and landings. I would also check your stroller at the gate, they bring it right back up to you so that when you deboard the stroller will be there waiting for you.

 

[ericalynn1979]

I highly recommend a car seat for several reasons, first and foremost being safety! The FAA does recommend children be in restraints (and there are several FAA approved car seats out there, contrary to what Nissan_Rogue_Squad said), but if your child is a good car rider, it will be something familiar to them, rather than the unfamiliar traveling in your lap. Also, if your child is anything like mine, it takes the car seat straps to tie them down so they're not climbing all over everything!

My kiddo has flown several times, from 12 weeks on, each time I've taken an FAA approved car seat, and she does extremely well.

At 19 months, a DVD player is probably a good idea. My 15 month old watches one on extremely long car trips.

Finally, make sure you keep up to date with all of the FAA regulations for air flight. They are likely to change their rules at the drop of a hat. And have your applicable rules about milk/juice that can be carried through printed off of the TSA website and take them with you, just in case a security guard gives you a hard time when you're going through. Unfortunately, not all of them know all of the rules about flying with liquids.

 

[AmyBWV99]

Not all car seats are FAA approved but if you bring one on you have to prove that it is by the sticker on the back/side that says "FAA approved for aircraft" they will not allow one without the sticker to be installed but most are if you decide to take one with for her own seat.

We have a 20 month old and our last flight to WDW he was 18 months and he was a freaking monkey. He's a busy kid anyway on the way home there were empty seats so DH took DS#1 who was in his own seat in his car seat out and sat him next to him belted we strapped DS#2 in and relaxed. So happy in October he'll have his own seat in his car seat! He fell asleep instantly once he was teethered and didn't feel like we were holding him back. He never got a full on fit working but we weren't far off. This was the first trip it was an issue we've always flown our under 2 year olds as lap riders. DS#1 was mellow and content to sit on laps and DS#2 was on all his previous flights but once he learned to walk well that was that he wanted to be mobile. period.

Night diapers! I have been leaked on more than i care to remember till it dawned on me to use them for night AND travel. They drink more for ears and they, well you know more.

Spare outfit, a must. If you're ME take at least as many diapers and wipes as you think you'd need in a day. 5-6 you'll be without your checked bags for who knows exactly how long.

Just buy your juice after security I can promise it'll seem like a blessing to have 1 less thing to throw on that belt.

I pack our stroller in it's travel bag, gate check it and stuff anything that'll fit that we don't need actually on the plane in it. Like 1 pr PJs, swim suits, incase luggage is a long wait.

DVD player DS#2 while not interested in TV at home has been settled by Baby Einstien, Higglytown Heros, Shaun the Sheep etc in flight since 5 months. I stick to things that are in short segments so it's quick paced and most 'shows' are 10-12 minutes with a DVD being 30-45 minutes total legnth that keeps them more interested when they change often. Plus we found when you get close to landing you can usually wait till the end of one 10 minute segemnt not the turn off midway thru a full legnth movie. Less chance there's any distress about missing it. It's over.

Snack Traps! Love them, they are self serve to toddlers that age and you can stuff them with goldfish, pretzel fish, cheerios, 100 calorie snack pack cookies are a good sized treat, anything small, dry and the cups do not spill. Love them, if they drop you don't have a pile of pretzels at your feet. They make tethers too that you can hook them to your seat so you don't have to fish all over the floor with a baby on your lap looking for the cup. We take them everywhere.

Small board books with flaps, I got a bunch for $1 each at the Dollar General store and Wal-Mart these are great save them and they are new on the plane and that age loves the flap books. We have made it thru take offs and landings studying them.

I can't remember anything else right now hope a couple help!

 

[bigolive9]

We took a portable DVD player with Toy Story and Toy Story 2 (the two movies he will sit and watch without blinking), as well as a lot of books, cars, under 3 Happy Meal toys, a travel magna doodle, and some of those Color Wonder Crayola markers/books. We did not end up needing any of it- DS slept all the way through both flights. We flew Southwest, and sat at the very back of the plane- the engines are louder there, which soothed our son to sleep. Also, our flight to Florida was at 6:45am, so he was pretty tired at that point, and the flight home was at bedtime.

We did use the magna doodle on the Magical Express bus.

 

[kpm76]

Our DD is 2 and we have flown several times with her from 6 months on. She was a lap baby once at 6 months and I was nursing so I essentially nursed to and from WDW and she was fine. From that trip on, we have always purchsed a seat for her. Safety was our top concern but she is a very active child and without a car seat she'd be doing laps up and down the aisle. We change her diaper right before take off and unless there is a foul smell coming from her direction, she does not leave the seat. We bring lots of snacks, books, coloring books etc but honestly she is far more interested in the things in the seat back pocket At 19 months there is no way I'd fly any distance with the child on my lap but that's a personal decision. One thing to keep in mind though is the comfort of other passengers as well. I take DD's shoes off as soon as she's strapped into her seat and I try my hardest to keep DD from kicking the back of the seat of the person in front of her, but if I had to also worry about her on my lap with no restraint, that would be a challenge.

 

[puffkin]

My son flew 5 times before age 2 and we never bought him a seat, he was always a lap baby. We usually fly Southwest and one time the plane was fairly empty so we did use the car seat (had it with for a rental car) and it was a nightmare. He was awful in it, crying and kicked the seat in front the whole time. Most of the time we had an empty seat between us so DS got his own seat anyways as nobody wanted to sit with us

The DVD player works great. My DS was happy just looking at it. He is just now starting to use the headphones at 3. The other thing that completely fascinated him was the sunshade on the window. He usually plays with that a good 20-30 minutes each flight. Silly really, but it keeps him quiet. We also take a few small cars/trucks for him to push on the table.

Finally we try to do late eveing flights. Although he usually doesn't sleep, he does seem much more relaxed.

 

[la79al]

I do have one more question. I have heard that some airlines will let you board first if you have a little one. I would think though that boarding early just means more time to sit on the plane. Experiences or suggestions on this?

 

[taitai]

We have flown extensively both domestically and internationally with our kids and this is what works for us. Buy each and every person in your party his or her own seat. It is much, much easier on everyone. The amount of space in a seat these days is criminally small. The vast majority of children go to their own little Zen place when in a car seat and are so much easier to manage. It is safer.

Have one member of the party go on board early and install the car seat. Whomever has the child should be the absolute last person on the plane. No need to keep the kid on the plane for a second longer than necessary.

Pack every thing you think you will need and then double it. Really. Especially food and diapers. Planes do get delayed. Things happen. I have been in situations where we have been stuck on the tarmac for 4 hours waiting to take-off. If we did not have tons of food, drink and diapers it would have been a disaster. Always bring more than you need.

In terms of toys to entertain your daughter, there again, bring a lot. You know what she likes. Make sure a couple things are brand new to her (the novelty helps keep them engaged) and a DVD player is always a great choice.

I would not "tire out" your child before the flight. Kids who are over-tired and over-stimulated have a harder time calming down. There is enough new stuff on the plane with all the people (especially if you don't get her her own seat...there will be a brand new person in her row) and the noises and motion that you don't want a complete meltdown to occur. Keep the schedule as normal as possible before flight.

Good luck

 

[DISdreamin']

I'm definitely doing a me too here! But I'll include my rough packing list from traveling domestically with our two from birth on.

First, I agree with everyone who said pack, then double it! I bring the following on most trips (depending on whether you have connections, and how many, alter as appropriate):

Change of clothes - one for everyone, definitely two (or more!) for little ones.

Nightwear for the kids - something they can wear on the plane if their first three outfits get wrecked...don't laugh, it has happened!

Night-time diapers for anyone still in dipes, and even for dd who is out of them! I put them on under her undies when we fly. If she has to go "now, now, NOW" when we are taking off/landing/in turbulence, I am so out of luck! Better safe than sorry.

Snacks - goldfish, crackers, apples, granola bars, etc, as well as a VERY few seriously-sweet treat things (small packs of M&M's or whatever)

Ziploc bags - big and small, for breaking down snack packs into more manageable sized portions and for those unfortunate accidents that might happen!

Disposable sippy cups - SUPER IMPORTANT, won't fly without!!!! Nothing worse than a young 'un with an open cup on a *plane* that's bouncing!!! At least two per child, more if making connections. I try for at least one per flight.

DVD player/computer game/whatever entertains them

Kleenex, wipes (baby wipes and Clorox ones), hand sanitizer

Tylenol/Advil - for me. Just in case.

I am sure there are things I am forgetting, but these are the biggies I recall offhand. Good luck, and hopefully it will go great!!

 

[alyssa810]

I do have one more question. I have heard that some airlines will let you board first if you have a little one. I would think though that boarding early just means more time to sit on the plane. Experiences or suggestions on this?
Yesterday 09:30 AM

I think depends on the airline. Our DS has flown exclusively on SW, and their "baby pre-board" policy changed after he was born. The current policy is that if you have group A boarding passes, board with group A; if you have something later, you can board during the "family boarding" time which is after the A's but before the B's board. They do still have pre-boarding but I'm not sure what qualifies as pre-board eligible.

We also had our DS as a lap baby for every flight, and we've been fortunate that on most of the flights there has been an empty seat so we have the extra room. On our last trip he did actually sit in the empty seat with his seat belt like a big boy...hopefully for our October trip he will be as well behaved since we have to buy his seat since he'll be over 2. We never used a car seat on the plane (since we hadn't bought him a ticket), we always just checked it with our luggage, and we always gate checked the stroller.

 

[MegaDisney]

Sorry, but the best thing you can do is to buy that child a seat. We flew this past weekend (about 1 1/2 flight) and the couple in front of us had a child that looked to be about 15 months old, and he did not have a seat. This kid SCREAMED pretty much from take-off to landing. The woman in front of them turned around and said it was probably his ears, but I heard the mom clearly say that it was his naptime and he just could not get comfortable. This kid was flailing around, kicking his parents, and did I mention screaming?

And to make it worse, we had turbulance so the fasten seatbelt sign was on the entire trip. The parents could not get up and walk around with him at all. Meanwhile, my 2 year-old sat buckled up in her carseat for the flight, and slept the whole way. I really felt for these parents man- they were so flustered and frustrated.

I know you said you did not want to buy a seat but I encourage you to explore the option. It's safer- especially when you have turbulance the way we did. All I could think of during this flight is what would happen to that kid in front of me if the turbulance got really bad? Not worth the risk, in my book. But obviously others feel different.

 

[chaselovesnemo]

Our DS is 18 months old and we have never once bought him a seat. I agree it is the best option; but i just can't bring myself to pay $500 for a seat I am not REQUIRED to have. Ours would fuss just as much, if not more, if he was strapped in a carseat rather than allowed in our laps. Our little guy usually just falls asleep in daddy's arms. Try to sit right over the engine where it is loudest. The noise will help him fall asleep and also drown out his crying (if he does cry). What has worked out for us is having DH board first to save our seats (if you're flying SW) and DS and I board right before they close the doors. Let him walk around at the airport- DONT keep him confined to the stroller. Wait to feed him meals until you're on the plane.

We usually fly first flight of the morning and get our little guy good and tired. (This works for some kids; and is a disaster for others!) We usually have to wake up about 5:30 to get to the airport by 7:30. Once on the plane he has breakfast; fusses in daddy's arms for 10-15 minutes; and is out like a light for most of the flight. Bring some new toys for him to play with in case he refuses to sleep. Keyrings, books, pop-links, puppets, etc. Our DVD player has been invaluable. We bring MM clubhouse, Cars, Nemo, and Signing Time (great series if you've never heard of it!). Snacks and stickers help a lot too. Planes are hardly ever full first-flight of the morning and we've always gotten an entire row to ourselves. This helps a LOT. You can even sit baby in a seat for awhile if he likes- just buckle him in tight. Ours was occupied for at least an hour just playing with the armrests and the seat-back tray.

Make sure you bring his passport or a copy of his birth certificate. Our DS had been on twelve flights before he hit age 1 (6 roundtrips) and we were never ONCE asked for proof of age. We stopped bringing his passport after the third trip. Wouldn't you know... on his 13th flight at age 1 SW put up a HUGE stink about us not having proof of age and threatened to make us pay for a seat for him. He was barely walking... and no WAY was he 2. It made me furious! They ended up letting it slide; but make SURE you bring that. Particularly for a 19 month old.

It will be ok... just remember the flight doesn't last forever!