What am I going to do with an incredibly active, incredibly stroppy 22 month old on 4.5 hour flight...on my lap.....

[lunavix]

Her favourite game at home is just running laps... hallway... lounge.... anything I have booked in flight meal as she also likes eating

The seats are rows of three and ds has another so hoping that the other may be empty or we may get an aisle seat as I think her running some laps is inevitable. Flight is 3.30pm - 7.45ish so planning on keeping her awake all day and hopefully she may sleep a bit... any other suggestions?

Was thinking colouring or ponies but if she has a strop at having to sit on my lap she may throw them....

any other ideas?

Oh blimey, good luck.

I found airports have lots of really big spaces for charging around, so make sure you do loads of laps around those before you get on.

A couple of airlines have tried to get all the kids on first but when I asked if we could get on last they agreed - and I was SO glad I had, can take 30 minutes off the sitting around time.

If you take crayons, get the triangular ones so they don't roll away (hot mum-tip from a mate). A couple of small new toys also worked a treat - car that you could put figures in and out of, small bag for collecting a variety of objects in, new hat to take on and off endlessly. Oh, and I also took a sling for when she was tired but wanted a change of scenery.

I found the onboard crew incredibly tolerant of DD trotting up and down the aisle, plus we met several grandparent-age fellow passengers who befriended her instantly and were happy to read books, play peekabo etc.

Sleep plan also a good idea - I did the same and only backfired once when she hit her second wind the moment we took off.

Here's keeping fingers crossed for the third seat to be empty

Its very difficult I have been there and im doing it again in a few weeks my dd is 15 months and my ds is 4. Try wrapping some new toys up it takes them ages to open the wrapping paper.Letting her walk about is no trouble unless of course the seat belt sign is on but that is very rare. Please dont get your hopes up about the seats being empty I pray every year and it never happens . They sell some travel scribblers in early learning which are good you know the ones that make shapes and you can draw and then erase the picture. We are being naughty parents this year and letting my ds take a portable dvd player on so he can watch a dvd not very good I know but will keep him quiet for a few hours. Another thing we usually take is playdoe make little people, roll balls ect. Hope that helps a little bit.

Oh no, you have my sympathies I flew with my DD at 11 months, couldn't imagine doing it now she is 20 months. If I was you I would try and get to check in early and ask if the plane is full., if not they should be able to block off one of the seats next to you to give you more room although she will still need to be on your lap for take off and landing.

I'd second the portable dvd player idea, we took it with us just on a short flight to paris last month, and ds1 sat and watched a disney film right through so by the time it had finished we were about to land
It will kill a hour or so if she'll watch something.
We've got a similar problem in August, we are doing a 8 hour flight with ds1 who'll be 2.4 and ds2 who'll be 8 months....luckily my dad a pil's are coming with us...

One word....Medised

Lol madeamess you read my mind except I darent post that

we tried the medised and it worked for me but did not work for our 26 mth old...

dvd player i reckon is the way to go

lots of small snacks

is playdo ok? wont be confiscated as semtex?

can't stop laughing at the idea of trying to explain to the UNHELPFUL airport security people that it's not semtex, honest.

we've just done flight to Houston with hectic 20 month old - she pretty much snacked her way across the Atlantic. When not eating she played in the aisle with cars/trucks etc and really loved waving at all the other people who obviously she thought were there entirely for her benefit.

mostly she thought it was great to point at people going into the loo and shout wee wee and poo poo.

we've done quite a lot of travelling with her and it's never, ever as bad as I've expected, don't worry.

hatcam, I once had to take a load of modelling clay to Jamaica (voluntary project with kids), and admittedly it was a 15 years ago, but it didn't occur to me what it looked like, until the customs guy and I were both staring at it in my suitcase. Luckily I still had the receipt for it.

We did a trip to Australia when DD3 was 15 months. 19 hours on 2 planes... 4.5 hours is nothing - pah!

We did LOTS of laps, up and down the aisles. She wasn't interested in playing except with things she shouldn't be playing with! Peepo with other passengers was fun, and they all seemed quite charmed with her and played along.

You can get travel sized Aquadraw which is a hit with mine, and many airlines have goody bags for kids.

travel sized aquadraw? The mats that are like magic painting? Been pondering the travel sketcher from elc too....

MIJ - good tip about crayons, dd will typically have a second wind knowing her...

maidamess - did think about drugging her but isn't there warnings against medised now?

Def. not dvd player... do they not show movies anyways? ds who's four will happily sit there and watch anything, even latest trash with jennifer anniston or anyone in it. Also bringing an old nintendo ds that he claims is his...

dd won't watch tv though so no hope there. Even her beloved night garden will only captivate her ten minutes tops.

Bring lots of snacks-don't rely on the airline meal to fill her up. Books is she likes reading. Medised if you want her to sleep. Lots of walking up and down the aisle should tire her out. Try and book bulkhead seats so she can sit on the floor and play for a bit.

bulkhead?

Sympathy. I flew with my very active 22 month old and the memories are still with me. Afterwards I wished that I had told him that you aren't allowed to walk around on planes, as he expected to be able to go jogging on a very full plane whenever he wanted. You could play at airoplanes before you go and sit on the floor at home, practising sitting still for take off and landing - even for just 2 minutes at a time. It could save your sanity!

They didn't have portable dvds three years ago, but I think one would be brill.

We found a packet of pringles and a large watch were a lifesaver. We sat watching the second hand go around, and when it got to the top, he was allowed another pringle! It saved us 20 mins of chaos.

Desperately try to stop 22month old from pressing alarm call button in the toilet whilst changing nappy (bitter experience emoticon) - why weren't parents designed with more arms? Clear evidence against intelligent design in my opinion!

I've heard 'Fennigan' works well. Can buy it from chemist. I think it i in liquid form and it is meant to calm your child.

Though I have heard it can turn a child hyper, so do a test at home first, but in all other cases I have read, it does truly work, even making a child dopey just for a few hours!

Taking 23 month and 3 month old on flight (2 hours) in Oct, so will give that a go with our eldest! Even the travel agent suggested it to me.

You need to put together a bag of new toys and entertainments that she has never seen before, about one for every 20 mins of flight time. I second the DVD player, some airlnes rent them out.

Sticker books were brilliant for our DS - hours of fun taking stickers off the backing sheet and then deciding where to stick them. You can get ones where you have to find where the sticker goes, which takes LOTS of time.

And a portable DVD player.

Right I have finished my shopping for flight bags!

Kids have (all new for bonus interest)

dd (22 months)
2 toy cars
weird musical travel toy from tesco
iggle piggle sticker book
dora aquadraw mats
mini poundland scribble board
crayola non-mess colouring pack
holiday board book
my little pony magazine (with free sunnies)
mini tub pringles
pack petit lu biscuits
pack party rings
choc dip
2 caprisun style juices

plus a bottle of milk and her cuddly iggle piggle

ds (4 years)
2 toy cars
mini travel fishing game
iggle piggle sticker book
thomas aqua draw mats
mini poundland scribble board
crayola lightening mqueen colouring pack
harry and bucket of dinosaurs book
cars magazine
mini tub pringles
pack petit lu biscuits
pack party rings
choc dip
2 capri sun style juices

plus his nintendo ds

FINGERS CROSSED! lol

Lunavix you wont be able to take the caprisun juice through security if the cartons exceed 100 ml they will take them off you. If they are under 100ml you need to put them in a clear plastic zip sealed bag for example a jiffy bag as this will be screneed seperatly at security.

portable dvd player a must.