Air travel with 16 month old

[smashthesigns]

I'm getting stressed about our trip this weekend. It's our first trip away as a family and I'm starting to panic that we won't pack enough/will pack too much/won't be able to travel because DD will inevitably catch a cold in nursery this week that will look like covid and the airline won't let her fly (don't even know if this is a legitimate worry)/something else I haven't thought of.

How do you deal with a toddler in the airport/on the flight? Does anyone have any tips for how to keep her calm? It is a two hour flight and there is only so much Bluey I can cope with. If the buggy goes in the hold how you deal with getting through security and immigration when you arrive?

This is a now very much delayed honeymoon holiday that was never meant to have a toddler on it any help would be very much appreciated!!!!

My advice (as someone who has flown to Australia by myself with two small dc many times) is don't take too much stuff into the actual plane and just go with the flow. Say yes a lot. Snack, story, TV....yes, yes yes.

Take a small new toy. I once had a little doll that had a little bag and a dummy etc that kept them entertained for about ten hours!

One toddler and two adults and only a two hour flight. It will be fine.

Find a quiet bit of the airport and let them run/toddle/crawl as much as possible to let off loads of steam
New toys/books hidden away, get them out as needed and play with them in turn
Snacks, lots of snacks
Either ask to see if they can leave the buggy at the steps for when you get off the plane or you just carry them (or they walk) to the luggage carousel and you pray it's not a massive trek!

@Pissinthepottyplease I know I really need to just relax about this! I used to be the "oh, I'll arrive just before the gates closed with the smallest amount of hand luggage ever" sort of person - this child has changed me!

@QuillBill @Wagglerock Thank you for the suggestions! I'll buy some new (small) toys today to hide away until we go. This is a silly question, but can I bring her snacks that I made at home? She's a picky eater already and I doubt there's much in the airport she would try.

Yea, as long as it's not a liquid over 100mls. Although I have managed to smuggle a frozen pouch yogurt through. One of my dc is anaphylactic so I had to take all her food for 26 hours.

Yeah I always took food from home with me, providing it's just for the journey you're ok. I'd usually raid the airside boots for supplies too.

Oh and big airports usually have a family channel to get you through security so use that if they've got one.

we take snacks he's never seen before/doesn't usually get. so recently at a wedding we used those kiddylicious square things in a packet, they're like freeze dried fruit or something. also yoghurt pouches, veggie fingers (melty puffs are messier), anything he really likes! he doesn't usually get snacks that are specifically for babies so it usually works to keep him quiet. also download baby programmes on netflix and let him watch it as much as he wants on the plane. peek a boo is also a good game 😂 playing with something unusual, a new toy or just something new.

in the airport we find a quiet spot he can run about in plus get him to walk as much as possible to the gates.