Flying with a Toddler

Aw shoot. I was gonna suggest liquid Benadryl. I don't suppose you'd go for duct tape, either.

Well....pack lots & lots of toys in that carry-on. And a few extra pairs of earplugs for those sitting nearby might be greatly appreciated. There really is no easy way, I'm afraid.

Yes Benadryl was also suggested by a friend of mine. But, I prefer not to drug my children although I could change my mind once I am on the flight.

Linkat- I think that when the other passengers start shaking their fists at you, you will look a little more kindly on the idea of Benadryl!

Oooh, I remember flying with a toddler that age well, Linkat! (She's only about twice that now...)

I definitely had a whole bunch of new toys, and paced the reveal. :-) (Not all of 'em at once! First this... then when played out, this... etc.) Puppets were good, and little fuzzy animals, and that special Crayola markers and paper -- Crayola magic? The markers look clear until you write on the special paper. (Good for coloring without messes.)

The absolute hugest hit at that age though (which I didn't expect) was a Pooh activity book that had a bunch of decals. You know, those clear plastic things that stick on windows. There were about 20 of them, and she spent SO much time sticking them on the airplane window, rearranging them, etc.

She has a little backpack and I put a lot of her toys in there, the rest in the diaper bag, and she loved having her own backpack just like us.

Walgreen's has cheapo plush animals, 99 cents each, I always get a few of those when we travel. (At not yet 3.5, she's pretty well-traveled!)

Oh and I forgot this part, we got a Richard Scarry book about the airport and we always read it before plane trips... it gets her excited about the airport itself, being on a plane, etc.

My husband always takes her for walks up and down the aisle as soon as we can.

It takes a lot of creativity, but it can be done, for sure. Good luck!

Sozlet's flown about... 8?.... times now, and once with a minor ear infection, and she's always saying personal goodbyes to charmed stewardesses and passengers when she leaves. No drugs.

Again, it takes WORK, and depends on the kid's temperment, but quite possible.

Here's the book:



Amazon link to book: "A Day at the Airport"

Thanks, sozobe - I do have those markers - I bought it before for my older daughter when we went on a trip with her - thanks for reminding me - I will definitely pack that. I will look for something like the decal stuff - I bet my daughter would like that too.

Yeah I know that walking up and down the aisles. I did that on one flight with my older daughter. Unfortunately children at my toddler's age want to run and climb, they do not want to stay still, so any other success stories will be helpful.

How long will the flight be? ("Several hours" = ?)

Thanks that does look like a good book and my toddler loves books. Luckily she is a very happy easy going baby, but she loves to move around and is very active. I do not anticipate lots of screaming and crying unless she wants down, so as long as she can walk up and down the aisle she should do o-k, but it will be a longggggg flight!

It is incredibly tough. Doable, but tough. I was WIPED OUT by the time we arrived at our destination when she was that age (not when the plane wheels touched down, but when we actually pulled up at grandma's curb in our car...) Gotta plan plan plan.

Oh, goldfish crackers and juiceboxes/ sippy cups with ice water, too. Obvious, I'm sure, but staving off hunger and thirst helps a lot.

Rhode Island to Seattle with one stop - longgggg. Definately have to pack some goodies. But it will be worth it as we will have tons of baby sitters once we arrive. Aunts/cousins/grandparents, etc. And the kids will love the attention!

That's something to play up, too, then.

Any chance that she can sleep on the way? Will she have her own seat?

That IS long. Yikes. (The longest we have done was maybe 3 hrs. But when you factor in the car, etc....)

That reminds me (though this may be more complicated when you have a 5-yr-old too, hmmm), plan on arriving early and having lots of running-around time at the airport itself before getting on the plane.

WHEN will airports start putting playgrounds in? Parents would love them. (Like, climbing towers, slides, etc.)

Anyway, still a lot for a toddler to find fascinating while blowing off some steam. A moving sidewalk! Ooh! Etc.

Re: Flying with a Toddler


I once had to be travelling with a 3 and an 8-month old; and one also did the 16 hour flight with a 20 month old on my lap as they had no bassinet for him. Admittedly that time I got him tired out and then gave him a spoon of Calpol! But good airlines give out quite a few kids' things don't they? Avoid little objects which drop and roll about the floor, I'd say. Is 20 months too young for electronic toys - I seem to remember the first gameboys keeping my 3 yr old very busy. And if you have your own movie console - that would be good.
The most important thing I think is to make really good friends with the cabin staff. My youngest always used to look at them with winning smiles and they were hooked; I think once he even said 'I Like You'! Typical Libran boy, could charm the birds off the trees! She let him run in the aisle as long as there wasn't a trolley there, and even took him off to see the captain.

I am in the military and my son was on a plane quite often during his toddler days. I think that toys are a great idea. I would make sure however, that the first time she sees them is on the plane. Also, don't overwhelm her with toys. Bring them out one at a time and when she is fully done with one, take a little snack break. Then, give her a new toy and so forth. Also, pack a great sippy cup and maybe one of those ring pops. (Cabin pressure and a little reward)
I also suggest that you tire her out as much as possible. While waiting for you to board the plane, do as much as possible to keep her awake. Whatever you can do. Hopefully on the plane, she will be puckered out.

Sozobe - Some airports do have play areas for children. One of the terminals in Boston has one, I've been to one in Montana that had a play area. As our flight is first thing in the morning, we decided to stay over night at a nearby hotel - bonus is it will end up being less for parking as we can leave the car at the hotel. So we should be able to arrive early. I will have both children just run and run and run before we board, perhaps that will tire them out! And the same when we change plans - great idea. Luckily we should have enough for the 5 year old - portable DVD, CD player, coloring, school books, play dough. Also both children are pretty well behaved (at least in public).

Clary - my little one is so good-natured and loves to smile - she usually is capable of winning over the grumpiest. We will have to play that up. Hey anything to help the situation.

Mom - great idea with the ring pop. We used the pacifier with my older daughter when she was a baby, but my little one does not use one.

Thanks everyone! Hopefully we will arrive safely and without too much rolling eyes sent our way!

I think you just trust the universe and DO it! Things pass, everything passes....

Best of luck!

How do you avoid the clogged ears? The worse thing (for a fellow passenger) is a toddler screaming because their ears are clogged, aching, and they're too young to know or understand how to unclog them. It was a horrible experience. The child was in pain and there didn't seem to be anything anyone could do about it.

hold the nose, swallow, give a candy, hold the nose again, blow out the cheeks, swallow again... like learning to Scuba dive! Mind you if you, or the kid, has a cold, then it is excruciating and nothing but extrastrength tylenol or similar will even touch it.