Flying with a toddler?

[MamitaA]

Has anyone gone on a long flight with a toddler? How did entertain them?

I am considering an 8hr flight (on my own) with an 18mth old, but not sure if it's worth it?

Never gone it alone but have travelled to US with my daughter twice now who is 2.5yrs.

Snacks, window gel stickers, play dough, ziplock bags with small toys (i save some up from magazines), colouring (triangular crayons so they don’t roll away), magic colouring the kind that uses water, matching games colours, animals, squishy sensory balls, metal pencil case filled with magnets, fuzzy felts.

There are loads more things I just can’t think I had a look on Pinterest and got my ideas from there. I pack a whole bag full of separate ziplock bags to make it easier to pull out. Last resort we would use screen time but that is our golden nugget so have to save it for any really horrible moments lol!

Oh great tips, thank you! And completely get the screen time in reserve for melt downs haha!

Will get my creative hat on!

Cheers.

I'm going to be doing a 16 hour flight with a 2yo
Let me know what ideas you come up with, and I'll do likewise.

Welcome any more tips from others too! The ones so far sound great.

If you can afford it book her a seat, you don’t have to if she’s under 2 but it’s so worth it. Mine accepts the seatbelt like it’s a highchair or stroller strap and will happily sit tight to eat or to watch cartoons on the iPad- take toddler size headphones and practice at home before you fly. It will also mean she has her own space to nap and if you can get a pair of seats together you can sit in the aisle and she can scrabble around on the floor with her toys and not have any means of escape. Other than that, take a variety of toys and just suspend all your usual rules on screen time/snacks (but do limit the sugar) and take the view that anything goes as long as she’s quiet!

Walking up and down an aisle with a captive audience of 300 people is quite possibly the best thing ever for a toddler even if a proportion of those 300 find it the opposite

For long flights I used to put mine in pyjamas at night time when they were younger, helped them to think it was time to go to sleep.
If you are advised to use phenargen a common side effect is hyperactivity so try it first at home. I tried it - it did nothing at all for mine but others swear by it. I was doing regular long haul 9 years ago so there may be better medication now.

You can get some sort of device that clips onto the seat and allows little ones to use the seat as a bed, if it is a night flight (which will be easier- they will hopefully fall fast asleep for some of the time) will link it down below if i can find it.

www.flylegsup.com/kids-fly-legsup-info

good luck!

Thanks imtired

no problem. also forgot to mention, bring small surprise bags with you (from poundland or somewhere similar) and let your child open one every hour. you could also get one of the daily pill boxes, and fill each capsule with a different type of snack. again with the daily pill box (which i will link below- i would just get several), you can fill each capsule with different small objects. eg: pompoms, tiny figures etc. finally, get an old mint tin, and then get a lego base board. (im gonna link all of this below) glue the base board onto the bottom of the tin. then get some lego pieces, pop them into the mint tin and you have a lego set on the go. this also works for noughts and crosses (using magnets) as the tin is magnetic

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3-x-Tins-Altoids-Curiously-Strong-Mints-Peppermints-in-Original-Tin-New-Sealed/112824515148?epid=750364411&hash=item1a44dd7a4c:g:ZDYAAOSwGWBauPo8

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LEGO-4-x-GREEN-BASE-PLATE-BOARD-BRICK-6x12-PIN-ID-3028/281948754494?epid=652272006&hash=item41a574923e:g:fcsAAOSw7U5Y-8WH

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/7-DAY-LARGE-PRINT-PILL-BOX-ORGANISER-Daily-Weekly-Tablet-Reminder-Storage-Case/202285173983?hash=item2f1922ccdf:g:JhEAAOSwTA9X9NR2

hope this helps! ill be back if i remember any other things we used to do to keep mine quiet, feel free to message me if you have any questions x

this is similar to the crafts in the mint tin i was talking about x

www.instructables.com/id/Pocket-Sized-Magnetic-Fishing-Set-in-Altoid-tin/

Thank you so much, what amazing ideas!! :) Sorry I haven't replied, but I appreciate all of these hot tips. So helpful. I am going to try and do all of them and buy that seat extender thingy! ;) x

Love that too

Right, I came back from Perth, Western Australia with dds 13mo, and not quite 3 on my own, if I can do it, so can you!

I did, like pp book an extra seat. Get a bulkhead seat, so more room to move around. iPad, colouring books, crappy magazines with toys, snacks, DVD player/inflight entertainment.
Night flights are best.

You’ll be fine.

Thanks, you are brave! Gives me hope. :)