Flying with an 18 month old

morahaviva

Sun, Mar 16 2008, 8:18 pm

I-pod or cd player with his favorite kiddie songs, or portable cd player with kiddie videos if you guys watch them. If s/he has started coloring, bring a few crayons in a baggie and a small notebook. Food is a good distraction!
I also used to bring spare clothing packed in baggies - that way if I needed to change them I could just pull out one bag and have a diaper and full set of clothes at the ready. Make sure you have his/her blankie, spare pacifiers, bottles, whatever they use to comfort themselves!
A big DONT - dont expect the ppl sitting around you to think your child is adorable - b/c with my experience this only lasts as long as your child is quiet! And DONT change diapers in the seat - go to the bathroom as difficult as this may be.

jemappelle

Mon, Mar 17 2008, 5:36 pm

I've said this elsewhere: pack a spare tshirt for yourself...if the baby throws up, in all likely hood it will be on you!
make sure to bring something for him to suck- bottle, packifier, sippy cup to alleviate the pressure in his ears at take off/landing
whatever toys you bring -make sure there arent tons of pieces, you dont want to go fishing for them all over the plane

SingALong

Mon, Mar 17 2008, 6:27 pm

get a lot of cheap little toys instead of a few big ones. they can all fit in one knapsack and if they get lost, then it doesn't matter.
like a pack of cards for 75 cents,
stickers, and bandaid are fun if he likes these things.
coloring if he likes to. squishy ball, a yo-yo, go to one of those stores that have boxes of prizes and pick from those that are for his age.

Garden-Gnome

Mon, Mar 17 2008, 9:06 pm

One of the best toys? A roll of masking tape. (The white one) You can tape an x on the seatback, tape 2 cups together, tie two fingers together (safely, of course), stick tape on and off of him/you, stick a line on the tray and get him to draw on it/pull it off, stretch it, make circles with it...

A mother on a plane once told this to me and I was skeptical till I tried it myself.

As PP's have said, all his comfort items, spare wipes (like two per bag) in a ziplok bag so you can keep a couple handy in your seatback, diaper & wipes in a separate bag to take only the necessary items to the restroom (there's barely enough room for you, let alone a kid AND a diaper bag). Favorite books, a favorite toy and a new toy.

I changed my son's clothing for pyjamas when it was bed time so he knew that it was time to go to sleep. I think it helped him settle down.

Amital

Tue, Mar 18 2008, 2:40 am

I fly overseas several times each year. A few tips:

-put everything into a bag, and use as few as possible. Otherwise, checkpoints are a nightmare of getting out the bags, laptop or DVD player, plus individual cup, animal, blanket, toys, etc. (If your child has something special, like a blanket or stuffed animal, they'll x-ray it. I tell my boys it's taking a picture of their "famous" bunny! We say "Smile bunny!" as we put her on the belt.)

-Make a special bag of goodies or two. I have two; one of edible treats for takeoff and landing (they each choose one at a time) and one for distraction, when the going gets loud or anxious or bored.
-Treat bag: shaped candies, cracker snack packs, lollypops, etc. Things I don't usually let them have. I keep an eye out at the checkout of the store, and snatch a few things when I see them. Mishloach manot will probably have a good selection now!
-"Magic" distraction bag: pencil with different color leads inside, Crayola "mess-free" paints or markers (only marks the special paper, not seat, hair, clothes...), lightweight playdough, new book, mini magnadoodle, lift the flap books, tape (I've done this too!), mini flashlight, etc.

-Don't skip naptime, and try to sleep when the little one sleeps. You can handle meltdowns or even normal running much better when you aren't exhausted--and the jet lag will hit, and your little one won't want to sleep when you do!

-Remember this is stressful on kids. Give extra attention, cuddling, etc. if they seem uncomfortable, and explain things for them.

-Last resort: walk the aisles! When my kids are figuring out walking, we seem to spend a lot of time doing this, or walking laps in the back of the plane.

Good luck!

baba

Tue, Mar 18 2008, 9:16 am

I don't know where you're flying from, but most airports have play areas for little kids. It's really a big help to go to the airport a bit earlier and let them play there for a while. You can also do this at your stopover. It's exciting for them, there are probably other kids there, it tires them out and they get to move about before they're stuck in the plain. Good luck

dewyt

Tue, Mar 18 2008, 9:21 am

thanks everyone these are great! even thought ive done this trip many times before, its only my second time with my son (I;m going to australia with him from NY without my husband, after pesach) so your suggestions are really helpful! any tips on how to survive are great! He's two years old by the way! Keep em comin!

Marion

Tue, Mar 18 2008, 9:34 am

Ask if you can be the LAST ones to board, and make sure they save a spot in the overhead bins for your carry-on luggage. Pre-boarding is great in theory (clear aisles), but you try keeping an 18 month old quiet and in one spot (ie, not underfoot) for almost an hour while everyone else boards and they do the safety presentation...it makes for a very unhappy child and a very noisy take-off that has nothing to do with the ears.