Making an overnight flight easier with a 2 year old?

Question

I'm taking a red-eye tonight--3.5 hour flight from 10am touching down at 2:30am (allowing for time zone shift). Any ideas for making the trip with my near two year old and my sanity? The plane is currently half ful and has a tendency to arrive late so I'm estimating arriving after 3am. Any hints/ideas? He's definitly a "I need my own crib to sleep" type baby.

Answer 1

- Make sure he is really tired before you board the play. Play and run around with him before you leave home and at the airport.

- Make sure you request "bulkhead seat" when you check in. most airlines accommodate that.

- Make sure he is sucking on something during the take off and landing to prevent ear ache (pacifier, bottle, candy).

- Don't worry about the "looks" that some people may give you. Most of them won't since a lot of people on the flights are parents/grandparents/aunts or uncles. So they know kids are just kids.Most kids cry themselves to sleep "IF" they start crying.

- Ask the doctor about Benedryl. People swear by it.

-Take plenty of toys that he hasn't seen just in case he decides not to sleep during the flight. Wrap them individually. Him unwrapping them can buy you some quiet time! (a trip to a dollar store can get you some). (You can take a portable DVD player with his favorite DVD if you want to go fancy!)

- Take plenty of snacks for the same reason. TSA has some easier rules if you are travelling with kids. Take his favorite blanket/pillow/toy etc.
http://www.tsa.dhs.gov/311/index.shtm
http://www.tsa.dhs.gov/travelers/airtravel/children/formula.shtm
http://www.tsa.dhs.gov/travelers/airtravel/children/index.shtm

- Dress him in a warm comfortable PJ since it can get cold in the cabin... no shoes, and take an extra pair of socks in case he decides to walk and explore the cabin

- If he is still in diaper, take some pull-up diapers rather than the regular one. They are much easier to change during the flight

- Take only a back pack instead of a diaper bag AND your purse. If gives you 2 free hands to carry your sleeping baby and the strap won't slip your shoulder!

Answer 2

Hey!

I recently flew 8 hours over night with my 3 year old from London to Orlando and in a little under two weeks will be doing it again. All the advice you have had so far has been really great and helpful, so I'm sucking it up too! The only thing I did find that really helped which people have already mentioned is to tire him out as much as possible in advance. My 3 year old is the same in that he will only sleep in familiar surroundings so I took the drastic step of letting him stay up real late the previous night and no nap, so by the time we got on there he was wilting and couldnt wait to just settle down and sleep. He will be excited because flying is exciting for them but the more tired they are the less this will be.

I hope it works out great &

Wishing you a great flight.

Answer 3

I have done a lot of traveling with my son in the past two years, all of our family is in other states, none live close to us. Red eye may help him sleep because he is exhausted. If it's half full that is good because you maybe able to get a row to youself. My son slept better when we both could cuddle and stretch out. I bring the benadryl but don't use it unless it's an emergency. I have a hard time using drugs for convenience. But if it seems like a good idea to you it does make them sleepy enough that they sleep better and sounder and wake up happier, I have used it. Warning though you may want to try it before hand because I hear rarely it does the oppisite and makes them hyper. I brought 2 or 3 small quiet inexpensive toys that my son had never seen before and put them in my carry on. I brought a small photo album that I put a few family pictures of and pictures of our pets... this actually entertained him for some time. Also as a very last result I hide candy in my carry on. This has saved me a couple of times and I told a friend who hates to give you daughter candy my trick but she did it as a last resort and it saved her once too. Bring lots of his favorite snacks, gold fish, granola bars, whatever. You are fine to bring a bottle if he is still on the bottle and any medicines you need like tylonal. I have never had a problem. Once in a while they want to make sure it's formula for the baby but never questioned me after that, I bring premixed baby formula because I feel it's easier than trying to bring milk. They allowed me with sippy cups too. Believe it or not I was able to get this all in a backpack that I carried on. They will allow you to bring a stroller and a carseat to the gate without counting it as a carry on. So if you are taking him as a lap child you can take his carseat to the gate and if they have an extra seat they will let you take it on the plane and you can have him sit in that if you think that would be easier. Though my son always wanted to be close to me. I didn't know about the stroller thing at first and tried to juggle everything to the gate but it makes it easier to stroll him there and check in your stroller at the gate. If you have a portable dvd player this is also good to use with his favorite dvd's. Good luck and have fun.

Answer 4

While everyone else will tell you to give the baby Benadril or Dramamine, I'd really encourage you to not do that. Some planning and attention will work where the drugs might or might not.

First, and this sounds cruel, but only for a short term... don't let him nap this afternoon. Keep him up as long as you possibly can. If he's totally worn out by the time you get to the airport at 8 p.m., he'll sleep through a tornado!

If you can, trade seats so that you have the window and the middle seat. That seems counterintuitive (having to clamber over the your neighbor to get out) but you can create a small play area for your child in case he refuses to sleep.

Second, do as much as possible to make the area comfortable for him. Let him lie with head on your lap and stretched out on the seat, or snuggle with him quietly. Keep the lights down, the noise down (enlist the help of your neighbors for that)

Be sure to have his favorite sleep item with him, but you knew that already!

Most airlines have a "kid friendly" music channel. Get earphones and let him listen to that or to some classical or even some "easy listening" music. that will calm him and relax him. Goes for you too! :)

If he gets irritable, see if you can get up and walk the aisle carrying him for a couple of minutes.

You should be able to carry a bottle on board now, but find out from the airline for sure.

The best thing to do is to relax yourself. He'll pick up on the tension you feel and that will make it much harder for him to sleep.

Answer 5

As a nurse once told me . . . Benadryl is a travelling mother's best friend. My brother tried it with his toddler on a long flight to Hong Kong. It worked great. My nephew slept well and woke up happy. Talk to your Pediatrician. This can make your trip a whole lot easier.

Answer 6

Hylands has a homeopathic tablet that helps with restlessness I use it sometimes when I travel without my husband ( I have an 8 mth old and a 3 year old ) they are totally safe and work really well, they are for children 2 and up

they are called calms forte for kids you can either get them online or at the Vitamin Shoppe


http://www.vitaminwarehouse.com/shop/detail.cfm/sku/56524/rfr/PRG

also considering it's a red eye your child will probably be pretty tired anyways

Answer 7

buy him a seat, so he has somewhere to sleep other than your lap. Talk to his dr, you may try benedryll or dramamine to get him to sleep easier. The dr will now the right dose, but you may want to try it at home befroe you fly, some kids react to the meds differently. Good luck

Answer 8

I would give him Benadryl. I don't think it's mean or cruel at all. It would be much meaner for him to be tired and miserable but not be able to go to sleep. Good luck.