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Maryland Babies
junebugrbig
member
Flying with a Toddler
junebugrbig
member
We are planning a family vacation in the next couple of months to Florida to go to Disney and to visit family. I am terrified to fly with my toddler but we decided that is faster and cheapest way to go. DS is a high energy kid and I cannot imagine how he will be couped up on a plane for two + hours?.maybe I am overreacting. Any tips for flying with a toddler?activities, timing, etc. Also, did you bring a car seat on plane, use CARES system?what worked best?
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Re: Flying with a Toddler
We flew back in October with DD who had just turned 1. We carried her on our laps. It worked out well for us, she would probably not sit in a carseat for long, but for you, I think your child has to be in a carseat at the age of two, they can't be lap children. I would contact the airline you decide to book with to verify.
As for activities, I would bring coloring books, crayons, etch-a-stetch, books, maybe a portable dvd player and headphones, lots of snacks for popping of ears. We actually let DD eat puffs/cheerios for take off and landing. She sleep for most of the 3 hour plane ride, which was great.
Good luck and have lots of fun in Disney.
We just flew over the Christmas holiday to Texas and I just made sure I packed the boys plenty of items to keep them occupied. I got them both rolling back-backs, which they loved and thought it was great that they could roll their own "suitcase" through the airport. I made sure there were plenty of snacks, especially fruit snacks, which we gave them for take-off to help with their ears. I had packed coloring books, a sticker book for each of them, and a few small toys. A portable DVD player is a lifesaver if your DS will watch a movie, and could last most of the flight. I brought empty cups that we filled with milk at the airport, and water or juice on the plane. We did bring the carseats on the plane. I looked into a CARES, but I could not justify the cost for two when we needed our carseats anyway. Make sure your carseat is approved for plane use.
We always try to get to the airport with plenty of time to check bags and get through security, and it gives the boys enough time to walk around and let off some energy before getting on a plane. Hope that helps!
I flew with my 2 year old to England this past summer. I didn't want to lug the car seat around, so I checked it with our luggage and got CARES for the plane (if you are shaky about the price, you can actually rent one for as cheap as $15 on EBay. The person I rented it from let me have it for 3 weeks and sent me a stamped envelope to send it back in). The only problem I had with CARES was that there is no strap that goes between their legs, so when my daughter fell asleep, she kept sliding down in the seat (the seats were leather, so that might of had something to do with it too).
We packed new coloring books, Crayola's color magic, stickers, a portable DVD player, a few books, and some small toys. Also backed some crunchy snacks and some fruit snacks to help with her ears popping. Everything we packed was new, so she was intrigued with everything I pulled out.I also booked our flights in the evening, so that she was up for about 2 hours and then slept the rest of the way.
Florida is the best flight for younger kids, it's a nice short flight, so it's a good test run, for longer flights. Good luck and if you want my contact person on EBay for Cares, just let me know.
Since your DS is 2 and you will be buying him a seat I recc'd taking his car seat and using it on the plane, if it's FAA approved. This is how we fly w/ DD now and she does great. Since it's her car seat she is comfortable on the plane and SAFE. We bring lots of snacks (food bribery works w/ my kid!,) coloring books, etc. Now DD has the xL1 fisher-price little computer thing we brought that on our most recent flight, also she has games she plays w/ on my iTouch. In the car seat the child is in the window seat, so if it's daytime there is a lot to see prior to take-off and when landing. We just engage DD and ask her about what she sees out the window.
Since you are going to Disney you could get a few Disney related items and save them for the flight- maybe a small stuffed Mickey or other character- you can probably pick them up cheaper @ the Disney store in Arundel Mills than you will be able to in the parks, so not only would it be great for the plane, but could save you from buying a spendy souvenir.
An aside- I also like bringing the car seat on board because I don't really trust how the luggage handlers would treat it- them throwing it around roughly and/or dropping it can = the impact of being in a car crash and lessen the effectiveness/safety of the seat.