Flight with 13month old

[Lindz2]

We are looking to go on holiday with our son when he's 13months old. It will be his second flight with the first being 4hours long at 4.5months old so we are expecting it to be quite different at 13months!

We are looking to fly to Tenerife and then go on a 7 day cruise. The flight is 4.5hours, would you recommend taking a 13month old on a flight this long and if so, any tips? Or would you avoid?

We love to travel and didnt want having a baby stop us but recognise it can come with some challenges!

Hi we love Tenerife! And have been a lot with our 2 kids, dd4 dd18 months. we let our DD4 have a tablet but it strictly for holidays only while we are on the plane that the only time she’s allowed on it.
DD18 months has been abroad a few times, lots of stickers, sticker books, wrap up new toys in gift wrap, small things obviously, have a rucksack with 4-5 new toys in.
we also had a bag just for snacks, thinks that take long to eat, raisins, breadsticks, cut up fruit, toddler snacks, rice crackers, depending on your flight they’ll probs sleep on the plane anyway.

We did 3 return 20 hour journeys (13 hour flight + 3 hour layover + 3 hour flight) by the time my son was 18 months (family visits), 2 of them I did solo. My recomendations:

• snacks, food, snacks, 3x what you think you need
• try to book flight that coincides with nap time. Alternatively super early. I would not recommend an afternoon flight when they're a mix of cranky and tired but won't nap and won't be entertained by anything
• board super late
• feed at take off and landing
• blanket so you can build a little fort over his seat
• buy him a seat. 5 hours on your lap is not doable
• buy 2 new books from the airport (or before but do not show them to him)
• a mix of old and new toys
• stickers were a huge hit at that age. Buy some super shiny special ones and let him decorate his seat (and obvs clean it at the end)
• be very organized. Really think through how you organize the bag so you know where to reach for stuff, this is important.

The above maybe is a bit overboard for a 4 hour flight but I actually found the travel easy. The hard part was the jet lag and the fact my DS didn't take to new places, still doesn't. Sleeps like shit for the first WEEK of every single holiday we have ever taken. Hates, hates, hates not being in his own cot and routine. Happy in the day but night times have been hell, each and every time. We've even paid for proper rental.cots that are exactly like his, my parents also bought a cot with a premium mattres etc.