I'm going to be taking my 18 month old son to England to visit my family. This flight is like 8 hours I think and have an hour and a half flight to NJ with a layover and then I have to take the flight to England. Any tips or am I just crazy for taking a toddler on a flight for that long? Any experiences or tips?
2006-09-04 15:16:46 · 9 answers · asked by mommy_2_little_man 2 in Travel ➔ Air Travel
I took my 3 month old baby on an 24-hour flight (including 2 stopovers that were one hour each). Just make sure you bring enough formula/food for the baby, enough changing clothes, enough diapers (if he's not potty trained yet), baby wipes (those that have alcohol so it can really clean), enough entertainment to keep him/her from being bored and thus cranky, and worst case scenario, get a Benardyl allergy medicine for toddlers that can calm him down. I've checked with my pediatrician prior to my flight, and she said it's fine to "drug" him if necessary on a small dosage.
The worst thing for you will be the very small bathrooms and the limited space for sleeping. And watch out for other cranky passengers, cause they do get irritated by a crying toddler. I was fortunate enough with the passengers but I had a bad experience with one of the flight attendants. It was a very tiring trip for me, so good luck!
PS: during take off and landing, make sure your toddler is drinking so that his ears won't hurt. But if he's asleep, just let him be.
2006-09-04 15:27:38 · answer #1 · answered by economiss 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Not crazy at all -- we took out son to Hawaii (8 hour flight) when he was 10 months and again at about 18 months. The tricks I learned: tell them what's going to happen. They might not understand, but at least it won't all be a total surprise. Take a lot of snacks (I'd say drinks, too, but of course that's not allowed anymore). Take his favorite small toys/stuffed animals (if they're still allowed). Take books and anything else you can bring on board to do. One of the things that worked really well for us was to get him something NEW and wrap it like a gift -- again, tricky in today's world but maybe you can come up with something. The idea is that unwrapping kills a few minutes and the NEW toy/book will keep their interest for a while.
Finally, engage the flight attendants if you can. Most of them seem to really like kids and they'd have more experience than every parent you know put together!
Good luck, and have a great trip!!
2006-09-04 15:25:36 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
We took our 2 toddlers to Florida, yes I know it's not that far but we had good luck with snacks and books. No you are not crazy. Just take a small variety of things to entertain. The flight attendents are usually helpful also. Don't get frustrated if he starts acting up b/c you will get off this plane and probably never see these people again. We also had a layover for 4 hrs. and we let them stretch as much as possible.
2006-09-04 15:24:44 · answer #3 · answered by mamax2 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
oh gosh.
first of all, you're going to be so incredibly restless because you're not used to that kind of flight time either. so it'll be even worse for your son.
most people on the flight will be sleeping because of the time difference and because it also makes time pass a lot faster. the best thing you could do would be to possibly find a quiet game for your son to play, find a way to make him sleep for longer periods, and lots of picture books if thats what he likes.
if he gets restless during the flight, i highly recommend taking him for a walk to the back of the plane, because the stewardesses are there and theres more room to move around.
remember, you have to test any baby formulas you bring on board, and no water bottles, opened or unopened. only bring on what is absolutely neccessary for you and your son. it's a long flight but security's pretty tight still and so you want to get through everything as fast as you can. (I flew to England a couple weeks after the terrorist threat. It won't be much different.)
it'll be a very long trip for you, but hopefully these tips will make it a bit easier. good luck!
2006-09-04 15:29:39 · answer #4 · answered by just_the_girl 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My parents flew with my to the states from Germany when I was 10 months old. You should get some toys, take somthing to drink so it doesn't hurt so much during landing or take off. Also try to keep him awake before you fly so he would sleep on the plane.
2006-09-04 15:23:51 · answer #5 · answered by jule_22 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ask for bulkhead seating, this is a MUST! If you booked already and dont have bulkhead seats.. ask the gate agents if there are bulkhead seats open that you could switch to.
Get the little one some earplanes (they are earplugs to protect their ears from air pressure). If he is wearing them during takeoff and decent he should not fuss much.
Good luck!
2006-09-04 17:49:05 · answer #6 · answered by June 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
its not like noone has ever done it before.
Key here is too walk them up and doen the isle so they dont get too hyper form sitting there all day. Bring some play things obviously.
2006-09-04 15:22:32 · answer #7 · answered by billyandgaby 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i would bring with me lots and lots of snacks. also coloring books and crayons should occupy him, his favorite toys and if he likes to watch videos i would bring a portable DVD player so he can watch his favorite shows. i hope some of these things help have fun on your trip say hi to the queen for me lol
2006-09-04 15:27:10 · answer #8 · answered by missaboo 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
DRUG THE LIL B'STARD
2006-09-04 15:18:22 · answer #9 · answered by mr_soapytitwank 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋