Flying with toddler

[Aosborn]

My wife and I are going to be flying from San Diego to Miami with our 13 month old for our July cruise. We didn't buy him a ticket so he will be sitting on our laps. Any suggestions to make it easier. Im really nervous about this.

[RoadTripFanatic]

I hate to be negative but on a flight that long I would get my child their own seat. Trust me. It's a long flight. No 13 month old is going to want to be held the entire time. For your own peace and sanity I would spend the $$ on an extra seat. I am one of those parents who's child did not have their own seat until they were 2. I will say all our flights at that age were under 3 hrs. If we had to go coast to coast I would have spent the $$ on an infant seat. You might check to see if your airline provides discounts to chidren under the age of 2.

[cb at sea]

I have to agree...that's a LOOOONG time for body to body contact....

[SuperCoolOne]

Get the child their own seat.

[Tggrtoes]

We live in Phoenix, so did that long flight once to Orlando with a lap child. It's really tough. I suggest going non-direct so that you can work around naps and have an hour or two for little one to run around.

 

Otherwise, do you have an iPod that plays movies? You can bring a DVD player on board, but we've found that they take up a lot of room. Also, when picking your seats, pick aisle and window - you are more likely to have a seat empty in between.

[Happy ks]

My wife and I are going to be flying from San Diego to Miami with our 13 month old for our July cruise. We didn't buy him a ticket so he will be sitting on our laps. Any suggestions to make it easier. Im really nervous about this.

 

You are nervous for a good reason, it can/may be a grueling flight for the 3 of you, plus all the people around you.

 

My niece flew with her toddler daughter on a red eye, the daughter even had her own seat. They thought since it was her bedtime, she would conk out and sleep the whole way. Instead, the whole night the daughter was crying and fussing, she didn't like the plane ride at all. Neither mom nor dad could appease her. They held her, rocking her thte best they could, they walked her, took games and toys. My niece ended up in the bathroom crying a few times it was so hard on her. My sister in law, an RN, suggested the use of Benedryl for the flight home. My niece is not the type to give her child drugs unneccessarily, but after the horrible first experience decided to try it. Her daughter was calm and slept part of the way home.

 

I'm not saying every child will be a horror, but it may be best to be prepared in advance. Talk to your pediatrician and see what they recommend. Take some recommended meds along just in case.

[tamsocal]

Agree with posts above re getting another seat. But if finances or seats no longer available complicate this. Would bring a DVD player, small toys (smallish-- not choking hazard small ;), lots of small books, anything compact that will entertain baby. We would always bring a new toy for the kids to have when travelling so it would keep their interest for hopefully longer. A small doodle pro was fun for them at this age-- although they could not do anything but scribble-- they liked seeing me draw a ball & then erasing it-- draw another picture,erase, etc

 

Have flown w/ & without purchasing a seat for under 2yrs and the flights without a seat were LONG-- but survivable (but we had twins). We were lucky to have a seat available for us ~80% of the flights that we did not pay for a ticketed seat for <2yr old. So would do as previous poster suggested w/ seat assignment & once you let them know you are traveling w/ infant they typically temporarily block that seat until capacity is reached & if necessary it will be assigned.

We always took our carseats w/ us to the gate -- even when we had not paid for a ticketed seat-- just in case space was available)if no space- we just gate checked them). Quite a few times traveling we bought 4 tickets & kept one twin as a lap child-- but many of these were shorter flights than yours. Same w/ ticketed seats too-- we always take the carseats-- the kids are used to sitting in their car seats and for us just doesnt work to have them sit in the plane seat-- made for uncomfortable naps for them if they werent in their carseats & also sometimes only 1 parent on flight which was nice to be able to leave them in their carseat safely buckled sleeping & run to the bathroom w/ flight attendant watching them briefly

[tamsocal]

link for article that had some opinions

http://pediatrics.about.com/od/weeklyquestion/a/06_fly_benadryl.htm

 

if they have a favorite lovey or stuffed animal-- bring it along. Also favorite blanket too. -- I think for my kids the carseat for them was huge-- they are already used to napping in it. Also SAFETY in case of air turbulence, etc- The kids will be 3 next flight & they will still be in their car seats--

 

article cut & pasted below

Q. Can I give my kids Benadryl to help them sleep when we fly? We are planning a cross-country airplane trip this summer and I am worried that my kids might not do well on the plane. Sam, Dallas, Texas

A. If you don't think your kids are ready for a plane flight, then unless the trip is truly necessary, you might delay it for a year or two and plan a closer road trip this year instead.

 

While it might seem like a quick and easy solution to potential problems you might have when flying with young kids, most pediatricians try to discourage parents from giving kids anything to sedate them on an airplane. The benefits usually don't outweigh the risks.

 

Some good reasons why you might not want to give your child an antihistamine like Benadryl can include that:

 

Some children become hyper and irritable when they take antihistamines, which is exactly what you don't want on your flight.

The sedative effects of Benadryl may last a good 4 to 6 hours, which may be longer than your flight, and even after your child wakes up, he may be drowsy or groggy for several hours afterwards. So even if he sleeps on the flight, you might end up with a fussy and irritable child afterwards.

Unless the flight coincides with a nap time, making your child sleep by giving him a sedative will likely mess up the rest of his schedule, so that he doesn't want to go to sleep until late that night, leading to a late wake-up the next morning, etc.

These other tips for flying with kids might be helpful and could make using a sedative unnecessary:

Bring enough help with you to care for all of your kids on the flight. One parent and three or four young preschool age kids or toddlers is probably not going to work well.

Get your kids their own seat on the plane and seat them in their regular car seat for familiarity. Having their comfort items, like a blanket or favorite stuffed animal, should also help your child feel safe and secure.

Have enough toys or play things to keep your kids occupied on the flight. A portable DVD player or video game player can be a good idea for older kids.

Schedule a non-stop flight during off peak times so the airport is less crowded and you don't have to worry about changing planes.

Plan for delays and have drinks and snacks just in case you have to wait for your flight.

Check most of your luggage so that you have your hands free for your kids, but do bring a carry on with some extra clothes in case your kids need to change.

Try to stay on your children's schedule for naps, snacks, and meals, so that they don't get hungry or overtired.

Keep them distracted, especially when the plane is boarding, taking off, and landing, which seem to be the hardest part of the flight for most young kids. For older kids, chewing gum can be helpful to prevent their ears from popping when the plane is landing and taking off, but keep in mind that this is a choking hazard for younger kids, who can get a similar effect by drinking something at this time during the flight.

If you really think a sedative is going to be necessary during a flight, talk to your Pediatrician about the risks and benefits and be sure to try it before the flight to make sure your child doesn't have a bad reaction and become irritable and hyper.

And remember that you don't really want to sedate your child to make the flight more comfortable for the other people on the plane. The only time to even consider it would be if you think that the experience would be too stressful for your own child and the trip is really necessary.

 

Is giving Benadryl for a plane flight really 'drugging' your child as some people suggest? That is probably going a little far, as Benadryl is an approved OTC medication and most people don't consider it 'drugging' their child and wouldn't think twice to give it to their child if they had hives or allergies. But still, how far would you go to make your child sleep on a plane? If Benadryl didn't work, would you want to give him a stronger sedative, like Valium?

[expatmama]

i just did SFO-TLV with a 13 month old (with a layover in PHL). I bought her a seat, but I was traveling alone so it was not an option for me.

 

advice: buy a seat if you can. travel with lots of snacks, and try to plan around bed time. travel with lots of toys that you are ok the baby just plays with with little supervision. my DD does not focus on tv, though she did like to conk out to the little screen on the international flight, so if you think it will help, bring it. be prepared to do whatever it takes to keep baby happy, it may or may not be a good flight

 

some of the best advice i have ever received- buy a couple $5 gift certificates (to starbucks or target). if you have a really nice seat mate, or you want to ask someone to change seats or something, its nice to have a little gift to help clear the air.

[lilipad2]

We flew to Mexico with our son at about the same age -- it ended up being a 12 hour flight thanks to weather and delays. From that experience alone there is one thing I've learned and that is to pack extra diapers. Enough for 2 flights if you can because you never know what can happen. Take new books (if he's into that), sticker books or flap books are great too. I read somewhere to get enough new toys (small ones mind you) for every hour of the flight. You might try wrapping these in tissue paper to prolong the surprise and keep him busy. Snacks were a BIG savior for us. If your guy likes to eat, bring lots and varied types. In my experience, an eating toddler is a happy toddler. A magnadoodle might be hit or miss at this age, or a travel aquadoodle is good too. Even playdoh (small size only) has saved us on more than one occaision. Unfortunately, my son never succombed to dvds and the like so we had to find "activities" instead. Hopefully you'll have a good trip. Try and keep a positive attitude. I have a very active guy, and he does really well on planes provided we plan accordingly. In other words, it can be done!

[SunniLicious]

My sister in law, an RN, suggested the use of Benedryl for the flight home.

 

Not at all a good idea. Antihistamine effects are idiosyncratic, as the above-quoted article points out; kids can be revved up by them. My oldest is an angry drunk on Benadryl.

[lilipad2]

Yeah I personally wouldn't recommend Benedryl either unless you have a real need for it. It can have the opposite effect or, as in my son's case, no effect at all. (He was on around the clock benedryl one time and it didn't make him sleep any more and possibly less than normal). Better yet, if you can book the flight to coincide with a nap very often the lull of the engine noise and being held will help them drop off to sleep. Hopefully that will work for you.

[Happy ks]

That is exactly the reason I suggested talking to your pediatrician before even considering the Benadryl. Even if the dr. says it's OK, it would be a good idea to try a smaller dose at home before hand.

[jtm22372]

we came from ma with 18 month old in our lap . we booked a aisle and a window seat both ways had noone between us on the way down so dd had her own seat. way home we did but traded with them . it was a nightmare .we were stuck on the tarmac for 3 hrs then had to reboard a diff plane and was on there for another hr . all in all a 3 hr trip turned into a 7 hr ride to hell . not worth saving the 250 bucks!!!!

[RoadTripFanatic]

My other bit of advice when traveling with a child that small (and sitting on your lap) is to also pack a change of clothes for you! If your child has an accident you don't want to wear stinky wet clothes for the entire flight. (Wet pads come in handy too! If you do put your child in their car seat, on your lap or their own seat place one under your child! The next person flying will appreciate a dry seat if your child has an accident. :))

Also place all changes of clothing in a zip lock bag. That way if someone has an accident you can seal it up. Your diaper bag will not stink the entire trip. I also recommend overpacking your carry-on with diapers. Take enough diapers for the first two days of your trip. Just in case something happens to your luggage you know you have enough until you hit the first port or you can pick some up before you get to the ship.

[ShannonSto]

The tips I found were to bring out a new small toy each hour of the flight and make sure to bring lots of snacks. It worked Ok for one omy 18 month old twins, not so much for the other.

 

Good luck, and don't worry--even of the flights are no fun, the trip is worth it!

[Aosborn]

Thanks for all the good tips.

[Kerry's Girls]

I always choose seats in the back of the plane for the convenience of being able to stand in the back with a restless toddler. Seats more toward the front can often have their access blocked by the refreshment cart. Also, as someone else mentioned, the sound of the engine is louder toward the back, which is helpful. Lots of small snack-sized ziplocs with usually forbidden treats works wonders as well.

 

Pack enough food and drinks in your carry on to cover you if you end up with a huge delay. It happens more and more often that we're stuck on a plane for hours with no food or beverage service until after take-off.

 

Best,

Mia

[cruisincarly]

I've flown overseas with a 13 month old as a lap infant (worth the $750 it saved me for sure!), so long flights are definitely do-able. I recommend flying during naptime or sleep time, if you're child is a good sleeper. There's nothing like a sleeping baby on a plane.

 

I will definitely second the recommendation about bringing an extra set of clothing for yourself -- on a shorter flight once, my son threw up all over me as we were getting ready for takeoff. Luckily I had an extra shirt, because, boy was that gross.

[lamolesky]

definitely DVD player with NEW movies and brand new toys in a small backpack with extra diapers, change of clothes, snacks, etc. You need to prepare for the worst. I also wore a baby carrier for toddlers, of course I never used it to carry the toddler-too heavy! But on the plane, it leaves your arms/hands free and keeps the child somewhat contained. You will have to unattach it during takeoff and landing. I found it helpful, Good luck.