[applecider]

Hi, I was curious what sorts of things you brought to occupy your toddler on the plane. The flight is in the middle of the night so I'm hoping he'll sleep throught the whole thing, but we'll see. Also, do I need his birth certificate? Any other advice you would like to offer would be great! He will be in my lap (or my sister's lap). Thanks!

 

[Jaydens_mom]

You will likely need his b/c if it is out of state or country... I would bring it, JUST incase.

Bring things that you find your child is interested in (books, hand held toys that don't require him to be on the floor..etc) also some snacks because if he gets fussy it might help him relax ( i know snacks occupy my son when hes cranky )...

 

[NannyL]

You shouldn't need a birth certificate or anything. (Assuming travels are within the US.) I've traveled with kids who aren't even my own and have never needed any documentation or anything. (yes, that is disturbing, but i'll save that rant for another time.)

Be sure to bring lots of snacks. I've also always found that they help to distract when fussy. Bring one or two toys that are familiar and comforting, and one or two brand new toys to keep things interesting. And don't forget whatever helps him get to sleep. Maybe a pillow, and a blanket if you have room. (The past few flights I've been on have been FREEZING and they have run out of blankets. Grr...)

 

[KoalaMommy]

the B/C thing depends on who you're flying. The only airline I've ever had ask for it is Southwest, and they are pretty darn insistent. Apparently the FAA regulations state that if you can't prove your child's age (no matter what age they appear to be) they can make you pay for the seat.

I'd bring your child's favorite toys with you. My dd does well with things that sing and talk. Also bring favorite foods. A cookie goes a long way to quiet a screeming toddler (organic, and refined-sugar free of course).

Apparently you can't carry on any beverages anymore, but if you ask the airline attendants, they're usually very helpful once you're on the plane about getting you juice if you need it.

 

[JBaxter]

Nathan is 2yr 9months and has had 7 flights and no one has ever asked to see his birth certificate.
I usually pack a few favorite snacks his blanket, a new book and a couple small toys a change of clothes and a changing pad some planes dont have changing stations in the bathrooms and you have to use the galley floor.
Dont bother with any juice/water or milk they will have that on the plane.

 

[gmvh]

I flew with my two when they were 16 months for a flight similar in length. I, too, took lots of snacks but I took lots of different kinds in small quantities. My two, who are *awful* sleepers, usually sleep on airplanes. My sister lives near you and her son always sleeps on red-eye flights. I've got magna-doodles (or whatever the Fisher-Price version is called) and they love those when traveling. Good luck!

 

[KateSt.]

We flew 8 hours to Italy when ds was 14 months old. We didn't need is birth certificate, only a passport (his photo is so cute! Looks like a mugshot!).
We stocked up on a bunch of new toys to keep him occupied (inexpensive little ones) and made sure to bring his favorite snacks. Ours was an overnight flight, but he only slept 3 hours. Surprisingly he did VERY well on the flight despite little sleep. We just walked him around often and thankfully other passengers played with him.
Request a bulkhead seat when you check-in and it'll give you some nice additional space. You'll probably find that it'll go a lot smoother than you think. We found OUR attitude decided his attitude. Good luck!

Oh, and if you're still nursing all the better for take-off and landing!

 

[KoalaMommy]

oh I just remembered that I ALWAYS bring the car seat and gate check it. I've flown a lot with my babies. DD#1 has an insane amount of ffmiles

Even if you haven't paid for the extra seat, the airline will give it to you if they have the space, so bring the car seat to the gate in case they have the room, that way you can all get a little sleep. Sometimes they won't let you carry the baby in the sling for take off and landing, so it can also give your arms a rest with a wiggly toddler. Also, on the bulkhead seats, the arms don't raise, so if you're travelling with someone you know and you have the choice, I like the non-bulkhead seats better because you can spread out more in the seat area.

If you don't have a whole row to yourself, check-in again at the gate. Gate agents are usually more helpful, and the CAN block off an extra seat in your row if it isn't already taken so you'll have a better chance of getting the whole row. Just be nice. Then if you still don't have the whole row, when you get on the plane, ask the attendants if there's a possibility of finding a vacant row. They will often check the available seats at the end of the boarding process and offer them to people sitting in rows with children so you can have more room.

I would bring that b/c just in case, especially with this latest security increase. It never hurts to be over prepared. I once had to fax the b/c to DH when he forgot it and was flying alone with dd(on southwest, they check every single time). But a passport would serve the same purpose to prove your child's age if you have one. I brought dd#1's passport instead of the b/c on our last trip, which I did alone with 2 babes

: Don't try it!!

 

[apple_dumpling]

snacks snacks snacks

Just flew about 5 hours with my dd and this is what kept her pretty quiet

As for the beverage thing, my dd is 18 months but still using a bottle and we just flew Saturday and they were great about letting me take the bottles on. The only thing I had to toss was my weleda diaper cream

I made some homemade play doh for her too and that was also a hit, along with her favorite books, crayons, and a blank notebook to color in. She was also amused for quite some time by straws, pictures, and some playsilks that I had knotted up and put in her bag so that she could pull them out slowly (kind of like kleenex or something except they were all attached... she loved that)

And she did sleep for a couple of hours on the plane too... our flight was in the afternoon, a couple of hours after her usual nap time, so I woke her up early in the morning and got her down for a nap before we had to go to the airport... it worked out because then she was tired later on too. She was up a long time that night, but I had expected that anyway

 

[Cardinal]

Just flew with my son. He is 15 months. I brought snacks and toys and books, but... he didn't want any of them. he wanted to stare out hte window and he wanted to nurse. that was it. if you can get a window seat, do so. also, if you can nurse, do so often. my ds didn't cry once. he did get squirmy though. he also wanted to touch the hair of the man who was sitting in front of me. it was white and fluffy so i am sure it looked oh-so-touchable.

 

[Brazilianmommy]

We have been over to Brazil and to The Netherlands and back again to Australia lots of times ever since DD was 3 weeks old, but we went all June to Spain, I don't remember how many hours they where but they where more than 10 hours I'll say, and she slept, played with her favourite doll, Played with DH, and with a little girl (I'll say she was around 6 years old) and wanted to see the fluffy clouds

They didn't asked for Birth certificate, DD was 12.5 months at that time

 

[jerawo]

You will need a BC if your child doesn't have his own seat. Sometimes they don't ask, but I had people get annoyed with me for not having it to prove DS's age even when he was just a few months old. Ever since that first flight, I've always brought it with me and they've always asked for it.

I've found that nursing and lots of snacks were the best ways to keep DS occupied on a long flight. Usually the nursing got him to sleep too

 

[lindberg99]

I did have to show a birth certificate for my dd (who was about 15-16 months) when we flew from the U.S. to Canada. She's 8 now so this was a few years ago. I thought I heard that now (or soon?) you will need a passport to fly to Canada so I think that would apply to a child too.

I do always bring along copies of birth certificates though.

I've found that flights usually go much better than I figure they will. Just bring some snacks and toys and don't worry about it. We did a night flight from Honolulu to LA with the kids when my youngest was about 20 months and all three of them and DH slept the whole time so hopefully your toddler will sleep!

 

[~Megan~]

It may be really good that you go at night or really bad. If you can get him to sleep you should do really well.

14 months is a hard age to fly because they want to get down and move around. I flew a lot when dd was little and this was by far the hardest time.

I'd definitely do what I could to get him to sleep. Maybe some chamomile tea or chamomilla homeopathic to help calm him. Nurse him a lot to help his ears and to keep him asleep.

I hope it goes really well for you and you have no problems at all.

 

[applecider]

Thanks for the advice everyone! You have given me lots of ideas. I think I'll go to the dollar store and snag a couple of new toys, maybe some toddler crayons.