Tips for flying with a 1 year old

[magickingdom]

I need tips for traveling with a baby (well 1 year old)! She doesn't like being held for long periods of time--she wants to crawl/walk and explore on her own! I am nervous about our plane ride, Nebraska to Florida. Thank you for any tips or information you can give me. Also we have a graco stroller that she's used since birth the one you can put the carseat in. Anyway it is too big to bring along. Any suggestions on a good lightweight smaller stroller for strolling around in the airport and disney?
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!

 

[two-foxes]

Well, my first tip isn't an inexpensive option, but it will save you a bunch of misery on the plane and also insure that your LO is as safe as possible on the flight....buy a seat for her and bring her car seat for the plane ride. DS has been on 3 flights from Colorado to Florida and other destinations and I couldn't imagine doing it without buying a seat for him and using his car seat. If that isn't an option, bring lots of new toys, snacks, books...anything you can get to occupy your DD. I am not a big fan of letting babies walk or crawl around on the plane, b/c one hit of turbulance can send a LO flying.

Now, strollers. We have a Maclaren Quest which we love because it reclines and is so easy and light to fold up. Those are a bit pricey, but Chicco makes a good umbrella stroller as well at a good price. We found our Mac on ebay and got a GREAT price on it...thats the only reason why we ended up going with that instead of the Chicco. Just look for one with a basket that reclines some and you should be good to go!

 

[CLEO Z]

Well, my first tip isn't an inexpensive option, but it will save you a bunch of misery on the plane and also insure that your LO is as safe as possible on the flight....buy a seat for her and bring her car seat for the plane ride.

Just look for one with a basket that reclines some and you should be good to go!

I second PP's suggestions: Buy the baby a ticket and use your car seat. Your child is used to a car seat and will not understand being buckled in a plane without one and will want to toddle around. When we went when DS was about 15 months, we found that the car seat comforted him. On the Magical Express shuttle you cannot use the car seat (they store it under bus) and my DS was WILD on the bus.

You are about to get a ton of info on specific strollers, but the most needed features are its ability to recline and the ease of folding up, etc. We used a Combi that folded well and had nice handles.

You are also about to enter the "to drug the baby or not to drug the baby" zone. There are strong advocates in both corners. IMHO it depends on your nature, your baby's nature and your pediatrician's advice. Be flexible because your baby could have more or less problems than you anticipate. For me, my son, and my pediatrician, a dose of benedryl was very beneficial for me, my family, my son and all of our fellow passengers. My son has ear problems and reacts well to benedryl. This is not true for everyone, so consult your pediatrician and if you decide to medicate, take a trial run before your trip to make sure your child doesn't go bonkers. We were flying from Northern Alabama and our flight was probably about 1/2 of what yours will be, so your pediatrician may have other ideas.

Bring a lot of finger foods. You'll find that you will care more about keeping her happy than any meal schedule! Something to suck on or get the salivary glands going is helpful for take offs and landings.

 

[all4fun]

Ditto the pp. I never regretted buying my guy a seat at that age and having him ride in his car seat. He was much more comfortable in his seat. He even napped in it part of the way.

As for the stroller, is it too big to bring along because there isn't enough room in the car with all the luggage? Or is it that you think it's too big to check? I have checked bigger strollers several times without a problem. I would recommend bringing the stroller that your LO will be most comfortable in (reclines, has a good canopy for shade, etc), will be easy for you to push and have the "parent features" that will make things easier for you as well (cup holders, storage basket). JMHO. Those features can be hard to find in a smaller stroller. You might also consider throwing the car seat on the stroller and wearing your LO thru the airport. Might be easier.

Ditto the pp about bringing snacks along too. Don't stress, it probably won't be half as bad as you're imagining right now!
hth

 

[princess pooh]

I agree with the PPs about bringing snacks. My son flew as a lap baby for a 5 hour flight when he had just turned 1, and he spent almost the whole time snacking or playing with the containers that the snacks came in. I was dreading that flight but it wasn't bad at all.

 

[TCups4Me]

We've flown with DS1 several times since he was 6 months old and he's always flown as a lap baby. Each time has been way easier than I ever anticipated. We used books, magazines, stickers (lots), snacks (lots!), crayons with small notepad and usually a small surprise like a little car or book that he had never seen before. Just think about what your little one likes. Singing helped ours too! Although we had to do it VERY quietly. Oh, and brush up on plenty of little games that don't require anything but you, your voice and maybe some fingers - itsy bitsy spider, round and round the garden, this little piggy, etc.

Can't help with the stroller - we still use the travel system stroller. We're planning his first trip to WDW this fall so we'll get a new smaller one before that. But our travel system one worked great at the airport and wasn't a problem to gate check.

Good luck!

 

[tiffany2009]

I agree: If possible, buy the seat. It makes it so much easier.

Tried Benedryl once and it made it worse!

Bring a sippy cup or bottle so they can suck on it if they have problems with their ears. Buy milk in the airport before getting on the plane. Sometimes they don't have it.

Snacks are the best. I agre with playing with the containers! And small toys and books.

If your child wants to get up and the seat belt light is off, I would walk up and down the aisles a bit.

Be careful with your drink choice! It may get spilled . . .

 

[stacy6552]

Buy her a ticket and put her in the carseat on the plane. Can't stress it enough. Not only is it a safety concern, but if she doesn't like to be held, everyone will be miserable. As for a stroller I recommend one like this....

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3331820

It fully reclines, has a great canapoy for shade, huge basket, cup holders galore, and you should be able to find a rain cover pretty easily. Its lightweight enough to tote with one hand and the price is good enough that you wont worry everytime you leave it somewhere.

 

[rico974]

We took are DD to Peru when she was one which was last year. What worked for us: we flew knowing the times she would be tired and sleeping. The 5 1/2 hour flight left at 5:30 pm and arrived in Peru at at about 11:00PM. She slept over 3/4 of the way on our laps. On the return flight which left at 7:00 am, which meant we were up early, again she slept over 3/4 of the way. I would time the flights around your childs schedule not when she is most active. Whether you a buy her seat her not if she doesn't want to seat still they won't. I wouldn't waste the money personally on buying her a seat. IMOP.

PS- We bought the Mcalren Umbrella Stroller which was the best thing. Light weight, easy to carry when you have multiple things going. Can't stress that enought.

 

[scootch]

If you already have seat assignments, board AS LATE AS POSSIBLE. That extra half hour on the plane will make ahuge difference. I usually just tell them at the door what I am doing after they have boarded most of the guests, so that I dont' miss boarding..... but it really made a huge difference for me. The first time I flew, i took my girls to disney by myself, they were 2 1/2 and 5.... i was exhausted by the time I got there. So after that flight, I board as late as possible.

 

[tartemis]

Personally, the thought of having to drag a carseat and a stroller was a major pain to us, so we had our DD 18 months as a lap baby. She also was interesting in getting up as much as possible. What helped was to book a bulkhead seat. That way, once we were in the air and and the seatbelt sign was off she could stand and wondering around there without bothering anybody. We did, of course, make a few trips up and down the aisle with her, but I tried to limit it so as to not bother other people.

 

[pilotwife_02]

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE...buy your child her own seat and put her in a car seat.

My husband is a pilot and is a huge advocate of having a seperate seat for children. I know it can be expensive, but it can also be a safety issue.

IF something should happen and you have to make an emergency landing and you are holding your child on your lap you can't brace yourself and worse case scenerio your child could become airborne (there is evidence that this has happened before).

I have also personally witnessed children getting bumped around and getting hurt during bad turbulence.

Even though my 3 year old is now old enough to be in a seat on his own, we will still be putting him in his car seat on the plane since it's much safer.

Plus, like other posters have mentioned most children do better in the car seat since they are used to sitting still and being strapped in.

I know it's a bunch of "what ifs", but it's just so much safer to buy the seat.

Again, I know it can be expensive and if you can't afford it (I really wish airlines would discount children's tix!!), I totally understand. Just wanted to give a different perspective.