FLYING with the todler! Advice please

[kirbs]

Hi, 20 month old daughter, 7 hour flight.

1. day or night flight best?
   
2. with or without transfers (i.e. 2 hour flight, 4 hour trasfer, 5 hour flight)
   
3. In lap or own seat?
   
4. Can we used Maxi Cosi Tobi car seat on plane?
   
5. any other tips from long haul todler travellers?
   
   Please help, we're even considering not taking up the opportunity to fly to see my parents for free (they're paying) because of the headaches of travelling with daugter!
   
   HELP!

[eidsvold]

haven't time to do a long post but if you do a search - especially in the travel section there are loads of threads about this.

We did longhaul to Aus with dd1 when she was about 22 months old. We found night flights worked best - she was able to sleep. Took her pjs onboard - got her in her pjs and settled her down. She was a good sleeper and could sleep anywhere - which I am sure helped.

She had her own seat and we used her car seat - helpful as it reclined and she could sleep cocooned in it.

NOt sure about size of car seat and whether it will fit.

[funnypeculiar]

We flew to US (8.5 hour flight) with dd & ds last summer - it was so, so, SO much better than we expected - almost pleasurable! A helpful thing someone said to me was 'imagine it's as awful as you imagine. it's still only 8 hours of your life!'

1. ime, night - they sleep rather than needing to be entertained . And that's coming from someone who owns two bad sleepers
   
2. without transfers - just get it over with!
   
3. we went with on knee for dd (17mths at time) and own seat for ds (3yo)
   
4. don't know, but I THINK (cf LL's post) that car seats are excluded from luggage allowances (were when we flew within europe)
   
5. lots & lots of little wrapped presents & different/appealing snacks. Remember there willl be an out & a back flight, so keep stuff back for the return flight.
   We had 4 packs of emergancy chocolate buttons and I ate them all when we got home.
   Also, ask for bulkhead seats - and when you checkin (get there early) ask if you can have a spare seat next to you. We got bulkheads plus extra seat both ways - made a huge difference

[Roskva]

Having recently spent 6 hours in an airport departure lounge with a 17 month old because of a flight delayed by 5 hours, I would never choose a flight with transfers unless it was absolutely unavoidable - because of hand luggage restrictions, once you have the toddler basics (food, bottles if you use them, nappies, etc) there's precious little room for toys, and departure lounges are not toddler friendly (there wasn't even baby changing facilities in the one we were stuck in). Baby bottles are useful even if you don't use them, because the security people let you take them and their contents (ie suitable water/formula/other drink) provided you taste it - just pour it into a cup when you need to give it to your dd.

On most airlines, you don't have/can't buy a seat for a child under 2, which means having your dd on your lap for the entire flight. Check with the airline whether they will let you take the car seat on (and get it in writing from them if they say you can take it in the cabin). If you do take a car seat in the cabin you will probably have to pay for a seat for your dd.

I can't suggest answers to your other questions, but I would suggst taking more food, drink and nappies for your dd than you think you will need, because you never know if you will need it. Bear in mind that depending on where you are going, it could take a significant amount of time to clear immigration and collect your baggage, so you need to factor food etc for that as well.

I was advised to give my dd a bottle when they the plane is coming in to land - it worked for us: she kept pulling at her ears, but the action of sucking eased the discomfort. A dummy would probably help too, if your dd has one. And don't put the travel disc things on your bottles - the pressurization makes the discs leak more than the bottle without a disc leaks.

Dd has only flown within Europe - I'm dreading when we decide it's time to take her to see MIL and PIL in California

[broguemum]

We flew to the US with my DD when she was three and I'd do a flight with a toddler again although this time I'd try for a night flight. When we travelled DD was an angel and, although too excited to sleep, she played nicely. Unfortunately she fell asleep 20 minutes before landing (around her usual bed time) and we had the immigration hall from hell to get through. After 3 hours waiting in line with an increasingly hysterical and over tired DD we flipped and went to find someone who bumped us through the line to the front (nice man). You sometimes just have to be pushy.

Oh, and little lapin's idea is fab. Wish I'd have thought of that one

[LiegeAndLief]

Oh god me too! taking 17 month ds to Dubai (7 hours) in three weeks to see my parents. We took him at 6 months and that was bad enough...

Our plans are:

Day flight (if he wants to walk up and down the aisle for five hours at least he won't wake everyone up)

Definitely NO TRANSFERS!

He's not having his own seat because it's very expensive and I don't think he'd spend any time sitting in it, but we have booked a cot; he won't fit in it, but you get the bulkhead seats and it's handy for putting things in.

Have bought new toys: fuzzy felt, mini aqua draw mats, some cbeebies magazines with stickers, toy phone. Hiding them until flight and saving some for the way home.

Huge amount of food. Emergency chocolate buttons - genius! will need some of them for me.

Tranquilisers?

Good luck!

[rosturra]

Hi there!
Stickers! Stickers! Stickers!! I was so worried about flying with my son and I took a bumper pack of Mothercare stickers (350 stickers) on my first flight and bingo!!! He hardly looked up for the flight. Mind you I had to peel stickers off me and the chairs but he loved it!!!

If your wee one likes DVDs I also took a small dvd player on board for back up and that has proved a good ditraction in the past. Good luck!!

[hairymcleary]

Night flight definately, if it's a long one.
Agree with Liege re booking a basinette- your DC may not sleep in it, but they are invaluable for storing toys, blankets etc. Also a great place for your DC to sit while they're eating, or while you're eating... that whole meal on a tray/ baby on lap thing is a nightmare. Ask the cabin crew if they will serve your meals separately, so one of you can eat in relative peace while the other one entertains the baby.
Make friends with the people sitting behind you... having strangers to play peekaboo with is a huge bonus!!
Finally- don't get too stressed if it turns to custard, and don't be too bothered about crying disturbing everyone else, they can always put their headphones in and watch a movie to block out the noise, but you've got to deal with it!

[kitbit]

good advice here from everyone. ds is 3 and we have flown quite a bit together, just him and me to visit family. As well as the above, prepack lots of nappy packs: in a nappy sack put 1xnappy and about 6 wipes tucked in a freezer bag to keep them moist. Keep one in your handbag at all times along with a muslin, and the others in easily accessible handluggage. When you need a quick change you can grab the muslin to put on the surface (unless you can do standing changes which are so much easier when travelling) and everything else you need is in the small pack. Saves lugging a massive pack with you each change time. Take 3 more nappies than you think you will need in case of delays, sudden upset tum or something. Never happened to us thankfully but a friend's lo had an upset tum on a plane and ran out of nappies! Luckily she was given some by another passenger but best to be prepared.
Also remember to take a change of clothes (or pjs will do it I suppose) and definitely lots of little wrapped presents (keep at least one in your handbag to whip out when emergency distraction is needed) and small-but-often snack pots. I usually do the chocolate button thing too, ds finds it hard to sit still during take off as he is too excited, and a pack of buttons

I always relax the usual rules a little simply to keep calm and chilled and arrive with my sanity, but golden rule - never piss off the other passengers. No seat kicking or playing with the trays, and keep an eye that the other passengers they are talking to and waving at are welcoming the attention, usually they do but best to avoid making the grumpier ones any grumpier!

[kaa0901]

i've only done short haul/uk flights with my lo but i first flew with him when he was 10 weeks and we've never had a problem

1. I prefer day flights as he is naturally curious and it didn't interupt the sleep pattern too much
   
2. don't do transfers - make it as easy as possibe
   
3. Matthew has always sat/stood in my lap where he can watch wots going on around him
   
4. u can only use a forward facing seat in a plane and only if u have paid for a seat for it and the baby
   
5. loads of wipes, keep nappies etc to hand, bottles for take off and landing prevent ears popping, sit on the wing (sounds strange but the vibrations seem to lull the lo so they are really relaxed)
   
   also most airlines with give you priority checkin/boarding etc as they don't want to have to deal with a screaming child. just go straight to customer services and they will sort you out.