Help... I Am Packing for Our First Plane Ride.

Just wanted to give you a great website with lots of ideas for traveling.

www.travelingwithkids.com

Hope this helps and good luck!

Safe travels,
C. W.

It might be a good idea to go get a few new toys or books as well. If she likes to draw there are these pens and paper(crayola i think) that only work on that paper..really neat stuff and might help to keep her busy for a bit.

R. Williamson

Stayin Home and Lovin it!
You can to, check out my
website for more info
www.asparrowsfreedom.com

HI, First of all I think you are so lucky that you can bring your baby to work. I wish my job would allow that. Second, we are a military family, so traveling is our middle name! First bring your diaper bag and FILL it with stuff. It does not count as a carry on. You can check it on your airline web page or call them. But I have flown on a few and all don't count the diaper bag as a carry on. A lot dtermines if your child has their own seat or not. If so then bring snacks and books and colors to play with. You know all the basics. One thing I got was a small stroller, not the umbrella kind, those don't last with airlines, but on that was about 40 bucks and had a basket under. This is great for traveling and changing planes. You can stick stuff under in the basket and hang on the bars. Your baby can go inside. It was so easy changing planes with it. I traveled alone with our baby a few times. On our first trip they broke our expensive stroller that connected with the infant seat. Eventually the airline paid us for it thank goodness. Anyway, if this one breaks, oh well, not too expensive. Also, when you arrive, if you are staying with family or something, we got this travel booster seat that inflates when you open it and folds back up to a little purse. (Babies R Us) It is the best for her to sit with the family at the tables so she is not on top of us, and it has straps that attaches it to the chair it is on. We never travel without it. Besides the stroller, booster, and filling the diaper bag to the rim, that is it and you know the basics. Good luck. Also...when they ask to help you...say YES! I thought I was Superwoman the first few times, but now I say, Sure, Thanks!

Pack her favorite toys. I always watch my son for the week preceding the trip and take the toys he seems to be playing with the most. Portable DVD player with his favorites work great! Be sure to walk her a couple times up and down the isle. When my son gets really squirmy, I take him in the bathroom. Not the best place to sit, but he can move around a little and can't really get into much. Take things she can suck on or chew for take off and landing in case the pressure bothers her ears. Good luck!

A. ~ I am so glad you asked this question! I will be taking my son on his 1st plane trip in July (he will be 18 months at that time) and was worrying about how to entertain him and how to hopefully keep the pain at bay during take off and landing. It looks like you got some great advice and I will benifit from it too! Thanks again, and good luck! K.

Oh gosh, you're in for a treat. My son is almost 11 months now and since he was 2 1/2 months of age, we've been on the plane 8 times with him. It was easy when he was younger but on his recent trips, since he's so active crawling at 4 months and walking at 9 months, he did not want to sit still in my lap at all. He didn't cry or anything but he got impatient. I tried bringing toys, snacks, switching him back and forth between my husband and I but he would just try to squirm out of our arms. He was just too playful. Then I thought, why didn't I get a portable DVD player for him to watch cartoons on? I know he's not supposed to be watching TV at his age but it entertains him sometimes. I would definitely suggest bringing a portable DVD player or laptop so your baby will have something to entertain herself with. It will help a lot.

Being a mother of a 23 month old little girl and having in-laws across the country, i'll tell you i have traveled a lot with my daughter. My advise to you would bring with you on the plane the bare nessecities. Bringing too much stuff will only overcroud you in the little space you have. I would recommend overnight flights so your child can sleep. Toddlers do not travel well when they are full of energy! Also remember you can always buy diapers, wipes, food, etc... when you arrive at your location. There is no reason to pack these bulk items! I hope this helps.

If your daughter uses paci's take extra. They will definatly fall on the fall and you don't want to put that in your childs mouth! You'll need it for take off and landing (altitude changes) in case she has sensitive ears. Also make sure you have extra bottles or sippy cups for her to drink. The stuard's will gladly put juice in them for you. They do have lids for the little cups, but they can spill all over you. Make sure she has a fresh diaper before getting on the plane in caes of delay. It's a bear to change one in those tiny bathrooms! I've flown with my kids when they were 2 mo, 6 mo, 20 mo, and 3 yrs. It's really not a bad expreience. Try to relax.

New security measures with liquids and such...I use breast milk storage bags for 3 oz of juice and 3 oz of water per person in a quart sized bag. Everyone stayed happy during take off and landing. As for toys, I just let them pick a few of their favs. My 2 year old loves to fly. He loves his window seat and finally his own car seat on the plane. Have fun!!

If your little one uses a pacifier, bring it, it will help with the ears popping when the altitude changes.

Well I have a busy toddler too. And for them the plane ride will not be so great, especially if it's a long one. They are so busy, but they are in a small space where they can't move around. A friend of mine told me a half table spoon of benadryl will have them sleepy the whole flight. Which will be a better flight for you and your baby. I went on a trip to Atlanta and I didn't give her anything. Toys didn't work, snacks didn't work, flight attendants walked around with her, but she was just so irritable. So on the way back home I gave her some benedryl and she was sleep for most of the flight.Worked out fine. It's up to you, just a suggesstion.

I found for the most part that my son just slept. He was around your girls age and I was also 7 months pregnant, flying from ca. to fla. Its something about the noise of the plane and the altitude that just knocked him out :) And when he was awake, there were so many people smiling at him or talking to him that he was as ahppy as he could be. Maybe you'll have the same blessed luck!

I was worried about the take off and landing because people were telling me that it would hurt his ears and he may cry, but I got lucky with that too, he didnt mind a bit.

Good luck!!

One think I suggest is bring new toys that your daughter has never played with before instead of old toys (well besides any old favs you know she can't live without). Buy a few small toys, small books, small coloring book and crayons and put them in a little backpack for her. Then, during the trip you give her one new thing at a time. When she is bored with it or getting cranky bring out something else. We do this whenever we travel with our son and it works great.

Hi A....

I am also flying with an 18 month old here in a few weeks. Our upcoming flight is a straight shot flight from Oahu to Minnesota. It's 9hr 35min. We are so worried as well, so we are definatly taking tips from your responses. Although this is our first flight of that length my daughter has traveled with me back and forth from Oahu to Maui over 10 times sicne she was born. It is only 30 minute flights, but nonetheless I do think they have been good practice for the big one. Some things we love to keep her busy is...
-A portable DVD player with lots of short movies like Barney, Backyardigans, Elmo's world..stuff your child likes to watch.
-Crayola invisimarkers. We love the special coloring paper and pens that only allow the color to show up on the special paper...if not Aloha and Hawaiian airlines would have personalized seats by my daughters art..lol. They have all sorts of different sets..we love Dora and Ariel.
-We take lots of snacks, cause a child who's eating isnt yelling, or screeching..lol
-I also take some small toys for her to play with, some new stuff is great cause the wonder of a new toy lasts for a little bit longer.
-I also have these ear plugs from Onestepahead.com called Earplanes. They help equalize the cabin pressure in your babies ears. It made a big difference for my child... it was obvious the difference between her flights before and after we got them.
- A comfort item like a blankie, teddy or something familiar for the scary flight.
-a blanket to put on the floor so that they can get down during the flight and sit and play..it really helps for them to be able to stretch out. The floor space may seem small to us but it seems to be fun for them to hang out down there.

Well, I hope those suggestions help, I'll definatly be back to check out what other people wrote. Good luck and have a great vacation.

Hello.....
I've flown with my little guy several times ( he's three years old)and I can tell you what works for us.
Make sure that you have several little toys and books that your little one has never seen before, as well as a few of her favorites ( that are not too big or bulky
.....also think about taking along a portable DVD player with a few of her favorite videos.

The first time we flew w/our oldest son he was just about 18 months. One thing that helped was to get some new, small toys & bring them out one by one at different times throughout the flight. We wanted to keep him safe so we brought on his carseat, a Britax, thinking it would help him sleep as well as be comfortable but it was a mistake. I had a hard time getting it strapped in tight enough & the airplane lap tray wouldn't cme down all the way cuz the sides of the carset were in the way. And there's no place on hte plane to store the carseat if you decide you don't want to use it. Plus, if we hand't brought on his carseat, then he could've used his seat as a space to play. It was a 5 hour flight & while he was really good & watched a movie on our laptop for a bit & also slept some it would've been helpful to have his seat empty for him to play on. So, if you're comfortable, I'd reccommend checking the carseat & just have your daughter on your lap, & buckled in w/your setabelt for take off & landing. Have a good flight!

Hi A.,

We took our 3 (then 2 year old) to Sweden, last Jan. to see my husbands family. I did what all these moms did, but I also made a plain trip seem like one of the most exciting things to go and do. A first plane trip can be nervous to see how you child will react, just think of a 10.5 - 11 hr plane trip with one lay over inbetween, hehehe. When we got to the airport we made everything seem fun like the , metal detector walk thru and so forth. We also showed her the planes that were parked in front of the terminals and showed her what it was and said see how neat they are, we are gonna ride in one of those and fly like birdies do. She was so excited. Plus giving her own backpack with her actvities in it made her feel like a big girl. She also had her favorite blanket with her on the plane (she isnt a teddy bear child, she's a blanket child). And let me tell you, she was great on the plane. She would play with her stuff, sleep, and eat, and had a blast. The only time she cried was when we were on the second plane which was a 1 hr flight, when we actually landed in Sweden. But hubby and I think her ears popped kind of bad on that landing and thats what bothered her. Once we were of the plane again she was back to normal.

Hope this helps,
D.

How long is the plane ride going to be?

Make sure you pack lots of little toys for your child. I have been traveling by plane with my kids since they were 3 months old. We always bring a backpack with some of their favorite toys...now that they are older (6 and 10), we bring their game boys and portable DVD player. Not sure if you child sits and watches movies at 18 months old, but a portable DVD player works wonders.

Most flight attendants are very understanding when you have small children on the plane. When my two boys were around your child's age, we use to walk them up and down the isle during the flight a couple of times. It lets them get some of their energy out and they can stretch their legs.

Most of it you already mentioned. If your child drinks out of a sippy cup, you may want to have some water or juice (you can always ask the flight attendant for some juice)ready for your child, for the takeoff and landing.

I travel with my 21 month old often, starting at 8 months. Pack toys that they've never seen before, special plane toys - so that those tpys have that novelty over their regular toys. Pack a DVD played - maybe Baby Enstein can be played. My daughter loved that from 4 month on.

iF YOU CAN, GET AN AISLE SEAT SO YOU MAY GET UP FREQUENTLY TO ALLOW YOUR CHILOD TO WALK UP & DOWN THE AISLE.L

Good luck!!!!

A.,

Make sure you take something to help your child's ears "pop" on the ascent and decent. It can be painful and hard to hear properly which could confuse or upset your daughter. Maybe take some sort of chewy candy, or play the "yawning game" to see how wide you can get her to open her mouth (it helps the ears pop).

Good luck.

A.,
Don't forget to pack an extra outfit for you and for your child! I have traveled with my child dozens of times on the plane and I have used those extra clothes! Drinks spilling, food spilling, diapers leaking , and of course once she threw up on me and herself. Just pack a lightweight shirt and pants in your carry-on (roll them, they will wrinkle less). Another great idea, is to bring some extra ziploc bags. I use them for storing trash, for storing dirty clothes (especially if they soil their clothes), for extra food etc..
Have a great trip! S.

Go to babycenter.com.

They have all sorts of advise and checklists. And they have one for traveling w/infants/toddlers.

Good luck. Also, the pacifier doesn't really work for their ears to pop. You need to give them a bottle so they will swallow, not just suck. And give it to them at take off.

Here's something I have used for long plane rides: Buy several small toys or items and wrap them up as gifts. They can be simple things like a box of crayons, animal crackers, small toys. Your daughter will get a kick out of unwrapping the gifts, and you can bring them out one at a time when she is getting bored.

My two girls are veteran coast-to-coast travelers, and when we lived in D.C. in their toddler years, they did a lot of flying with us to visit family in San Diego.

Good luck.

Hi A.,
I have actually never taken my son on a plane ride myself but we are getting ready for that first trip are selves this summer. In preparation for that I went to the TSA website, http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/children/index.shtm, has some great information about what you can carry on and what you can't as well as some traveling tips. You will have to probably copy and paste the link that I provided but it should take you directly to the page about traveling with children. I can't really say what to bring with you but I found some of this information helpful. I think the main thing is to bring something that will entertain them like their favorite toy and something for them to eat or drink during take off and landing. It is very difficult for small children to pop their own ears so eating something or drinking from a bottle or sippy cups helps them pop their ears. I hope this website helps you some and have fun on your trip.

I would bring something to help his little ears pop during take off & landing. Obviously, he's too young for gum, so maybe a lolipop or something? You guys will be fine! I took my 20 month old daughter to DC from CA last fall. The trip takes 5 hours direct, but we had layovers and delays, etc. All in all we traveled about 12 hours that day. SHE DID GREAT!

Just keep him busy, let him snack as much as he wants, try the lolipops, and don't expect too much. The other passengers will be much more forgiving than you think! Good luck!