Flying with a VERY active 1yo

[DevaMajka]

Overnight flight, or during the day? And what do you take on the plane to entertain a 1yo? His favorite toys are things he can make noise with, and obviously those are out.

He's ok in the car, but after a while is just *really* ready to get out and move. We won't be taking a carseat on the way there- my Mom has a carseat for him that I will bring on the way back.

We'll have about 6 hours of flying, broke up into 3 flights. We'll have 2 layovers. I'm not concerned about the layovers at all- he will be super happy with all the new places to walk, and new things to explore.
But dp and I are both dreading the flights. This could be really really bad. He has "fits" (cries, screams, and throws himself on the floor) when he doesn't get his way. He's going to hate having to be in one place for so long. To give you an idea how active he is, his new fave thing to do is climb up on the kitchen table, over, and over, and over.

[spmamma]

I know you said you wouldn't be taking a car seat... does this mean he'll be flying as a lap baby? I can honestly say that the best thing for a long flight was having a seat for our 18 MO when we flew cross country from California to Florida. That way, she could sit in the car seat for parts of it, especially times when it wasn't appropriate for her to be cruising around the plane. She knew what to expect with the car seat (sit down, just like in the car) and didn't fight it.

As to the flights, I would avoid the one with the really short layover (the 40 minute layover) - it's just not enough time when you've got a little one in tow. We were struggling to make our connection with a 1.5 hour layover.

Bring plenty of snacks, flash cards were good, and I-Spy Bag maybe?

I wish I had time to write more, but my 3 YO is trying to type too...

[DevaMajka]

Yes, he'll be a lap baby on the way there. Hopefully on the way back, we'll be able to use our car seat! I do think it would be easier to do both ways with a car seat. I actually never thought of that.

Lots of snacks- good idea. And you are definitely right about avoiding short layovers. I think long layovers will be our friend for this trip!! lol.

[sunfish21]

I flew with DD who was 19 months and we used a portable dvd player with ear phones...she loved it. That and the M & Ms. I also let her have a sucker....anything to keep her from screaming.

I asked when I checked in if there was a seat with an empty seat next to it since I had a toddler. I said that it might benefit everyone on the plane if we could have it...she had her own seat on the flight out and back.

[SkyMomma]

Flew with my then 17 month old & 6 year old to Florida a few months ago. ALso flew multiple times with my DS1 through infancy & toddlerhood. Definately check in about any empty seats on the plane. Our most recent trip, DS2 was a lap baby on the way there, had his own seat on the way back, his own seat was much easier. Here's what helped:

- Buckling & unbuckling the seatbelt, opening & closing the window shade
- A trip to the bathroom at least once an hour with lots of dawdling in the
aisle, extended handwashing, etc.
- Crayons, pens (clicking mama's ballpoint = 10 minutes of fun), paper
- Stickers!
- Playdough, just one timy travel jar
- A small zipper bag with completely novel things (that don't easily role).
Ours included a tiny stuffed cat, plastic chicken, maekup brush, pack of
tissues, dental floss (another 10 minutes of slowly pulling out the floss
while mama gathers it up), a spirally shell to listen to, and more that I
can't remember
- Ice & a few plastic cups provided by the flight attendant
- Favorite books, stuffed animals & a silk to play peek-a-boo
- & the best thing ever - the patient lady in the seat behind us who played
the 'Hi' game with DS2 for a very long time
- MY SLING! Very helpful for partially containing a squirmy DS2 & for
facilitating naps/nursing

Think manipulatives - move those small muscles when big muscles can't. Think cause & affect - often children like those noisy toys because they can see an obvious affect of their actions. Be prepared to be amusing, sing songs that involve movement (wheels on the bus), bring lots of snacks too (as pp mentioned). Bring along a few of those favorite noisy toys as a last resort - I gurantee every one on the plane would rather hear a noisy toys than a crying baby.

Enjoy your travels!

[dawncayden]

(Molly) took both kids to Italy not too long ago, and they tried overnight flights. Bad Idea. She said her kids are great sleepers, in beds, but not partially up on an airplane. Her smallest just cried unless someone was standing with him and bouncing or he'd keep everyone awake. So she says always do day time flights, and be prepared to walk around following along.

[DevaMajka]

SkyMomma those are some fabulous tips! I bet the floss would be majorly fun for him!!! Thanks!

Dawn- bummer about the overnight flight. I'm going to pretend I didn't read that- I already bought the tickets. lol. It wouldn't have mattered anyway, because it was the cheapest flight by about $100 a ticket. Wish us luck that Jonah sleeps most of the flight. It's only 3.5 hours, so it's possible, right?

[mambera]

You know, I have had excellent luck with overnight flights and I was going to suggest you prefer the overnight to the daytime.

Overnight is easiest for us, DD always sleeps the whole way in my lap, mostly latched on (I wear a very discreet nursing shirt for the plane). I bring the ring sling and even though she's ridiculously huge for it, it provides enough support for her that I can doze off too without worrying about dropping her.

ETA: Oh, and about the car seat. I've found the best combo is to buy DD her own seat but *not* bring a car seat. She hates it and won't sit in it, and it just takes up space. Having her own seat provides a play area and a little necessary room for bouncing around.

[ihugtrees]

I'm bumping this thread to see if anyone else have any more advice. I'm about to buy tickets for a flight from Seattle to Florida, and my almost 16 month old is BUSY. The overnight flight is WAY cheaper, but I'm scared after reading about kids not sleeping! S is a great sleeper...she loves sleeping in her car seat in the car, so maybe she will be okay on the plane?

[larzanna]

I have flown from Ohio to Alaska with a 15 month old, a very active one, and will be doing the way back here in 2 weeks with a now 17 month old.

LOTS of snacks, things that can be broken up (honestly we did oreo's and fish crackers)
Play with each fish as you eat it.
Lots of little toys....all kinds of things like what was previously mentioned.
Try to "time" any naps for during a flight, even if that means keeping baby awake during a layover. Let them RUN during a layover, so make sure your carry on is easy to carry with you
IMO do not get on the plane at first call for people with kids, unless you REALLY need that time. All it does is waste your 20 minutes of "look at the window, look at the buttons, look at the tray table" time on the ground rather than in the air.

Do not let them walk around the aisle.....because then they want down and will throw a fit if you don't let them for times that you can't/don't want to be up and walking. If you never let them down, then they may fuss a bit about it, but its more like a "carseat on your lap" a non-negotiable.

We ended up wasting a bunch of diapers (paper) but i changed it at every layover, so as to not need to at all during a flight.

good luck.

ps we did day time flights, as early as possible so as to avoid as many possibilities of delayed flights. It seems that the later flights have more problems? But that could just be me.