Flying with a 13 Month old....HELP!

[tnebell]

Sometimes he is good on long car rides, sometimes not. My mommy super powers tell me that it would be hit or miss with the extra seat. At this point, purchasing a third seat would be cost prohibitive anyways.

 

We wouldnt do the benadryl route. That's just not who we are.

 

 

I wouldn't go the benadryl route either! We did that once and I have to say it was an extremely BIG mistake!

 

As for the seats on the plane, I'd call the airline you are traveling on to see how full is the flight a few days prior to traveling. If the seat map is still relatively open then chances are good that you can obtain an extra seat. Depending on the type of aircraft that is.

If there are seats open ask the ticket agent to put an infant seat block (in your nicest, most charming voice) and sometimes they'll help you out. All they can do is say "No". :D

 

(travel agent speaking here....)

[larronry]

I'm with you on the benadryl and I wish I had some advice. My son was so easy at 9 months. At 17 months I didn't go to my cousins wedding because I was afraid to fly with him. At 25 months he's pretty bad on long car rides, but buying that extra plane ticket is not longer an option for me.

 

I know a lot of people don't like to see toddlers walking/running up and down the isles so just be ready for that. Bring some favorite toys and if there is a favorite TV show then do the DVD route. With my son it's definetly Mickey Mouse right now but he goes through phases. If there is any type of stim or fascination type thing see if you can capitalize on that. My son likes lights and fans. That has translated to spinning wheels on trucks and toys that have lights. Now there are some toys with lights that aren't noisy but most trucks with lights also tend to by very noisy and that doesn't work.

 

Sometimes it takes going up and down the toy isles of all the stores to find the one or two things that you know will just work. And I look for the under $5 items if at all possible for this. Age recommendations can be slightly ignored because you will closely supervise him. But only slightly ignored. Look at the size of the parts and decide what items get put away and only get played with on the plane until he is older. You might buy it even though it says 2+ because you think it will work like I bought something for my son to play with at dinner on the ship even though it says 3+ and my son is 2. But I wouldn't buy the items that said 4+ because those parts were getting to small.

 

BTW even though TSA says you are allowed to bring drinks for you baby just be prepared to have to throw it out. Some agents don't know the rules. Something I'm concerned about for my flight in May because my son won't always drink water unless he's thirsty and can't drink juice or milk. There is only one flavored water I can get him to drink and I want him to drink during take off and landing.

[Eclipsepearl]

Flying with a toddler can be challenging. I saw it working and I did it a lot myself.

 

I fly between Europe and California about twice a year, usually alone with three children, plus shorter hops in between (like last week). I've been doing this since my 8 year old was 4 months old. As you can imagine, this is a Big Subject for me.

 

This is far too short a flight to talk about drugging. I've seen it. I've seen it go wrong and more often right. I don't do it but I don't diss parents who do. I only saw it on really long flights, especially at night (often military families). But for such a quick hop, it's simply not necessary.

 

Also the DVD player. I never have used one in all those flights I've taken. I'm thinking about it for the first time only now. Remember you can also use a laptop. I think they don't have a long enough attention span for this. Wait till later...when those gizmos will probably be cheaper!

 

The toy ideas are excellent. I give them new things onboard myself. They don't have to be new actually, just new to them!

 

If you opt for anything electronic, please juice it up before leaving. They can't be recharged onboard.

 

The sucking on take-off and landing is a bit of a myth. It's true that it can help but if your child falls asleep, there is no reason to wake them or remove them from a car seat. Take the child to the doctor in the week before you fly and make sure there are no ear problmes like infections going on. Yes, they can be symptomless (experience speaking!) Healthy ears can handle pressurization changes.

 

I've never had my kids suck on anything and I've never had problems. But we did catch at least one infection before leaving.

 

Actually, the problem time is not on either take-off or landing but at the top of descent. Landing is too late. This is usually about an hour before l (shorter on shorter flights). This is when people would complain to us. If you're concerned, simply have him awake at this time. Moving around alone will keep his ears open and he'll naturally swallow and yawn. Of course, it doesn't hurt to give him something to drink at that time!

 

Last Word of Advice, the only way to fly safely is to have a carseat on the plane and use it. There are no alternatives. Didn't book a seat? Then see if you can get a free one next to you. Bring the car seat along and try to get it onboard.

 

Commercial aviation in the industrailized world is safe so putting a baby on your lap is statistically not dangerous. If anything goes wrong, which is unlikely, they're not protected. I just want parents to make an informed decision.

 

I go into way more detail in an article I wrote. It's totally non-commercial. For seven years, parents have been giving me valuable feedback (especially on some of the detailled subjects). Take advantage. Promise I'll edit it sometime but it's kind of an on-going thing;

http://flyingwithchildren.blogspot.com

 

I go into details on how to get the empty seat, what to pack, what to do with the stroller, etc.

 

Hope that helps!

 

Transatlanic flying mom of three (ages 3, 5 & 8)