Friday, April 19, 2013

Moms what do you do to make your plane ride with your toddler easier?

Q. In about a week me and my 13 month old are flying back to my home town for the weekend. Any thoughts on how to make the plane ride easier for me and her both. Also .. do you think I should take a car seat or just hold her. My sister back home has a car seat we can use when we get there, but I don't know if it will be easier for her to just sit in her own car seat or in my lap. Any suggestions?

A. Most airlines allow children under 2 to ride in their parent's lap. So if money is an issue for you, upon checking in (or purchasing your tickets), note that you will be carrying an infant in your lap so you don't have to pay extra for another seat. Make sure you get an aisle seat so there is no struggle when you have to get up to use the rest room and there is room for your wiggler to wiggle. Our two hour trip from Orlando to Newark (and back) was a little tough the first time. So what did to make sure that this flight would be easier was use a large diaper bag as my carry-on and fill it with stuff to entertain him (amongst his diapers and other motherly necessities). I bought a coloring book, his favorite small toys and favorite books to read, some snacks and a portable dvd player w/ his favorite tv shows or movies. Make sure to pack a juice or water (3ozs or less... lol), so that they can be drinking and swallowing when the plane takes off, which helps the popping in their ears be less painful. You can also just purchase a juice or water on the flight, but sometimes they are a little pricey. If you are getting one, buy a juice or water so you can share.
I also scheduled the flight around the time I knew he'd be taking his nap so he could sleep some of the time. I had done the whole flight thing with him once w/o this stuff and w/o getting aisle seats. It was horrendous and I learned from that tremendously. After the flight with the baggage filled with goodies, I was actually comments from those seated beside me. He was so well behaved and they had initially been worried about their flight with a baby next to them. I actually had one of them tell me that I was a good mother, which is always good to hear! I hope this helps!


How do I occupy a 14 month old boy on his first airplane flight?
Q. My 14 month old grandson will be flying for about 3 hours at a time. (roundtrip). I would like to put together a fun pak for him to have on the plane to help with fussiness. He will not have his own seat, so he will be on a parents lap. What kind of things would work best for this situation?
Thanks

A. Definately make sure that you have a bottle or dummy for your grandson for take off and landing as the sudden increase and decrease of altitude and cabin pressure is quite harsh on their little ears.

Perhaps pop together a little gift pack.. sticker books, crayons, paper, toys, snacks ect ect. And reward him every so often, if he start to get restless, let him know that he has been a good boy and if he keeps being a good boy then he may get another present.

This way you are keeping him entertained with one thing at a time, he wont get bored of everything so quickly if he is given each item separetly, it also encourages good behaviour.
Perhaps wrap the treats, so its more exciting for him to open!

Also, when you check in for your flight, with a smile kindly ask the ground staff if there is any possibility of being placed in a row of seats where there maybe a spare seat. Unless the flight is full, this should not be a problem. Even though you have not purchased a seat for the infant, as long as he is on the lap of a parent for take off and landing there is no reason as to why he cant be in a spare seat through out the flight!

One last thing, many airlines have inflight entertainment devices that can be hired for the flight, these generally have cartoons for children on them and movies for all ages - just incase he gets sick of it!!

Hope this helps a little!!

Happy and Safe flying!


what's the easiest way to fly with an infant and a toddler?
Q. The toddler will have his own seat, but I will be holding the baby. My questions are, should the toddler fly in his carseat, and if should we be taking a stroller to the gate (I have a double jogger).
Anyone who has gone through this, please give advice! This is not a vacation, it is for a cross country move so both carseats will need to go on the plane in some way.

A. Definitely strap the toddler into his seat and buckle him in. Don't get him out for any reason. Treat it like a car trip. Take a stroller to the gate, but I'd recommend just using a single stroller because they're easier to fold and deal with and get a sling or Bjorn for your infant. It'll be easier for everyone involved! Make sure to have new toys in a backpack for him. Think: a new box of crayons, coloring book and paper, play doh, little plastic animals and cars. One thing my grandmother did for me in a similar situation was to wrap little junky toys like the ones mentioned above and at certain time intervals I was allowed to open a new one. It made the trip go faster (according to my parents) and I only got them if I was behaving myself. Good luck!





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