Seeking Advice About Air Travel with Toddlers

Hi A.!
I have both travelled with a toddler and have a girlfriend that takes all 4 of her kids to Scotland every other year. So here's what works for us.
My daughter is now 3 and since she was 2 I stopped trying to make her sit in the car seat on the plane. She hates it.
As for things to do, my girlfriend fills her kids backpacks with new stuff for each trip. For example, she fills it with new crayons/markers and new coloring books. Perhaps a new book to read to them or do activities in. Small canisters of playdough (which can be tons of fun and not noisy at all!)
A few small snacks. A new Barbie/doll etc... At this age, the fact that there are new things is enough to keep them interested and before you know it you're there.
I have also given my daughter Benedryl before a trip and not only did it help but she took a nice little nap. It helped to get her thru the take off.
Lastly, I always take a copy of my daughters birth certificate but have yet to be asked for it. We have been on 7 trips with all different airlines.
Good luck!
P.

I just took my 3 year old and 18 month old on a trip. The 3 year old didn't use his car seat on the way back and it was great. The only problem was that it made the 18 month old mad she was in a car seat.

We used a computer for one and a portable DVD player for the other, and that worked well, although the 18 month old didn't care as much, the 3 year old was thrilled to get to watch so much TV - it kept him calm and occupied. We told him the pilot wouldn't allow it on during certain times and that seemed to work.

My son did get ear infections and the dr. did say next time: 1. Make sure they swallow when you are going up and down - a pacifier or sippy cup can work
2. He recommeded some medicine, I don't remember which

Also, I brought the birth certificates everytime I've traveled - never needed them.

Whatever you do DO NOT use the car seat on the flight, I did this once...BIG MISTAKE. The height of the car seat gave my son the ability to kick the seat in front of him. I spent the entire flight holding his legs down. Without the car seat, his legs would not have been able to reach the seat in front of him.

J. Penfield
Stayin Home and Lovin It!
www.juliepenfield.com
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A. -

We have 5 children ages 7,5,5,4 and 7 months. We spent 4 weeks traveling abroad this summer with 9-10 hour flights. Here are some (hopefully) useful suggestions.

First, our ped. recommended 1 tsp of ibuprofen and 1 tsp benadryl for ALL the kids. (Even our baby who was 19lbs at the time.) The dr. said that they have found this to be the best combination to help with ear problems and to settle the kids down. 3 of our kids slept for a big chunk of the flight. He said give it right when you get on board and it should work by take-off.

Also, I found that small toys with lights and sound work well. Since the cabins tend to be a little dark the kids seem to like it. Toys that seem noisy at home are suprisingly hard to hear on the plane. I didn't realize how loud planes were until we had a loud toy on board!

Another great idea especially for the 23 month old is to take a few favorite small toys away a few weeks before the flight and then pull them out when you need a distraction - it is like they have found a long lost friend! Find some small new toys and wrap them up and put on curly ribbon bows...sometimes that is more entertaining than the toy.

If you are okay giving the kids candy - Dum Dums are great....small but also helps with the sucking for ear problems. Also, M&M dispensers that use mini M&M's. They are tiny and take awhile to pick up and eat.

Before we took them to Disney last winter I found lots of free Disney coloring pages online, bought new crayons and had folders with their names on them. We pulled then out at the airport and they were a big hit.

Hope this helps - enjoy your trip!
Jennifer

1 - I would definitely check your son's car seat and just bring your daughter's. I definitely think it helps to have them for the younger children as it not only is safer but also because it gives them a sense of security. One purchase that is well worth the money is a car seat bag. They sell them at babies r us. They have shoulder straps that make lugging the seat through the airport MUCH easier.
2 - I have traveled several times with my kids and have never needed birth certificates. I call the airline to confirm this each time we travel, though, as security measures seem to be constantly changing. You might want to bring a photocopy of them just in case.
3 - Swallowing is supposed to ease the ear pain. I brought sippy cups for my kids and held off on giving them to them until take-off. You might even consider putting a special treat in them like chocolate milk to make sure they'll drink up during take-off. I've used decongestant prior to traveling when my kids had colds, and it seemed to help a lot.
4 - Books, stickers, doodlepro.
Have fun and enjoy the adventure!

I found that buying a special DVD before the flight helps with them actually watching a movie! Another option is to plan on buying a new toy at the airport. Midway has a great toy store right after the security checkin. My daughter loves the pets in the purses they have. Remember crayons/coloring books while waiting at the airport. And I haven't used a seat for my daughter..she is 2 1/2 and we fly almost every 4-5 months. She fights sitting for take off and landing sometimes, but you can always hold them if they won't sit still. And try and get your son near the window so he can look out!
Good luck!

I think the 23 month old is still considered a lap baby so I'm not sure you really needed a seat, but obviously they (and you) will be much more comfortable in separate seats. We have flown stand-by a number of times, so we keep our stuff to a minimum, as often my hubby and I are each with a kid, but not necessarily with eachother (we have a 13 y/o, a 4-1/2 y/o and a 2-1/2 y/o). We check car seats, and gate check strollers. It's just simpler and the little ones are okay with lap belts. Less to deal with and LOTS more room. We even got to fly 1st class (stand-by) once and my 2-1/2 y/o did great! He looked tiny in the larger 1st class seat :-) but he was then all the more comfortable when he fell asleep. Also, Play-Doh is a great "toy" to occupy them on the flight. Play-Doh Stampers are great because of all the faces thay can make. Hope this helps!

For the ear pain....we found that it was worse on the decent. Someone on our flight was kind enough to give us two sugar-free mini tootsie pops. We used both of them as we took off, so we didn't have any for landing. I really believe that would have helped with her pain.

Looks like you have a ton of good advice - I will try not to duplicate, except to say if you can get away WITHOUT a carseat, DO THAT. My daughter is 2-1/2, the height of an 18 month-old, peaceful and cooperative, but she STILL kicks the seat of any passenger in front of her if we use the carseat. We lived abroad all last year, and we counted 12 round-trip airplane rides she's been on so far in her young life. So - what works for us?

... Lap belt
... Drinking/eating thru take-off and landing
... New stuff, or toys she hasn't seen in awhile but loves
... crayons!!
... magnets on a metal box (hours of fun)
... sticker books
... stickers, period (to stick on clothes, on skin, on travel bag, whatever)
... 4-5 small toys that can "interact" with one another (a bunny and a dog, and maybe a vehicle for them - but more than 3 or 4 and you won't find them in the bag, or they'll keep falling and you'll have to retrieve them 'cause they won't fit on the kids' laps)
... for your craft, I'd avoid anything tiny or messy, and stick to scotch tape, pre-cut shapes, maybe some extra tissue paper to have fun with after you finish the craft, a special "crafts" bag that all craft-makings and your finished crafts go into before/after flight
... books, especially ones with lift-up flaps and action or songs or noises - but not too many/not too heavy
... snacks are imperative - you never know what they'll give you on the plane
... and RUN THEM FIRST ... it's hard, with all the packing and getting out of the house you have to do - but it's important to let the kids have some free play shortly before you board the plane (or buckle into the car), especially since they're not used to being confined for so long

I hope that helps. However it goes, have FUN! It's a new experience - and that in itself could hold their attention for awhile. Good luck.

~ R.

I haven't traveled with both my kids yet, but have flown several times with my older son. I found that it was more painless than I expected. He is used to being in a "buckled in" situation (long drives to grandma's house) and he liked the focused parental attention on the flights.

I think the Tylenol before takeoff is a good idea. I've found that the novelty of new toys, even cheap plastic stuff is great on trips. I like those invisible ink books or anything they can draw with that's less droppable than crayons (travel-size magnadoodles, etc.) I like to have the kids pack a small backpack of their own stuff - at 23 months they like "taking out and putting back" too.

For crafts, those foam things with peel-off backing aren't very messy.

Bring at least 2 changes of clothes for everyone, and twice as many diapers as you think you will need! (I accidentally checked the diapers when flying back from Minneapolis to Chicago. He had an immediate dirty diaper so I had to dress him without a diaper and put all of the extra clothing underneath him to protect his seat. We both arrived soaking wet - he was on my lap when he peed.)

My emergency entertainment is always my digital camera or camera phone. The camera will take video without a flash, and I can entertain the kids for half an hour taking video of them making funny faces and playing back the video on the little screen for them.

I travel frequently with my 3 1/2 year old and I stopped using the car seat on board when she turned 3 and she did fine with the lap belt. It was much easier to handle and it is true they do kick the seat in front you.

I just took a 9 hour trip with her to Hawaii and she did not watch the DVD player at all. I packed a little roller suitcase that is made for kids with her favorite toys and books and that is what she played with on the plane.

As for the ears, I have never had a problem with hers just make sure to have water with you and after you take off and are in the air then start giving them water. I always give her a little tylonel before hand and I never had any problems.

Good luck and have a great trip.

My daughter started travelling w/me by plane when she was 2 1/2. I never used a car seat - just made sure the seat belt was snug but not too tight. No one ever asked for ID for her, but things may have changed.

I usually made sure that I had coloring books, small toys and snacks (juice, raisins, etc.). I put her things in a small backpack that she carried, and it usually kept her occupied for a little while. She would also fall asleep at some point, so the time went by quickly for her. (Our flights were usually only 2 hours long.)

Hi there. You have some good questions and concerns. I traveled to Wales (in-laws) with my then 20 month old daughter and 4 month son in August. Two planes (10 hours) and a three hour car ride gave me the hand to hand combat experience of traveling with small children.

First DON'T take the car seat on. I made that mistake last year when my daughter was 9 months (same trip). They don't fit the airplane seats like they do in the car, so they thrust forward and are very awkward and uncomfortable. Check both seats with your luggage. Zip them in special car seat carriers buy the cheap one, there is no difference. For you little one a change of clothes is a good idea, with tight quarters spills happen and put the change in a zip lock. Take another zip lock and put a couple of diapers, changing pad and wipes in it. Some snacks in zip locks are a good idea, small portions. We bought a portable DVD player, but you won't be on the flight too long so you may not need it. For me peace of mind is priceless so we spent the money. Small toys, stickers and crayons are good, but not too much. On the way over I brought so much I couldne't find anything in the bag and had trouble carrying such a heavy bag. If you bought seats for each (a REALLY good idea) then you don't need id. If you are travelin without you husband and have the kids it's a good idea to get a noterized statement saying your husband gives you permission to take your kids out of state. If you little one still does a bottle or even a sippy with a straw that should take care of ears popping. Gum or candy for the older one should take care of his/her ears. I found I never had a problem with ears at all and have four flights under my belt now. The last thing I can say is do your best to keep them calm and quiet and if all hell breaks loose don't worry - you may never see any of those people again in your life.
A. F