1 yo's and airplane rides

[monkaha]

Any tips for taking a 1 year old on a trip? DD was 2 the last time we went on a plane, before DS was born. She screamed for the entire flight. I'd just as soon avoid that if possible. We didn't get him his own seat, as that would have been another $300. What are some things we can do to amuse him? Crayons, markers, a picture album are what I've thought of so far.

Any and all tips would be GREATLY appreciated! Thanks, mamas!

[Linda KS]

The biggest reason kids scream on a flight is that their ears are bothering them, and the best cure is to swallow. Make sure he has a tippy cup during take off and landing.

How long is your flight and how much totally time will you spend in transit? I always packed snacks for the kids, too. Nothing too surgary, but just little munchies to keep them going.

[Mere]

We're gearing up soon for a trip with our 1 year old, so I'm trying to remember what we did with dd when we flew with her at that age...I remember that we brough a big carry on full of lots of toys and snacks. It was heavy, but in the end I was happy we had it all because dh and I changed out the toys approximately every 5 minutes! I think the big hit with her was some new books that I had bought with lots of sturdy flaps.

The saving grace with her was that we had bulkhead seating, and so there was just enough room for her to stand in front of dh and I and play. It seems like they give bulkhead seating to business travelers these days, so I expect with this trip we'll be doing a lot of walking up and down the aisle.

Oh, and one thing you could try if your dc will watch movies is to rent one of those little DVD players at the airport.

[QDB]

well my best advice is patience! Plus we found that stickers burned a lot of time. The best ones we found were these removable garage sale labels so that we didn't trash the airplane :LOL

The bathroom can be an exciting place too - turning the faucet on and off.

We also brought a lot of toys but my ds is prone to throwing so some of those weren't the best ideas.

Otherwise, small nesting cups and a playmobile fire truck were big hits when ds was 15 mos.
oh, and books with lift the flaps.

Hope you have a nice flight!

[monkaha]

Thanks guys! We tried to get the bulkhead seats, but they were already taken. I'm planning to ask again when we get there if there is any way we could be moved there. Did you ladies sling your babe thru the airport? Did you have to de-sling 'em for security checks?

I think the flight time is a couple hours, and maybe a short layover in Phoenix. Should I try to hold him the whole time, or is it ok to let him wander a bit (like up and down the aisle?)

[QDB]

We did fine with letting ds down on the floor in front of our seats to put things in and out of the pocket etc and we did not have bukhead seats so...

I think roaming the plane as much as possible is great - usually the flight attendants are really accomidating and other passengers generally like to see babies - esp if they are exploring and happy.

have fun!

oh, and i sling him in the airport and for boarding - sometimes i had to de-sling for security and sometimes not so...just depends!

[Yooper]

Can you alter your day so that he can be sleepy during the flight? We try to fly during nap time or as close as possible and manipulate the day so that dd will be sleepy. However, you do run the danger of a tired AND overstimulated child so you need to know if this will work for your dc. We also found that lugging a bunch of toys turned out to be pretty much a waste of time. Dd had more fun with the barf bag than anything we brought. New and exciting snacks were a hit. My dd is not the type you can let sown on the floor. She is a very spirited child and HATES to be confined. Keeping her in her carseat was a must. She knows the carseat is non-negotiable whereas standing on the floor means she thinks she can go anywhere and throws a high holy it if we tell her that she cannot go into the flight attendents kitchen area or wherever. Good luck!