Navigating airport & plane with a toddler

[Peanuts6]

Hi Folks - first ever air/airport travel with a 20 month toddler in Oct.
Would value your tips for navigating airport security departures and flights. We have evening flights there and back and will be travelling through his sleep time. TIA

Use Boots click and collect for anything you need between going through security and arriving at your destination www.boots.com/shopping/airport-click-and-collect Order twice as much of the essentials (nappies, snacks, drinks etc…) than you’ll think you need. If your plane becomes severely delayed or canceled, you will thank me.
Find out if your airport has a soft play area and make use of it. It’s normally somewhere quiet.
Definitely use early boarding.
Gate check your stroller/buggy. You’ll probably need to request gate check tags from the gate agent at the airport. Gate checked items will typically be waiting for you by the plane when you disembark. Sometimes, though, they get put into baggage claim. Check with your airline before your flight regarding their gate check policy.
When you check in online, choose your seat carefully. Research the best and worst places to sit with a toddler.

Thanks that’s fab @Fivemoreminutes1
I’m debating whether I should take a ‘cabin’ style push chair that can go in the overhead storage and we can put in the walk way when he wants to sleep. We currently have an old umbrella style fold up one Our flight time collides with his sleep time and it’s a 4 hour flight so he’s going to want to sleep in his pram. appreciate any intel you have.

You want to put your pram up on the plane for the child to sleep in?

When you say "put the pram in the walkway" do you mean the aisle of the plane? That's simply not going to happen! Not only would it be against all safety regulations but think about the convenience of other passengers who want to go to the loo, stretch their legs etc. And how would the cabin crew manage to take their trolleys up and down to serve drinks and food?
You've mentioned a couple of times that the flights are scheduled for when your child would usually be asleep. Whilst they may still sleep at the usual times, I wouldn't count on it! There will be so many different noises, it will be light and he will be sat in your or your partner's knee. Also, there may well be delays, either in boarding or once you have boarded.
My advice is to take a lot of snacks & drinks, a change of clothes for both you & the child and a number of little, quiet toys whose pieces you can't lose. Those magic water painting sets are good (although probably a bit advanced for a 20mth old). And be prepared to be a full on entertainer/distracter for the duration of the flight. If you can get them into screens before you go, I would! It might buy you a valuable few minutes of peace!
Sorry to dash on your hopes but your expectation of the flight seems unrealistic in my experience.

Definitely don’t expect your toddler to nap, they may but imo it’s unlikely. We travelled with ds 21 and 23 months this year, ‘should’ have napped on all 4 flights but there’s just so much going on. Lady in front with a slightly younger child got so super stressed that hers wasn’t napping, don’t be that person.
Take lots of food & snacks, lots of activities and change of clothes for them and you incase they throw up as apparently we found out quite a number do.

Well he's definitely not sleeping in his pram on the plane, that's not a thing for very obvious health and safety reasons. He'll be on one of your laps, or in a seat if you're lucky enough to have an empty one beside you.

From my experience the less of a 'big deal' you make it, the less fussy the baby will be about it.

They're not going to let you block the aisle with a pushchair because your toddler wants to sleep.

Time has no real meaning in airports. I think you just do whatever you can to get through. For our DS, this means iPads, endless snacks and several new colouring books or sticker books to bring out throughout the journey. The only time DS has fallen asleep on a plane was when he managed to fall asleep as we were waiting for the seatbelt sign to go off after we landed - most inconvenient!

You want to put his pram up in the aisle of the plane so he can sleep 😂

You’re making this into problem that it doesn’t need to be. Get to the airport, get on the plane. Take snacks, take nappies, take a change of clothes and some small toys. Job done.

Baby jogger city mini great for travel. Wheel toddler to gate, then you just grab the handle and it folds flat, you put a little clip in place and it's ready to go in the hold. They put a tag on it so you can collect from the carousel.

I think you need snacks and little toys. Can also occupy them walking up and down. It's not that bad.

Do not over think it! They may not sleep as it will be new and exciting. Have snacks in your hand luggage, buy a few new small toys and have them to bring out at moments when he might get grumpy or upset. Down load cartoons on to an iPad and have it to distract. If he is sat in your lap perhaps practice having to sit with a seat belt on as this can be tricky if they are not used to it. Push chair can be taken to departure gate and then put in hold so a small fold up one is ideal. You will have to go with the flow.

One toddler and 2 adults, you should be fine! It is what you make it. As others have said no chance whatsoever of you being allowed to block the aisle with a pushchair so forget that.

You're not putting a pushchair up on a plane!

Also ignore the advice to order twice as many nappies as you think you'll need. Why?!

Don't overthink it. Go to the airport, get on the plane, entertain toddler any which way you can (download programmes onto tablet before you leave but take headphones). Simple.

If there are 2 adults, send one on early with as many bags as they can, and take the toddler on last. There is nothing to be gained except overhead locker space by having a child on a plane for 30 mins longer than you have to.

You won't be able to have the pushchair unfolded on the plane.

Snacks and whatever small, quiet, and able to have pieces lost that can be used to entertain your child. Spare clothes for them. Spare teeshirt minimum for you.

I’m debating whether I should take a ‘cabin’ style push chair that can go in the overhead storage and we can put in the walk way when he wants to sleep.

😆

You can't unfold a pushchair on a plane. If you meant walkway as in the little tunnel or walk across tarmac into building if flying Ryanair upon disembarking and on your way to passports / luggage reclaim, then make sure it collapses to under 55x40x20cm which are the standard hand luggage measurements. They will put it in the hold otherwise.

Don't overthink it.
Just accept they probably won't sleep. Take a small bag with toys, snacks etc and just roll with it.

I flew regularly when each child got to 9 months.

The older one had a carry on pack with paper, stickers, crayons, cards, games, lots of little things. This was before phones on planes. The pack was started at 2 years onwards.

The baby would be on my lap.
I'd take a large pashmina a good one that was huge and lightweight but warm and I'd tuck the baby into me. It's cold on long flights. She'd sleep mostly.

Always time a feed for take off and landing. We always flew with local airlines as the planes were smaller and the Pilot made his ascent and descent gradually so the children on the flight didn't cry. This was one of my main reasons for flying from a smaller airport.

We also paid for priority boarding as it was easier with a baby in a buggy. The buggy gets folded and left as you go into the plane. It's then the first thing they unload the other end.

Have a means of wearing your baby. Sometimes you need to carry both of them.

My worst flight was with a baby and a 3 year old landing at Gatwick (never again). No buggy in sight, a long long walk at 4am with a young child needing a wee. They couldn't hold on and we had pee everywhere. I hadn't realised it was such a long way to the toilets from the plane even though I'd asked the crew for help. I have never flown with children from a large airport again.

My tip is to get them to wake and use the loo just before descent even if they are sound asleep.

When we went to Florida with my 15 month old (who napped lots) she was up at 5am, napped in the car on the way to the airport. Then again at 12.30pm when we got onto the plane for an hour. She woke up half hour into the flight, was awake the whole time, then through airport security and baggage collection, hire car collection. Fell asleep at 2.30am uk time in the car seat 🤪🤪🤪 Every kid is different though.

Thanks everyone. Really appreciate your input, suggestions and advice. And yeah…good reality check about putting up the chair in the aisle 😂