Overnight flight with 1 year old?

[mill4023]

Hi all,
I'm planning a trip in late april/early may with my wife and 4 kids (ages 1, 4, 7, 10). We are coming from the west coast so we'll have a pretty long flight. We thought about taking the overnight flight so the 1 year old would sleep. Seemed like a good idea to me until a friend pointed out that if she was fussy, it would be much worse on a night flight because all the other passengers would be trying to sleep.

I guess it comes down to two choices:

1. Overnight flight where the chances of baby sleeping through the flight are much higher but if she happens to be awake and fussy, it will be more of a disturbance to other passengers.

2. Daytime flight where the chances of baby sleeping are slim (she doesn't nap much), but if she is fussy, it won't be as bad with most other passengers awake.

Any opinions or other general advice on flying with a 1 year old?

I'm really looking forward to the trip (it's our first time) but I'm kinda dreading the flights.

Thanks.

 

[safetymom]

I would vote for the overnight flight. Is your child normally fussy at night? If so then I would book the daylight flight or arrange for seats in the back of the plane.

 

[fran99999]

Check with your pediatrition but mine told me to give my DS Benadryl for the flight. It will help the 1 and 4 year old sleep. I still give to my DS6 now. It helps with his ears too. If the 7 and 10 year old have trouble sleeping it isnt harmful unless they are allergic. LOL I take it when I have trouble sleeping. Just dont abuse and not problem.

Remember though if they sleep on the plane they will be already to go when you touchdown. So make sure your ready too

Have a great trip.

 

[pamlet]

ohhh what fun!! laugh

I don't have advice either way on the time of the flight - BUT - has she ever flown before? If not you may find that she'll sleep. My youngest son was a terror - but I'll tell you as soon as the engines started he'd fall asleep. I think it's something about the droning.

A couple suggestions:

If she's still taking a bottle - make sure you have plenty. It helps with "popping ears". If she's not - take her sippy cup and plenty of bottles of juice or water.

Take plenty of Cheerios or other things she likes to eat with her fingers.

DON'T forget diapers... (something about those engines always seemed to "loosen" my son up.. ) by the way - the little barf bags make GREAT diaper disposal bags! They always seem to have spares in the bathrooms.

If she has a favorite stuffed animal - or blankie - make sure it goes along. Also make sure you have it when you get off the plane.

Also - snacks/drinks go for the older ones too. Yes - they bring around refreshments - but kids always seem to want them when they're not coming around. It keeps them occupied!

If the older ones have a gameboy or something - that keeps them pretty busy. When we first started flying we didn't have those things... so we had a whole bag of little cars and stuff to keep them busy. But watch out - those little cars will go rolling quick if the plane is taking off or landing.. Once we had one go zipping into First Class when we were landing. Luckily a very nice passenger held onto it for us.... The point is take PLENTY to keep them busy! Coloring books, reading books, little toys... and LOTS and LOTS of snacks and drinks.

I worked with an airline when my two boys were little so we flew ALOT - believe me there's NOTHING worse than having a delay and the kids are bored and hungry!

 

[Nik's Mom]

We're on the West Coast also, and always fly red eye flights. Our kids fall asleep shortly after take off. If she normally isn't fussy at night, you should be fine. Oh, and I also do the Benydril thing. It helps clear up their nose and ears also.

 

[mill4023]

She is still breastfeeding, so no worries about bottles. She is not typically fussy at night. When she does wake up at night, she always nurses and goes back to sleep pretty quickly.
So I think we've decided to go for the night flight. It leaves at 11pm, so hopefully the kids will be pretty tired. Although I'm sure the excitement will keep the older ones up for a little while.
Thanks

 

[Nik's Mom]

We had an 11pm take off on our last trip. The kids fell asleep in their strollers before we even boarded the plane. The baby (1 year old) never even woke up when we carried him on the plane and strapped him into the car seat. DS, who was 4 at the time, did wake up, but quickly fell back to sleep.
Have a great trip!