Tips for flying with a toddler

[kaa1187]

Our Disney trip this year means our 2.5 year old's first plane ride! We are flying from Boston to Orlando, which is a little over 3 hours. Of course there we no flights during his 'nap time', so most likely he will be awake unless we're able to tire him out beforehand lol. Does anyone have any tips on making life a little easier when flying with a toddler? Also, any activity ideas would be great! He has a LeapPad, but I doubt that will keep him occupied for long on the plane. Thanks!

 

[puffkin]

-ipad with kid friendly headphones
-sticker or magnet books
-a few match box cars/happy meal type toys that if get lost don't matter
-snacks. Something you can dole out a small piece at a time.
-at that age, the window shade on the plane seriously bought us about 10-15 minutes of time
-looking out the window....seriously, don't overlook this. There are so many things to look at on the ground at the airport. Play I spy, watch the luggage, etc. On take off, watch the buildings and cars. Same on landing. Save all the "stuff" for when there is nothing to look at outside.
-more so on the way home, looking through pictures on the camera or watching trip videos
-games on the cell phone (since he is NEVER allowed to touch it otherwise)

I travelled a lot with my DS8 as a baby/toddler and now with DS20 months. Honestly, the less you can take the better. I just can't believe the amount of stuff people bring on planes. With a baby/toddler, keep it to a bare minimum and check as much as you can. It is stressful enough you don't want to be worrying about tons of stuff.

 

[kaa1187]

great tips-thank you! In your experience, did your childrens' ears hurt at all during take off? Not sure how I would handle that- fruit snacks? (no gum)

 

[Nathansmommy]

we took DS to disney last month and it was his first plane ride as well, he's 2 years and 3 months. I brought my tablet with all of his favorite shows, coloring books, crayons and stickers. He didn't show any sign of his ears hurting at all, he did sleep most of the way though lol.

 

[blackpearl77]

Target sells those ear plugs things for the airplane. They have adult and child size. I bought them for my 2.5 years old when we went in case the pressure hurt his ears but it never bothered him so we never used them. I think they are called earmates. You could get them just in case they were around $5 so if you don't need to use them no big money loss. But the pressure didn't bother my son at all. We did buy a bag of dum dum lollipops since I read that sucking on lollipops helps with the ears since they are too young for gum. So he did have a bunch of those!

 

[ebradley23]

Stickers, colors, playdoh and one new (or forgotten about) toy. Pull them out one at a time. Wait until your lo gets tired of one thing before getting something else. I always carry my iPad with movies as a last resort, but I've never had to use it. I was always afraid the time at takeoff at landing where you have to turn them off would cause a meltdown. With the new rules allowing electronics throughout the flight, I would be more open to letting him watch movies. Applesauce squeeze packets are good for snacks. My lo has tubes, so we don't have to deal with ear popping issues. Jaw movement releases the pressure, so any chewing should work to help. Maybe something extra sticky like those peanut butter dipping things. That should ensure plenty of jaw movement.

 

[kaa1187]

Thank you everyone!! Awesome ideas

 

[Betty Rohrer]

for crayons I would get small plastic box to hold extra crayons instead of the regular box as they will roll off the tray table. would be careful with anything that can roll, so you are not playing pick up all the time. get your child used to using earphones with his leap pad as you will need to use them to have sound on. are you planning on using car seat on plane as some have trouble with using tray table

 

[kaa1187]

He will be in his own seat with no carseat-was thinking about purchasing this, but havent decided yet

http://www.amazon.com/Child-Airplan...&qid=1397091750&sr=8-1&keywords=cares+harness


I know it depends on the child, but Im not sure if this is a good idea or waste of $$ for me lol.

 

[glk2009]

For crayons, I'd recommend the triangle ones so that the don't roll off.

We love the Kidz Gear headphones. My DD2 loves hers and they stay on. So far, no ear popping problems for her but we always have a sippy on hand and Dum Dum lollipops for DD6.

For some reason, DD2 loves post its (stickers and drawing paper combined!) and rubber bands (big ones that she can put on her wrists and ankles - don't ask!).

For our upcoming trip, we are bring sticker sheets for her, paper and crayons. Plus the rubber bands and post its. We might bring her a handful of Duplos that she can stack and take apart, repeat. And we will probably bring some coloring pages printed out.

Safe travels!

 

[Betty Rohrer]

forgot earlier but another color option, the special markers that only mark on special paper or books

 

[kaa1187]

Great ideas!! Thanks all

 

[Moniqu17]

We bought the airplane harness for ds who is 2 and he won't wear it. He has flown a few times and we have tried to use it twice now. He loves flying but not if we try to use the harness lol. Definitely depends on child.

 

[Moniqu17]

We usually go to target and shop their $1 section for a few small new toys/trinkets to take on the plane as well. Pull a new one out every so often and if they get lost oh well. We bring a few others from home too.

 

[T4K]

My kid (now 3) flies all the time and she's content on her iPad with headphones (you can purchase on Amazon) and lots of fun snacks that we don't normally have.

If you are already taking a car seat, consider bringing it on board. My kiddo is so content in hers. She knows exactly what's expected of her while she's in one so it's easy peasy for me.

Flying with my kiddo is one of the most relaxing things I get to do! No joke! I mean, I get to drink a coke in complete peace without the outside world bothering me. Score.

 

[teambeaman]

My DS3 has been flying 3-4 times a year since he was 4 months old...if you could bring the car seat on board, it will help immensely. I also pack some lollipops for take off and landing and he's never complained that his ears hurt. On our last trip, he had a magic coloring pad (the marker is white, but when you color on the page colors appear) and that kept him busy for at least an hour. We also bring small board books and I raid the Target $1 bin for flash cards, puzzles, and anything else I can find. He puts it all in his little backpack and carries it on board (I keep the lollipops). Good luck!

 

[esquared221]

I've flown from NH to Fla with toddlers a few times and more recently I was crazy enough to fly to San Diego with my kids (DDthen6, DS2.5). I'd highly recommend fruit snacks and a juice box or sippy cup (filled after the security gate) in case his ears start hurting. My kids don't seem to have much of a problem with this but there was a family with 2 very young girls on our flight to San Diego and the older of the 2 screamed and cried almost the whole time because her ears hurt. I felt sooooo bad for that poor little girl and her distraught parents and honestly almost punched the snooty lady in front of them that kept giving them dirty looks. Anyway, I digress....

I also recommend a "goody bag". I purchased several small, inexpensive toys and snacks and packed them into a little bag like you'd use for a birthday party goody bag. My kids LOVED it. My daughter couldn't wait to show my husband what she got on the plane when we met him at the airport I have avoided crayons and the like on plane trips in the past because 1) my kids don't sit and color for long when they are that young and 2) a crayon dropped on the floor and caught under foot could be dangerous. Books and tablets are perfect though. My youngest played puzzle games on our Kindle until the batteries died

 

[Corey127]

He will be in his own seat with no carseat-was thinking about purchasing this, but havent decided yet http://www.amazon.com/Child-Airplane-Travel-Harness-Restraint/dp/B0012E4FV8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1397091750&sr=8-1&keywords=cares+harness I know it depends on the child, but Im not sure if this is a good idea or waste of $$ for me lol.

This really doesn't properly fit kids until closer to 4, despite the description. If it doesn't fit right he can slide out the bottom if there's bad turbulence or if he is wiggly. I really recommend bringing a car seat, if you don't want to bring your usual one, you can get a cosco scenera ( very light) at walmart for $39. Then either bungee it to a carryon or get this

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000JHN3AS/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1397175918&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40


He might even nap in a car seat!

 

[kaa1187]

We would rather not take a carseat-ours is way to big to lug around travelling (Graco Nautilus 3in1) and dont want to purchase another for a one-time use. My son is almost 38 inches tall and 33lbs (as of last week) so I dont think the harness would be a problem based on the specifications. Hes pretty good at sitting still if he has activities to keep him busy. I understand we'll be in a new environment, but Im going to try my best to keep him occupied. If the harness doesnt end up working out, Im sure he'll do just fine with the regular seat

 

[baseballnut]

Ditto the suckers. And we've flown without the car seat, excited to not have to bring it to Disney!

Also...finger puppets. Pieces cut out of felt to stick together to create things. Snacks. Puzzles. Memory match game. Pictures. Disney books. And stickers - along with something to put the stickers on!!! Notebook, lunchbox, whatever.

Have fun! Talk up the airplanes before and you'll have fun!