Any advice re: flying with a 2 year old?

[SweetPea]

We leave in 47 days!!!:sohappy: Can't wait!!! We just decided to go ahead and fly since the amount of money we would spend vs. our airfare would pretty much be a wash. We will be flying out of Charlotte nonstop so the flight will only be about 1 1/2 hours. It will be me, DH, DD(4) and DS(2) (his 1st trip). My sister and her boyfriend will also be on the same fllight so I will have some extra help. We went ahead and designated him as a lap child to save the extra money. Does anyone have any advice for me? DD(4) has flown before and is no problem. Thanks in advance.

 

[mousefan1972]

Has he turned 2 yet? Because most (if not all) airlines require anyone 2 and older to have a ticket. When we flew Soutwest in April, DS was 21 months and I had to bring his birth certificate to verify his age (b/c he was a "lap child" and we hadn't purchased a ticket). Anyway to answer your question, it was hard b/c no kid that age wants to be confined on a plane. Our flight was about an hour longer than yours, and it couldn't end soon enough :lol: . Try the old standbys, new coloring books/crayons, books, etc. that he hasn't seen before that might hold his attention. And bring lots of snacks!! Good luck!

 

[SweetPea]

He will actually be 22 months old, so we didn't need a ticket for him.

 

[Nemo14]

He will actually be 22 months old, so we didn't need a ticket for him.

A portable DVD player would be a big help!!!

 

[MickeyFan77]

Agree with Bringing new things he has never seen before. They have Travel Magna Doodles which are great, I have brought stickers and paper, Crayons etc.

 

[tigsmom]

We bought a set for our little one when we flew because we knew there was no way we could hold on to her (or should I say she would not allow us to :lookaroun ) for the 2 1/2 hour flight. Since we flew early in the morning she was still tired and fell asleep not 5 minutes after takeoff and woke up when we touched down. Hopefully you will be as lucky, you would be surprised at how much they can wiggle!

Try a small favorite toy, a book or two and a small snack. Keep a sippy cup handy so that he can have a drink and hopefully the s.u.c. king motion will help equalize the pressure in his ears.

 

[happymom52003]

Stickers and special snacks get us through our nearly 3 hour flight to Orlando. And our oldest child uses a portable dvd player which came in handy for the two year old as well.

 

[westie]

Benedryl, and lots of it!:ROFLOL:

 

[H20Babie]

Does he still sleep in the car alot? My son at that age slept all the way through on the plane.

Bring something for him to suck or sip on to help with his ears, or give him a little bit of the infant Tylenol Cold (to help the sinuses). Some parents may frown on this, so this point is up to you. My nephew has really bad plane ears so this helps to make him more comfortable.

We also bring a Video Now (cheaper than portable DVD), some crayons and paper, interactive books and play-dough.

 

[mousefan1972]

Benedryl, and lots of it!:ROFLOL:

That can backfire... we tried it with DD who was 22 months at the time and she was one of those kids who got hyper after taking it.... not fun. Definitely try it at home first to see how your child will react before trying it on a plane!

 

[tigsmom]

Benedryl, and lots of it!:ROFLOL:

That doesn't always work!

One of my kids will fall asleep and the other would climb the walls.


My pediatrician said to use some tylenol cold formula (thats what she always used with her kids and it worked).

Bring something for him to suck or sip on to help with his ears, or give him a little bit of the infant Tylenol Cold (to help the sinuses). Some parents may frown on this, so this point is up to you. My nephew has really bad plane ears so this helps to make him more comfortable

Beat me to it!

 

[SweetPea]

Thank ya'll for all of the advice. I did think about a portable DVD player last night. That would probably do the trick.

On a different note, a saw a product on a website called onestepahead.com called ear planes. They were these ear plug type things that helped equalize the pressure in their ears so there was no popping, etc. May be good for older children. My son would never keep these things in their ears. They were fairly cheap too. $6.95 for a pair and they're good for two flights.

Again, thank ya'll for the help.

 

[dixiegirl]

Definetly Portable dvd player , they are worth they're weight in gold!!!! Washable crayons, markers, or those fingerpaints that are clear but turn color on special paper, little containers(they have them at ac moore) of dinasaurs, farm animals, ...Also ,and i know there is a site somewhere that has magnetic sets, I've gotten some couple years ago that are disney oriented the castle with the charaters and such...I'll see if I can find the site.. Most of all patience..We've taken our girls since they were infants , sometimes 2 , 3 times a year, my oldest is 7 the baby will be 4 , prepare to be as I call "entertainment commitee"..It does get (let me knock on wood) lighter and easier as they get older..It is aamazing how people can be on planes..My oldest was turning 1 her first trip to disney , it was her first plane ride as well...well we had a man sitting behind us that as soon as he saw us sitting in front he looked at my daughter and said" Oh No.." In a very loud rude voice...My daughter was quiet and very good for her first plane ,as we we're leaving the plane I turned to the man behind us and said" Was she quiet enough for you?" yeah he did'nt say anything, And I don't usually speak up...But that was my baby!!! ,..Sorry for a bit of a drift..Had to share though..Remember..have fun!!!!

 

[mousefan1972]

Definetly Portable dvd player , they are worth they're weight in gold!!!! Washable crayons, markers, or those fingerpaints that are clear but turn color on special paper, little containers(they have them at ac moore) of dinasaurs, farm animals, ...Also ,and i know there is a site somewhere that has magnetic sets, I've gotten some couple years ago that are disney oriented the castle with the charaters and such...I'll see if I can find the site.. Most of all patience..We've taken our girls since they were infants , sometimes 2 , 3 times a year, my oldest is 7 the baby will be 4 , prepare to be as I call "entertainment commitee"..It does get (let me knock on wood) lighter and easier as they get older..It is aamazing how people can be on planes..My oldest was turning 1 her first trip to disney , it was her first plane ride as well...well we had a man sitting behind us that as soon as he saw us sitting in front he looked at my daughter and said" Oh No.." In a very loud rude voice...My daughter was quiet and very good for her first plane ,as we we're leaving the plane I turned to the man behind us and said" Was she quiet enough for you?" yeah he did'nt say anything, And I don't usually speak up...But that was my baby!!! ,..Sorry for a bit of a drift..Had to share though..Remember..have fun!!!!

Good for you!!! (I would have done the same thing.. and I usually don't speak up, either!)

 

[dixiegirl]

Here is the site wit the travel tins...they are great http://www.leemagicpen.com/catalog/default.php?cPath=34
they have all kinds of things with characters , animals....hope it helps....I know my girls loved them....plus they are easy to keep track of!!

 

[elcheapo]

Don't!!!!!!!

 

[mnfootballmommy]

Definitely think outside the box to keep him busy! We are flying down in Dec. and already have a 'backpack' full of activities for DD (she will be 34 months though).

A friend of mine suggested a sheet of window clings. Let the 2-year old sit next to the window (or in the lap of whoever has the window seat) and put them on and take them off over and over to his hearts content. (They also now have sticker books with the 'slick' pages so that the stickers are removable and can be used over and over again. We already have one stashed for the trip and another one in our 'church' box!)

Or how about a small package of model magic? It is not as crumbly as Play-doh, but the same concept...just bring a zip bag to put it in when he is finished.

I know the airlines are picky about food being brought on, but when my DD was that age, I would 'hide' about ten M&M's (or other favorite treat) in a ziploc full of Cheerios. She would eat through the cereal to find the candies and it kept her occupied (briefly) since she was looking for the treats.

For our upcoming trip, I purchased the Color Wonder markers with a Disney themed color book (also Color Wonder--has to be). DD can scribble away and NO mess on the plane trays or her!

Hope those help! Good luck and have a great trip!

 

[bobjl527]

Or how about a small package of model magic? It is not as crumbly as Play-doh, but the same concept...just bring a zip bag to put it in when he is finished.

Excuse me for asking but do they allow you to bring modeling clay aboard airplanes post 9/11. I just remember not too long ago someone telling me they had to toss their daughters play-doh because it may be plastic explosives. Silly I know but they can be pretty strict about these things.

 

[H20Babie]

I know here in Canada, and so I would expect the same in the US, we can buy these little 3 oz cans of play-dough. Since we are each allowed our baggie, my son puts a couple in his.

 

[sherylemomof2]

When we took trips years ago with nieces and nephews have not tried this with my kids yet we would go and buy lots of little things at the dollar store. We would wrap them all which you cannot do now going through security but you can have a back pack and do not let kids in but every 10 minutes or so give them a new gift it keeps their attention span and occupied. Also make sure you leave out from overhead compartment wet wipes and diapers. We had a flight where we could not get to these things in overhead compartment due to seat belt sign always on and needed them.
Have a good trip we took our twin sons when they were 11 months old we are hopefully going back in May they will be 22 months then and I will do this to keep them occupied. Even at 11 months our 1 1/2 hour trip from Pittsburgh was hard. They wanted down. Also lots of snacks and bottle to relieve pressure in ears when taking off and landing. Hope this helps