[LuxPerpetua]

So, the flights are booked for early June, but I haven't flown in forever, and never with dd. Anyone have any advice?

Do I need to fly with her in her carseat?
What kinds of foods can I take on the plane?
Any ideas on what to do to keep dd occupied?
Any travel toy ideas?
How can I find out what things are prohibited on the airplane?

 

[MCR]

I'm flying in June with my 4 year old, last time we went she was 2.5. I did take the car seat, I needed it for my Mothers car when we arrived. This time my Mom has a seat for her, new I ordered it online and had it sent to her house. We have a Britax and I didn't want to haul it there, even with wheels on I know they are a tight fit in some planes.
I am doing the small gifts in my back pack and pulll one out every hour or so, lots of coloring and story book and some favorite dolls and teddies.
I take dried snacks, like cereals, pretzel sticks, bread sticks on the plane to keep her from getting to hungry.
I take a cup too, last time it was a sippy, we emptied it before security and refilled it from the cafe once we were by the gate.
If you go to the website of the airline you are fyling it has all kinds of info on what can and can't be brought, ours even had the menu and in flight movies listed.
I book a kids meal, so she gets fed ahead of all the adults.

 

[LuxPerpetua]

So, do they not have to ride in a carseat? If not, I'd rather leave ours at home, as my parents have a carseat already.

 

[LuckyMommaToo]

Technically, airline seatbelts are designed for 40 lbs and up, IIRC. Personally I'm comfortable with a larger 3 y.o. in an airplane seatbelt. They are easy to get on and off, but a visit from the flight attendant before the plane takes off is pretty effective, I've found!

I do find DVD players to be godsends on longer flights. Those tiny cans of playdoh, little plastic figures, sticker book, magna doodle, some new softcover books -- that's what works best for us. Have fun!
-e

p.s. No, you are not required to have a carseat for her on the plane.

 

[Miss Chris]

My daughter is also 3 and we've flown a fair amount over her life because my mom lives on the opposite side of the country. I always bring a small collection of amusements she's never seen before. Little sticker books, animal figurines, tiny tubs of play do, maybe a new coloring or activity book, crayons, all that good stuff. But really best of all, I second the small DVD player or laptop. If I get her snuggled up well with a blanket and a movie she sometimes has even been known to fall asleep. Also lots of snacks. I like to bring some things that aren't too dry and salty because being on a plane can be so dehydrating. I bring fruit leather and little cups of apple sauce, carrots, peanut butter and crackers. Sometimes juice boxes too, they are probably over the technical "fluid amount" but no one has ever given me trouble and if they do I'll just throw them out. No biggie.

Also, there is a child restraint system for airplanes called "CARES". You can google it. It's a harness that fits around the seat and attaches to the belt. I always use that instead of a car seat because it folds up small enough to drop right in a carry on bag and works great. It is a little expensive if you don't travel much but last time I looked someone on ebay was renting them out for a very reasonable price.

I hope you have fun.

 

[HarperRose]

Check the Family Safety forum, too, for info on flying w/ a child.

I'm flying w/ my 17 mo old tomorrow.

We're bringing:
cereal in a snack cup
sippy w/ water
stroller
carseat (won't have one at destination so we need to bring ours)
small toys
my iPod (he loves music)

 

[Mum2JocelynAngus]

To add to the other suggestions for entertainment:
1. a new photo album - I print off 2 dozen digital photos mostly of the kids, put the photos in one of those cheapie (free if you get the prints done at the store) plastic flip albums. They love it.
2. A roll of sticky tape will keep a 3 y.o. entertained for a long time.
3. I Spy books
4. Playmobil makes some magnetic travel sets (called "micro" I think).
5. mini magnetic drawing board

Food - I take cheese, dried fruit & crackers. I feed the kids continuously rather than waiting for them to get hungry. I take an empty sippy cup/water bottle & fill it after security.

Take a blanket. The planes are either too hot or too cold, & a cold child doesn't fall asleep.

Have fun!

 

[Marylizah]

A tip from a friend that has really been awesome on trips: playdoh. Bring one small can (or if you make your own, a small batch) with a cookie cutter or two. Your child can use it on the tray-- it kept my DS fully occupied for a 2.5 hr flight a few months ago.

About the carseat-- it's a very personal decision. Check out the family safety forum for more information.

Personally, if I don't need a carseat on the other end of the trip I use the CARES harness. It's super easy to install, only weighs a pound, gives me peace of mind.

Snacks: anything that isn't liquid. Bring lots and lots extra (with air travel the way it is, you never know how long you might be delayed in an airport!).

GL!

 

[LuxPerpetua]

Thanks so much for the info! I'm definitely interested in renting a CARES harness. That's great!

 

[Caneel]

You got a lot of good suggestions. We fly 2x or so a year with our 3 year old and have since he was 3 months old.

I will share our experience/mistakes from our most recent journey in Feb:

For the first time, I didn't take his carseat on the plane. This was a mistake for us (all kids are different I realize) because DS quickly figured out that he could undo the seat belt and spent the entire 4 hours return flight trying to do gymnastics, crawl under and over the seats

We never had a problem in the past as he viewed the airplane as the car and never questioned the requirement that he stay seated.

I took too many toys/activities. He was over-stimulated and was tearing throw his packets like a wild child. I had stickers, snacks, papers, etc. everywhere. Instead of focusing on one thing at a time, he was on overload.

Aside from our last trip, things that work for us:

DVD player. To extend the battery life, turn the screen brightness down as low as it will go. Ours has a moonlight setting. Also, use earphones. Doing both extends the battery life 3x to about 6 hours on our model.

Stickers and sticky notes.

A new toy related to the trip. My fish stickers for a beach vacation kept him silent for 3 straight hours.