9-Hr Flight with a 2-year old

[SevenWonkas]

Hello, this may be slightly off-topic because I am not cruising, but with so many people here on these boards, I thought this might be a good place to get some feedback!

 

Next month, we are traveling to Hawaii for two weeks. We live in Ohio and will have a long flight out to Oahu. First to Chicago, then a 9-hour flight to Honolulu. Our son will be 25 months by the time we travel. He will have his own seat, and will be in his car seat. He is no stranger to flying or traveling... He's flown to Orlando 4 times (2-hour flight), and has been on many many car trips. We've driven to Hilton Head twice with him twice, which have been our longest car trips. (12+ hours with stops)

 

For those of you who have experienced long plane trips with toddlers, any tips? We have an iPad which will be loaded with movies, shows, and apps for him. We have baby-size headphones for him. We will have lots of snacks for him. We'll have his normal sippy cups. I plan on having toys/books that he has never seen, and will get them out when he needs something new. They will come out no quicker than every hour. He played with some diecast cars/trains last week (on an unfortunate visit to the Children's Hospital ER!), so now we are hoping to find some used diecast toys to bring on the plane too. We have bulkhead seats, so we're hoping that the flight attendants will let DS sit on the ground and play. We'll see.

 

I know there are opinions on both sides of the fence regarding the use of Benadryl. I've researched both options and we likely will not be doing this.

 

Our plane does have a changing table (DS is not potty trained -- haven't even started yet), but I imagine he will be too tall/heavy for this? I am going to purchase some diapers that I can pull up, to make diaper changes easier. (I am not very good at changing him standing up with traditional diapers!)

 

Thanks for all your help!

[boulders]

I'm not a fan of the bulkhead seats. Not all of them will be behind a wall, sometimes, it's just behind the first class seats. A lot of them have solid separations between seats, so if your little one wants to lie down for a nap, he won't be able to. My little guy also likes being able to choose his own movies and cartoons from the seatback screens. I've been in bulkhead rows where one of the seats doesn't have a screen. If there is a wall, the screens are too far away to touch or they may be in the armrest (I may be confusing that with first class though). So, I try to choose seats that are by the window, not in the bulkhead row, but close to the front. Close to the restrooms is good too. Check seat guru.com for the configuration of your airplane(s).

 

I would practice changing diapers in a standing position. They're best for a non-potty trained child. Pullups are OK for occasional accidents. IME, pullups aren't very absorbent. The changing tables on planes are pretty small.

 

I've done flights to Hawaii quite a few times with kids. My jetlag has always been worse than theirs, lol. The sun goes down early in Hawaii and we tend to get very tired after sunset, especially at the beginning of a trip. Sunset will be about 6:30-6:45 in September. If you want to do nighttime activities, I would schedule them later in your stay.

[topspot]

DD is quite a few years away from 2 (going off to college next week), but I would always wrap up those new little toys and books. It was fun for her to open and made the dollar store toys "special"

 

Oh and about the Benadryl, sometimes it has the opposite effect on children. I know you said you most likely wouldn't be doing that, but that's not something you'd want to find out on a long flight.:eek:

[SevenWonkas]

Thanks for the feed back boulders. We did take in consideration the stationary armrests when booking our seats, but in the long run decided on the bulkhead seats because the extra legroom is nice and our son would be sleeping in his car seat in between us anyway. (He won't be laying down on the seats or across us.) My husband researched our seats (before and after we booked) on seat guru, and he's pretty sure our flight has one single screen for the cabin (instead of individual screens for each passenger). DS would be too small to choose/reach his own shows, but it would be vey nice if we had our own screens. :)

 

Huggies actually makes a slip-on diaper in their "Little Movers" Variety. Same absorbency as their normal diapers, but slips on like underwear. I've used them once before and I think it'll be perfect for the flight.

[SevenWonkas]

DD is quite a few years away from 2 (going off to college next week), but I would always wrap up those new little toys and books. It was fun for her to open and made the dollar store toys "special"

 

Oh and about the Benadryl, sometimes it has the opposite effect on children. I know you said you most likely wouldn't be doing that, but that's not something you'd want to find out on a long flight.:eek:

 

DS's birthday is next week, so I'll see how interested he is in opening toys. Wrapping the items is a great idea! I hadn't thought too far about what types of toys I'd pack, but I'm glad you mentioned the dollar store. I'll have to check that out. We have plenty of mini-books that he's never seen, but not as many toys.

 

I have heard the same about Benadryl. :) If we did it, we'd test it out at home before giving it to him. He's taken Benadryl several times, with direction from the pediatrician, when his sinus drainage/coughing was keeping him up at night. We always gave it to him right before bed anyway, so I don't know if it made him sleepy. (I guess it didn't make him hyper though!) We are going to get updated dosage information at his check-up next week though, in case we do need to use the Benadryl for legitimate reasons.:)

[Kerry's Girls]

I also am not a fan of bulkhead, but with a 2 year old in a car seat, it will be nice not to have to worry about him kicking the seat in front of him (also when mine were 2 in a car seat we couldn't pull down the tray table because their legs were pressed against the seat in front of them). Not sure how you'll be able to handle having some kind of table for him though.

 

Sounds like you've got most everything covered already. I liked sitting with my toddlers at the back of the plane near the restrooms, but if you just keep an eye on the beverage/food cart and make sure you get to the restroom before you're blocked, you should be fine. With girls the diaper situation was easier because I could put them in dresses, so just make his clothes as simple as possible and bring a change - for both of you. A well-organized diaper bag was essential for me so I could reach and grab what I needed without really seeing it - though with bulkhead I'm not sure where you'll be allowed to keep yours - you may not have the problem of reaching down for items.

 

I would practice with the headphones - mine wouldn't wear them at that age but they didn't need much volume. Don't give him the ipad until after takeoff - if you use it right when you sit down, you'll have to turn it off for take off and kids can get upset about that.

 

You don't mention a stroller - I'm a big fan of them for airports where the walks can be very long with an exhausted kid. If nothing else, it's a great rolling cart for all your stuff. One of my girls did love pulling her own suitcase at that age, but that was before TSA lines. It's a good idea to talk to him about what will be happening - he'll walk through the x-ray by himself, wait patiently while you get your shoes back on, etc.

 

Post its are fun for toddlers. I also always brought my own plastic grocery bag for trash since it can pile up quickly and then once toys/items are also dropped, it gets to be a complicated mess.

 

Have a great trip! We did Los Angeles to London at 2 years old and my girls did great - the people behind us groaned when we boarded but were very complimentary by the end of the flight - it's all about keeping them amused and snacked-up.

 

Best,

Mia

[SevenWonkas]

Yeah, he won't have a tray (because it comes from the side) but I don't know if he'll necessarily need one. He won't eat off a tray (meals are not provided on our flight, so we'll have finger foods and snacks for him. He doesn't color, so he doesn't need a tray for that. I don't think he'd need a tray for cars or Duplos either, but perhaps we can fit a hard surface of some sort in our carry ons, so he can have a "tray" on his lap.

 

I'm pretty sure our seats are right behind the bathrooms, thank goodness! (And they're for economy class, not business class bathrooms)

 

We do have a stroller we are bringing, we don't fly without it! It's an umbrella-type. Not as small/uncomfortable as an umbrella stroller, but significantly smaller than a normal stroller.

 

Great ideas about the ipad and headphones, thanks. We've tried the headphones on him, but have not tested them out with him. We'll have to do some trial runs.

 

Post-its are a great idea! I've never thought of using them! And a plastic grocery bag is brilliant. We always have them for car rides, but never thought about them for a flight.

 

Thanks Kerry's girls!

[Blk_Amish]

 

I have heard the same about Benadryl. :) If we did it, we'd test it out at home before giving it to him. He's taken Benadryl several times, with direction from the pediatrician, when his sinus drainage/coughing was keeping him up at night. We always gave it to him right before bed anyway, so I don't know if it made him sleepy. (I guess it didn't make him hyper though!) We are going to get updated dosage information at his check-up next week though, in case we do need to use the Benadryl for legitimate reasons.:)

 

My kids are now 18 and 15 but as babies did many trips from the west to the east coast plus the Caribbean. I used Benadryl for their travel, but as you know it can have the opposite effect on some kids. You would have known if it did not work. Not having 2 screaming kids and disrupting others flight was pretty legitimate to me. Good news, one graduated top honors and entering college next week, the other other is 4.0, Sophomore year starts tomorrow. It was worth it for me, since there were times I was the only parent traveling with them across the country.

 

Op- enjoy Hawaii, it's beautiful. If he still has a blankie, make sure to pack it. Yep, got halfway to the airport once and had to return.

[lrowe70]

Ugh, we've had many, many long flights with a little one. It's right up there with going to the doctor as my least favorite things to do.

 

Sounds like you have it all organized though, good luck, and hope he falls asleep. ;)

 

About the Benedryl, if you do decide to try it, test it at home first.

After one terrible flight I got desperate and decided to use it. Thankfully we used it 1 night at home first. TERRIBLE! My son was bouncing off the walls at all hours of the night. He wasn't angry or cranky or anything, the opposite actually. Full of life and wanting to laugh, RUN, and play. It was like we had given him Speed. Thank goodness we weren't on a plane, we probably would've been kicked off! There is no way we would've been able to get him to stay belted in a seat.

None of us fell asleep until about 4am(I gave it to him about 8pm), wish I could've called in sick to work. But, it sounds like you have used it before and didn't have a reaction, so you must be one of the lucky ones.

So, in my limited and very unofficial poll of friends using Benedryl, it seems to have this reaction on boys pretty often.

[flhokie]

You might want to check with the airline about having the car seat in a center seat. Usually they are required to be used in the window seat so they don't block access to the aisle in case of an emergency.

 

Also remember that with bulkhead seats, everything must be put in the overhead bins for takeoff and landing (even purses, etc) so you will want to get out what you need for takeoff (snacks, drink, toy) during boarding to have it with you in your seats.

 

I found it helpful to put a few diapers, a travel pack of wipes & some small bags in a gallon zip lock bag to take to the bathroom for diaper changes. The small bags (I actually used some of our doggy disposal bags) are good to contain some of the odor before putting it in the trash. I also carried extra zip lock bags in the diaper bag in case of messed up clothing, etc.

[cello56]

You can buy trays that attach to car seats! This would allow you to put snacks like Cheerios and crackers down for him to eat. Also a good spot for playing!

 

http://www.amazon.com/Taby-Tray-TABYTRAY-Cup-Holder/dp/B002VOS168/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1376315584&sr=8-3&keywords=car+seat+tray

[OzCanuck]

Suggest you also confirm absolutely that your car seat will fit. The bulkhead seats can reduce the seat width by 0.5 - 1 inch because of the tray location. That might be just enough to render the car seat useless.

[flhokie]

Suggest you also confirm absolutely that your car seat will fit. The bulkhead seats can reduce the seat width by 0.5 - 1 inch because of the tray location. That might be just enough to render the car seat useless.

 

Absolutely!! The seats with fixed armrests are often a bit smaller so definitely check on that ASAP. Don't wait until boarding b/c if it doesn't fit it might not be possible to get 3 seats together.

[notentirelynormal]

I would also bring a change of clothes for you. When we landed in Miami after a 5 hour uneventful flight my 2 YOU DGD threw up all over mom. She had to wear those same clothes for the next two hours until we got our luggage, rental cars and to the hotel. Not pleasant. I would also bring a change of clothes for your son, including PJs with their nighttime snuggly. It helps them know it's time for a nap.

[mcgrate]

I would also bring a change of clothes for you. When we landed in Miami after a 5 hour uneventful flight my 2 YOU DGD threw up all over mom. She had to wear those same clothes for the next two hours until we got our luggage, rental cars and to the hotel. Not pleasant. I would also bring a change of clothes for your son, including PJs with their nighttime snuggly. It helps them know it's time for a nap.

 

+ 1 with the change of clothes for everyone. Just a light little sundress or something in case of such emergency.

Also something to suck/swallow. My dd was pulling at her ears during take off and landing and I only realised after that they must have been blocked or popping.

Sometimes a big of pain relief helps before take off.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[Athankfulheart]

Stickers ! and a notebook to stick them in.

These were a big hit on our flights from MO to OH to Hawaii.

We had 7 kids aged 19m-13y and the stickers were a big hit with the preschoolers. We were flying first class and a bit concerned about the heightened sense of "shut your kid up please" , but in the end it was perfect. My kids had a lot of the usual distractions, minus electronics of which we had none.

 

Actually on our flight down there was a brother and sister (12-14yo)traveling with their mom ( who was in a different row for some reason) and they had various electronic games, but boy did they fight. I found it annoying, and I'm pretty tolerant :p

[mcgrate]

We had 7 kids aged 19m-13y and the stickers were a big hit with the preschoolers. We were flying first class and a bit concerned about the heightened sense of "shut your kid up please" , but in the end it was perfect. :p

First class... With 7 kids??

 

:-o I am in awe !

 

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[SevenWonkas]

You might want to check with the airline about having the car seat in a center seat. Usually they are required to be used in the window seat so they don't block access to the aisle in case of an emergency. Also remember that with bulkhead seats, everything must be put in the overhead bins for takeoff and landing (even purses, etc) so you will want to get out what you need for takeoff (snacks, drink, toy) during boarding to have it with you in your seats.I found it helpful to put a few diapers, a travel pack of wipes & some small bags in a gallon zip lock bag to take to the bathroom for diaper changes. The small bags (I actually used some of our doggy disposal bags) are good to contain some of the odor before putting it in the trash. I also carried extra zip lock bags in the diaper bag in case of messed up clothing, etc.

 

I didn't explain it in my initial post, but we are in the seats in the center. So no window to worry about. Although we've never talked to the airline about it, I am assuming he'll be between us. Great idea to put diaper change supplies in a ziplock bag. Makes for a much easier walk to the bathroom for diaper changes! We do have the doggy-type bags. They are wonderful when he has stinky diapers!

 

My kids are now 18 and 15 but as babies did many trips from the west to the east coast plus the Caribbean. I used Benadryl for their travel, but as you know it can have the opposite effect on some kids. You would have known if it did not work. Not having 2 screaming kids and disrupting others flight was pretty legitimate to me. Good news, one graduated top honors and entering college next week, the other other is 4.0, Sophomore year starts tomorrow. It was worth it for me, since there were times I was the only parent traveling with them across the country. Op- enjoy Hawaii, it's beautiful. If he still has a blankie, make sure to pack it. Yep, got halfway to the airport once and had to return.

 

Congrats on your kids' accomplishments! Thanks for the advice! We will be bringing every piece of comfort item he may desire! (He's not super into blankies, but there is a small Taggie blanket that is usually in his crib that we'll take with us). He'll have his most important comfort item with him regardless... his fingers! (Yes, he is a finger sucker)

[SevenWonkas]

You can buy trays that attach to car seats! This would allow you to put snacks like Cheerios and crackers down for him to eat. Also a good spot for playing! http://www.amazon.com/Taby-Tray-TABYTRAY-Cup-Holder/dp/B002VOS168/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1376315584&sr=8-3&keywords=car+seat+tray

 

I'll check that out. Thanks!

 

Suggest you also confirm absolutely that your car seat will fit. The bulkhead seats can reduce the seat width by 0.5 - 1 inch because of the tray location. That might be just enough to render the car seat useless.

 

Good thought, thank you. We have flown in bulkhead with the carseat, but it was a different plane. I'll have to find the plane-type and compare the seat width to our current plane's seat width. It's tight, but I think the armrest is lower than the widest part of the seat. Very good thought though, and something we will look into asap!

[SevenWonkas]

I would also bring a change of clothes for you. When we landed in Miami after a 5 hour uneventful flight my 2 YOU DGD threw up all over mom. She had to wear those same clothes for the next two hours until we got our luggage, rental cars and to the hotel. Not pleasant. I would also bring a change of clothes for your son, including PJs with their nighttime snuggly. It helps them know it's time for a nap.

 

+ 1 with the change of clothes for everyone. Just a light little sundress or something in case of such emergency.

Also something to suck/swallow. My dd was pulling at her ears during take off and landing and I only realised after that they must have been blocked or popping.

Sometimes a big of pain relief helps before take off.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

 

DS was an expert baby at spitting up, so we always take extra clothes for everyone! He took his first flight at 5 months old, and he spit up all over me right after we got through security. Sigh. :p DS was diagnosed with an ear infection the day before our flight to Orlando a few months ago. The pediatrician told us to give him pain medication before the flight. I may talk with the pediatrician about giving it to DS again, just as a precaution, for our flight to Hawaii.

[SevenWonkas]

Absolutely!! The seats with fixed armrests are often a bit smaller so definitely check on that ASAP. Don't wait until boarding b/c if it doesn't fit it might not be possible to get 3 seats together.

 

Thanks also for the feedback. We are definitely checking into this further. We have flown bulkhead before, but will be checking to make sure our planes for this trip will fit the car seat.

 

Stickers ! and a notebook to stick them in.

These were a big hit on our flights from MO to OH to Hawaii.

We had 7 kids aged 19m-13y and the stickers were a big hit with the preschoolers. We were flying first class and a bit concerned about the heightened sense of "shut your kid up please" , but in the end it was perfect. My kids had a lot of the usual distractions, minus electronics of which we had none.

 

Great idea about the stickers. I did buy some, but having a book of some sort to put them in is a great idea.

[MrShake]

We flew to Hawaii with our almost 2 year old in January... one of the BEST things we did was to take a bunch of small toys (like the die-cast cars/trains) and wrap them in wrapping paper. These would come out (just like you planned) about every hour and we got 15 minutes of fun with the "PRESENT!!!!" and then a toy to play with. This was a HUGE hit!

[SevenWonkas]

Oooooh. looks like you're from Illinois; did you fly direct from Chicago? PLEEEEASE share all your tips and experiences!! There are some days I am really dreading this flight. I would have preferred a layover in California, but it added a significant amount of time to our total travel time, landing us in Hawaii late in the evening.

 

We had plans for the diecast cars/trains (I'm even on the hunt on craiglist for these!), but some people have mentioned the issue of them rolling away. Did you have issues with this? I'm hoping to pick up a bunch of books for cheap (dollar store or Half Price Books) and wrap these up as well. DS loves books, and although he doesn't always make it through a whole book, he loves the pictures. I'm finding that when he reads alone, the paper picture books (as opposed to short board books) keep his attention the longest.

[reallyitsmema]

Oooooh. looks like you're from Illinois; did you fly direct from Chicago? PLEEEEASE share all your tips and experiences!! There are some days I am really dreading this flight. I would have preferred a layover in California, but it added a significant amount of time to our total travel time, landing us in Hawaii late in the evening.

 

We had plans for the diecast cars/trains (I'm even on the hunt on craiglist for these!), but some people have mentioned the issue of them rolling away. Did you have issues with this? I'm hoping to pick up a bunch of books for cheap (dollar store or Half Price Books) and wrap these up as well. DS loves books, and although he doesn't always make it through a whole book, he loves the pictures. I'm finding that when he reads alone, the paper picture books (as opposed to short board books) keep his attention the longest.

What about audio books? We flew a lot when my son was young and back then, we had books on tape. I also did the wrap presents trick and would have at least two new books on tape for him on our flights. He was really good at following along and turning a page when he heard the tone. Was he always on the right page at a young age, no, but he was happy.:p Maybe if you can find your child's favorite books, he could follow along. Not sure if you can get the recordings that prompt the page turn anymore but might be worth the look.

 

We always did sticker books or colorforms. We taught him tic tac toe at a very young age. We weren't always x and o, we were hearts and cats or squiggles and triangles, just mixed it up to make it more fun. We always read the airplane information card together to find all the things in the pictures. Some people have said that pipe cleaners were a fun toy that their kids liked.

 

Make sure you have something for him to suck on to pop his ears just in case his finger sucking doesn't do it. I forget how young my son was when we switched to lollipops but i always had dum dums with me for take off and landing. When he was really young we used a bottle or pacifier. I know on one flight we had one poor little girl who was screaming and had an idiot behind her who yelled at the mother. I tapped him on the shoulder with a dum dum to pass forward to her and she was able to pop her ears and calm down.

 

You seem like you have it really worked out so I hope he does great.

[MrShake]

Oooooh. looks like you're from Illinois; did you fly direct from Chicago? PLEEEEASE share all your tips and experiences!! There are some days I am really dreading this flight. I would have preferred a layover in California, but it added a significant amount of time to our total travel time, landing us in Hawaii late in the evening.

 

We had plans for the diecast cars/trains (I'm even on the hunt on craiglist for these!), but some people have mentioned the issue of them rolling away. Did you have issues with this? I'm hoping to pick up a bunch of books for cheap (dollar store or Half Price Books) and wrap these up as well. DS loves books, and although he doesn't always make it through a whole book, he loves the pictures. I'm finding that when he reads alone, the paper picture books (as opposed to short board books) keep his attention the longest.

 

I'm happy to share!!

 

We flew from chicago to LA to Oahu on the way there, and then Oahu direct to chicago back.

 

I'm not sure which I liked better, having that chance to get off a plane and play around in LA was good, but it was a LONG LONG LONG day of travel. Including a delay in LA, it was like 22 hours from door to door. Thats a long time for a toddler.

Our little guy slept pretty well on landings, not so much during the flights. The Ipad generally kept him entertained, but we played games as well.

We DID bring our carseat for him.

 

We didn't have any issues with things rolling away, since he was in his car seat, they were pretty well contained. We are considering a strap-on tray with sides for our cruise air travel though.

 

We also got a bunch of toys that didn't roll though, and stickers were a huge hit. The dollar store ROCKED!

 

We are not supposed to advertise personal sites and stuff, but I blogged all about our trip with lots of details and how-toos and such. If your interested, PM me and I'll give you the details.

 

OR, ask away!