Longhaul flight with active 2 yr old - should we do it?

[kimberley100]

My DH and I are thinking about a trip to USA with our 2yo DS. The flight will be about 10 hours. DH will be working for the first week (hence the cheap holiday idea) so I will have to entertain DS. Then we can take a week or 2 for a proper holiday. DS is very active so i'm worried about how we might keep him entertained on the flight.
Do you think were bonkers to even consider this?
Anyone got any travel hints or tips?
Any advice would be very welcome thanks!

HipHop major hassle is taking it 150km walking to the train & on the train & thru the tube & around the airport. Each way. With horrid jetlag & lots of other luggage to lug. Then wondering if it will fit well in car/taxi that picks us up at other end, or will meet expected safety laws in other country.

We've done long haul a few times with ours, last time they were 1 & 2yrs old, its hard work but manageable, would be lots easier with just one toddler.

Its not great fun, esp through security and check in queues but I wouldn't let it stop you travelling.

DontEat oh year it's a major hassle lugging carseats on public transport - why would you? But if you are driving to & from the airports, then its not a hassle at all.

Ok so this is slightly delayed but I thought that everyone had contributed such a lot of useful tips ? so I?ve tried to make a more comprehensive list for anyone else viewing this topic. Here goes?..
PS thanks so so much to everyone for your replies x happy travelling

Toys
Colouring books
Stickers
Surprise new toys
Teddy

Snacks
Raisins
Crackers
Chocolate buttons
marshmallows

Entertainment
iPad
Personal DVD player
Airline with seat-back screens

On Board
Change of clothes ? for everyone
Pyjamas and toothbrush and usual bedtime story/blanket/cuddly toy
Wet wipes

Strategy
Night Flight
Be prepared to work hard on the plane ? lots of walking up and down and looking at things
Pre-order the children's meals
Take advantage of pre-boarding to get yourselves settled
Think about how you'll be getting from the airport to your onward destination
Take it in turns to be the 'on' parent and the one who gets a rest
Ask the flight attend for ice for take off and landing to suck to help with ear problems

Airport
Pushchair
Reins/harness
Car seat

I would seriously think about NOT doing it. Not only will you have to deal with 2 long flights but also jetlag in two directions. We have 2 sons, 3 and 20 months, and would not dream of any flight over 3 hours for pleasure. Of course people will say "it can be done" and of course it CAN be done. If you have pressing business commitments of family overseas, children can travel anywhere. On the other hand, a holiday is meant to be pleasant, not a struggle. The question is whether you or your son will get anything positive from it or whether you will return more frazzled than when you left.

If you decide to do it anyway, sticker books are great, as are cuddlies to snuggle up to. Business class would be a real plus...but that depends on finances, and how many evil looks you are prepared to put up with! Personally, I would not take too many sweet snacks but maybe a container of fruit and some sandwiches to provide slow release energy. The fruit is also perfect for take off and landing. Did someone actually suggest ice to suck?! That sounds the craziest idea of all. A toddler can only hold ice in his mouth for a few seconds until it becomes painfully cold. Water dribbles out and then the whole thing comes out to melt on the carpet (or your bag under the seat) and does nothing to help the ears.

An Ipad is an idea but also stressful if it is dropped, dribbled on etc. Personally, we tend to manage without buggies as at least the children burn energy in the airport. They are going to be sitting down for hours as it is. In addition, I would have thought two adults could manage one child without reins or a harness?! It is when you have one adult and two toddlers that it becomes stressful and, even then, we have not resorted to reins (although it may come to it yet).

With all these recommendations to take with you, be careful to check baggage allowances as, on some airlines, they are quite limited and you may find yourself paying a fortune for overweight.

kimberley100 with experience you will work out for yourself what works best for you. Absolutely DO IT!.

My suggestions in my earlier post were based on what works for us. We have 2 dcs under 5 and have been travelers since before they were born. We do a (very) long haul flight once a year, and short flights (2.5 hrs) every 1-2 months. For us it's a part of life and our dcs are more familiar with planes than buses or trains.

We discovered the ice trick early on with dc2 (2y) who has always suffered with sore ears during take off and landing. The flight attendants are always surprised when we ask, but then see that it works. Of course we break it up first. dc1 eats jelly babies but doesn't seem to suffer too much anyway. You will find something that works for you, assisted by the many good suggestions on here. Try different things. But remember the bit about not taking fruit into US customs They do take it very seriously!

For us a pushchair is absolutely a must, especially if we're doing change overs. During our last trip dc1 was actually ill so spent most of the time in the pushchair while dc2 tried to board another plane ran around using up energy. But generally it helps if dc needs to sleep.

Re jetlag, they do get over it, though we find it much easier flying west than east (i.e. going to the US for us is easier than going back to the UK).

Please don't listen to anyone who tells you not to do it!

Have a great time!

Sorry OP, I went to bed last night thinking about you on your trip. One thing I don't think anyone has mentioned is that US airports are notorious for their long, long immigration queues. Although this may depend very much on which part of the US you are going to (i.e. the E coast airports are often used by airlines as a stop over before taking an onward connection so can have horrendous queues).

Anyway, on the plane you will be offered a couple of forms, one customs form (one per family) and one immigration form (one each). If you can fill the forms out completely whilst on the plane, that will make things much easier for you at immigration. Some airports actually have staff who stand in the queue checking everyone's forms to make sure they are filled out correctly, then send you off to do it again if it's not.

For us, actually this is the worst part of the whole trip, especially with grumpy dcs, and where the marshmallows come in a treat! We did try bananas at one point but were "caught" as on the customs form we declared we were not carrying anything illegal, and apparently imported bananas are illegal. So then we had to go through extra searches etc... Funny now but not at the time!

Just to add, we've had some truly horrendous flights in our time! But still absolutely worth it at the end of the day!

Have a wonderful holiday!

Please come back and tell us how it all went!

Hip hop probably because a uk car seat is illegal in many countries. Australia being one of them.

"US airports are notorious for their long, long immigration queues. Although this may depend very much on which part of the US you are going to (i.e. the E coast airports are often used by airlines as a stop over before taking an onward connection so can have horrendous queues). "

When i did US with my 2yo, we got jumped to front of the line by the immigration people due to the child- both ways we got prioritised.

Just as well because the flight both ways was hellish and Im not doing it again with her until she is old enough to watch a film in her seat.... with headphones :)