what are ways I can keep him entertained? Please help!
2006-09-12 09:53:35 · 13 answers · asked by Anonymous in Travel ➔ United States ➔ Houston
Ok, Mike's answer above is just the thing you hope to avoid. I had someone with that attitude on a flight one time... Before I relay that story... let me tell you...
I have flown with my kids on 9 hour flights. Yes you read that correctly.. We flew from the US to Europe with my kids when one was 6 months old and the other was 2 years old. We recently flew a 6 hour flight and my kids are now 18 months and a little over 3.
It can be difficult, the shorter the flight the easier it will be... Bring your child's favorite toy(stuffed animal blanket, binkie(pacifier), whatever.) AND 1 or 2 NEW toys they have never seen before. The favorite toy/item will be needed when they get a litle scarred of the noise, bumpyness, etc.. It isn't much different from a car ride to them except the pressure. Once you are up and flying at altitude bring out the new toy... wow instant interest. (the younger they are the less time this will keep them entertained). they need something to suck on for take offs and landings to help avoid pressure buildup in ears.
DO NOT bring electronic toys or toys that make noise. Other passengers will not appriciate it, and security may take them from you as they are "nonapprived" electonic devices.
You can hold your infant for an infant fare ticket, or you also have the option of buying a child seat instead. If you opt for the child seat, you can strap your car seat right into the airplane seat, which means your child will feel exactly like they are taking a car ride. This is what we did on the trip to europe and it worked wonderful, the only bad part is lugging a car seat through the airport.
Most people will be accomidating to you, and take advantage of any help the airline will give you. Donot stress if your child makes a scene... we've all been there or will be there, and those that don't understand are not worth the effort...
The story... We flew from Houton to Portland, OR (4 hour flight) when my first son was a little over a year old. He was never a screamer so we had that going for us (our second is.. e gads). When we got to our seats before take off, he was sitting in our lap and playing with the tray table. The man in front of us rudely made a scene that his whole chair was shaking from my son's activities. Which he was partly right on. So we folded up the tray table and wouldn't let our son touh it again. 30 minutes into the flight the guy props up in his seat and tells us we are completely rude and his seat is shaking and yadda yadda yadda. Well our son hadn't even touched the seat, nor cried or anything... My wife looked shocked and dumbfounded and I told the guy, he was full of it, and our son had not even touched the saet since he made his comment earlier. Both my wife and I were boiling... 30 minutes later our son fell asleep and slept the rest of the flight unti landing when he cried from the pressure of landing. The lady seated behind us wrote out a one page letter to us, telling us that she was shocked by the man and that we were some of the best parents she had seen, as we were keeping our child engaged and happy the whole time till he fell asleep. And that everyone in her row was outraged by the man. Moral of the story. No matter how good you or your children are on the flight you might get next to someone who just hates kids or doesn't understand for whatever reason. Well tough luck for them. Raising kids is hard, tiring, difficult work, and people mostly understand that, those who donot understand it, can walk off a bridge.
2006-09-13 01:46:48 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
his ears during landing. Some babies have a lot of pain due to the change in air pressure. The Benedryl also really helps with this as well. I am not sure of the dosage for an 18 month old. I think it depends on his weight. Call your son's doctor and ask.
And lastly, if he does make a scene it will not be the end of the world. The only people that will be bothered are those that don't have children. They will find out later in life with their own little ones how stressful these situations can be ... and how little you as a parent can do about it! Those who do have children have all been in your shoes at one time or another and will totally empathize with you.
2014-09-24 03:55:34 · answer #2 · answered by ami 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
How long is the flight? If it is a shorter one (or even if it is a longer one) give him Benedryl and let him sleep. Make sure he is tired before you get on the plane.
The major concern is his ears during landing. Some babies have a lot of pain due to the change in air pressure. The Benedryl also really helps with this as well. I am not sure of the dosage for an 18 month old. I think it depends on his weight. Call your son's doctor and ask.
And lastly, if he does make a scene it will not be the end of the world. The only people that will be bothered are those that don't have children. They will find out later in life with their own little ones how stressful these situations can be ... and how little you as a parent can do about it! Those who do have children have all been in your shoes at one time or another and will totally empathize with you.
I hope you have a great flight and your son loves every minute of it. Take Care.
2006-09-12 09:59:04 · answer #3 · answered by Mrs J 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Normally I would recommend books and toys, but due to the restrictions on carry-on luggage right now, you may not be able to take anything on board. If that is the case, just realize that you may not be able to stop him (he is old enough to be mobile and too young to understand why he can't spend the whole flight running up and down the aisles). I would take him on occasional closely supervised walks, so that he doesn't get in the way of the flight attendants, and if there is an area in the plane where you and he can stand, just giving him a change of scenery might be helpful. There will probably be a few jerks like some here who give you dirty looks or make rude comments. Just ignore them. Crying is what young kids do - I only mind if the parents make no efforts to keep the child under some kind of control.
2006-09-12 19:16:05 · answer #4 · answered by neniaf 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
First off, he is giong to cause a scene..and you need to just deal with that and understand :)
My little man just turned two and I can't imagine flying with him. It's gonna be tough. I flew when my son was three months old and he slept(thank God). But, as for what to do to keep him entertained...keep him as busy as possible before the flight and in the airports..make sure he runs off all the pent up energy. Hopefully, he'll sleep a little on board the plane. Maybe snacks will keep him busy for a bit.
Will he sit and watch tv? Maybe buy or borrow a friends portable dvd player and bring along his fav movies. People on the plane wont mind hearing it, they'll only be too glad not to hear a crying child. Most airplanes will have crayons and coloring books..they'll help.
Books, snacks, movies, fav toys, not sure what else to tell you dear.
Good luck with this! You are a brave woman, give yourself a nice pat on the back for attempting this! heh
Don't sweat it. I'm sure things will be just fine! :)
2006-09-12 10:03:19 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Bring a coloring book, play dot-to-dot connection games. Bring a bag of Cheerios. People are more forgiving than you think. You do the best you can... and that's all you can do. Don't worry about other people freaking out if your kid screams.
Other things that come to mind: bring something for the kid to eat or drink on take off and landing to keep the ears popping. Some people slip the kid a little benadryl to knock the kid out.
2006-09-12 09:59:02 · answer #6 · answered by andalucia 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
first of all, prepare him by making a big deal of planes. tell him it may be loud and his hears might feel funny. let him suck on a binky or bottle during elevation and coming down, that will help the pressure build up in the ears.
to keep him entertained on the flight....take his favorite toys and a book or two if he likes to "read".
sometimes it also helps to schedule a flight around his nap time so they will sleep some of the way.
good luck and have fun! (i bet he will enjoy it!!!!)
2006-09-12 10:00:36 · answer #7 · answered by Stephanie 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
DON"T overfeed him before or during the flight.
Lot's of books to read to him. Coloring books and crayons-favorite toy and blanket/pillow. Cheerios, nothing sticky
Pretzles, remember airlines give you nothing these days unless your in first class. Bottled water to keep him hydrated. DO NOT GIVE HIM WATER FROM RESTROOM!!!. Good Luck and stop stressing out about it in advance, He'll sense your anxiety and get upset. Music that he can listen to on an MP3 player? DVD player with Muppets or Disney videos?
2006-09-12 18:50:16 · answer #8 · answered by conetoe 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I suggest you do what you normally do to entertain him during the day. You could take snacks, juice, a couple of playthings. I would ask your doctor before giving your child meds over the counter. Be creative pass him around and let others help you out?
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2016-11-07 04:46:35 · answer #10 · answered by ravelo 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋