Starting to panic-trip in 36 days with a 17 month old!

[tara98]

Ok, the countdown has begun! 36 days and now I am starting to panic because this will be my DD's first plane ride (3 1/2 hous). My DS was 3 1/2 when we first took him to Disney and it wasn't too difficult to keep him occupied on the plane...

But how, HOW... do I keep a toddler who constantly loves to run around.. still and calm and quiet during a 3 1/2 hour trip?

I have come up with a few things-the usual suspects such as:

-the dvd player; Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and My Friends Tigger and Pooh will occupy her for a little while..

-Food of coarse..

-Books...

And I am praying that she is tired and not roused too much so that she naps..

Does anyone have anything to add to my list... Like I said, I am getting nervous and don't want the whole plane hateing us for the screaming!

Please help!

 

[TwoRoos]

What about a travel size Aquadoodle? We've taken that on planes a few times. Both of my kids have always liked stickers. I always take a bunch when we fly and they just stick them on paper. Also when my dd flew at that age, I bought her a few new cheap toys (like from the Dollar Tree) and didn't give them to her until we got in the air. She had never seen them before, so the newness excited her for a while. As toddlers, both my girls also liked lift-the-flap books. I would take some of the little bitty board book kind.

I always pack a bag for each of them with airplane activities and snacks, but I don't let them open the bag until we get up above the clouds. When dd was 17 months and we flew, I'm sure I let her have snacks or something before then. At that age you do whatever is necessary to keep them quiet and happy. But now that they are 7 and 3, they wait for the most part. It gives them something to look forward to, and it keeps them from getting bored with their stuff too soon. And one more idea...at their current ages a favorite airplane activity is pipe cleaners and beads for stringing.

 

[cogero]

okay we fly all over and our son is now 22 months. Our last trip we bought him his own seat as a trial for our WDW trips and what a difference that made. He gets snacks and cookies and we bring the portable DVD player with his DVDs on it. He also picked on his sister a bit she is almost 8.

You will do fine. The other thing is DH usually sits behind us so DS can stand in the seat and play peekaboo with Daddy. He also sleeps for a bit now and then which is good.

In November DS is going for his 3rd DW trip and I am not anticipating a problem.

Good luck it is always nerve racking traveling with little ones.

 

[LWatson]

Our little one liked the Color Wonder Markers and paper, spiderman figurine, the peanuts/crackers, etc.

I am worried about our flight in Nov because DH wanted to fly him as a lap baby at 23m, and our first flight is 6hrs. We leave at 6am MST and arrive in orlando at 2pm EST. I'm not looking forward to that. We have 2 stops, but we dont debark the plane. I know he will be asleep for some of it, but I think he really will be bored (as will our 3yr old). And we dont have a portable DVD player just a car one.

 

[lillykat]

We took our then 15 month old DD#1 on her first WDW last sept/oct. She NEVER sits and is full of energy - we affectionally call her high spirited. I brought her car seat, books, dvd player, 2 hand puppets I found at target for $1 each, some sort of crayola toy that draws when you put water in it on a special board, and a booklet type toy with Elmo that is called when I grow up - and it is magnet Elmo and I forget who and they come with these sheets and outfits and you open the little flat suitcase and it is a magnet you put a sheet with a different background down and then elmo (a magnet) and then an outfit on top. It was no larger than a book and kept her very occupied. I also brought a bagel, drinks, cheerios. She slept part of the way and played the rest. I was shocked at how quiet she was - we got so many compliments that they had NO idea she was there and how well behaved she was.

The idea is just to bring as much small items that are brand new to them and switch them out frequently before she gets bored with them so you can bring them out a few times. If she likes to draw those markers that draw only on certain paper are great too.

 

[Belle's Castle]

We just got back from disney with our 16 month old. We were dreading the plane ride because she loves to move around and will not sit for long. However...she did amazing on the flight down and home. I bought the jell window clings and she LOVED them!!! She put them on the window and took them off the window for at least 20 minutes...then we would have juice, snacks, books, and she would go back to the window clings. She also enjoyed little finger puppets and standing on my lap saying hello to anyone who would look at her.

My number 1 tip...put a double diaper on your child. Right before boarding I went to the rest room and put a clean diaper on her and then a second diaper. I am sooooo glad I did this because she drank so much when we got off the plane both diapers were wet. Our flight was 2 hours 40 minutes and I refuse to use airplane restrooms unless it is an emergency. (I think they are gross!!!). Typically I would have changed her within this peroid but I was worried about the restroom on the plane.

Also because she was a lap child (no flames please), I boarded with family boarding, checked the stroller at the gate, stowed the carry-ons, and put some drinks, toys, and treats in the pouch on the seat. By the time they got on (beginning of regular boarding) I just had to get her settled down...It worked great!

 

[MyTwoPrincesses]

We did lap babies at that age - my kids liked to sit on our laps. When my older DD was 16 mos. we went to Dominican Republic, so we had two flights. One was 2.5 hrs and the other was ~ 2 hours. About a month later, we flew to Chicago and that was also a 2 hr flight. My older DD was also extremely active as a toddler. To entertain her, we brought favorite books. She also loved toy phones at that age. Thick crayons are good too with a plain spiral notebook for scribbling. We also would buy some new things that she hadn't seen before. Basically, it depends what your child likes, but bring a lot of different things so she can try various toys//books depending on her mood.

Also, if she likes things like milk, buy it before you get on the plane because you can't get milk very easily. And if she likes warm milk, buy it heated from Starbucks or a similar place - a cup of steamed milk half full and add milk from the pitchers where you fix your coffee. We also brought those little snacker cups and filled them with cheerios, which kept her busy for a while. As for diapers, change her immediately before boarding, control liquids in flight, and don't change diapers unless it is absolutely necessary.

 

[saraheliz]

my biggest suggestion would be not to board at the beginning, when they offer for families with small children to board. have one member of your group stay in the airport with your little one, let her run off the rest of her energy, and then get on at the last minute to decrease your waiting time. i've found if you just let the person boarding know what you're doing, they'll typically tell you when to get on...