Yikes flying with a 1 yr old BOY

[crazylady]

I flew one time as a solo adult when my kids were @2 and 5 and I truly thought the 2 year old was going to get us kicked off the plan mid flight. The man in front of is asked to be moved, very loudly, before we even took off. I wanted to crawl out on to the wing of the plane. The flight actually turned out ok. Luckily the 5 year old was pretty self sufficient, because I wasn't allowed to even look at him or the 2 year old would scream.

My thoughts:
1. Don't fly anytime near when nap time or bedtime is supposed to be
2. Use a car seat and stick to it just like the car (at least until he can kick the seat in front of you)
3. Screen time!
4. Snacks are your friend
5. Sticker books are great plane activities

Same kid was horrible on the car too. We got through it.

 

[VandVsmama]

When my kids were 1.5 and 3.5, we flew from Phoenix to Maui for a one week “vacation.” The plane ride was hell. I tried all of the tricks...

Give them something to eat or drink at take off and landing. Didn’t work.
Bought a bunch of new cheap toys to whip out at times of desperation. Didn’t work.
Brought their favorite lovies and books and read them “bedtime stories”. Didn’t work.
Tried rocking them to sleep. Didn’t work.
Tried giving them Benadryl. That stuff made them more hyper, not sleepy.

My 1.5 yr old cried for 4 hr straight. Neither kid fell asleep until we were in the rental car in Hawaii.

And on the plane ride back home? Same routine.

On that trip, neither kid would nap. And they slept horribly every night. By the end of day 4, it was miserable.

Go with God. Say your prayers. Expect to be more exhausted than you ever have before. Prepare for the worst and hope for the best. Bring extra clothing for EVERYONE on board the plane. You and kid.

 

[Alice Sr.]

Buy him his own seat... worth the money.
They can sit in the car seat so they can not run around and if all goes right they are fast asleep on no time especially if you pick a late flight.
If you have a old cell phone lying around download netflix or amazon prime movies/shows to watch offline. The cell phone is nice because it's small vs tablets. My son also had a few little games like sesame street it had little clips of abc games my son thought it was cool even though he couldnt play it.
I am a mom of 5 boys no girls..
We use liquid melatonin every night before bed, it really helps them sleep.
We flew a lot so we hada carseat stroller... kinda like a suitcase with a handle that pulls out.

I always do buy the Gbabies their own seat but his mom was emphatically "no" because of how he handles the car seat on car rides. I hope that doesn't backfire but they are the ones that will be wrestling the octopus, not me they may change their mind for the return flight They have two smart phones each (personal and work) and they have the usual kids apps he is just getting into them a bit so that might help. Five boys, that's awesome! Well you will be well loved into your old age Thanks for your suggestions!

 

[Alice Sr.]

I flew one time as a solo adult when my kids were @2 and 5 and I truly thought the 2 year old was going to get us kicked off the plan mid flight. The man in front of is asked to be moved, very loudly, before we even took off. I wanted to crawl out on to the wing of the plane. The flight actually turned out ok. Luckily the 5 year old was pretty self sufficient, because I wasn't allowed to even look at him or the 2 year old would scream.

My thoughts:
1. Don't fly anytime near when nap time or bedtime is supposed to be
2. Use a car seat and stick to it just like the car (at least until he can kick the seat in front of you)
3. Screen time!
4. Snacks are your friend
5. Sticker books are great plane activities

Same kid was horrible on the car too. We got through it.

Had not thought of sticker books for him but that might be a really good idea. He can't throw the stickers

 

[Alice Sr.]

When my kids were 1.5 and 3.5, we flew from Phoenix to Maui for a one week “vacation.” The plane ride was hell. I tried all of the tricks...

Give them something to eat or drink at take off and landing. Didn’t work.
Bought a bunch of new cheap toys to whip out at times of desperation. Didn’t work.
Brought their favorite lovies and books and read them “bedtime stories”. Didn’t work.
Tried rocking them to sleep. Didn’t work.
Tried giving them Benadryl. That stuff made them more hyper, not sleepy.

My 1.5 yr old cried for 4 hr straight. Neither kid fell asleep until we were in the rental car in Hawaii.

And on the plane ride back home? Same routine.

On that trip, neither kid would nap. And they slept horribly every night. By the end of day 4, it was miserable.

Go with God. Say your prayers. Expect to be more exhausted than you ever have before. Prepare for the worst and hope for the best. Bring extra clothing for EVERYONE on board the plane. You and kid.

I think we are all prepared expecting that psychologically but praying we'll be pleasantly surprised. We had the same results with my youngest DD's 2 yr old two years ago, the Benadryl had the opposite effect on her. My DD has not flown with her since although we all think she'll be ok when we go to Vero Beach in March, she'll be 5 by then so we hope the gremlin in her will have subsided. She is the reason (and the fear of repeating your experience) we haven't gone to Aulani yet. Good to know you survived! Thanks

 

[easyas123]

Buy him his own seat... worth the money.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

Had not thought of sticker books for him but that might be a really good idea. He can't throw the stickers

look for the ones that you can put stickers on and take off and repeat. that way he cant place on window and not be able to remove it. dont ask

 

[MNswimmer18]

I've flown with our kids from a young age. Them being in their own car seats is huge - though we've only done that once they turned 2 and we had to. We use the magic markers/sheets on road trips and plane rides. They are amazing. Deptends on who you fly with, but our last few Delta flights all had screens at each seat and we could have the kids watch that. My kids also like books that have flaps/mirrors/things to pull on. Also pack a lot of snacks in small packeges. That way they can easily give the little one a small amount at a time.

 

[Rory607]

Another idea is the Color Wonder books and paper. My son loved those from a young age and you don’t have to worry about him marking anything since they only work on the special paper. Once, when he was a toddler, I caught him scribbling all over the carpet with them and getting mad they weren’t making any marks

 

[Alice Sr.]

Another idea is the Color Wonder books and paper. My son loved those from a young age and you don’t have to worry about him marking anything since they only work on the special paper. Once, when he was a toddler, I caught him scribbling all over the carpet with them and getting mad they weren’t making any marks

That was an ingenious idea, I hope some worker bee made millions off the idea. He just started scribbling on the Etch a Sketch this week, he has sought it out a couple of times. I will pick some up for the villa (and my house ) The nice think about the EaS on the plane is he can't throw the pen, it's attached, so nothing to chase down the aisle. I told my DD she should limit his time with it until they fly so he doesn't get bored with it by then.

Are there any toys that use colored lights when you touch it with your hand or a stylus? Kind of like a techy EaS?

 

[sponica]

I always do buy the Gbabies their own seat but his mom was emphatically "no" because of how he handles the car seat on car rides. I hope that doesn't backfire but they are the ones that will be wrestling the octopus, not me they may change their mind for the return flight They have two smart phones each (personal and work) and they have the usual kids apps he is just getting into them a bit so that might help. Five boys, that's awesome! Well you will be well loved into your old age Thanks for your suggestions!

I would have rather had the option of the seat and not use it....but to each their own.

 

[LSUmiss]

We have been flying with our 2 kids since they were 1 and 2 years old(they are now adults). We started early taking them out and about to learn how to "sit nice" when we were places. So no getting up from your chair at restaurants or running around when not at home, no screaming in public, don't run off, etc. It is never too early to teach these, not only life saving behaviors, but also good social norms. Still toddlers are toddlers. So for our trips, I went to the dollar store and got little toys that they had not seen and a bunch of new snacks that they did not get at home. When on the plane, when I could see that they started getting antsy, I would pull out one of these new items to distract them. I don't like the excuse that a boy is incapable of sitting still and the whole "boys will be boys". That is just excusing bad behavior. If he truly is incapable of behaving, then maybe putting off the trip is a good idea. A year or two makes a huge difference in kids that age.

Not all kids are the same & some are MUCH more active. Be thankful yours were compliant.

 

[Lilsia]

Not all kids are the same & some are MUCH more active. Be thankful yours were compliant.

Discipline has something to do with it too.

 

[LSUmiss]

Discipline has something to do with it too.

Sure but all kids are different so what works for your kids might not for other kids.

 

[Rory607]

Discipline has something to do with it too.

I thought this way when I had one child who sat and listened from age one. I thought I was such a great parent! Then I had my second child, lol. My DS couldn’t sit for baby story time at the library no matter what. We kept going and trying and eventually it got better, but that was because he got used to and got older. There is no way to practice for a plane ride. One year olds are babies. It’s not about “disciplining” them.

 

[Lilsia]

I thought this way when I had one child who sat and listened from age one. I thought I was such a great parent! Then I had my second child, lol. My DS couldn’t sit for baby story time at the library no matter what. We kept going and trying and eventually it got better, but that was because he got used to and got older. There is no way to practice for a plane ride. One year olds are babies. It’s not about “disciplining” them.

I think you took it out of context. All toddlers are crazy nut jobs. But I was saying that being a toddler is not an excuse to not teach discipline and proper behavior. I never said that there was a way to practice for a plane ride. I am saying that you need to start right when they are small in teaching them what is acceptable behavior for the circumstance. When out in public, you don't run around and scream. Kids will do all sorts of things, but it is up to the parent to stop them. Too many times you see a kid screaming for no reason in the middle of the store and the parent does nothing to stop them or teach them that it is inappropriate. Maybe it's a generational thing, or maybe I just have a different view on what is socially acceptable.

 

[Rory607]

I think you took it out of context. All toddlers are crazy nut jobs. But I was saying that being a toddler is not an excuse to not teach discipline and proper behavior. I never said that there was a way to practice for a plane ride. I am saying that you need to start right when they are small in teaching them what is acceptable behavior for the circumstance. When out in public, you don't run around and scream. Kids will do all sorts of things, but it is up to the parent to stop them. Too many times you see a kid screaming for no reason in the middle of the store and the parent does nothing to stop them or teach them that it is inappropriate. Maybe it's a generational thing, or maybe I just have a different view on what is socially acceptable.

I agree that you should begin to teach toddlers what is acceptable behavior in public, but a plane ride is different. OP was specifically asking about a plane ride. If my kids were being noisy or screaming somewhere in public, we would leave. You can’t do that on a plane. So my point is sometimes babies will cry or make noise on a plane and no matter what you try, they won’t stop. It doesn’t mean the parent isn’t trying to teach their child what is acceptable behavior.

OP was also talking about a 1 year old, which is a different situation than a 2 or 3 year old. That’s a baby, not a child old enough to be disciplined. I

 

[Disneyfan754321]

That was an ingenious idea, I hope some worker bee made millions off the idea. He just started scribbling on the Etch a Sketch this week, he has sought it out a couple of times. I will pick some up for the villa (and my house ) The nice think about the EaS on the plane is he can't throw the pen, it's attached, so nothing to chase down the aisle. I told my DD she should limit his time with it until they fly so he doesn't get bored with it by then.

Are there any toys that use colored lights when you touch it with your hand or a stylus? Kind of like a techy EaS?

We had this board called a boogie board.. you can write on it and hit a button and it erases. I think it was $15 at walmart. I forgot about it untill I was reading this post. My kids used it in church when they were younger.

 

[DisneyCowgirl]

Get him his own seat and get/borrow a CARES harness. It straps around the seat, and then onto the kid like a carseat. For my boys, this was an indicator to them that they had to stay in their seats.

Go to dollar store and get a bunch of toys that he's never seen before and that can be abandoned to the dirty floor when they inevitably end up there. Pull them out one at a time.

Drink from sippy cup or bottle during take off and landing.

 

[DisneyCowgirl]

I thought this way when I had one child who sat and listened from age one. I thought I was such a great parent! Then I had my second child, lol. My DS couldn’t sit for baby story time at the library no matter what. We kept going and trying and eventually it got better, but that was because he got used to and got older. There is no way to practice for a plane ride. One year olds are babies. It’s not about “disciplining” them.

I think you took it out of context. All toddlers are crazy nut jobs. But I was saying that being a toddler is not an excuse to not teach discipline and proper behavior. I never said that there was a way to practice for a plane ride. I am saying that you need to start right when they are small in teaching them what is acceptable behavior for the circumstance. When out in public, you don't run around and scream. Kids will do all sorts of things, but it is up to the parent to stop them. Too many times you see a kid screaming for no reason in the middle of the store and the parent does nothing to stop them or teach them that it is inappropriate. Maybe it's a generational thing, or maybe I just have a different view on what is socially acceptable.

Count yourself among the many lucky parents without a strong-willed child or a child with a diagnosed behavior issue. Unless you have one, you cannot possibly understand. I know this because I was one of those parents until my youngest came along.