Traveling/ flying

Brit448

I have a 20 month old son, were flying in the am. Any tips you could give me. I've flown with him before but had my husbands help, this time around its just little man and me!

ladybugpjb

Does he have his own seat? That can make a difference - he'd have his own space, and might be more easily entertained with books and such. DS is more fidgety when he's sitting in our laps.

I've mostly learned to take as little as possible on the plane - DS is happy to play with the magazines in the pocket, the drink cups, and totally ignore the toys I bring. I still bring a few toys, though, as well as a sippy cup and a paci (which he usually only gets for sleeping).

If you're taking a carry-on suitcase (an actual suitcase with a zipper), keep everything that you'll need on the plane and anything you have to take out at security in a separate bag that you don't have to worry with a zipper. That way, you toss the suitcase on the x-ray belt, grab your liquids and whatever out of your tote/smaller bag, toss that on the belt, toss your shoes on, and you should be good to go more quickly than if you're messing with zippers. Occasionally, TSA people will help make sure LO doesn't run away, but not if the airport is busy.

Another good thing about having a smaller/open bag is that it can also be a good source of entertainment - DS liked to sit at my feet and dig through my bag. Just be sure that you don't leave anything behind if you do that

Mostly, though, just get there with PLENTY of time so that you don't get rushed and frustrated. Some airports allow families with small children to go through the medical/special line - take advantage of that if yours does so LO doesn't get fidgety in line. Have a game plan of how you're going to get through security so you don't have any hang-ups.

And one other thing - double check at the gate if they will allow you to pre-board. The last time I flew, we only got to pre-board on one out of three flights.

Edited - typo

jesselayne8

Food food food. How long is your flight. I feed DD non stop for our 2 1hr flights to see grandma.

dragon_chica

We've flown with DD at various ages times ranging from 2-5 hours and we just took both kids to Asia totaling 34 hours on airplanes.  You can bring everything under the sun and it's still a gamble.  On one flight I was able to entertain DS with the barf bag and on another flight he didn't want anything to do with it.  We bring snacks, movies, toys, etc. In the end, bring what you think will be distracting enough for your LO and just hope for the best. 

jordanhigh

you might want to consider a toddler car seat.  We flew with allegiant airlines and they let us bring a car seat to attach to the plane seat and it made a huge difference for me.  My husband and I looked around for a light weight carseat that I could carry and we found this site https://www.squidoo.com/best-lightweight-car-seat-for-toddlers and we bought the graco nautilus model, it's easy to set up and easy to remove and light to carry!  I would say most car seats wouldn't be good to take because they're bulky and heavy but if you get a pretty good light weight one it could make a world of difference!