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Toddlers: 12 - 24 Months
Flying with 1-year-old - panicking!!
So I'm just realizing how difficult it may be for DH and me to fly to Phoenix (from Indy) in July, a week after DD's b-day. We made all the arrangements when DD was younger, and we had successfully made a trip to Florida when she was about 5 months old. Obviously, she was much easier to handle then!! SO, we are traveling early morning on the way there and late at night on the way home. 2 of the flights will be about 4 hours! AND we have a 3-hour layover in Atlanta. AND, DD will not have her own seat. Clearly, we were crazy when we made these arrangements. Nevertheless, we must continue on our "fun" family vacation plan.
The biggest problem I can think of: Our child will NOT sleep on us. We have had several instances where we are out and about and she is soooo tired and refuses to sleep on us OR in her stroller!! So how is this going to work with a day full of traveling?? We do not have an ERGO carrier. Are these really the Godsend that everyone says? Would it help at all ON the plane, or just walking around the airport?
Any advice would be appreciated. I think I'm going to really start losing sleep over this trip!
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Re: Flying with 1-year-old - panicking!!
I know this is complete long shot, but any chance the prices on the flights are actually cheap right now and you can get an extra seat for DD? I am not saying that would make easy, but it sure as h*ll would make it easier. As for the ergo, I use mine and love mine for the airport. It was great when DH was on crutches and I had to go through the airport carrying DD, THREE rolling suitcases, a backpack, AND the Britax car seat. Ridiculous, but I did it! Of course, if your DD doesn't like to be carried around, the Ergo would be a waste. I know DD likes ours, and we have been using it for so long, it's easy. Although, I am not really sure how much help it, if any at all, would actually be on the plane.
Umm.. good luck!?
Don't turn this into a self-fulfilling prophecy by already thinking it'll be a disaster. Arm yourself with every distraction you can bring. Toys, snacks, books, DVDs, etc. DD has flown at different stages of her life and every time I'm always nervous but hope for the best and prepare for the worst. The last flight return for us was by far the worst but that won't stop me from doing it again. Maybe not in the near future though!
Like the previous pp said, if your LO likes being carried than the Ergo is the way to go. We didn't use the Ergo for plane rides but for other times when we're out and about DD (who's also horrible at sleeping anywhere but her crib and carseat) would eventually be able to fall asleep in the Ergo. I love that it has a flap that you can flip over their head and secure with buttons on the arm straps. That helps keep LO's head in place and provide some protection.
I think you should take a deep breath and calm down! you have a four hr trip? thats not that bad..yes maybe you will have to skip a nap but just make sure you bring NEW activities for him to play with (stickers, crayons, books, lil small toys..doller store works good) and take lots of snacks..if its not a full plane you might get lucky and have a row to yourself where your LO can have his own seat..if its assigned seating just ask the stuterist*(spelling) to see if you can move to an empty row maybe..personally I wouldnt buy an xtra seat..take advantage of the free ticket while you can..GL
We did it last month with a 13 month old and I won't lie, it was like wrestling an alligator for the long flight.
Things that helped us:
A bulkhead seat. If seats are already assigned or you're flying Southwest, you're probably out of luck, but if you can get them, DO IT. They don't let you have your bags down for take off or landing, but you can the rest of the flight. There's more room to breathe and if you have to you can let LO down on the floor to play for a few minutes assuming the seatbelt sign is off.
Snacks. L would sit still if she was eating. Puffs and yogurt bites are good because they are virtually no mess. We packed sandwiches for her meals and I had 3 insulated sippy cups of milk.
A portable DVD player or laptop with a long battery. Sesame Street videos mesmerized her for a period of time too, which was a nice break for our arms.
New toys. Things LO hasn't seen yet. Color Wonder markers maybe (L can make a few marks before she decides to try to chew on them.
Good luck. It wasn't awful (no screaming fits), but it's not something I'd like to do often.
Don't panic, you'll be fine. I recently made a trip from Cali to Ohio with my 1 year old and my special needs 4 year old... alone. If she sleeps, fine, if she screams, bring ear plugs. Seriously, at some point you just can't control what your child does. She's probably not going to scream for 4 hours. Bring some of her favorite toys to play with and when all else fails just appologize to the people around you.
We did Hawaii (5 hours) at 14 months.
Nightmare.
I am glad your flights are broken up at least.
The Godsend - a woman a couple of rows back sent up her IPad. Etta watched Tinkerbell and the great Fairy Rescue for about 20 minutes and conked out for 3 hours straight. I don't know who's IPAD it was but I am still grateful.
At that age Etta wouldn't watch much but she would do a little Baby Einstein. Give it a try before you leave home. It might help.
As someone who travels a lot with a baby (last trip from Beijing to Vancouver was 10+ hours, and we're flying from Beijing to Ottawa which is 16+ hours in two weeks...) all I can say is good luck!
Your DD will want to walk/run around. Touch other people's stuff. Play with things she shouldn't be playing with. She'll get bored and whine. If you're lucky, she'll pass out from exhaustion. She will NOT be happy to sit in your lap.
Basically, you just have to accept that it's going to be a bad day.
Eleanor Noelle - 18/05/12 Claire Elisabeth - 16/-5/10
Where do you get insulated sippy cups?
this exactly! We flew with DD and her car seat when she was 14 months and she slept at least half of the trip both ways. She never would have done that in our laps. Plus, when you want to get a drink - whether a soda or something more adult - eat your pretzels, etc. it's rather hard holding a squirming LO.
For a lot of reasons, I will not fly without my kid strapped in to his own seat. To me, the extra cost is well worth it.. for your peace of mind and sanity alone.
Of course, no one (in their right mind!) flies to Phoenix in the middle of July, so you might get lucky with an empty seat next to you. Plus, the closer you get to the trip, the price might go way down. Keep watching the fares. I believe Tuesdays or Wednesdays are fare change days for most airlines.
We flew with our daughter right after her 1st birthday - 4 hour trips both ways, and it was fine. She also never sleeps on us. Thankfully I was still nursing at that point, so on the way back that did conk her out but only for an hour. She had some meltdowns but nothing too bad. I wouldn't pay for the extra seat. We ended up with one on the way out which was great. On the way there, it was morning so she was awake anyway and was fine playing with the new toys we brought (Barrel of Monkeys was the biggest hit, as was ripping the magazine, napkins, and a plastic cup). An Ergo helps but it's not some amazing thing that is guaranteed to put your child to sleep or anything. Snacks were the best thing to have.
My friends were also there with their 16 month old who also won't ever sleep on them - they created a little "bed" under their legs with a blanket and their daughter slept down there for an hour. That might work better for your kid. It's worth you being uncomfortable to have silence. you can also walk around for awhile so your kid can have your seat, or walk your kid around. It's not going to make anything better to stress out about it - it's a certainty that you're going, and somehow or another, you'll get there and the flight will be over and everyone will have (hopefully) survived in one piece. So really, be prepared with snacks and a few new toys (don't need a ton though) and hope for the best.
Thanks for giving me hope! I'm not nursing, but I'm hoping that she will be so tired that she'll find a way to fall asleep. If not, we'll have toys and snacks and hope for the best!