airplane with toddler

meglette417 · August 2013

DS is 16 months and we were thinking of a trip in October but not sure how he would do. He hates the car and to sit still. He has gotten a little better b/c of the iPad. I am sure going during nap time is a great thought but he doesn't nap well when he is around unfamiliar things, really more because he is a nosy kid and doesn't want to miss anything. Has anyone flown with a very active toddler and how did it go?

MNmama7112 · August 2013

i flew with my son when he was one and it went OK... lots of snacks/toys. the ipad would help. my suggestion would be to NOT go during when he would normally be sleeping. that way he's rested and hopefully in a good mood. i'd rather try to keep him occupied than try to get him to sleep when he's resisting. that's just my 2 cents

dns05 · August 2013

I've done three roundtrips with my daughter (at 8 months, 12 months, and just this past week at almost 17 months). Honestly, she has slept on every single flight. About 20 minutes in, the sound of the engine lulls her to sleep. Now, I have kept every flight to 2 hours max so even if she didn't sleep, or woke up, it wasn't a huge amount of time stuck on a plane. Bring things to keep him busy in case he stays awake, but I wouldn't let it deter you from flying. He may surprise you.

mexicolombiana · August 2013

We travel all the time w/both girls: 3 yr old and 18 mo old. We took a "longish" plane ride to Puerto Rico in May when the baby was about 15 months old. She did ok, but it was tough with both of them. It kind of sucks but you just deal with it. You bring toys, food, snacks, new toys, electronics, etc. Again, it pretty much sucks. But we figure it out.

blu-eyedwife · August 2013

I've been flying a lot with my son recently as my FIL was sick/dying this summer. For us, naptime was the best time to fly, but my guy was okay sleeping on the plane and that made things very easy for me.

I couldn't get him interested in the ipad if that thing were coated in chocolate unicorns, so on trips that weren't during his naptime I brought a ton of "activities" which included snacks. Lots of snacks. Blueberries, goldfish, cheerios, etc. and quiet lap toys like the Melissa and Doug reuseable sticker book, magnadoodle, stacking dolls, etc. We recently discovered the Melissa and Doug magnetic tow truck wooden puzzle and that was fantastic for a long car trip, so I imagine it would be equally good for the plane.

tina924 · August 2013

We're taking a 6 hour flight to CA on Sat with our VERY active 16 month old. We scheduled the flight out just before nap time 10AM and the flight back is a red eye (hoping he will sleep the whole way). I'm bringing lots of snacks, books, and I got a little coloring book (he likes to scribble). Basically as long as DS is stuffing his face with food he happy
:P I'll let you know how it goes.

smc008 · August 2013

If you have an active toddler, I would not go anywhere close to nap time. We recently took a flight and the trip there was great... it was during lunch time so she ate and played, and then passed out in the rental car after we landed. The flight home was bad... We went at bedtime and thought she might sleep, but instead she wanted to play and then tossed and turned becoming VERY fussy just as we were landing. She is use to moving around and stretching out to sleep, so she couldn't get comfortable and was very upset. Good luck!

FabulousMrs.P · August 2013

We just flew with our DD who was 21 months at the time. She did fine. Although she is an active toddler, we flew right after her nap. Although she is usually very active, she was fascinated by looking out the window, looking at the people all around us. I would recommend packing some new small toys or books in your bag. We wrapped each one in wrapping paper so she had the fun of unwrapping and then playing with them. We also brought a small magnadoodle which was great. She could draw and we could erase it and she could draw all over again. We also took lots of snacks!

On the way back, we had a 5 hour delay due to weather and a mechanical issue they had to fix. It was way past her bedtime by the time we got on the plane and she luckily passed out on the plane and slept the whole way home!

Make sure you bring something your LO can suck on (either a sippy cup or binky) to help them relieve the pressure of the different altitude.

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