Plane tips?

melis9279

We're taking our 20 month old on his first plane trip next month.  Its two approx. 2.5 hour flights with a 1 hour layover in between. Because he is under 2 he is able to ride on our laps.  We made the reservations months and months ago (before he was such a busy body), now I'm wishing we had paid for an extra seat so we could take the car seat and strap him in, too late now... He has ear tubes and I'm told that the pressure change wont be a problem for him so that's one thing we don't have to worry about.  I'm planning on plenty of snacks and will take some toys.  Unfortunately right now he's far more interested in running around an exploring than he is in any of his toys. 

melis9279

Any advice or tips on haw to make the trip more pleasant would be great!

giavanna0712

The best idea is to try and plan around when they nap (if they do) if possible.  Wear them out as best you can before getting on the plane, and on the lay over.. let them run around.  If you can kill some of that plane time with them sleeping it will make it go much easier for all involved.  Another idea is something interactive.  We bring an ipad LOADED with pictures of all sorts of things.. animals are a big thing to my DS so we make sure we have a ton of animal pictures.  If the plane has wi-fi pay for it so you can watch a movie or even bring a portable dvd player to watch a movie..  for a busy toddler who wants to do nothing but run around, this can work wonders.

Designermomma

DS loves the koi pond app and Yo Gabba Gabba tv show. Bring drinks like milk in a sippy for takeoff and landing. Airports allow drinks for baby's, they just test it in airport screening. Maybe bring some bath books and read some stories too. We traveled when DS was much younger and he napped most if the flight. It was so much nicer. One tip I've read on Car Seats for the littles is you can try to get a seat for your LO if the flight isn't full and if so, gate check your car seat. Also you can check your car seat for free and it's best to bring it in the box with packaging to avoid damage. (Don't forget to pack socket protectors for hotel stays)