Flying/take off with a toddler

[Worried8263839]

We are due to fly in a few weeks, with my DS2. We've flown before where he has sat on my lap during takeoff as didn't need his own seat. Now that he does, I'm a bit worried about how we will manage this during take off? He often gets scared with loud noises and I imagine this will be a bit scary to him if strapped into his own seat. His first instinct will be to get on my lap, but am I right in saying this isn't possible during take off? Just concerned about him being a very upset toddler at the start of a 4 hour flight, not the best! Thanks in advance for any advise

Headphones and the ipad! He won't hear any noises with that on. Plus, snacks to distract.

There are a few baby/ toddler board books about flying that you could read with him.

He doesn’t sit on your lap un the car so it’s just like that.

Does he do imaginative play yet? If you read the book you could play planes a bit, you and his dad can swap being parent and cabin crew and do a quick version of getting on, putting bags up high and then sitting, doing belts up and making takeoff noises. Don’t make a big thing of “you won’t be able to sit on mummy’s knee”, just as you don’t when you go in a car. It’s just what happens. Roleplay looking out of the window at the tops of the clouds and get excited. Make a fuss of who will get to sit in the window seat as it’s the best seat; he’ll catch on and clamour for it and you can say you’ll have to see on the day if the cabin crew are fine with it (but of course it will be him).

On the flight board books and any favourite small toys worked for my NT toddler and ND toddler now ND adult daughter. Encourage him to listen out for the announcements and tell you when the man/lady is speaking. Also look through the flight instructions with him, it’s on the back of the seat on Ryanair but some carriers have leaflets. My daughters loved looking at the diagrams for reasons that escape me. My ND adult daughter doesn’t have a tablet and headphones on flights even though she’s had one since being a teenager because if anything went wrong or something she wanted wasn’t downloaded she wouldn’t understand and she’d have a meltdown. As she’s never had it on a flight she’s fine.

Please don’t get a toddler a tablet just to keep them quiet on a flight. Sucking on a sweet for takeoff and landing is a really good idea as their ears can hurt and that used to scare my eldest NT daughter.

As far as I remember you have to put away devices during take off/ landing.

Do up the seatbelt securely. Headphones and ipad (they’re fine to use during take off/landing, I think PP is thinking of laptops) for distraction. Sucky drink/snack to help ears like a smoothie or yoghurt pouch, Ella’s ones a great for travel as they don’t need a fridge and are under 100ml. Or if he still has a dummy suspend any usual rules eg only at bedtime and give that. There’s a Peppa Pig episode where they go on holiday that would be good to watch before you go to prepare him as it shows all the airport/plane stuff. Presuming it’s just bog standard short haul economy it’ll be fine as you can hold him in place if necessary.

Not at all? We always use ours as does everyone else?

I’ve got the opposite problem that my almost 2 (22 months) year old desperately wants to sit in her own seat and the last thing she (or I) want on our regular easy jet flights are to be squished on top of each other.

you absolutely can use devices during take off and landing but the tray obviously has to be up, snacks galore - can you get one of those bento boxes with different compartments or there’s a little snack box on Amazon that’s a circle and you press a button in the middle to spin the compartment to open - excellent game/distraction. Also highly recommend busy books!

or simply make a game out of it, count down here we gooooo weeeee etc.

and unless you’re at the front, if he’s hysterical do what you gotta do and put him on your knee and put your belt round you both. Obviously last resort and 100% not allowed of course.

Thanks everyone for your advice, really appreciate it, definitely some great tips I will try!