How to entertain 15 month old on plane?

[hallesrymat]

I'm just looking for some ideas on how to entertain my energetic little guy on the plane. So many of the toys out there are LOUD and would likely disturb others on the plane. I'd love to hear any suggestions. Thanks in advance!

 

[melissap]

Well I'm eager to hear any suggestions that may be offered since I'm flying to WDW with my 11 month old. However, I do have some ideas (my sis in law flies regularly with her daughter who is 16mos). She said that stickers are always a big hit with her daughter. My SIL sticks them on her own face and her DD thinks it's hilarious (I know this sounds embarassing to have a sticker or two on your face but hey, it's better than a screaming kid, right?). Also, on her suggestion, I am taking a portable DVD player (8 inch screen, bought at walmart for $300, but they do have one with a 7 inch screen for $200). Since the plane is so loud they really are not disturbing and your kiddo probably doesn't even need to hear it. I'm taking Baby Einstein movies, which he loves, but what I'm going to do is take a couple of his favorite ones and put them away the week before, so that when I play them for him on the plane it will be somewhat new.

What about books? Has your little one gotten interested in books yet? Don't forget snacks, snacks, snacks! One thing you might want to remember is to offer your child something to drink during the descent and ascent of the plane..the swallowing will help ears from becoming painful. Hmm, can't think of anything else...hope this helps and I am eager to see other suggestions! Good luck!

 

[moinab]

I'm flying from FL to New England this week with my high-maintenance 15-month old DD. I might bring a few toys on the plane, but I find that snacks (Cheerios, crackers, etc.) and lots of personal interaction (peek-a-boo, Itsy Bitsy Spider, fake sneezes, etc.) work best. It's a lot of work on my part, but it keeps her happy. No matter how much she loves a toy at home, she usually gets bored with it almost instantly when travelling.

My best advice is to get to the airport early, find a sparsely populated area, and let your little guy run around like a wild man. DH and I take turns walking around with DD and our 3-year old DS. This really helps burn off a lot of energy before we get on the plane.

A word of warning about stickers-my DD loves to eat them, so I have to be very careful that she doesn't get her hands on them, because they usually wad up into a perfect chokable size.

Good luck and have a great trip!

 

[wdwdvcdad]

buy a few inexpensive toys. wrap them. bring them in a carry-on bag. on the way down, let the child open 1 or 2. Do the same on the way back. A new toy will help....heck most little ones have a great time with the wrapping paper as a toy.

 

[JonHM]

the best advice we got when we posted this question a few years ago was to visit a dollar store before your trip and pick up a bunch of really cheap but NEW toys. Just be sure to bring them out only one at a time - they'll kill a lot more time that way.

 

[NotUrsula]

"buy a few inexpensive toys. wrap them. bring them in a carry-on bag."

Actually, TSA requests that you NOT do this. They will tear open any wrapping paper that impedes their access to anything they need to examine in your bag.

For a parent's sanity, THE most crucial thing with a child that age is using a carseat. Kids just that age tend to become fascinated by the buttons and switches on the overhead panel, and will do a great octopus impression trying to get to them if they are held as lap babies.

One of the best items we used at that stage were flash cards and laminated photographs. Another good choice is a picture-collection board book; DS wore out 2 copies of Dorling-Kindersley's "My First Little Book of Animals."

If you use a movie player or audio player, use the older-style headphones, the ones with a full band and foam earcovers. An elastic band like a sweatband will hold them on little heads. Toys that have sound have little speakers; you can damp the sound by putting a few layers of stickers over the speaker holes.

 

[frannn]

We took DD1 1.5 weeks after her birthday, and Dr suggested medicating her so her ears wouldn't fill up, I think. We gave her the Drs recommended dosage about 30 min before take off, and she slept most of the way. It didn't hurt that we were on an morning flight, as she takes her naps early. I brought her cheerios, small princess figures (Disney store), a mini see n'say, plastic keys with light and sound, juice, micro meal, and a few books. All of these things kept her happy both legs of the flight. She was in her car seat the entire time, except when she needed changing. She had not played with any of the toys before the trip-I just showed them to her to see if she had any interest & then put them away when she wasn't looking. We are going this Sept & she will be just shy of 2. I found coloring books in the dollar store that have crayons attached. We will be flying Jetblue, so we'll probably be watching Cartoon Network and snacking most of the way there. Almost forgot- I brought her kidclips player and some of the Disney Music clips. This was a big hit as well. We didn't use it on the plane, though. This time, we're bringing her 11 year old sister. That will definetly keep her busy!

 

[DisFam95]

Our ped suggested the meds too for ear congestion..and the sleepy effect is nice too. I gave him the dose of Benedryl before boarding. He cried as we took off and could not be consoled. The more I tried to touch him the more he hollered so I just sat there. A few minutes later he was fine...not sure if it was the noise or what. We brought snacks and books and a travel maganadoodle to draw pictures on but he slept most of the trip.

product I loved for disney was the hip carrier from onestepahead.com We used for our very big 17mo and it was great!!

 

[alloyd1170]

I second the dvd player and headphones if you have one (if not theyve come down in price). How our parents survived without one I dont know! If your child is one who sleeps when the car is moving (like mine) then he/she will probably fall asleep on the plane too. For take off and landings, something to eat and drink really helps with the ear pressure (anything that will cause your child to swallow basically). My son used a pacifier which calmed him and caused him to swallow. And anything that will comfort your child (blankie, stuffed animal) helps.

alison

 

[bubbasmom99]

Thumbs up for the DVD player. This is the one time you DO want your kids to 'zone out'. We flew cross-country a couple weeks ago and had a dead dvd battery on the way there (that was hell) and it was a much easier flight on the way back Not sure if the headphones are necessary - the engine noise was very loud and would hardly bother anyone around you, plus my daughter just likes watching the picture and doesn't mind if there's no sound.

Other things we have brought: mini-MagnaDoodle, flash cards, Crayola Color-Wonder markers and pad, sticker books. Food: goldfish crackers, cheerios, Go-gurt, teddy grahams.

 

[darnold]

We packed a special bag full of "special suprises" in our carry-on. I made sure to let the kids know it was there - but would not let them see what was unside until we were on the plane. I went to Walmart the week before and purchased a Disney reading book, coloring book, Disney markers, Mickey stickers, some bubble gum, M&M's and several cheap toys. Like a reply said eariler, pull each item out one-by-one. Also, while at Disney we collected all the Happy Meal type toys and added them to the bag for the return trip. We had a 4 year old and 2 year old and made the 3 hour plane ride with no problems.

Dan

 

[HenDuck]

Scotch tape
Post-its
clothes pins (the wooden kind)
pipe cleaners

of course, snacks

we took my DS to SF when he was 18 months and the best thing we did was book an early morning flight, wake him up at 5:30 a.m. and then keep him up until the plane took off. then he slept most of the way there.

You may have to let him get up and walk around. I am always worried that my DS will "bother" the other passengers, but then, hey, he's a ticket-carrying passenger just like the rest of them, so if he has to put up with their feet sticking out in the aisles, they have to put up with him running over them as he explores the plane!

Good luck!

 

[mrskay9]

Hi. I wouldn't put a lot of stock into toys. My dd played with ICE for about an hour and a half. Of course, most of it was down my shirt, but hey!

I've never done very long trips mostly under two hour flights. I did use flash cards and dd loved those. But she really loved, like someone else mentioned, personal interaction and the ice.

Don't stress and they probably won't either.

good luck!

 

[pabrady101]

If you do not want to buy a DVD player, you can always use your camcorder if you have one. You just have to record the videos on your camcorder and you can play them back on the display screen. We have a 2.5" screen on our camera and it has worked on a trip to Hawaii with my daughter when she was 2(before anyone had heard of portable DVD players) and with my son on a trip to Disney when he was 2. It make one less electronic device if you were going to take a camera anyway.

 

[Liltx]

PP were mentioning Benadryl, well be careful and talk to your dr. first. We had to give dd Benadryl when she had an allergic reaction (not on a plane, but at home) well she had the opposite reaction and went wild. It was actually kind of scary how hyperactive she got. Totally not herself! It did help with the rash though. Not that you were considering giving it but just to let others know that children can react differently.

We will be flying with our 14 month old in June. We are flying non-stop during nap time. My dh is bring his laptop that has dvd so hopefully that will work if she doesn't sleep.

Monica

 

[dougsmom98]

We took our first son on a 3 hour plane trip to Florida when he was 16 months old. We did not pack much to entertain him, but we did have a brand new lift the flap book. It was a Busy Town book with lots to look at. He was so entertained with all the flaps. It took a long time to open them all and it was a big hit. I think there are a ton of great ideas on this thread and I plan to use some of them for travel with our 3 and 5 year olds, but I'm afraid some of them are not quite age appropriate for such a young child. I don't know about your child, but mine would put everything in his mouth, so stickers, post it, pipe cleaners, "cheap" toys, bubble gum... might not be an option. I think you will be surprise with how little be will needed to entertain your child.
-Amy