2 1/2 Hour Flight with A 1 Year Old

[stephaniesomogyi]

We're leaving for Disney on Friday (4 days) the flight is 2 and a 1/2 hours. Just wondering if anyone had any ideas on how I can keep my 1 year old occupied for that long. Thank you

 

[jtowntoflorida]

We leave Saturday, and my son is 21 months old. To entertain him on the plane, I'm taking:

1. A big Dora coloring/activity book, because he loves Dora.
2. Some books (but not too many because I'm not hauling a library down to Florida).
3. Shapes and colors flashcards (he's really into these right now).
4. A doodling pad so I can draw stuff for him.

If all that fails, I'm taking my laptop anyway, so I'll pack some Dora DVDs and pop those in for him to watch.

Good luck! Flying with toddlers is just not fun at all.

 

[jaceraden]

I am by no means an expert but I have taken both of my young kids on planes several times. A few things I've picked up here there and everywhere.

Try to fly really late or really early - like when they'd be sleeping.
Pack toys/items that they haven't seen in a long time.
Go to the dollar store and pick up some stuff there. Individually wrap stuff in tissue. Let the child open up one thing at a time and play with it until the novelty is gone. Then move onto the next.
Snacks! Lots of snacks of varying types. We save granola bars, froot loops and barnums animal crackers for 'special' plane rides
Special blanket and lovey for plane 'napping'
Let the child have a say in packing a few of the carry on items.
If you decide to sedate your child (and I will leave my personal views out of this), please try it once or twice at home first. Some children become more hyperactive when given benadryl, gravol, etc. I forget what that anomoly is called but it would be super uncool to find out on the plane that you gave your child an upper rather than a downer.
Never underestimate the benefit of an ipod filled with childrens tunes. My kids looooooove that
Walk around the plane and/or take an unnecessary trip to the bathroom. It eats up a lot of time and expends some energy.

Above all, do not worry about it. Kids will feed off your nerves and act out accordingly. Just try to be chill and go with the flow.

*** Edit to add. If your little one is breastfeeding, you are set. That was my number one saviour when each of my kids still nursed. I miss having that one easy option for comfort/distraction...

 

[maxiesmom]

A tip I read hear is to buy window clings, and make sure you get a window seat on the plane. Your little one can stick them up, and take them down, to their heart's content.

As far as a dvd player or any other thing that makes noise goes, you and your child will have to wear headphones if you want to hear the sound. You are not allowed any devise that makes noise without headphones. The FAs will make you shut it off otherwise.

 

[BeveMom]

I suggest snacks, snacks, and more snacks. No kidding. Puffs, cheerios, pieces of fruit... When we flew right after my DS turned 1, he mostly just snacked, and then wanted to stand on our laps and watch all of the people. Also, make sure you bring a change of clothing for both the baby and yourself - I had to sit in vomit pants one leg of our flight because DS got a little bit overexcited. Good luck!

 

[momof3poohlovers]

A tip I read hear is to buy window clings, and make sure you get a window seat on the plane. Your little one can stick them up, and take them down, to their heart's content.

As far as a dvd player or any other thing that makes noise goes, you and your child will have to wear headphones if you want to hear the sound. You are not allowed any devise that makes noise without headphones. The FAs will make you shut it off otherwise.

I love the suggestion of the window clings! My son would love that. Thanks for the tip. We fly next month with our 21 month old and I am already having panic attacks. We flew in April with him and the flight to Florida from California was great. The return flight was a nightmare.

 

[LoveBugs]

We also leave Friday! Yay!!! We're traveling with our 3 girls. DH will sit with the 6 and 4 year olds and I'll sit with the 16 month old. I'm HOPING we can time napping well so she sleeps through much of the flight. Otherwise, she's flown a good bit so I pretty much know what to expect. The hardest part is their short attention span. You need a bag full of tricks because each thing only keeps them entertained for five minutes.

I'll do lots and lots of snacks, some books, etc. My new toy is this Fisher Price ipod/iphone cover designed specifically for babies. It's drop proof and drool proof and you can set it so they can't push the button on the bottom to change the app. I've got lots of free baby apps on there for her to play with.

My secret weapon, to be used only in case of an emergency, are Dum Dums. That's the one thing that will keep her busy for like 30 minutes, quiet and content (and a little sticky).

See you there!

 

[myhouseofmouse]

6 replies so far and NO ONE has mentioned the only thing you need to fly with a 1 year old......a shot of "Benadryl" !!! give it them right before you board the plane. then you and everyone else will have a nice quiet flight!!!

 

[jaceraden]

6 replies so far and NO ONE has mentioned the only thing you need to fly with a 1 year old......a shot of "Benadryl" !!! give it them right before you board the plane. then you and everyone else will have a nice quiet flight!!!

My post eluded to benadryl. I think I actually wrote benadryl AND gravol. Of course I also put the disclaimer to try it at home first if this is the route you want to go.


PS. Another vote for a second change of clothes for both of you. And lots of wet wipes/diaper wipes. I really don't understand how they get so sticky on the plane.....

 

[amym2]

Gave my DS Benadryl once (for an allergy not a plane ride) and the kid was hyped up for hours. That's why the poster advised trying it at home first if you really think that's the only thing that will make your flight manageable.

I agree with snacks- lots of them. And lollipops, although not sure about that for a 1 year old. If your child has a "lovey" make sure you have that handy. My kids are 7 and 9 and still bring their blanket and stuffed lamb on the plane. I always brought a little Magna Doodle. Put some photos into an album (photos of Disney characters, relatives) and flip through that.

 

[Missy29]

6 replies so far and NO ONE has mentioned the only thing you need to fly with a 1 year old......a shot of "Benadryl" !!! give it them right before you board the plane. then you and everyone else will have a nice quiet flight!!!

Really? You cant find a better way to entertain your child than drugging them?

 

[caaraa]

Your little one can stick them up, and take them down, to their heart's content.

 

[Mama Who]

The new environment will be good for part of the time. I would probably add a book or coloring book about planes and talk about the airplane and the pilot and the stuff out the window.

 

[fitgirl36]

We also leave Friday! Yay!!! We're traveling with our 3 girls. DH will sit with the 6 and 4 year olds and I'll sit with the 16 month old. I'm HOPING we can time napping well so she sleeps through much of the flight. Otherwise, she's flown a good bit so I pretty much know what to expect. The hardest part is their short attention span. You need a bag full of tricks because each thing only keeps them entertained for five minutes.

I'll do lots and lots of snacks, some books, etc. My new toy is this Fisher Price ipod/iphone cover designed specifically for babies. It's drop proof and drool proof and you can set it so they can't push the button on the bottom to change the app. I've got lots of free baby apps on there for her to play with.

My secret weapon, to be used only in case of an emergency, are Dum Dums. That's the one thing that will keep her busy for like 30 minutes, quiet and content (and a little sticky).

See you there!

Yes! I ordered the Fisher Price Ipod cover so DD 13 mos can play with my Ipod. She loves it! Too bad I had to take it away so it will be like new again for our flight to WDW Sunday! Can you recommend any favorite apps for a little one??

 

[luvmy2babies]

All I will add is to maybe give a few drops of "Little Noses" saline in each nostril to keep nasal passages as open and clean as possible. The ear discomfort increases if the nose gets stuffy.

I'll be using the "dum dum" trick if I need to as well. My son loves lollipops. His barber gives him one after every haircut.

 

[BlueChariot]

Thanks for the tips!! We will going from FL to Disneyland next month with a 16-month old. I'll have to try some of these out, especially the coloring book (DD loves to doodle). I'm getting pretty nervous about the trip since it is such a long flight....

 

[momof3poohlovers]

So many good tips! I am looking into getting a Fisher Price Cover for my iphone. Does anyone know of any "kid friendly" headphones? Do the big ones work better than the ear buds?

As far as Benadryl goes, please do NOT try this. DS had an ear infection when we flew to Florida last time and so my doctor recommended giving him some Benadryl to help with his ears. He was fine on the way to FL so we didn't give him anything but on the way home, he was super cranky the first leg so we thought the Benadryl would help him with his ears the next flight. I will never do this again. He was super tired but the Benadryl made him wired so he couldn't sleep and I don't think it did anything to help with his ears. The result was an exhausted baby who couldn't sleep. He screamed almost the whole entire flight. I thanked my doctor for the suggestion when we got back.

 

[alfwhoa]

I recommend letting them skip a nap. I got the earliest flight and my daughter was cranky, but as soon as we took off the noise from the plane put her to sleep and she stayed like that for the majority of the trip.

 

[DopeyDame]

Gerber Puffs are God's gift to traveling parents. Seriously. my son also had his first M&Ms on a plane (he was closer to 2 at the time). Small snacks that you can dole out one by one are good for killing time.
Lots of different toys, again doling them out one by one.
Also, don't pass up the easy stuff - the emergency instruction card has given us tons of entertainment on the plane, and the barf bags make lovely puppets. Even just watching the flight attendant walk up and down the aisle can be exciting.
And most of all, remember what a flight attendant once told me: "It's the flight to Orlando, honey. Don't worry - it will be full of screaming kids."

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

So many good tips! I am looking into getting a Fisher Price Cover for my iphone. Does anyone know of any "kid friendly" headphones? Do the big ones work better than the ear buds?

There are many kid friendly headphones. Go to Amazon and do a search for "kids headphones." I would not use earbuds for a small child.