Flying 18 month old to New Zeeland

[ruthyless1]

Hi,

I've just found out my sister in NZ is expecting and really want to visit when the baby arrives! My DS will be 18 months then and I'm a bit concerned about how travelling so far might affect him (he's already v active)??!! Any experience/opinions of travelling with a toddler would be great!!

Hi there,

I just flew to NZ in March with my DS who was 18 months old (and survived!) so here are my top must-do's:

1. Book night flights wherever possible, or at least afternoon flights, so you know your DS will sleep for some/most of them!

1. When booking, ask for a bassinet for DS. Once on board, the flight attendants might say he's too old/big, but insist (as I did), as it really helped - he slept in it and it was also useful for him to sit and play in for a little while, eat snacks etc

1. If you haven't already got one, buy a pair of reins - invaluable for walking him up and down (and up and down!) the aisle plus in the departure lounge

1. Take LOTS of snacks, plus spare pouches/jars in case he doesn't like the plane food (mine ate the breakfast but wouldn't touch the dinner - ate his pouch happily though). Make sure you request toddler meals when booking.

1. Pack lots of nappies, wipes etc plus spare clothes (also pyjamas, sleeping bag etc) for DS

1. Take plenty of small toys, old and new - and introduce a different new toy every so often (I bought some at charity/pound shops). Try and save some for the return journey, or stock up in the dollar shops over there.

1. If you can, try and do a stopover rather than just flying straight through. We stopped over in Hong Kong both ways and I couldn't have done it otherwise. It helped to get out and about, eased the jetlag (a bit!) and just broke up the journey.

There's no denying it, it's really, really tough flying with a toddler, but it can be done! If you have any more questions/worries etc please do feel free to ask or send me a message, I'm more than happy to share my (newly-found) pearls of wisdom!

We took our 2 year old to Oz and the flights weren't an issue - it was the jetlag that was the killer. Waking up at 4 am with a hungry toddler and all the shops are closed isn't fun.