1St Time Flying with Child

hello T.,
i've recently taken my 2 1/2 year old son on an airplane ride last month to las vegas. you don't really need to bring a car seat, unless you feel safer with him in there. honestly, if you bring that it will just be more stuff to bring on the flight, unless you have on of those car seats that convert into a stroller too! he was perfectly fine in the middle of my husband and i, but he enjoyed the window seat more! hahaha my suggestion is to bring something that your son really loves, like a favorit stuffed animal, or just something to keep him occupied for the plane ride, like a lollie pop or crackers, and also make sure you bring his fav drink, but make sure it falls in the airport policies, you know how striked they are these days! also, at the time my son was still on a bottle, he isn't anymore, but sucking on the bottle helped his ears not get plugged, maybe try a sippy cup, the non spillable ones, because she would still have to suck on that. Good thing you are going with your husband because the very first time i brought my son on an airplane ride i was by myself and he was about 1 1/2, that was horrible, and never again will i do that...haha...anyways, good luck with you and have fun on your vacation. hope this helped!
M.

I wouldn't bring the carseat if you don't need it once you get there. As people have said, bring lots of snacks and an empty sippy cup (buy drinks after the security checkpoint). I brought gummi bears, starburst and skittles for take off and landing since my son doesn't chew gum. They take a while to chew and it's a special treat. My son was pretty fascinated with the plane ride itself (and pretty anxious actually) so he didn't play much with his toys. I had him carry his own little backpack with some coloring books, books, cars, markers and the candy. It's nice if there is something new and something familiar.

Hi,
The carseats are optional on flights. But if you're renting a car at your destination you might want to bring the carseat so you won't have to rent one from the rental car company. When I flew with my daughter, I booked super early morning flights so she slept most of the way (6:30AM departures). It made the whole experience so much easier. She was awake and alert in the terminal but once she got strapped into her seat and they dimmed the plane lights she was out. If you haven't booked your flights already I'd suggest looking into early morning flights.

Even if you need to bring her carseat for your destination, you can check it at the gate if you don't want it for the plane ride. It really depends on your daughter, but my 3 year old enjoyed riding like a big boy and using the seat buckle instead of his carseat. He did fine, and it gives them a little more wiggle room. My daughter was 18 months and when strapped in her seat could kick the chair in front of us, so that was a problem. If they have their carseat the airline prefers they stay strapped in the whole flight, so that is something to take into consideration. We flew to the east coast and brought coloring book and crayons, small containers of play dough and silly putty, stickers, books, a story reader and a dvd player. Also bring plenty of snacks. We had a full day of travel and it went ok, so I would think that should be plenty for such a short flight. We also sang lots of songs and played endless games of I spy. They don't let you bring drinks, so we also bought a couple at the airport once we got through security and a couple of empty sippy cups so they could drink during takeoff and landing. Chances are she will be so excited about being on tha airplane that you will be able to get lots of mileage from that.

Hi T.--I've been traveling w/ my 2.5 yo since he was a month old. Now that he's more active, it definitely is more of a challenge. I take a lunch box & go to the dollar store and fill it w/ little toys and colored markers, etc that he's never seen. He's always excited to open his special lunchbox on the plane and stays occupied. They're cheap, so I can toss them or he can lose them and it's no big deal. I also bring a portable DVD player for him to watch a movie during the flight. I check his stroller at the gate, it's definitely handy to have when we need to move fast through the airport for gate changes. You're won't need a carseat for the plane but you should bring one to check if you need it for the car.
Hope that Helps!
S.

I have been flying back and forth from Sacramento to Portland pretty regularly for the last 4 years with my son (from the time he was 2) so it's about the same length of flight you'll be taking. I always over-packed toys, books, etc. in the beginning and he never really played with more than one little thing. The time goes pretty fast. You might think this advice is a little silly but I'm one of those over-protective safety nut types I guess... When they hand out the peanuts I recommend asking for pretzels for your child (they usually have them even if they're not offering them) just because it's less of a choking hazard...and of course you can have your own snacks too but my son is always excited to get the airplane snack. I know the chances are slim but who wants to have a choking child at 20 thousand feet! I also always lugged along our Britax Roundabout carseat onto the plane until my son outgrew it. I found that he was content to be on the plane in it becasue it was his comfort zone and getting out to roam around and be all over the place never crossed his mind since that's just not what you do when you're in your carseat and in a moving vehicle...we always had great trips this way and he was also higher up in it so he could see out the window better. I also felt it was safer in case of severe turbulence or something. Like I said "safety nut" : ) It was definitely more work to get through the airport with a carseat but there are carts with wheels you can buy that they strap to (gogo Kidz Travelmate) or you can get the Sit N Stroll - same idea. Good luck and have fun in Disneyland!

Oh that's an easy flight! don't worry too much - listen to the advice you have already got and you'll be fine. when I saw the post I thought it was going to be one of those international flights - they can be a killer when they are little. Done a few of those. if you feel your child might be a fidget take along a new book or interactive toy. Enjoy Disneyland - I'm jealous!

Check out the CARES airline restraint system...I am debating buying it myself for a trip this summer for my almost 2 year old.

http://www.kidsflysafe.com/index.php

Also, I just posted a question here asking if anyone has used it, check it out, hopefully some responses will let us both know if it is a good option!

I found it very helpful to bring a few of their favorite toys (hopefully they are quiet toys) and a new toy they haven't seen yet. It will keep their interest longer. Bring snacks and a sippy. Gummy bears are good because they will help to pop her ears. Books and flash cards are good also. You can check your carseat if you are going to bring it, but if not please be aware that car rental place often have really dirty and outdated carseats. Don't use one if at all possible. Also, try talking to her about it ahead of time so she might even get excited about it. It will help ease her anxiety about it if she is looking forward to it. Overall you should be fine, especially since it is a short flight.