Yall this is great (thanks for the idea bout loadin up the cat in the hat shows) I’m glad I decided to ask advice instead of just eyeballin a rough solution. getting ready for this trip is a huge stress and all you all have been great with the awesome suggestions that I’m too wigged to think of right now.
Another thing I’ll warn you about, too - jet lag can have a vastly different effect on your toddler vs. the effect it has on you. Purely anecdotal, but when we took my son from the States to India, we expected that he would crash for at least a full night’s worth of sleep when we got there (you know, like we would have). Not so. He could only sleep for four hours at a stretch on arrival before waking up again. It would take about two hours before he’d sleep, then the cycle would repeat. It didn’t matter if it was the middle of the night or broad daylight.
This lasted about two weeks and was utterly exhausting. Then, of course, two weeks after that, we came right back again and had another couple of weeks of jet lag. If you can, schedule a couple of days on either side of your trip (assuming it’s a round trip) so you can recalibrate a bit.
hm, thanks overlyverbose, I had thought of that but, from your experience, possibly, incorrectly assumed as you did. the two week adjustment doesn’t surprise me though, seems about right.
Whenever you are NOT on the plane (waiting in the lounge prior to boarding; any time during a layover), make sure your kid gets as much exercise as possible. I used to point to a chair, door, trashcan, or any convenient object about 20 yards away in the nice (carpeted) lounge, and say to my son, “I bet you can’t run over, touch that blue chair, and run back here before I can count to 10!” He loved games like that, and would happily spend the entire time in the airport burning off energy.
The other thing is - don’t sweat the junk food while traveling. Sure, letting your kid stuff himself into a carbohydrate- and grease-induced coma from chicken nuggets, french fries, Caprisonne, and cake would not be a good idea on a regular basis. But he will survive 20 hours of terrible eating habits, and (as long as you avoid Mountain Dew and the like), it will keep him occupied and happy. (That’s the kind of stuff the airlines put in their kiddie meals anyway, so don’t be shocked.)
heh, food, yeah, if I can get him to eat anything the airline calls food :rolleyes:(do they have better quality food on international flights than they do domestic flights?) I’d be surprised. I’ve already decided that food is one battle I’m gonna try not to have while flying.
if he’ll eat it I’m good. He’s finicky enough and independant enough that he will go hungry rather than eat something he says no too. On the plus side (i guess?) if he won’t eat it and you don’t try to force him it doesn’t devolve into a screaming fit either. Just not worth the fight on an airplane in my mind. Luckily, he doesn’t know about soda so milk juice or water will do fine in that area. Do you suppose i could get away with bringing his own pbnj sandwiches on the plane? probably :Dgive the tsa guys screaming hives:D trying to get those through security:eek:
Oh yes, they do have MUCH better, and more frequent, food on international flights. Things aren’t quite what they used to be, but they are still far better than on domestic US flights.
TSA isn’t going to mind if you bring PB&J sandwiches on board*; it’s only liquid that is disallowed. Feel free to bring supplies of granola bars, cookies, candy, bananas, cheese 'n crackers, etc.
Anyway, the kiddy meals are usually designed to appeal to children’s palates with little to no regard for nutrition. They MIGHT include peas/carrots/corn, but most likely it’ll be spaghetti, chicken nuggets, or something like that. And almost always a candy bar or a piece of chocolate, in addition to cake, pudding or gelatin for dessert. (At least on Lufthansa, Singapore Air, Qatar, and United, which seem to be the airlines we usually end up with).
*ETA: just realized that there may be American carriers that don’t allow peanut products on board, although as far as I know it is still okay. But you can call the airline a few days in advance to ask if they have a no-peanuts-on-board policy to watch out for.
well, hmm, all the stuff he hates to eat, guess i better get a lunch box for him.
Lots of cool travel stuff on that site.
Completely unrelated to travel comfort or convenience, we also have a set of these. 
Your son hates chicken nuggets, french fries and chocolate? Omigod, that is awesome.
My kid’s only claims to nutritional adequacy are that he hates pasta and likes sushi. But he loves chicken nuggets, pizza, and candy. 
oops, goofed, he hates chicken in all its forms, turkey is acceptable if it comes from gramma or his cousins hands, french fries are acceptable (sometimes, sometimes he just doesn’t want them) and chocolate is a rare treat. Pizza, I dunno, he used to like it, but lately not so much.
French fries are the only part of any meal he will eat from a fast food place. Unless there is ice cream involved…
not to hijack my own thread, but I make mac and cheese, mix in a can of mild chili and a can of either corn (works really well) or green beans (odd but still works) and guest jr just LOVES it, more so than just chili mac n cheese or plain mac n cheese. Not the best but at least its a veggie
ACK! sudden slightly panicked thought, bathrooms on planes used for international flights, are they larger than the normal coffin sized ones on planes used for domestic flights? little guest will have some, erm, aromatic diapers im fairly sure, and I would prefer to subject other passengers to that as little as possible. but I just can’t imagine trying to change a diaper in a space that barely fits me by myself,
Add a roll of paper towel to your list to make it easier to clean up. Tons of slide lock ziplock bags makes for easier stashing and recovery of stuff during the flight.
My older child learned to walk in Stockholm, so the flight home from Sweden had a TON of laps around the plane when over the Atlantic. The Swedish flight crew was amazing, and even took him themselves at times.
There’s usually a fold-down changing table just over the toilet. It’s basically a really large version of a tray table, only made out of the same material as the bathroom wall. It’s not large by any means (my son’s head touched one wall and his feet the other at 18 months), but there should be one.
Splurge and buy a supply of those diaper disposal bags that are scented/deodorizing. Then double bag and tightly seal … it’ll be fine.
I’d like to suggest a Trunki: http://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref=a9_sc_1?rh=i%3Ababy-products%2Ck%3Atrunki&keywords=trunki&ie=UTF8&qid=1309114413
(and apologise for forgetting how to code that so you don’t get the whole link thingy…)
My girls have one each and they are fabulous. Big enough for all their stuff: changes, nappies, snacks, toys etc. Correct size for hand luggage and on wheels.
They are designed for kids to ride on when they get tired, but they can also sit and push themselves along, and last year when my youngest was a little young to balance and be pulled, she pushed it all the way through the airport.
Great fun if you are delayed too. Well worth it. We’ve had ours 3 years now and they are still going strong!
Practice playing “Red Light, Green Light” before you go. Being able to stop a child who is wandering off just as you get to the front of a queue can save you years in prison. LOL! It’s also a great way to work off the extra energy. I’d imagine most people wouldn’t mind you playing int he aisle of the plane either. Maybe practice it with hand signals so you don’t have to yell.
Also, “Yo Gabba Gabba” has a song for getting the wiggles out. I"m youtube deficient at the moment, but hoefully someone will link it for you. It’s bascially a song you sing and at the appropriate times the child jumps around and wiggles hard. It’s great for those times when they’d like to sit still for you, they really would, but they just CAN’T anymore.
And that’s my final advice: Learn the difference between “won’t” and “can’t” with your particular child. I see so many parents treating simple needs as if they were discipline problems. It leaves both parent and child miserable.