Be honest, is it really worth the hassle taking a 2yr old on a plane?

[tubismybub]

Or should we just plump for a UK holiday again this year?

you are right jimjams - note i didn't talk about what my hols were like when i got there - just ds1 is a good traveller -car zones him out - trains fine as long as ther are enough vacant toleits to satisfy his thirst to wee in every toilet in the world - and plane ok if fed enough crisps - i'm lucky in that he does take breaks in between repetetive behaviour and does sleep.

It depends on how long the flight is and how demanding your child is. My ds is 4 and we have flown to Ireland, Scotland and Germany with him - all short flights - since he was 1.

This year we are going to Vienna (2 hours) and Dubrovnik (3 hours) but we have also done a 4 hour train journey in Germany (and didn't get up and walk around except to go to the loo so it was like being on a plane).

I would not even think of going long haul until they are older - I might try East Coast US when he is 5.

But if you are worried go by ferry - you can get to Ireland, France, Belgium Spain, Denmark easily (all are toddler friendly countries) - that gives you a good choice if you don't want to stay in the UK.

My Mum lives in Spain so we have had to fly with the kids from an early age (4 months the youngest) and DS is now 5 and DD 2.5 and it has always been fine, we have done Spain loads and a few 5 hour flights and one 10 hour flight with them. We/they have had moments but where ever you are and what ever you are doing you get hose don't you?

No. As Expat says, there are tons of great places to holiday in the UK, and to LOs, a beach is a beach. Too much sun and heat is a nightmare, and I echo an earlier comment about knowing exactly what to do if anyone gets ill.

When my two are much older we plan to take them travelling properly, as we did when we were first married, but for now, when all they want is to splash in the water, build sandcastles and have ice creams, this country is fantastic. Can't see why you'd put yourself through the stress of a flight.

no

not longhaul no

We flew to Australia on my dd's 2nd birthday, along with her 4 and 5 year old brothers. It wasn't any sort of problem at all tbh, they loved it.

We went to Majorca when dd2 was 4 & ds1 was 2. Had really crappy flight times (for me & dh anyway) flew out at 11.30 at night and flew back at 4 in the morning. DD2 & DS1 were so knackered that we carried them onto the plane asleep & carried them off still asleep. As they've flown regularly since its not a big deal to them & they're usually asleep before we take off - they're now 10 & 8. As they've been used to flying from quite young ages they're much more confident than me & dh who are usually nervous wrecks!

Did a 5 hour flight with DD two weeks ago, she was fanastic, especially as she wasn't quite two and was on our laps. On the way out we had a five hour delay on top of that journey.

For part of the journey she sat on those table things, she went to sleep on me, and then using jackets and jumpers, made a bed on the two tables and she slept there.

Looking forward to the next trip as she will have her own sleep.

Was so proud of her.

her own seat

Um, by the time DS2 was 3 he'd been on over 30 flights, at least 10 of them long-haul (I couldn't sleep last night and was thinking about this thread). We did live in Singapore, so we didn't have much choice with some of the flights, but it really isn't that much hassle. The boys (now seasoned travellers at 8 and 5) love the whole thing. In fact, we've just come back from Malaysia, where we spent our half-term week. It may not be that green, though....

At 2, I used to put together a small bag of toys/treats etc. Those party tubs of Play-Doh are excellent for flights. Something to chew or suck for the descent is a good idea too - I used to breastfeed until DS2 was 2 and a bit, but sippy cups, raisins, bottles, dummies, thumbs and later lollies all work.

we have just come back from a week in morocco with our 2 who are 5 and 18 months. the flight was 3.5 hours. tbh, dd was a bit of a nightmare on the way out, there was a fair amount of screaming. but worse for dp & i than anyone else (i hope). she was a dream on the way home though, went to sleep as we took off & was charming when she woke up. ds was brilliant on both flights. we do holiday in the uk too, but love going abroad & the kids do as well.

I have flown from uk to los angeles (11 hours) twice a year since my two were born and it's really not that big a deal. You just need to be prepared to entertain and feed them during the journey. Don't rely on the airline to provide food and entertainment and you will be fine. You know your children, so go with what they are/like.
For example, my ds will sleep and is easily entertained by the movies and cartoons, but my dd will be awake for the entire journey and will need to be amused with toys and books for 11 hours straight. I always bring a change of clothes for ds because he often gets airsick, while dd never does. I always bring sipee cups with water for them, so that I don't have to worry about spills and I always brink non-messy snacks so that I don't have to rely on the timing of the meal service.
I talk to them about the seat belt sign and what the rules of the plane are and I don't let them get away with any whining, wiggling and noise that will disturb other passengers. I fly airlines (british airways) that make an effort to place passengers with children in the bulk head (important because you have extra space and there is no one in front of you to be bothered by kids kicking the seat in front of them).
Anyway, all of the headache of the plane journey will be more than made up for by the child friendliness that exists in just about every country besides the uk.

It's like eating out, get your kids used to it early in life and they will know what to expect/how to behave as they get older!

The bag of treats sounds a good idea, We are taking dd 2y3m to lanzarote in March. Has anyone flew recently with thomson fly from Luton are you allowed to take snacks like raisons through security these days.

She will of course get a meal on the plane but we all know how disgusting and unhealthy they are.