Occupying a 1 1/2 on the plane?

[jpeka65844]

DH, DS, and I will be "going home" to VWL in March. I'm VERY nervous about the plane ride with DS, 1 1/2. DS is a really good boy but sitting on laps/ not being able to go, go, go might be a challenge. What are some things you do to distract/occupy your kids that young?

We're hoping to book on MidWest Express Airlines which seat 4 across so we dont' have to annoy a stranger sitting directly next to us. But do you do anything nice for the people around who you might have to suffer your cranky baby?


Denice T.
Olathe, KS

 

[mickyfan1]

I hope it works well for you.

We took my 1 year old Granddaughter this past May. I regret not getting her a seat and bringing her car seat. I will never do it again. My GD does not do laps well. It made for a very stressful flight.

 

[Whosemom]

This "ain't no lie" My pediatrician said, "A little benedryl before a trip never hurt anyone"

I know I have had my kids on the airplane when they were that young. And I remember really worrying, like you are. But I can't recall ever actually having a problem on the plane. Seems like some over acting of "wheeee isn't this fun" was called for on take off. Other than that, car or airplane trips have always included Mom's Top Secret Bag full of NEW TOYS!!! (little things from the dollar store) and GREAT SNACKS!!! (stuff that takes a while to eat ie lots of little peices, raisins, cheerios, maybe get wild and include friut loops) Novelty is the key. But it seems to me something about the hum and the weird air pressure encouraged them to sleep.

OH hey! I just remembered. We had one little commuter plan connection once. The seats were 2 on one side, and 1 on the other. DH had DD#1 (only child in existance at the time) and she cried. It was amazingly easy to pretend I didn't know them as we were split up. teehee. so last tip - pass the buck.

 

[shannonh]

We took our 1.5 yaer old last year..The airport was a mess, she just wanted to run and run. I just followed her around til it was time to go. The plane was much better.We bought her a seat and took her carseat. I only did this, because I didn't think she'd sit on my lap. She loved the ride and actually fell asleep on the way there and home. I took new toys, her juice cup, favorite blanket and a video now, so she could watch and play with the buttons. For the time she was awake, those things worked out well.
I've heard some people say they take window clings so the child can put them on the windows. I'd say whatever your child likes, take it and a lot of it.

 

[Ariel8676]

Some new play things,maybe make a friut loop necklace and let Ds have fun with it, pipe cleaners are good, some snacks and a drink. When my girls were that small i always put them on my lap, with no problems, i do give my 5 yo a little Benedryl still because she has bad ears,and it helps a lot.
The biggest advice i could give would be 1) make friends with the flight attendants, and 2) DO NOT worry yourself about what everyone thinks..you will just stress yourself out and you son will know there is something wrong.
You are flying to Orlando..there are going to be a lot of children on the flight,If he cries..big deal, he's a baby... and if that bothers someone, then shame on them..maybe they should have chartered a private jet..lol.

 

[NotUrsula]

Well, the nice thing that you do is apologize profusely when you hear sighs or see their eyes start to roll.

If you've purchased a seat for the baby, put his carseat in it. Once in, he won't be going anywhere.

 

[3princesses+aprince]

The last time we flew my dd was 1, I regret not buying her a seat, I think it would have been so much easier and more comfortable. she would at least have had her own space for toys and her own tray. My dd ended up crawling back and forth to me and dh, then we kept handing her to my mom and brother sitting on the side of us just so she could move around a little, she was even crawling on top of the trays, if you can, get a seat for her.
Bring snacks, that's what occuped my dd the most, and new little surprises, we went to the dollar store and bought new little dolls and books.
It won't be so bad, even if it don't go great it will be over soon enough!
Good Luck. Not to mention you will never see those people that are on the plane with you again.

 

[Siouxstone]

We took my DS for his first trip to WDW last January when he was 16 months old. I bought him several paperback picture books; what bookstores call spinner books. They are fairly cheap and I was able to find some Lion King and Nemo ones. We changed planes in Atlanta, so all in all it was four flights total. I gave him a new, unseen book during each flight. The newness of something usually helps keep him occupied.
We did use a car seat as he is used to taking 2-3 hour car rides to bigger cities and to see grandpeople. I think it definitely puzzled him as to why one of us wasn't driving.
My biggest advice would be to try and slim down what you take through the airport. When we go to DL in January 07, I will have only 1 carry on bag. Period. Security check in was tedious enough putting the stroller and car seat through, but I had a backpack with our travel stuff & DH had a backpack of toys. I will definitely combine them next time. But, it's only for the Houston airport. MCO staff totally rocks at getting families through security!
Remember to relax! You're probably never going to see these people again!

 

[CharmedLife]

On Midwest Airlines, if it is on their "Saver Service", there are 2 seats on one side and 3 on the other. When we fly Midwest to Orlando from Milwaukee, this is the type of plane we have. So there is a chance that you could be on the "3" side with a stranger.

If your Midwest flight is NOT the "saver" service, you'll have nice wide leather seats, 2 across. But if it is saver service, the seats will be the size of any other airline, so things will be tighter, and you will not have as much "wiggle" room for a child on your lap.

I know you probably don't want to hear this, but I STRONGLY encourage you to book a seat for your child (children under 2 fly for half-price). We flew several times with both of our kids when they were under 2. Only once did we do the "lap", and we wholly regretted it. Something about being in their car seat, they just know they have to stay seated and be still, just like in the car. When they're on your lap, it's like they're at home and can get off and on at will. Also, my legs fell asleep from having a kid on my lap for so long.

Good luck with your decision! And regardless of how you get there, you'll have a great time when you do!

 

[meghan74]

I traveled from Chicago and Indy to Orlando many, many times with my DD and no help (we usually meet other family members in Orlando). Before she turned 2, I did not buy her a seat and I developed several strategies that worked well to keep her busy and myself sane.

-as others have mentioned, new toys/treats are great. I used to wrap them in tissue paper (not sure if you can do that now with security) just to add a little more suspense and it would take her awhile to open everything

-I once saw a family get on a plane and the first thing the Dad did was hand his son a roll of masking tape. His son spent the entire trip ripping off pieces of tape and sticking it to himself, his Mom, his Dad, and baby sister's carseat. I remember thinking that was a great idea if you had a kid who would understand that it wasn't okay to put tape on the plane itself.

-stickers. my dd would do anything for a sticker and they helped to prevent major break-downs

-bring or rent a portable DVD player and headphones. watch Disney planning DVD or Disney movies. (you can rent DVD players/movies at http://www.inmotionpictures.com/index.html)

-I also used to give my DD some medicine to make her a little sleepy. My doctor told me it was best for everyone involved!

 

[wrldpossibility]

Having flown many times with all three of my highly active sons during this age, I think you've gotten good advice.

The #1 thing to make the flight less stressful is to buy DS a seat. It is really worth the $$. If you can't do that, still bring the carseat and plan to gatecheck it, not check it with your luggage. When you arrive at the gate (not at the terminal), ask if there are any empty seats. Sometimes they won't know until the last minute, but there is often an extra seat. I've never had a problem getting the gate checker to move our seats around so DS could use an empty. Just be prepared to gate check his carseat if you're out of luck.

As far as strangers next to you, I try to start out smiling and lightheartedly apologizing, to set the mood. I try my best to be attentive to their comforts and not be rude. But there's only so much you can do. I've had times where I've had a wiggly toddler (no seat these times) on my lap and the strangers sitting next to us have suffered. I just do my best, and either the person has kids/grandkids and is sympathetic (even helping me and playing peek-a-boo) or they're grouchy. What can you do? Apoligize then move on. Walking the toddler back to the bathroom and letting him play with the sink and soap (and clean it all up) helps too.

Bring tons of new snacks and little new toys. Sheets of those vinyl peel off sticker clings are fun for DS to put on the window and take off again. Colorwonder may be good if he is out of the eating them phase.

Good luck! And no matter how bad it is, you'll get through it! My youngest is just 2, and we have 7 hrs of flights each way to get to Disney next month. It won't be fun, but it's doable!!

 

[MarkBarbieri]

We flew lots of times with <2 year olds and never bought them a seat. It was a little extra work, but it was worth saving a couple hundred bucks. We plied them with a steady stream of new books, toys they hadn't seen in a while, and just plain silliness. We've been fortunate that our kids travel relatively well and our flights were never more than 3 hours.

 

[LuvOrlando]

I would agree with everyone hear but to me the most important thing is to make sure you have a sippy cup and cherios to keep the babies mouth going and ears popping. Nothing is worse, for the baby and everyone else including you, is to hear the baby scream the entire flight because of an earache.

I always gave a tiny dose of Benedryl & a tiny dose of Sudafed on the Dr's orders. Together they help with the ears, the side effect of making a baby who needs a nap sleepy is never a bad thing. Whatever you do don't do the Sudafed alone, its as good as a cup of coffee.

 

[Eeyore Mum]

Just my 2 cents worth

Pack a bag just for them. I would try buying a travel magnadoodle and also some stickers and a notebook to stick them in ( flight attendants have enough to do without unsticking those stickers on the lap tray etc etc!!!)
I would also buy a couple of new books of their fav characters. My daughter is only just getting into Disney but we brought fifi, thomas, tweenies, barney books that she would recognise characters from and also a disney sticker book. (she loves stickers!!!!)
Pack some chunky crayons from dollar tree and a cheapo colouring book. Juice boxes (if allowed through check-in) depending on restrictions. Popcorn is also a hit with my daughter (for the movie)
I also brought her fav comforter and a wee blankie so that she is familiar if she wants to nap.
Most of all dont be strssed if they play up. Most travellers have kids and should understand that you are doing your best. Ignore the eye rolling and sighs. You are going to orlando. Do they really expect no kids to be onboard?????
Any other qus just ask.
Hope this helps, enjoy your trip.

 

[Jaymie]

We've taken our DS when he was 5 mths are 18 months and we'll be going again in Jan 07 when he'll be 2 1/2. We always buy him a seat and bring his car seat. He knows the rules with the car seat and that he can't get out. He sleeps most of the way. But last year, just in case, we bought a portable DVD player. It worked great in the airport while we waiting and for the short time he was awake on the plane. We always pack so much to keep him busy, like everyone has said, snacks, books, stickers, drinks, a fresh new toy. But the bottom line is when he has to sit in the car seat in the car, he can't get out and the same rule applies in a plane as far as he knows. We also use a little Benadryl too, just to stop the possible earache. The fact that it makes him sleepy is just a bonus.

Good luck and have fun!

 

[monorailsilver]

Don't give your ds any fruit snacks or lolipops for a month or so prior to going this way he will want them & eat them.

If you get a ring pop, it should last close to an hour, OK maybe a half hour but I am able to make it grocery shopping with my kids sucking on them & they still have them by the time I check out (well my ds now bites them).

Fruit snacks-you hold the bag & give him half of one at a time (ie rip them in half this way they last longer).

Stickers

Color wonder-don't get the paint since that tends to make the hair oily if they run their fingers thru their hair.

Aquadoodles have small travel sizes that you color the picture (you'd have to board the plane with an empty pen but water is available on board!).

The airplane magazines, my kids love them so we go thru them & look at the pictures-it is amazing how quickly the time flies when you are doing nothing!

Make sure your ds naps if he still does if the flight is not his nap time (does that make sense??) this way he is not extra crabby-but I flew during nap times in 2005 & my ds who was 22 months did not fall asleep until we landed & boarded ME.

 

[all4fun]

Great advice so far.

We also bring the car seat - personally for us it is worth every penny to buy ds a seat (even before he was two) ...but we have very long flights when we go to WDW (cross country). ETA: we "invested" in a $40 Cosco Touriva (aka Scenera) for travel and to use in MIL's car since she babysits frequently for us. It's a great little convertible seat - light and easy to use. I'd recommend one to anyone w/a child under 3 who's looking for a good backup/travel seat. Just thought I'd mention it. The CARES harness is another option: http://www.kidsflysafe.com/

One word of caution about medicine. I was just watching the news and they had a doctor on who said about 10% of kids get wired instead of tired on Benadryl. So I wouldn't use it if it's something you've never tried before.

I've never felt the need to give ds medicine to get him to sleep though. Usually the fact he's strapped into his seat for the most part and the noise and vibration of the plane often lull him to sleep anyway, at least for a couple of hours (well not so much any more, but it did when he was your dc's age).

I have also bought small toys at the Dollar Tree and saved them for a trip. One time a small Elmo figure was just the ticket (after we'd tried everything else) when we were about 30mins from Orlando and ds was having a melt down (long flight, it happens). Always make sure you've got one or two things that your child hasn't seen before.

hth.

 

[whogirl'smom]

We flew across the country when DD was 2 and had her own seat. She only slept on take off of the first trip (non-stop Atlanta to Oregon)! What she played with most was the little paper cups out of the restroom, so I got about 10-12 and let her stack and unstack all the way across the U.S.! We had the coloring books, etc. and nothing was as good as the paper cups! Also, on the return flight, there were so many babies and toddlers, that we all ended up in the back galley with the flight attendants, talking about our kids and getting extra snacks. It was very child friendly, since there were at least 6 of us on that flight. I would think a flight to Orlando would be similar with the number of kids. Good luck!

 

[jenseib]

We are planning on taking a portable DVD plyyer too. She loves Barney and Elmo, so that should keep her occupied.(She wil lbe two in Dec) The other suggestions are great as well, and I think I will take them too.
Benydryl has always made my older kids hyper. Doesn't anyone else have this problem? I never knew it helped with ears either.

I, myslef wouldn't want to bring a carseat. That thing is huge and hard to carry. And I honestly don't have a clue how I would carry it to the plane. DH wants to try and not get a seat for Claire, but I think by the time we go, it she will be two, so we will have to. I could be wrong ,but I still see her sitting on our laps even if she has her own seat. It would be nice if she slept the whole way, but I doubt she would.

 

[katerkat]

For our flight in December (20 months) we have:

*bought a seat and will be carrying on the carseat (we use a rolling folding luggage cart, I'll preboard with the seat and DS and DH will board regular once the seat is installed) - I'm not physically capable of holding my active toddler down anymore, so we buy a seat (granted, we have 12 hours of travel time)

*Color Wonder markers and paper (at home he usually gets crayons so this is new and exciting)

*new Nemo "cell" phone

*snacks, snacks and more snacks

*small cups - he's a stacker

*small box and things to put in and take out

*Travel Magnadoodle

*new books

*we have the laptop with his favorite shows just in case

Also, since we're in planes with two seats across, I booked him next to his dad and me across the aisle, so I can pretend I don't know them. :

We don't give him Benadryl because it doesn't make him tired. He naps a bit, but not the whole time. Our biggest problem is keeping him from kicking the seat in front - the carseat puts his toes right against the tray table. (Oh, also, our carseat puts the toddler up pretty high, so the tray table is unusable.)