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Hi All,
We are traveling with our 16 month old in June from RDU to Hawaii and wanted to reach out to the board for any advice for the long flight. Are there any things folks have done for entertainment or to keep the little one occupied? Any good remedies for ears popping (our little one has tubes, but has always had very sensitive ears). Also, have folks rented car seats from the car rental agencies or just lugged theirs along? Thanks all!
We usually buy an airline seat for our toddler and bring her car seat with us. she is a lot happier in her car seat (and so are we) and knows she has to sit in the seat vs sitting/squirming on our lap. Does your little one use a pacifier? You can offer a sippy cup on take off and landing and I find that helps with the ear popping.
You can try taking the seat and you may get lucky and have an empty seat next to you where you can place the car seat, or they can check it for you at the gate. Some car rental companies charge $10/day for renting a car seat so it depends for how long you are going.
We bring books, and a new toy (or a ziplock full of little plastic animals) but she usually falls asleep right after take off.
Carry your seat with you and install it on the plane. Never rent from a car rental agency and don't check it with your luggage. New toys, a DVD player, books should keep baby occupied.
Hi All,
We are traveling with our 16 month old in June from RDU to Hawaii and wanted to reach out to the board for any advice for the long flight. Are there any things folks have done for entertainment or to keep the little one occupied? Any good remedies for ears popping (our little one has tubes, but has always had very sensitive ears). Also, have folks rented car seats from the car rental agencies or just lugged theirs along? Thanks all!
We took our own car seat and strapped it in the seat on the airplane. The child in a car seat must be in a window seat and not on the isle. We also had one of those small fold up strollers and I strapped the car seat in it using a bungee cord. So our son was in his car seat strapped to the stroller which made it easier and faster to get to our gate while changing planes. I got a lot of strange stares from people in the airport after seeing the car seat on wheels, but it worked like a charm.
My son had ear problems also but he never had to get tubes. Just give your child something to drink during takeoff and they should be fine. The tubes should relieve any pressure.
Need to add: Bring more diapers than you possibly think you could use, a couple extra sets of clothes for baby and an extra outfit for yourself because you don't want to be stuck with baby ick on your clothes for that long of a flight. Ziplock bags for icky clothes is a good idea too.
Travelling with a car seat is difficult without a significant amount of patience, which will already be work thin. We have rented when necessary. It isn't ever our intention to do a whole lot of driving while on vacation. Bring:
1. Favorite animal
2. Favorite blanket
3. A few changes of clothes for baby
4. New shirt for you
5. As many books as you're willing to lug
6. A full complement of snacks
7. Two new really cool items that will fascinate if even for only a few minutes. This will be valuable sanity recovery time.
8. Infinite patience and smiles
Take every opportunity to move around and stretch. Allow some run around time for the little one - when the serving carts are out is actually a decent time because the aisle is not completely wide open. Just watch out for militant flight attendants.
We fly with our toddler frequently-- he's 14 mos. & has completed 7 roundtrips, with #8 & #9 coming up in June. We just hold him in our lap, using a Baby B'Air safety vest. It's a little quilted vest that has a loop on the back; your lapbelt goes through the loop & secures the baby to you. For such a long flight, however, you may prefer to bring your carseat along-- if your litte one is squirmy, it'll seem like an even longer flight! We ALWAYS gate-check our stroller so that we have it for going from gate to gate. You'll leave it plane-side when you get on your flight and it'll be waiting for you plane-side when you get off your flight. Sometimes the attendants will even open it up for you so it's ready to go!
For ears popping, you'll want to keep your little one sucking or swallowing-- bottles, sippy cups, even a pacifier will do in a pinch. The Take 'N Toss cups might work well for you, so you don't have to try to keep up with dirty sippy cups during your trip. If you're still using formula, get the packets instead of ready-to-feed-- security has to liquid test anything over 3 oz., which means all bottles will have to be opened & will spoil before you arrive at your destination. Once beyond the security check, you can purchase water to mix the formula with. Same with baby food jars-- watch out for 4 oz jars-- they'll have to liquid test those, as well. Here's a link to TSA's info TSA: Traveling with Children
Finally, for entertainment: before your trip, collect lots of small items like books & inexpensive toys, cars, figurines, etc. At that age, their attention span isn't terribly long, so it's nice to have a selection so you can swap out frequently. Our little guy also enjoys standing in my lap & talking to the people in neighboring seats. We've never done DVDs, but if your child is an avid tv fan, it might be a great idea. Also, if possible, book your flight for times when your little one will be sleepy.
Finally, don't set unrealistic expectations for you or your toddler. Things probably won't go as planned, and your child may get tired & cranky, & it's OK. Most of all, relax & have fun!!!
We just flew to Boston with a 15-month old (not Hawaii, I know) and it was pretty painless. He flew as a lap child, nursed on takeoff and slept until about 10 minutes before we landed, and then we plied him with grapes and animal crackers.
We also bought him a play wallet, a toy airplane, and two new books to occupy him. Didn't need any of it, but it was good to have just in case.
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