Flying with under twos -any advice

[Sprogstersmum]

We are going on a ten hour flight with DD who will be 16 months and on our laps - having just read another thread with several stories about nightmare flight experiences does anyone have any advice for how to keep her occupied/quiet during flight?

I pack a bag with lots of small 'bits' in it- hair bands, tiny finger puppets, shoe laces, those mini free CDs you get when they want you to try a new internet provider, (big) buttons... anything at all that will provide a bit of variety and entertainment.

A quick trip round somewhere like Superdrug would provide you with lots of interesting things that are cheap and that you won't mind too much if they are lost under seats etc.

You can also get lots of use out of things from the plane itself, like the sick bags, small paper cups that you get in airplane toilets, an unopened packet that contains the coffee whitener/serviette/salt and pepper sachets.

I must confess that I've only done short (max 1.5hours) flights with DD so far, but this bag of interesting bits helps pass the time, for at least a bit of the way.

Good Luck!

If you're flying economy ask for a bassinet - they are usually at the front of the section.
We took a 7 hr flight with a 16 mth old. When he slept, we put him in the bassinet so that freed us up a bit.
There are usually other infants in that area too. There is a bit more space and ds had a lovely time playing with the other children, both on outward and return journey.
I did pack lots of snacks, his favourite books and a couple of toys.

I find that 16 month olds are probably too big for a bassinet but they have things that look like carseats or bouncy chairs that strap onto the same place that the bassinets go (well BA does anyway).

Ask for an aisle seat and preferably in the middle section of the plane as the cabin lights tend to run up the sides by the windows, so when they have them on for serving meals etc, it is very bright and difficult to get a child to sleep.

Second the toys suggestions (but make sure they don't make a noise). Take lots of snacks and drinks. Not suitable for in the plane, but while waiting after you've checked in, take a bottle of bubble mix. Keeps them amused for a bit.

If all else fails a little calpol might not go amiss. I've travelled for 12 hours with a 20 month old and a 3 month old. Let's just say I won't be repeating the experience.

We've done a few 8 hr trips and agree with most said. Is it a day flight or an overnighter? Also do you know your aircraft yet? You can check out seat configurations online on
Seat Guru so can see if it is a 2-4-2 or what. If a day flight, I like the ones which are on the side near the gally in front of an exit. Mainly as there is usually space behind it, where you can stand and if nice hostesses, they let DC play on the floor for a bit. If a night flight, towards the centre so not disrupted by coming and goings in the galley.
If you have an indivdual tv, mine like watching the plane's progress.

Also take a few laps around the plane at least a few times. Usually there are some people who think your DC is the cutest things that they have seen and will chat to them for a while.

It also helps if there is a badly behaved child in First Class -- then no matter how horrible it gets you can think "At least I didn't pay thousands of pounds for this!" (As happened with us when flying with 4 mth old who cried for about 50% of time. But not as bad as baby in First who screammed the entire flight!)

We did an 8 hour flight with 16 month old last year. Just repeat to yourself that you are there for the sole entertainment of your child, no more relaxing eating and watching a movie! That was the hardest thing for us to cope with! Of course I'm saying "we", hubs did get to do all that which we had a "discussion" about once we were off the plane.

We gave/give him lots of freedom before getting on the plane. We didn't do this but I've seen recommended that if you're travelling with another adult they take the luggage on the plane early and the person with the child waits as long as possible so the child isn't cooped up as long.

We brought lots of new little things to play with like has already been suggested. Also items of comfort, obviously! Son had his dummy for take off and landing for his ears, if there's no dummy sucking on a bottle is supposed to help.

Dry snacks that take a while to eat are also good entertainment. Son has never wanted anything but dry food on flights.

Stay calm yourself so she doesn't pick up on any stress and start acting up. Even if she cries a lot remember it's public transport and she's as much right to be there as on a bus or a train and if people don't like it it's tough, this is life. See I have to remind myself of this when I get my kid off to sleep and someone with a miserable kid walks them up and down the plane crying their eyes out which then wakes up my kid. Stay calm... they have a right to be here too, they are just doing their best!

Can you check to see how full the flight is so you'll know if you're going to have space or if she'll be on your laps the whole time.

And remember, time shall pass... the plane flight will eventually end!

I never take a bag of toys with me ... too much to carry ...
As people say, with 16 month olds it is amazing what you can do with a sick bag, a paper cup and a crayon
If you are on a flight with seat back screens I bin my 1.5 hrs of tv rule and let them stare at it for as long as they want to
When I flew with DD at 16 months we bought a seat for her ... the last thing I wanted was to have her on my lap - but then I was flying two 12 hour flights back to back ... she did spend a large amount of time on my lap but at least we had the space ...
Couple of toys, few crayons and some paper ... seat back screens ... laps around the aircraft ...
If you actively STOP them making noise and standing on their sets etc then you risk them having a full blown tantrum (which is fine at home when you are dealing with compliance issues but a waste of time on an aeroplane for 10 hours ... let things go ... my only hard and fast rule is no kicking of chair in front and no playing with the food tray (seriously pisses off other passengers).

Don't watch a movie when your child falls asleep. Sleep when she sleeps. Otherwise you will be settling down for a snooze after your movie and she will wake up refreshed and ready to play as soon as you close your eyes. Result? You will be shattered ....

By the way, the aforementioned 12 hour flight with two, when I walked onto the plane and got to our seats, I said loudly to everyone sitting around us: My apologies in advance. We're going to try and keep them quiet. But with kids you just never know.So really, really sorry if they keep you up.

And everyone around us after that was super helpful and nice.

Take sick bags with you & have them always handy with some baby wipes. Some airlines don't have sick bags in the front pockets!

Anything that you take on the plane to entertain must be able to be dropped and lost.

Wear trousers as with a skirt someone jumping on your lap can be pulling on the fabric.

Non sticky snacks a must

Sorry - I thought those bouncy chair things were called bassinets.
Those are the things I meant.
We're doing a 8hr flight in a couple of weeks with ds now 19 months. I'm more worried about the flight this time as he seems to need more stimulation and wants his way now.

We recently did 11 hour night flights with 18 mth ds. We put him in a bassinet - stewardesses offered it to us even though he was really too old/big - and on way out he slept for 8 hours completely doubled up. On way back had to beg to have the bassinet and he didn't sleep for as long but still gave a choice of places for him to sit.

I wouldn't bother with wrapping up little presents etc - ds was interested in them for as long as it took to unwrap them. Take plenty of not too sugary snacks eg carrot sticks, small bag of cheerios. Ds spent ages offering me, dh and his teddy bites of an apple.

Also agree with the other poster who suggested apologising in advance to near neighbours. I think that if you keep your cool and are obviously doing your best people will generally be sypathetic. Although ds was quite whingy on out return flight the man sitting next to me told me that I was 'wonderful' with him which almost made up for ds's miserable behaviour!

Have travelled with ds who is now 2 on a few 2.5 hr flights and here's what helped!:

bag of pound shop bright plastic stuff he's never seen before so you can do the "ooooh loook!" thing. Wrap some of them up as unwrapping takes time and keeps them engrossed.
Make a few nappy packs: one nappy, 5 or so wipes and a nappy sack and put one in your handbag. Your little one will poo at a really bad moment and you don't want to have to rummage!
If you can get, borrow, or have a baby carrier use it as it's easier than hauling a buggy around and keeps your lo close to you so they can't run off and also keeps them calmer!
When you check in ask if the plane is full and if not ask if they are able to leave the seat next to you free so that you have 3...much more comfy if it's possible!
Good advice from pp about discipline, ie let a few things go so that you avoid spending all your time battling and stressing but above all don't let them do things that annoy the other passengers if at all possible!!
Take a towel or blanket with you - great for making pillows, covering when sleeping, making tents, keeping warm getting on and off, and in an emergency for wiping up accidents or catching sick! Sorry for graphic image.

good luck and have a nice time!

We went to Canada in September with Zoom and outward they were wonderful, home not so but ds slept 5hrs as it was night.

Ditto everyone else really, take new toys he hasn't seen before, wrap them if you're allowed (we weren't), fill camera film canisters with small food items (rainbow drops, raisins) things they have never seen before, Spot the dog books are good, magnetic fishing games, play with the water in the sink, walk round the plane lots, you will probably be surprised how fast it passes, I was.

Great advice from JoshandJamie, someone else told me to ask anyone being rude- were you never a baby? But we didn't have to.

meant to say, best thing I took with us when ds was about that age was a stack of cups and a colouring book. When he got bored stacking and colouring we ripped up the pages into tiny bits and he spent nearly 2 hours standing on the floor using the seat as a table, moving scrunched up bits of paper from one cup to another, hiding them, finding them and generally organising and posting them. Also, Tesco do a kiddies play thing in a little tube that has 4 crayons, 2 things to colour in, some jelly babies, some other nibble and something else as well, can't remember what. It cost a pound and kept ds really amused first colouring, then eating then using the tube for organising.

Thank you so much for all the ideas - have written myself a list to remind me to get all the things together before we go. Thanks guys!

One more before you go- What worked very well for DH and I was switching off every hour as the parent on baby duty. Obviously the parent not on baby duty would help the other if needed but if not the other parent can chill with a book or whatever.

Oooh, and the other thing I thought of was that my ears don't work properly on a plane, so I guess most other people's don't, either. I remind myself that unless DD is doing a full-blown scream, yes, people can hear her, but she's probably not as loud as she would be on the ground... if that makes sense!

DD is 16 months - we have just returned from Hawaii - with delays, trip there was over 24 hours of which she slept about 3! She was generally quite good though as we had lots to distract her - books and toys and snacks.

Return journey we gave her fenurgen (sp) to help her sleep - recommended by australian friend. Not a big fan of medication but really wanted to help her sleep. There are homeopathic remedies available also.

We booked a seat for her so we had 3 seats together and she slept on the floor (almost 8 hours on 10 hour flight - she moves a lot when she sleeps so was uncomfortable on seat.

Biggest problem at the moment is jetlag. We were up last night from 9:30 to 3:30 with a wide awake baby thinking it was time to play. Very tired today!

Good luck with trip

We've flown from NZ to UK and back just before ds turned 2 and then again when 3. How it went depended a lot on how full the plane was. Would recommend getting to the airport and checking in really early. The airport staff like that and you may be able to score a spare seat for dc. We did for over half our flights. Definitely recommend the Calpol. We never used it but having it there calmed our nerves! Also the snacks are good to have. Found that the porridge that you just need to add hot water to was appreciated by ds and the cabin crew were happy to provide the hot water. One of those drawing things that wipe off is great bec. no pen marks anywhere. It's great if the plane has video screens in backs of seats. Chatting to my business class flying hairdresser, he admitted that he had never had to sit beside a child, but had been stuck next to big, fat, sweaty, snoring man - so there are worse things than fidgety children for fellow passengers .

Have a lovely Christmas anniemac - hope it's sunny and warm...

Have just read up a bit more on Fenurgan and it is recommended that is not used for under 2's as it can cause respiratory problems, even fatality - OMG I am a bad bad mummy. Good luck with the trip.

You can't get Phenergan over here without prescription any more I don't think and gp's aren't too keen on prescribing it for plane journeys - miserable sods!!

Medised, however, knocks them out for a bit of you are really desperate. It's paracetamol with an antihistamine that makes them drowsy and therefore sleep. Just check before you go that it does have that effect on your child as a few kids go hyper on it - not the thing to find out on a packed plane .

We did a return flight to Singapore with ds who was 2.2 and 6 month dd last year. It wasn't as bad as I was expecting but I'd definitely recommend asking for a bassinet because you will then be given a bulkhead seat which has lots of legroom and space for them to play. The bassinet is also handy for keeping toys, drinks, snacks, etc in when it's not being used. Some airlines are funny about kids sleeping on the floor but it is a LOT easier than having them on your lap if you can get away with it.

The only other thing I'd suggest is taking far more nappies and wipes than you think you'll need - we got through far more than normal. Changes of clothes for them AND YOU are also a good idea. Also giving them a bottle on take off is fine in theory but be warned that it may not stay down! Dd had hers then promptly puked all over me and her. We had plenty of spare clothes for her but none for me - 12 hours sitting in milk sick covered clothes is not pleasant .

Good luck with the flights, it'll all be worth it when you get there!!

Thanks Olihan for correct spelling . I did try to get it in US pharmacy and was told it was available on prescription and for children over 6 only.

For milk, we took a carton on and got a bag of ice from air steward as soon as possible. Airline had semi-skimmed only.