Flying with 15 Month Old! - Orange,CA

i know how you feel i will be flying next month with my 15mo daughter too for 7 hours. though my hubby is going and she is getting her own seat. i did fly with my daughter when she was 7mo to wa. where she sat in lap (and thank god the plane wasnt crowded so she could be in the seat next to me). what i did was i brought a few of her quiet toys that she likes and i saw you said you were taking the dvd player (good idea), and lots of snacks (though my baby was more amused with the window and folding table to bother playing with her toys). and what i did about a carry on was only take one bag (her diaper bag that had my wallet and everything i and her may need for the flight) and a backpack so i had a free hand. i think at her age its better to have them in their own seat because they want to run and be down not have to sit. so it kinda helps to have them straped in haha. you may go purchas a new toy that will occupie her (im going to get the leapfrog little touch pad). oh for the diaper changing shoot if you have no one in the row with you lay her down right there. but if there is someone there then what i did was walked to either the front or rear of the plane laid a blanket down and changed her on the floor (or use open seats if its not too packed). oh thats makes me think that may be an option that if the flight isnt packed then you may be able to move seats to where your not sitting by anyone (you also may be able to do this at the desk where you board your plane) good luck i hope your baby flies well1

I flew w/ my DS when he was 18 mos old. First I purchased a product called Baby B'air from One Step Ahead http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId... so I knew he'd be safe in my lap (I actually still have and would be willing to sell it, we only used it twice (going and coming home)).
One of the biggest things that helped us was the fact that I was still b/f'ing, but if your not, bring something she can suck on for ear pressure!
I bought ALOT of small portable toys and would perioidocally bring out a new one when he got board. Check your local dollar stores for these! Books you can read to her are good too.
And finally I bought him some squeeky shoes so if he did get away from me I could hear him, check out: http://www.pipsqueakers.com/ they have great shoes for great prices.
And of course bring favorite snacks and comfort items!

There is something called "Hyland's Calms Forte- for kids"...which some parents use when they have plane trips. It helps kids to calm down and/or sleep. It's homeopathic, so versus using Benadryl.
IF your child needs help sleeping on the plane.

I don't know that it can be used with a 15 month old. So maybe check first.
Here is a link on it:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_hpc?url=search-alias%3D...

I have never traveled by myself on a plane, so sorry I don't have any help with those details. But, I know parents who have used Calms Forte when traveling and they said it was very good. Being it is homeopathic, it will either work, or it won't. But there are no contraindications with it. You can probably get it at any "natural food" type stores.

Good luck,
~Susan

A couple of weeks ago I flew on my own with my 14 month, 4 year old and 6 year old and we did fine. Have a favorite blanket in your diaper bag, a few small toys and books, some snacks,and be sure to allow your baby to nurse, bottle or passy at take off and landing to equalize their little ears. We also had a window seat that worked well. We flew American Airlines and their was a changing table in the small bathrooms on the plane, and you can always put the carseat on your stroller and put the baby in a carrier if you think you might get to use the car seat. Worse case you will check the carseat at the gate.