Airplane tips

kaiteygrl

We are headed on a two and a half hour plane trip on Wednesday. H just informed me that he booked LO as a lap baby. Any recommendations on activities to keep her busy? She's walking now and not a fan of sitting still. TIA!

BoothBaby

We flew with Simon a month ago -- 2 hr flight, then 2 hr layover, then 2 hr flight. We got him a couple new toys to keep his attention, plus a few of his fave toys/books and plenty of snacks. He loved standing in our laps and looking around at the other passengers. Honestly, his favorite "toy" was a mini bottled water we got on the plane, lol.

You may already know this, but make sure you feed LO on takeoff and landing to help equalize their ears. Sucking/swallowing is best, i.e. bottle, boob, or pacifier.

Cambury108

I agree with @BoothBaby a few new small toys, that way he is like WOAH! A few snacks. Just do your best with him. Maybe he will nap? Good Luck! 

Ashers423

Let me know how it goes.... We leave January 17th for a 4 1/2 hour plane ride to Punta Cana Jocelyn will be 13 months and my nephew will be 12 months I'm starting to feel sorry for the other passengers

74dragonfly

Laps up and down the aisles. New toys wrapped. Books, snacks. Try and time nap so it is on the plane or at least so baby is moremellow.

Kermode61581

I agree new toys but also their lovey. Bring your own headphones for LO to watch a movie (the airline ones are no good for little heads). Another thing you can never have too many changes of clothes or wipes. My DD1 had explosive poop 3x on our flight back from the uk.

RockiesNugget

Lots of toys, food, and patience (you will be more sensitive to LO's noise and movements than anyone else.) If you have a stranger sitting next to you offer to buy them a drink or food, I find that even though they usually decline, it provides goodwill. If LO kicks or pulls on the seat in front, I will offer them drinks or food too.

BoothBaby

Kermode61581 said:

Another thing you can never have too many changes of clothes or wipes. My DD1 had explosive poop 3x on our flight back from the uk.

OMG, yes, this! Simon had a blowout on our second leg, and I didn't pack any spare clothes (genius FTM). Fortunately his onesie only had a smidge of poop, so I had to wipe it the best I could, and he went without pants after that. Oh the things you do as a mother, lol.

I also agree that having a video or app on your phone that they can watch can be helpful.

anakah

I would also suggest bringing an extra outfit for you and DH.  We took a trip when my twins were 14 months old and right before we were boarding, DD decided to spit up all over DH.  He wound up having to take his shirt off and zipping his jacket all the way up.

CandiP523

We actually got a prescription for ear drops to help with the cabin pressure. It totally worked for us!

boston143

We just got back from a 2.5 hour plane trip. It wasn't so bad- we flew right during morning nap so we kept him awake until just after takeoff, then I nursed him until he fell asleep. On both flights (there and back) he slept longer/better than usual, probably because he was being held. While he was sleeping, we watched a movie! When he woke up we kept him busy with a water bottle, lifting the arm rest and putting it down, lifting the window shade and putting it down etc. We also gave him cheerios 2-3 at a time (we put a plastic stick-on placemat on the tray table) and that kept him busy for a while. 

74dragonfly

Two more tips. Dress baby in outfit you don't mind throwing away. When DD was little we flew and she got poop all over socks. I threw them out. I didn't want to carry poop all day. Second put in overnight diapers for plane trip. That helps keep them dry and maybe you can avoid on plane diaper changes

kaiteygrl

Sorry for the delayed reply. Thank you all soo much for these tips. The flight here was a breeze, she slept the whole time. I gave out candies with a note I found on Pinterest to our fellow passengers. I'll update again once we get home.

kaiteygrl

@ashers423 LO slept both ways on the plane.  It's here 4th plane trip but I get nervous every time since she's a different age.  Every single time she falls asleep at take off (not a good sleeper normally).  We had bulkhead seats which was extremely helpful.  We relied on the iPad (baby einstein videos) a few times on the bus for distraction.  I brought puffs for snack, a bottle for take off (which was finished before the plane even started, both times) and a few books.  The negatives were that we had one room and she's used to her nursery so sleeping was horrendous the whole trip.  Having her crib near us was awful and she woke up almost every hour wanting to play.  Also we had to be very creative in making the room child friendly.  DH was clearly not thinking about this when he booked this place.  Let me know if you have any questions.

kaiteygrl

@imrachellea‌ we totally should have. Both flights were fairly empty and it
Would have made us all soo much more comfortable and safer.

Ashers423

Glad all went well. I never even thought of the hotel situation, we are in just a 1 bdrm also I can see us all waking each other up every hour Thanks for the plane tips... Puffs always seem to be a lifesaver