Please help. I am in desperate need of some travel tips that will help my daughter who is 14 months old and myself travel across country via plane with minimal fuss. She has quite a set of vocal chords and she gets very loud when she is tired, if she runs out of food that she likes, etc. She may also get very fussy just by being in a different environment and then there is the security checks too. I can only imagine that the difficulty of such a situation may increase in a closed in environment such as an airplane. Last time I flew it was not too bad because at least my husband was there to help but not this time. Maybe some of you might have some tips that can really help.
I would like to thank everyone who sent me tips and advice. Using that information resulted in an overall smooth trip. On both legs of the round trip I received numerous compliments on how "good" of a baby my daughter is. She remained calm and was a great travel companion. Thanks again!
The site http://JustSettling.com has a good section on tips for traveling with kids, it is under "Getting Away". Take a look and I hope it helps. Good luck!
definitely don't feel bad asking for help from the flight attendants or gate checks. if you ask nicely and don't demand anything they usually are very helpful. these people are your allies! if something irritates you find a happy place because if it doesn't roll off your back you will carry it through your whole trip. i'm a single parent so i flew with my daughter alone frequently. if your daughter is crying remember that the mother hears it the loudest and don't freak out. hold her close and sing and rock her and breathe deeply to keep yourself calm; this will also calm her. eventually she will stop.
bring lots to drink and snacks. dress inlayers because it can get cold but if you're sitting on the tarmac waiting to go it gets hot. bring more diapers and wipes than you'd expect to use, a blanket and extra clothes. if you can bring an extra set of clothes for yourself. sometimes all the fluids you're pushing may exceed a misplaced diaper. this happened to me once (i know, gross). i heard that taking colorforms or individually wrapped toys is fun. these can be old toys but wrapping them gives your kids something to do. magnadoodles are the coolest things and come in smaller sizes. favourite books and if you can move to be near other kids then that helps the kids keep each other company (unless the other kids spend the whole flight watching a dvd player). you didn't say whether she would be a lap child or not. check with gate person right away. very often you will have to change seats anyway because of extra oxygen masks and infant life vests and because carseats must be placed by window. different plane models and different airlines have different rules and different flight attendants pay more attention to different rules. don't be surprised if you are shuffled around and stay flexible. if you every use a sling bring it. your baby may like the closeness. if she uses a pacifier have her suck on it for ascent and descent and if she's sleeping tug on it to make her suck as this will 'pop' her ears.
above all else remember that she will react to your stress so keep calm and flexible and she will be more likely to be calm, too. good luck and have fun!
The only thing I can remember right now is to take something for her to eat or drink while taking off and landing to avoid the ear ache. This is ache is terrible for kids.
Take her favorite toys, blanket, etc...good luck.
We took our 15 month old to France and let's be honest, it was hard. We pumped him with milk and food to keep him quiet and he promptly vomited it all up in the taxi. So my suggestion is to not pump the girl with food and milk. I hate to find myself saying this but you may want to consider a portable dvd player.
Also, she will be stressed and cry and the other passengers may hate it,but the flight doesn't last forever, and who knows? Some kind soul may actually ask to help you. If so, you should take him/her up on the offer.
Pam,
I concur with Elaine. Snacks in little baggies, always! The Target dollar aisle often has great items for those "new" toys, like little books, stickers, etc. so you don't blow the bank. My 3 year old has always been fairly active, and the one or two trips we did with her in our laps were challenging, but it's a great cost savings. On international flights, you have to buy a seat, so we found taking the car seat on board a blessing. Your child is familiar with it and knows she has to stay strapped in, so it helps with restlessness. When you have the opportunity, walk the aisles with her. On long flights, people understand. She'll get interaction with the passengers that way.
Something my friend did with her twins was to cut a slot (like a piggy bank) in top of a plastic lid and container and take along items they could put through the slots. You can make medallions out of cardboard or use large checkers, etc.(of course, large enough not to swallow them). Because you can make it out of something in your house, it won't cost you anything extra. Fourteen months is probably the perfect age for enjoying this activity. My friends kids loved it-put in all the "coins" and empty it and start all over. It can even be paper coins.
Good luck!
PS-don't forget to have that bottle or sippy cup full of liquid for take offs and descents. Painful ears are rough!
Lots of snacks! Make sure to have child friendly food, also clean sippy cup(s). Once you get through security buy a couple of bottles of juice/water/etc. Also have a couple favorite toys, and a few new ones to distract her. If she likes to watch videos, you might want to buy/rent a portable dvd player. This worked well for my older son, but my 1 yr old just likes play with the buttons. Also, have lots of wipes!!!!
People may suggest benedryl to "help her sleep". That fine, if you check with your doctor or pharmacist about correct dosage. Just make sure to try it at home a week earlier, sometimes it has the opposite effect and will make your child extra hyper.
If you're flying with her as a "lap child", consider taking her car seat with you to the gate. When you get there ask if you can switch your seat to one next to an empty one. I was able to do this quite a few times. That way, she can fly from the comfort and familiarity of her own seat, and it frees your arms. If there isn't an extra seat available, they can always check it at the gate with your stroller.
Wear shoes you can slip off easily for security checks, if you're using a stroller, put everything (including your shoes) on the conveyor first, then take out your daughter, and fold up the stroller. The secutity guards will help you, if you ask. Also, consider getting an id holder that you can hang around your neck, I know it looks stupid, but you can put your id, credit card, some cash, and your boarding pass in it, and store your purse in your carry-on, or diaper bag.
Don't be too stressed out. Most people have had children of their own, and even if they haven't they were a kid once themself. =) Plus, you'll never see any of them again. Hope you have a great trip, good luck.
Well, my first suggestion is to pack a large bag with plenty of NEW toys and a variety of snacks/drinks and keep her in her stroller all the way up to the door of the plane. Most airlines will let you check your stroller right at the plane, which makes getting through the airport MUCH easier!!
I just returned to MD from Hilton Head, SC and we were in the car for 11 hours with our 5 year old and 21 month old, and I hate to say they were in better moods than my husband :) My "bucket of fun" really saved the day. I went to the toy store and bought several new toys and movies and loaded the van with snacks and juice boxes.
Also, the BEST thing I've ever purchased was my portable DVD player. My youngest is happy to watch the same Elmo movie over and over and it keeps her really happy :)
I just found a great tip in Cookie magazine that I intend to use the next time I travel with my daughter. They suggest stringing cereal (Cheerios, Fruit Loops) on dental floss as an edible necklace with great entertainment potential, too. There was also an ad for the Rough Guide to Travel with Babies and Young Children, which I'm definitely going to look into.
I just took an 8-hour trip with my then 13 month old, and it was not easy. There will be wonderful people willing to help or at least give an encouraging smile, just as there will be angry people who somehow believe you're at fault if your baby fusses.
So whenever I think about the incredibly obnoxious old man sitting two rows up who glared at me the entire time my daughter fussed (just before she fell asleep for 5 hours), and who called the steward to vehemently insist that SOMETHING be done (like what...throw us out the exit door?!), I try to switch to thinking about the incredibly wonderful grandmotherly woman from the other side of the plane who took my daughter and played with her so that I could pee, or eat or just have a break. If by chance you run into that old man, tell him what I WISH I had had the presence of mind to say: that toddlers are not unlike the elderly, they like having everything their way, and are unpleasant to be around when they're tired or frustrated!
Good luck!
My almost 2-year old and I just got off her 20th airplane ride. The key for us has been surprise toys. They don't have to be necessarily new, just new to her (you can even pull things out that have been packed away for awhile). I try to keep the variety going. I have found the magnadoodle to be particularly fun for her -- she only gets to play with it on the airplane.
I try to involve her in the process as much as I can -- give her something "important" to hold (like some random scrap of paper) so that she can have some responsibilities like mommy.
Easy on-off shoes are key for security. Also be prepared to hand over liquids and gels packed in small containers all inside one quart sized ziploc bag. I think being organized to go through security ahead of time is a must for traveling with a toddler! For drinks you'll have to take an empty sippy cup and fill it post-security unless she is drinking formula/breastmilk.
Snacks are key too . . . I keep lots of little baggies with a handful of snack in each bag in my carry-on bag. That way, I can pull one out and not worry about her spilling too much if it gets dropped (or thrown). She likes being able to hold the whole bag of snack instead of my doling it out piece by piece. I find this also works well in the car.
Give yourself plenty of time to get through security and such but don't rush to get on the plane first unless you really think she will need time to settle in. We never buy my daughter a ticket and I usually travel alone, so we try to get on the plane as late as we can so that she has less time to wriggle in my lap before take-off.
If she will wear headphones, you could try letting her listen to music that might calm her. A lot of people take along portable DVD players when traveling with little ones, but our daughter won't watch TV.
Good luck!
I've flown a couple of times cross country by myself with my child. I've had many kind souls help me out in the airport, getting up to checkin or security.
For the flight itself, can you get a portable DVD player & let her watch some dvd's, like Sesame Street or Disney movies? I also had a whole bag for her of books & toys that I picked up that she hadn't seen yet. Nothing expensive, just something from the Target $1 bins.
Make sure you have plenty of snacks for her. Last time I flew, the airline I was on didn't have milk so if you can find some in the airport to buy before boarding that would help.
My two big tips are to keep her close as possible, the closeness will help her feel more comfortable and safe. Use a sling through the airports and nurse when she gets cranky on the plane. Those two things worked wonders when traveling with my little one.
Good luck, S.
My children always get to pack their own little carry on that contains a small blanket, small pillow and a small lovey (stuffed animal). We also put in their books to read, paper and crayons. Pack her favorite snacks in your carry on and when you board the plane ask the flight attendant to fill her sippy cup/bottle with whatever will make her happy. We always purchased seats for my boys and installed their carseats (which were FAA approved) and treated it like a car trip with car trip rules. Make sure to change her right before you get on the plane and let her run around in the terminal before boarding. Also a good trick we always did when they were little was to purchase a little new toy/book (no noise makers)that would intrigue them and only opened it if everything else was exhausted. If we didn't use it on the flights they got it as reward when we got home. Some peditricians will also recommend Benadryl if she becomes a serious problem. Just be prepared to entertain her and engage her for the entire flight. Don't be embarrassed to sing her songs or do whatever normally makes her happy. Trust me, the other passengers much rather hear you off key than her screaming off the charts! Good luck!
Small little surprise toys and new books and snacks and drinks will only go so far depending on the length of your flight. We had a 12 hour flight with our 17 months old (he's now 20 months old) and the only thing that eventually calmed him down enough (not to sleep though; he didn't sleep at all) was putting DVDs for him in our laptop. We don't let him watch much TV/DVDs (only when I have to shower or do something with the hot oven and such) so it was a real treat for him. Since then we bought one of those portable DVD players (much smaller and more convenient than a laptop) and have used it on a 7 hour car trip. If it is used rarely, it works really well. If your daughter is used to watching a lot of TV then it probably won't help as much. Calming DVDs are any of the Baby Einstein series, especially the Mozart and Beethoven ones. Good luck! Hopefully your flights are shorter than ours were.
