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Fortunately with my daughter, I've been flying with her since she was born and never had an issue. Although, I have been on planes with children who were just not up for it, not feeling well, or just overactive and it was distressing for passengers, as well as the parent. I think for the most part however children usually fair quite well on flights provided that they are accustomed to having to sit in one spot for hours and are not overactive.
In terms of flying on the lap, when my daughter was 2yrs, I had to purchase a ticket for her (don't know why but I did). I just assumed that there was some new law passed regarding children on the laps of parents (or either widespread news coverage a few years ago) - either way most of the flights I take (which I try not to, unless absolutely necessary-hate TSA), the children are in their own seats, which was why I posed the question to the poster because I assumed it was mandatory.
Yes...correct...it's 2 and up that a ticket is required...I guess I typed that the wrong way!
Next year, if anybody comes with me...it won't be as cheap a trip!
This is really great news...thank you for posting this. And congratulations to your daughter on being such a good little girl! I'm going to get a Magna-Doodle for the trip. We have one at home but it's one of those big huge ones...I know they make smaller ones.
I didn't even think about a magna-doodle, my daughters' never had one That definitely sounds like a better option than crayons.
I took my daughters from LAX to ATL and they were fine... then again, we were sitting in 1st class so they were able to move. Even still, they slept for a few hours both ways. I brought snacks, books, dvd player, a sucker for good behavior, and a few toys.
I didn't even think about a magna-doodle, my daughters' never had one That definitely sounds like a better option than crayons.
My kids LOVE Magna-Doodle...the little one is just now getting into drawing and coloring, and as for the middle one, age four, he doesn't have much of a vocabulary yet but he seems to excel in identifying and copying letters and numbers, and just this summer he wrote his name for the very first time (unprompted...my jaw fell open), so this is something that makes him very proud. It's definitely the neater option as opposed to crayons...at home or on a plane or wherever...I don't know why I didn't think of it!
Make up a backpack just for him, with things your child has never seen as well as treats. Pack some toddler books, something he can drawn on and erase, animal crackers, m&m's, little treats he likes, some toys you think he will like. Just give him one thing at a time until he tires of it. On your layover walk his little legs off so he will be tried the rest of the trip hopefully. If he drinks from a bottle still or uses a pacifier be sure to bring it to help his ears pop from the elevation. Bring a special blanet or stuffed toy he likes to sleep with.
Free Advice- I flew with a baby 3 months old. He was great, and after giving him a bottle and both of us settling in for a nap, he threw up right down the front of my blouse. I had a bag full of toys, and food for him but nothing for me. PACK A CLEAN BLOUSE in the event your child gets airsick. I had to go in the bathroom, remove my blouse, wash it in the sink, then put in back on. It was horrible. The flight was from New Orleans to Denver Colorado, which was at least 4.5 hours. So, dont forget yourself. Pack a clean change of clothes for you in the event you little one gets airsick. Good luck.
First of all have a safe trip, when we flew out to where we live now from NY I made a goody bag for him, stuff he had not seen before, we also played a yawning game to make his ears pop. However i lucked out and he fell asleep on the 2nd half of our journey.
I've taken my son (now 2.5 years old) on several trips during his short life. Here are some suggestions:
Take the car seat to the gate. In many cases, there are empty seats on the plane and your son can get his own seat. If not, then you can gate check the car seat.
Take a couple of his favorite toys. These can help entertain him if he gets bored. Also make use of all those wonderful things in the back seat pocket, like magazines, bags and the like. All of these are new and interesting.
Don't turn on the overhead light, unless you want to be doing it for the entire trip.
Don't count on your son getting a lot of sleep. Mine was so excited when he flew that he just kept looking around.
Be prepared for his little ears popping when you land, which can be quite painful for toddlers. I've heard that both takeoffs and landings can be a problem, but in my experience only the landings are problematic. Sucking on something (e.g., a sippy cup) can help.
You should also check out Flying with Children, which is written by a flight attendant who regularly flies with her children. It is full of really great advice.
Usually, most airlines will board the parents with young kids before anyone else, or you can request a seat in the back of the plane when buying your tickets, if you wish. Depending on how 'hyper' the kid is any other time, that can be taken into consideration. Some kids can sit anywhere on a plane with no problems, others, its best to put them in the back, closest to the bathrooms or if they get too fidget-y.
Unfortunately, the age limit is 2 years old, for lap passenger, so theres no getting out of paying for another seat. Heck, I wanted to bring a guitar on board once and they told me Id have to pay for a seat to put it in, there was no storage space for it and the overhead bins had their 'length limits'. Good thing I called before going, and left it at home, instead.
Hope your trip goes well, maybe the little guy will enjoy it!
My daughter is coming from CA to visit me in NC in a few weeks. She has a 3 year old---well, he will be 3 in Nov. She decided to get a night flight with hopes of him sleeping the majority of the way. He's a good sleeper and they do lots of traveling although this is only his second long airline flight. When they arrive here it will be just in time for him to be getting up---hopefully!
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That definitely sounds like a better option than crayons.
Traveling with a toddler
