Need tips for flying with a toddler!

[DevaMajka]

Ds2 is 21mos. We'll be flying mid- April, just ds1, ds2, and me. Our day will be about 12 hours (including flight times and layovers), we'll have 3 flights/2 layovers, and our longest flight will be 4 hours. Oh, and have I mentioned that he's a VERY active kid? lol He hardly stops moving, ever.

I will have ds1 (6yo) to help, but I honestly can't expect too much from him.

I need ideas of fun "toys" to pack!!! We have a dvd player, but the batteries suck and it plays for only about 20 min. I'll take it, because I know from experience (flying with ds1) that those 20 minutes can be totally necessary for a sane mom.

I'm not worried about the layovers- I make sure I have long enough layovers, and I think he'll do just fine in the airports. But on the flights...dp thinks I'm crazy to do it alone!

[sailorgirl]

If you can afford a seat, get one!  I have flown with one on my own, but twice the flights were full, no extra seats, and I had a 15 month old (the first time) and a 22 month old (the second time) on my lap, which was Awful!  Anyway, sticky notes are fun, and easy to remove.  Stickers and scotch tape.  Lots and lots of snacks.  Crayons (the triangular ones don't roll), paper, maybe books?  DVD player was a life saver.

Also, wrap things in wrapping paper, it makes everything more exciting.  I wrapped everything (inividual crayons, sticker sheets, sticky note packs).  She loves unwrapping, and it made everything seem more special.

Good luck!

[OTMomma]

I loved the travel aqua doodle for flying- the child can't draw onanything else!  Plus you can draw along to a simple story, take turns drawing stuff, and if you run out of "ink" you just ask for a drink of water.  I also wrote words to read, drew a head and had the child put in eyes- it was a good travel toy.  I also always made sure to have some gummy bears or such as a treat to chew if someone's ears didn't seem to be popping.  A doll or stuffed animal too that you can have your child talk to about what we are doing- or make the doll talk and the child can show the doll to look out the window or whatever- comforting her doll who I made act like she was scared often helped my oldest whenshe was stressed and tired.  Make sure you have spare clothes in the carry on- just incase a drink gets spilled on one of you during the first flight- you don't want to be wet for the next 2.  Good luck!

[Whozat]

My 29 mo DD and I just flew home from a week-long trip today :-)

She's a very experienced traveller (this was her 9th trip!) and does very well on the plane.

I usually try to take snacks, some books, and a few toys.

Some of the things that have probably entertained her as much as anything, tho, have been a flat diaper, for "peekaboo" and some empty cups from the beverage cart. On our flight down last week, she spent several minutes pouring Goldfish back and forth!

Also, altho we're not big into TV at home (except for clips on SesameStreet.org - obsessed :-/ ) I loooove when we get a plane that had Direct TV. On Continental, it's $6 per seat, and you can watch anything, including the Baby Channel. We don't usually have any sound, because she won't put an earbud to her ear for more than a minute or two, but that makes it even more interesting, to identify and discuss the items / actions / etc that we're seeing. (And for me, to try to figure out what the heck is going on!)

Also, check the "seat finder" when you buy tickets online, and see if you can find a row with electrical outlets for the DVD player.

[Amatullah0]

OH! ME! ME! 

I flew to pakistan(still here) from the states with DS when he was 21 months old! It was just me and him though, DH didn't come, and we don't have any older kids. 

When I booked our seats(we bought DS a seat) I choose wisely. I chose a seat near the back of the row in the middle of the plane(by the bathrooms) that was mostly still empty when I booked. Planes fill up from the front(bulkhead seats) to the back, and the windows and aisles. Nobody wants to sit in the middle, so I booked an aisle for myself and a window for DS. Just a tip if you can figure out how to use that to your advantage(plus, if the plane is full or for some reason there is someone sitting in the middle seat they will probably try to find a seat elsewhere, and if theres no open seats, they will probably be more than willing to switch seats with you so you can sit by your DC. (maybe you could find seats in the middle of the plane? or get a row of 3 for yourself near the back and let your 6yr old sit by himself behind you?

I brought crayons, coloring pages, a doll, books, and tons of snacks that I knew DS loves. (cheese curls from WF) The cheese curls allowed him to stay sitting during take off and landing. The snacks were the best part, followed by discovering the airplane. Sitting next to the bathroom was nice because when I had to go, I was ok with leaving him sleeping in his seat while I went. The one time I HAD to take him to the bathroom because I HAD to go, and he was awake, he kept pushing the flight attendant call button INSIDE the bathroom.

Anyways, it turned out that the crayons were mostly a fail because he doesn't color much yet(he does like to eat the crayons though). I wish we had a smaller magnadoodle. Ours is HUGE, so I didn't want to bring it, but he really does love drawing on it.

In the airport we left from, and our layover airport, there were play areas. I didn't find out about the one that they had on our layover until we were boarding. Most of the time I just chased him through the airport, and tried to show him cool things that he could play with(like the big window in the terminal, and the (non-moving) moving sidewalk)

I second the extra clothes, even though we didn't end up needing them. (well we might have needed them, but I was ok with us wearing dirty clothing for a few more hours(crumbs and cheesy fingers). 

I also brought my mei tai, for when I had to carry DS(going through customs/immigration, getting off of the plane, etc.) 

we didn't bring a car seat, and I'm kinda glad we didn't because DS managed to sit when he had to, and his butt would have started hurting after a while(like it did on the 5 our drive to the airport). 

At the very end of the flight, DS was getting antsy/a little too comfortable on the plane and started to try to jump over the seats. Luckily, the people behind us were nice, and turned out that the lady sitting behind us was DH's friend's mom and she held DS for a while. I think your other DC should be able to help keep the younger one entertained a little though.

[colsxjack]

The last flight we took DD was 18 months. We brought small farm animals for her to play with, a couple of new books and a couple of much loved books, and those mini packets of playdoh. They are small enough that they can get through security. Although, she didn't like them last time. But we still have them and she loves playing with them now (at 21 months).

We also bought kids headphones at Toys R Us. They are small enough for her head, and only go up to a certain "safe" volume, no matter how much she plays with the buttons.

Lots of snacks for all of us. Colouring. Toy cars, dinos, whatever he is "into".

[DevaMajka]

This is perfect! It's exactly what I was hoping for- LOTS of great ideas that I never would have thought of! I love the idea of getting kid's headphones. I assume that there will be a movie on our 4 hour flight, so that will give us at least, um, 5 minutes of entertainment. lol.

Sticky notes are a great idea- I may get a travel pack of tissues, because those are fun to watch them pop up. lol. A flat diaper for peek-a-boo- he loves that, so that will be entertaining. And playdough- I never would have thought of that! Gummi bears will be a good thing, and other snacks.

Hopefully it won't be too bad. lol.

[RubenZ]

What have some of you done for DIAPER changes?  are PLANE bathrooms big enough to do diaper changes?

[colsxjack]

Well, for diaper changes we used disposable...which could hold more pee. And then changed her in the plane bathroom if needed.

The bathrooms are tiny. The change table folds down over the toilet. With her on the change table and me in front of it my back was touching the bathroom door...but it meant she couldnt just roll off or fall off if there was turbulance! It was difficult, but manageable.