I’ve flown with small babies, but not toddlers. They cried, and cried. One did nothing but A) Scream, B) Vomit nonstop, and just for yucks and giggles, C) Scream more.
I was given drugs to put them out, I did not do so. It’s simply anathema to me to drug a child like that. So, I arrived at JFK in NYC covered in this baby’s vomit, and pretty exhausted after 18 hours of flying. Wouldn’t have had it any other way.
Most of the adults on the flight were understanding of a crying baby. They realized that while it may have been difficult for them to hear, it was 18 hours out of their life ( a flight from South Korea ). It wasn’t going to happen to them every day. I got a few nasty looks, I chose to ignore them.
A lot of the prep and distraction advice is right on the money. AbbySthrnAccent’s advice seems especially well thought-out and useful, her kid sounds like he’s flown a lot.
You’re flying from Seattle to Ohio, a flight time of perhaps 3- 3 1/2 hours? You’ll do fine. Just try some prep techniques that have been suggested and remember, you’ll both be fine. Just your luck, he’ll discover a little friend on the flight and will be blissfully occupied the entire time !
My two cents. IMHO, giving a child cold medicine or childrens quaaludes or anything of the sort is irresponsible. Aircraft cabin pressure approximates 10,000 feet. Now if you’re comfortable knowing how a combination of drugs and altitude affect your child, then by all means do what you think is right.
China bambina has flown multiple times on 14 hour international flights. I always wore clothes with a lot of pockets. carry several baby wipes, pacifiers if Whatsit likes 'em (I mean take several secreted in pocket, purse, zippered bag, etc), snacks, water, formula, candy treats, etc. You never know when you will need to quick draw them. I would first be aware of the effect of sugar on his matabolism. Mentally pack a bag that has everything you might need during the duration of the flight so he’s not unhappy waiting for juice or something.
Most airports have a kids playground to burn some energy before the flight.
At that age, he probably likes to walk. If it’s a big plane with two isles, you can do laps.
If you or hubby has a laptop, put a cartoon on their and use that to entertain him.
An easy change of clothes in case there’s an accident of some sort. Plus some big plastic bags you can just toss in the offending article a seal.
Call the airline in advance and check about a bulkhead seat for you two. Explain the situation and then you won’t have to worry about a seat kicker. I’d get to the airport early, and make sure the manager at check in knows you’ve got a toddler. They often will block out seats next to you or in front of you if they know the flight isn’t going to be full. You could even try calling to schedule a flight that is normally not so full.
Just jumping in here late. My kids are veterans of many flights, both domestic and international, up to 30 hours (yes, that’s right) duration (including layovers) from ages 2 months up to 7 years.
One thing I didn’t see suggested (sorry if I missed it): get the airline to help you getting all your stuff through the airport, especially if the airports in question don’t have (good) carts for passenger use within the terminal. They should normally be able to do this.
If you haven’t already scheduled the flight, see if you can take the red-eye from Seattle to Ohio (you coming to our neck of the woods?) Little Whatsit will likely sleep all the way out. Unfortunately I don’t think this option exists for the return flight.
Get the bulkhead seat so you don’t stress over him kicking the seat in front of you.
For the takeoffs and landings I’d recommend a sippy cup with juice or water. Breast feeding is great but is hard to do when he’s strapped in for take off. Also most airlines have a seatbelt connector for kids to sit on their parents’ laps and still be buckled in. I’m a big fan of lollipops, but they’re not as effective for take offs and landings.
During the flight, take him for a stroll to the back part of the plane a couple of times (if he’s awake) so that he has a change of scenery and get’s to stretch his legs.
Bring little cans of playdoh or stuff he can squish and mash. But make sure these don’t become projectiles or stuck in your seatmates hair.
If the flight has three seats across, ask for the aisle and window seat. No one is going to take the seat in between you if there’s any other option available. If the flight is completely full you can always swap seats so that someone’s not actually stuck in the middle seat between you. Note this also minimises the chances of kidney torture for the person in front of you.
Enlist allies before you board the plane. Look for a grandma or other parents. They’ll be more patient and understanding. If you’re stuck near some jackass then offer to trade seats (this makes everyone happier).
I notice China Guy mentioned the playground. These DO exist in many airports but can be very hard to find (especially in American airports). Ask someone and they should be able to direct you.
We flew with BabyMaeve in April. She was 21 months old then.
We did give her some decongestant (and her binky) 30 min before takeoff to help with ear issues (we already know she tolerates decongestant well). I would be careful about automatically giving a toddler benadryl. I believe QtM mentioned in another thread that not all kids react the same way to benadryl…for a small percentage of them it can act as a stimulant.
We found that a book of stickers provided a lot of entertainment for Maeve…she is at the “Dora the Explorer” stage now…so we brought a Dora coloring book on the flight and opened it up there.
Giving her a chance to roam around when we were at a layover airport seemed to help release some energy for her also.
We did use the carseat on the flight TO our destination…but found being cooped up in the carseat created more stress for her than just buckling her in the airline seat. On the way back…we stowed the car seat and just buckled her in…since we sat next to her, it worked out much better.
All in all…she handled the trip MUCH better than my worst fears. She didn’t seemed too freaked out by the noises and shaking of the plane.
We would always bring some things that were new (to him) and inexpensive enough that we didn’t care if they got lost, destroyed, or filthy. A deck of playing cards kept our son busy from Chicago to Salt Lake City. A cheap “Walkman” cassette player with an FM radio and a set of headphones worked from Minneapolis almost all the way to Atlanta. We had kid type music on cassettes, but the biggest hit was the FM radio once he figured out how to move the dial up and down the stations. I have absolutely no idea what he heard, but he did pick up at least some music judging by the little “chair dances” he did every so often. Other times he would look up at me with an “OH NO!” face, and every once in awhile there was a “What the HELL?” expression. He finally fell asleep to static. 15 minutes before the plane landed. We would try to limit important comfort items to just two items, usually “puppy” and “blankie”. The blanket was a small polarfleece throw that rolled up into a tiny little thing, and I would let him sleep with it and mop it around the floor at home for a good week before leaving. It would smell like home, and be one of the favorite things we brought along.
For me, I try to keep things as simple as possible. My purse goes in the checked bags, mostly empty. I carry stuff in a backpack with lots of outside pockets and compartments for little stuff and easy access. The inside is reserved for big items. My drivers license, a credit card and some cash go in the pocket of my jeans. Not alot of cash, either. Usually around $100.00 in twenties, and a roll of quarters for vending machines went into one of the outer backpack pockets. I usually had one thing to carry, and my hands were free. The stuff in my backpack was usually for the child’s comfort, and the stuff in my husband’s backpack was for our comfort. We’d take turns managing a tiny little wheeled carry-on with less-essential extra itmes. Now that the kid’s older, he carries his own dern backpack.
If I were you, for that trip I would try my hardest to limit myself to one backpack and the kid after baggage check.
My kid was great when he flew as a two-year-old. Pick and choose from the advice given, and if it gets ugly in the air, ask the stews…they’ll probably have some tried-and-true advice for you.
Grrrr, so much useful advice here, but interspersed is some information which isn’t accurate.
Little kids don’t just have tantrums to “get their way.” They have tantrums because their emotions are out of control and they cannot handle the way they feel. I know some kids use them in manipulative ways, but it is so dismissive of a child’s very real struggles to learn self-control to assume that all kids of a certain age are simply using tantrums as manipulation.
For god’s sake, listen to beagledave–I was cringing when I heard people suggest Benadryl with no caveats. Not all children get sleepy or calm with Benadryl.
Cheerios are a great snack because they take a long time to eat and you can dole them out.
Let your child walk, crawl, climb and run in the airport as much as possible, while there is room to. Go to a more deserted gate area if possible. It is pointless to attempt to enforce angelic behavior before you get on the plane. Let the kid get some energy out and save your tricks for the plane ride.
Oh, and yes, Seattle has the Inflight DVD player rental service at the airport. It’s worth it. Maybe bring your own kid-friendly DVDs to use, as they tend to offer popular movies instead of blues clues and the wiggles.
I’m not kidding. I now live in NYC but recently moved from San Jose and my family is all in MI and OH so I’ve done the trip at least 15 times. People will look at you in horror when you bring a child on a red-eye but I’ve had some great comments after the flights when they realize that my Kiddo slept the entire way. Plus, the flights are generally less crowded. It’s the only way to go.
Of course, pack a bag with some toys, crayons, food, etc. but I’ve never needed it. Oh, gate-check a stroller…it’ll help with all the crap you need to carry if you can wheel it all right to the entrance of the plane.
The only change in the human body at higher altitudes should be hemiglobulin regulation. And considering the short duration of a planet flight it wouldn’t really come into play.
That and I lived up above Denver for 2 years (from 9 months to almost 3) I never took anything but the standard children’s doses of medicine.
At high altitued baking times vary due to the air pressure, and at deep depths I believe the helium oxygen mix you’d breath would cause some metabolism issues.
Honestly the only difference between a pressurized airplane and sitting at 300 feet above sealevel is the partial pressure of oxygen. And even then there shouldn’t be that much difference that can’t be sorted out by breathing more frequently which is already regulated by the autonomous nervous system.
Do NOT just show up at the airport with your carseat - it must be an FAA approved model in order to use it on a plane. When my wife had to fly with a little one, we bought one of those convertible car seats/strollers, which made moving through the airport easier.
Talk to the airline ahead of time. If you’re flying out of an airport where only passengers are allowed past the security check, the airline can issue a gate pass for your husband, so you have an extra set of hands available. (Don’t know where in OH you’re flying to, but Columbus is set up this way)
Go to a pharmacy and get a bottle of sweet oil. Put a couple of drops in the kids ears before flying, it helps pressure be relieved less painfully.
While waiting at the gate for a flight some time back, I saw a mother pull out a remote control car, set it and the toddler down, and start driving the car around the seating area. At first, we were all annoyed, as the toddler ran back and forth, squealing, giggling, and having a noisily great time. After a while, most of the other passengers got over it, and dealt with the kid running all around the gate area. When the flight boarded, the mom picked up the kid and car, and preboarded. When the rest of us boarded, everything became clear to us as we filed by the mom and her exhausted sleeping toddler. I don’t think the kid woke up til we got off the plane.
I don’t know if remote control toys will pass security these days, but the idea of wearing out the kid before the flight seems sound.
We always do let Whatsit Jr. run around in the gate area before the plane. Being cooped up for 3-4 hours is much more tolerable for him if he’s been allowed to exercise his little legs for awhile beforehand. I am definitely going to check into whether a playground area exists at Sea-Tac; I had no idea such things were available.
FYI, I was not planning on drugging my child anyway, so you can all rest at ease. I’m bringing Robitussin because he’s had off and on problems through the winter with colds involving a hacking cough, and if it starts to happen on the plane, I want to have something to give him for relief.
We’ve flown with this particular carseat before, so I assume it’s an OK model to use. I will most certainly see about getting MrWhatsit a gate pass, as that would help tremendously. I’ll also see about getting airport staff to help us out maybe. I’d like to just stow the carseat and travel without it, but I don’t think I can keep Whatsit Jr. in his seat with just the regular seatbelt.
Get scented wipes, even if you don’t usually use them. The scent is designed to block poopy smells. Wave one around before or after a diaper change, if needed.
No toys that roll. (having fished out toys that roll three rows up…)
Order the kid’s meal in advance. Even if just for the toy. (if meal is part of ticket price)
Don’t let them have things in their hands if they are able to stand in their seat when unbuckled (having discovered after 30 minutes of quiet looking around that Gabe was sneaking cheerios into his hand and oh-so-carefully dropping them down the shirt collar of the guy in the seat in front of us… :eek: :o )
Plan to walk the aisles a lot.
Ask to be moved to an open area if there are any.
Put the diaper bag in front of the baby seat (on the floor), to catch sippy cups and other items that ‘fall’.
Do whatever it takes when crying happens. People would rather listen to you sing off key than to your child crying.
Make eye contact with those nearby if difficulties arise. People are nicer if you are ‘real’ to them, and eye contact with a ‘sorry’ look will earn points more often than you’d expect.
Board early, get off last.
Many varieties of snacks help with boredom.
Travel toys - a mini magnadoodle is a cool thing for planes, so are small, contained manipulatives (no parts to come loose), board books, and anything that doesn’t have electronic sounds.
