Advice: 30 hour international travel with 2 year old...

[kelly014]

Hey everyone! I was just needing some advice about traveling with my 2 year old. We will be going to New Zealand for Christmas and DD will be 23 months old. The entire trip includes several plane changes and is about 30 hours overall. Has anyone had any experience with this? Also, because we are trying to be cheap and are slightly insane, she will be riding on our laps the whole way  If there are extra seats they will let us use them, so here's to hoping!! Anyway, does anyone have any tips? I'm not sure what exact advice I'm looking for, maybe I just need someone to hug me and tell me it will all be okay LOL. We do have my husband and I, my parents and my best friend and they're all more than willing to help with holding and entertaining her, I am just so afraid she will have a super meltdown and we will by that stereotyped couple with a screaming child on a ridiculously long flight! Any advice or tips are very muchc appreciated :)

[Anna Phor]

My kid is 6 months younger than yours, but I did east coast US to west coast of Australia when he was 13 months, and we just did a trans-Atlantic (direct, 8hours) with him at 18 months. Some of the suggestions on the thread above about flying with a 14 month old might also work for you. 

Am I right in understanding you'll have 5 adults on the trip? That should help. A lot. :)

What is your itinerary? If you research the layover airports ahead of time, sometimes you can find things for kids to do (e.g. some airports have playgrounds for kids or outdoor spaces to run around). 

[kelly014]

Yes, 5 adults! My husband, my parents and my best friend, I cannot even imagine doing it alone! They will definitely be a big help

We go from Kansas City to Denver. Then Denver to Los Angeles. The layover in Los Angeles is our longest one, about 7 hours. Then from LA we are going to Nadi, Fiji. That flight is really long, about 10 hours, but we leave LA at 10 PM so she should really sleep the whole time (hopefully!). But when we get into Fiji it will be 10 AM our normal time, 5 AM there. So I am mostly worried about the smaller connecting flights when she is awake and trying to keep her from getting bored out of her mind! She will be really close to 2 years old, so I imagine she will be able to be entertained pretty well, I just don't know how well she will understand that she has to sit still.

Also, how did you deal with the time change? It's a six hour difference and hard enough for us and we understand what's going on, so I'm not sure how she will deal with that!

[Anna Phor]

So your first flights are about 1.5 h and about 2.5h, right? You can look at the airport/airline websites and figure out which terminals you fly in and out of and what sort of trek through the airport you will have to do. I like to let my kiddo run around in the airport to tire him out. Neither LAX nor Denver have kids play areas as far as I can see from their websites, but if you can find a quiet spot at a gate, you can let them run for a bit. Bonus points for windows where you can see planes take off and land!

The airport at Nadi is tiny and pretty much just a big concrete floored building with basic amenities. There might be a snack shop but I wouldn't count on it. So I recommend stocking up on snacks and water at LAX (especially water--I drink a lot of water on the plane).

The time change has always been less difficult than I anticipated. You just have to go back to that newborn mantra--sleep when the baby sleeps! If you child wakes up at 3am then decides to have a three hour nap at noon, take a siesta then try to stay up until 7pm to get yourself into the swing of the new schedule.

[Palmtreejen]

This sounds just like my situation!!!! We leave next week with my 24 month old, who does not have his own seat, for a 24 hour door to door trip from USA to Europe. PLease let me know how it went for you!!!!

[leenalea]

My 19-month-old has been on TransPacific flights 5 times already -- 3 flights and 2 layovers totally 24-30 hours.  I hope we only have to do this one more time, but who knows.  =)  And each time I worried and worried about him misbehaving.  And worrying did me no good at all.  Take a breath.  You have 5 adults on the trip, so you will be just fine.  My last flight was with a 17-month-old and myself.  Thankfully he had his own seat which is essential when it's just me, because keeping him confined in just my lap is impossible.  But with 5 adults, you should be okay.  Although if possible, I still would have sprung for the extra seat.  =)  Here's some tips I've gained.

1. Pack snacks and toys, but I've always ended up overpacking because he entertains himself with empty plastic cups.
2. Pack a toddler first aid kit with meds and bandaids.  And a mommy kit because you might need Tylenol too.  =)
3. Realize that you will probably never see any of the people on that flight again.  In my experience, if the parents are trying to comfort their child, people are very forgiving.  It's when you throw up your hands and ignore your kid while they scream that other people get angry with you.  Unfortunately, this means that if you need your LO to cry without any stimulation for a few minutes to fall asleep, you'll get dirty looks.   Otherwise, others have only been helpful.
4. Sleep when your kiddo sleeps.  I got some homeopathic meds last time to help calm him and help him sleep, and because I was nervous about traveling alone.  I hated being one of those moms, but he did sleep more.  So maybe it helped.  
5. Encourage your LO to run and play in the airports.  On the plane you can walk down the aisles and stand in the galley, so that helps some.  If only there was room to run and wrestle, too...  
6. Take a deep breath and realize that it won't be as bad and you fear.  And even if it is a rough 30 hours, you can do anything for just 30 hours.  It will be over soon.
7. The time difference usually takes me a week to adjust, but LO adjusts in just a few days.  He gets up around 3-4am for a few days, then is soon sleeping on his regular schedule.  If only I adjusted so quickly.  =)

That's all I can think of for now.  I simply understand your worry, because I worry too.  But you'll be fine.  You will.  =)

[scottishmommy]

We've been on two international flights with DD and many shorter plane trips.

First of all, don't worry about disturbing other people. Your DD will pick up on your anxiety and it will make her behavior worse. Also, really, who cares? I mean it sucks when kids break down in public, but anyone who judges you for it is a silly nincompoop.

Pack a lot of fun activities like:

Washable markers/ paper- I actually let DD draw on the walls of the airplane and just wipe it up with a wet one before we leave

Get some post it notes and let her draw with on them and post them all over the plane

Lots of books, obviously.

If any of the adults on the trip have an iPad, buy a bunch of toddler apps, or videos. IPads are amazing for airplane flights.

Pack a ton of snacks to keep her occupied****unless you are super against candy, I suggest getting some lollipops. They keep kids entertained for a long time********
of course pack some healthy stuff as well so she doesn't get a tummy ache. Oh and make sure she has something to drink for take off and landing so her ears adjust.

Don't make the mistake of giving her her own bag, just pack everything you need into one big backpack/diaper bag.

Ok, so some big practical advice:

Have some empty plastic bags for garbage on the plane.

Make sure you bring a bag (preferably a rolly duffle or something easy and small) with at least 3 changes of clothes for your DD and a change of clothes for you and your DH/ travel sized toiletries etc. You'll probably want to check the rest of your baggage.

Get a stroller, if you don't have one. I actually used to wear DD and put all our stuff in the stroller. It worked well.

Apply for her passport now, so you don't have to pay for expedited service.

And finally, just relax. It won't be that hard, really.

[34me]

No advice on the actual flights but DIA is one of the largest airports (size wise) in the country, so lots of places to walk, the moving walkways, shops and each concourse has a "theme" to look at and things in the floor to look at as well.  So plenty to do with a toddler if you have any sort of layover at all.  I spent 6 hours there last summer picking one child up from a trip and dropping one off.

[veganfox]

DS has been traveling to Greece (26 hours trip) once every 6 months since he was 5 months old. Last summer, I flew to Greece with him alone (he was 15 months old) and this summer I'm doing it again. You got some wonderful suggestions from the previous posters, I just wanted to say that it's going to be ok! I know how stressful it can be, but you'll have lots of help which makes a huge difference especially since your LO doesn't have a seat. My experience has taught me that when I stay calm, DS is calm too. I provide lots of snacks, books, and a couple of his favorite toys. Good luck mama!