I’m flying to my folks for Thanksgiving, 5 hour flight, no husband with me, just me and my 2-year old. Oh and I’m 7 months pregnant. I must be nutz.
No layover though thank god.
I’ve got in my carry-on bag:
A bunch of little disposable new gifts, like a new baby doll, slinky, sticker book etc.
Snacks and water
Bottle and sippy cup
Books
Magnadoodle
Diapers and wipes
Kid-leash
Earplugs to offer to our seatmate
Anything else I should bring that I don’t have listed here. Any advice from parents who’ve done this sort of thing? I keep reminding myself that even if she is a little nightmare the whole way there, really it is only 5 hours out of our lives.
Oh and we are flying JetBlue so in my heart of hearts I’m hoping I can just plug in my little TV addict and she’ll be happy all the way across the country…
Lots of airports rent dvd players and rent movies, then you return it at the next airport. If your blue doesn’t have the video screens, you can fall back on that.
I would also consider a pillow. Those little airplane pillows don’t help, because there is a gap between the fuselage and the seat (IIRC, the kid will be required to have the window seat). On the way back, swim in the hotel pool before you go to the airport, so the little sprogs eyes are nice and chlorinated and and the energy is tapped.
Do you have a separate seat for her? I shudder when I see people carrying kids in their laps. (Both because it is less safe and because it seems like a good way to start a wrestling match in a tiny space that you can’t win.)
I fly a lot with my toddler, and the best thing I did was get a “Sit’n’Stroll.” I realize it is a bit much for one flight, but just having a seat that she can be securely strapped into and can’t wiggle out of (don’t get me started about how fast toddlers figure out how to open airline seatbelts) is a huge help. Can you find some kind of FAA approved (has to be, or the airline won’t allow it on) seat that you can borrow (or buy if it is cheap) for the flight? (If you do, ask the attendant for a seat belt extender.)
For the little gifts, get some wrapping paper, and wrap everything up. I’ve been known to wrap 3 gummy bears, and equally small packets. The thrill of opening it up will keep her busy longer.
Keep her up late, skip her nap, encourage sleep on the plane. If all else fails, use Benadryl.
You may want to not do the Benadryl, or at least give it a test run before you go. When we were flying with our infant, we asked the doctor about giving him Benadryl. He said he doesn’t recommend it because often, it wears off before you’ve gotten to your destination and that a kids just coming off of Benadryl can be more unpleasant than a kids who’s unhappy and awake the whole flight. YMMV
We actually found that traveling with a baby wasn’t nearly as bad as we anticipated. A two year old is different, but you may not have any problems at all. Our friend just traveled from Australia to Denmark & back again with a 6 yo, 4 yo and a 2 yo, by herself. She did okay. She’s a crazy woman, though.
For the love of OG DO NOT allow your little one to kick the back of the seat infront of them. This has been know to make the business traveler in that seat very cranky.
Get to the airport early. After clearing security, let junior run all over the terminal. The more the better. You want junior beat when they get on the plane, the more tired they are, the longer they sleep.
About 1 of 4 kids that age has paradoxical stimulation with benadryl (diphenhydramine). If he goes into berzerker mode on it, you’ll have the added joy of knowing you caused it.
May you have the same experience flying with your little darling that my mother had when she took me on my first airplane flight when I was about 3.
I was a perfect little angel. I spent the whole flight blissfully staring out the window. I only put up a fuss when the flight ended and we had to leave. Mom said flying with me was never a problem, just give me a window seat and I was both quiet and entertained the whole trip. Any thought of misbehavior was easily countered by threatening to pull the window shade down and block the view.
There are some kids who like flying, you know? May you be so lucky.
And yes, get an airline approved car seat if you have the time - it’s really better for everyone. Call the airline and ask them specifically about it.
More diapers. More snacks. Drink boxes if she’ll drink from a straw, or a sippy cup if she’ll accept it, to reduce the chance of major spills. At least one full change of clothes for the toddler and ideally at least a clean shirt for you. Plastic bags to securely wrap dirty clothing. Be ready for anything, including a total diaper blowout (something about a pressurized cabin at 30,000 feet always seemed to inspire my two to record-breaking poops) and a loooong delay.
Those vinyl Colorforms-type stickers that cling by static electricity are great. Kiddo can stick them all over the window and the tray table, and you can peel them right off without leaving a mark when she’s done. If she likes to color/draw/scribble, bring washable markers, so you can get any oopsies off with the baby wipes.
Some toddlers will wear earphones, some won’t. If yours will, a walkman and her favorite tapes or CDs.
Snacks that take a long time to eat are food and entertainment in one. One of our favorites is a variation on Gorp: Cheerios, your chocolate-flavored cereal of choice, and raisins. Individual little crackers, like Goldfish, are good too. I am normally against letting kids “graze” but long flights are an exception.
Good luck! Really, I’ve found that as long as you are visibly trying to keep a toddler under control, most people are pretty forgiving, especially near big holidays.
This is good. I often take a beach ball. You can blow it up once you get inside, and junior will probably chase it all over and be very happy. You can bat it some distance away, and have junior return it, over and over and over again. Then you can deflate it to get on the plane.
Once on the plane, if she won’t sit still in her seat, try letting her walk the aisles. Just up and down, back and forth. (You do have to go with her.) Mine will do that for hours very happily.
And flodnak is right. Most people will cut you some slack if they see you are trying to keep the toddler calm. They realize that you are fighting a force of nature, and are just thanking God it isn’t them.
This has worked for me in restaurants…maybe it will work for you too. Bring a bag of lemon wedges. Make sure you pick all the seeds out (so the tot doesn’t choke). When she starts to get cranky, let her suck on one. The sensation is so startling and interesting that they kind of forget they’re pissed off.
I’ve never tried it on a plane, but it’s worth a try. She’ll make a face, but it can’t hurt her and she may actually like it. My kid did!
Yes! If you don’t already know how she reacts to Benadryl, a plane trip is not the first time to try it. I am an adult who has this reaction to antihistimines. I feel like I’ve chugged an entire pot of coffee. You don’t want to be peeling your kid off the bulkhead.
Request bulkhead seats (well, that’s what they’re called in the UK anyway). These are the first row of seats in each section of the aircraft. There is a bit more room for the little one to stand up, move around, etc.
Bulkhead seats are key! Get to the gate early, and be ready to pounce on the gate attendant whenever they start working on the computer. The bulkhead seats will give you a lot of extra room.
The most important thing is to have something for the descent. Candy is fine; if you can give your little one gum, that’s better. Best yet is to make sure you have a bottle of something to suck on as you descend. I think sucking is better than just drinking, as the sucking action also helps to pop ears.
I think all JetBlue planes have the TV in the back of the seat; that will be great for you.
Finally, you’re not supposed to fly in the final trimester! What are you thinking?!?
As long as her doctor’s given her the go-ahead, she’s fine. My pregnancy book says that you shouldn’t fly after the 36th week - well, duh. You’re practically en route to the hospital anyway, by then. Most airlines, I think restrict you after 34 weeks for domestic travel and, if I remember correctly, 32 weeks for international. I may have that wrong, I’m going from memory. I flew by myself to Australia when I was almost 5 months pregnant. You just have to make sure you’re drinking plenty of fluids and keeping the circulation in your legs going (walk around, do calf stretches, etc.).
Yes, the airplane is pressurized - but not to sea level. More like about 8000 feet about sea level (about 2500 meters for you metric types, if my off-the-cuff conversion is correct). So the internal pressure is higher, relative to the surronding atmosphere, than would be the case at sea level or near to it. Not enough to be a problem for a healthy person, but enough to prompt the exit of intestinal gas. In adults, the off-gassing is… um… a little more controlled (one hopes) than in a todler, and less likely to result in the the dumping of all intestinal contents. But if you’re thinking the diaper contents are as jet-propelled as the airplane you are not entirely wrong.
Yet another reason I like to visit the Little Pilot’s Room prior to take-off.
Ditto the change of clothes for your daughter and you.
My wife and I thought we had everything covered for a flight to Orlando a couple of years ago. Until my son barfed on my shirt. Fortunately it was a Hawaiian shirt. Still, rinsing out your clothing in an airport bathroom is not very fun … .