best toddler toys for the airplane image
Happy Chic
Hi all, when is a good time to start travelling with kids when they are toddlers? Have you taken a 6-8 month baby on an air travel or a road trip within US? How was your experience?
Answer
My oldest went on her first plane ride at 5 months. We took her and her sister when they were 2 & 1 on a cross country airplane trip. Both flights went well. We had seats for kids (not in our laps) and took lots of small things to entertain them. Only bad part of the second trip - another mom and child sitting next me. Her child was just under 1 & 1/2 and sat on her mom's lap. She wiggled the whole time, didn't want to watch the videos her mom brought her, wanted my kids' toys, and PUKED ALL OVER WHEN WE LANDED.
The last two summers we have traveled all over the country by car - my girls were 2 &3 the 1st summer and 3 & 4 this summer. It's hard but manageable. We did have a DVD player to help keep them occupied. They actually liked stories on CD which surprised us. We traveled about 8 hours a day with three straight days on the road our max. I packed them lots of little toys that I didn't care if they were lost (McDonald's Happy Meal Toys) and lots of art supplies - stickers, etc. I packed the least messy snacks I could think of and we stopped often for breaks. It was the best choice for us because we were gone 6 to 8 wks and traveled from PA to MN to KS to CO and back.
I took my oldest one on an 8 hour car ride alone when she was 7 months old. It was hard - I only managed 4 hours a day in the car. It was hard to deal with her crying, etc because she had to be in the back. It wouldn't have been a big deal if I would have had someone else with me. Once they were both walking, I took them on the same trip by myself and in one day - not near as hard.
My oldest went on her first plane ride at 5 months. We took her and her sister when they were 2 & 1 on a cross country airplane trip. Both flights went well. We had seats for kids (not in our laps) and took lots of small things to entertain them. Only bad part of the second trip - another mom and child sitting next me. Her child was just under 1 & 1/2 and sat on her mom's lap. She wiggled the whole time, didn't want to watch the videos her mom brought her, wanted my kids' toys, and PUKED ALL OVER WHEN WE LANDED.
The last two summers we have traveled all over the country by car - my girls were 2 &3 the 1st summer and 3 & 4 this summer. It's hard but manageable. We did have a DVD player to help keep them occupied. They actually liked stories on CD which surprised us. We traveled about 8 hours a day with three straight days on the road our max. I packed them lots of little toys that I didn't care if they were lost (McDonald's Happy Meal Toys) and lots of art supplies - stickers, etc. I packed the least messy snacks I could think of and we stopped often for breaks. It was the best choice for us because we were gone 6 to 8 wks and traveled from PA to MN to KS to CO and back.
I took my oldest one on an 8 hour car ride alone when she was 7 months old. It was hard - I only managed 4 hours a day in the car. It was hard to deal with her crying, etc because she had to be in the back. It wouldn't have been a big deal if I would have had someone else with me. Once they were both walking, I took them on the same trip by myself and in one day - not near as hard.
Any tips on travelling with a toddler on long flights?
Socrates
I have a long journey planned on my next vacation with my 1.5 year old. A fourteen hour flight followed by layover and then a 6-7 hour. We did not opt for an exclusive seat for him either. Any tips?
Answer
Here are a couple of tips from our own experience:
1. most importantly: call the airline and try to get a bassinette, and at least one seat next to it(that's the crib that attaches to the wall in front of the bulk head seats). the bassinette itself will probably be too small for your child to actually sleep in, but will hold all the extra stuff that comes along with a toddler. moreover, the extra leg room will give your toddler more space to play that is NOT your lap or the aisle...
note: bulk head seats are usually booked first because there's more leg room there, but parents with infants on-lap (younger than 2 years) have priority to these seats on most airlines. if you can't book the seat in advance, don't dispair - you can still get it upon check in: come in early and insist on it!
2. try to keep the child's routine as close to normal as possible. keep meal times and nap times as close as you can to your "home time". bring small packs of favorite foods and snacks with you, as plane food is not likely to top your kids list... you can heat up baby food by putting the container in a small cup filled with a half-inch to an inch of boiling water and stirring the contents. "Gerber" containers fit perfectly, or you could use the small, round, 4-oz disposable plastic containers (like "Glad" or such) which also fit in the coffee cups provided on airplanes.
3. of course, if your child has a favorite toy, stuffed animal, blankie etc., have it with you on board.
4. get a bunch of new, real-cheap little toys that you wouldn't mind losing / throwing away by the end of the trip. introduce a new one every hour or so -- it'll buy you precious time! i'd put under this category also some little arts & crafts items, like stickers and crayons.
5. have at least two full changes of baby clothes and lots of extra diapers with you, as well as a small "baby-bath travel kit", just in case your layover gets extended, your suitecases go astray, and so on... i'd also take an extra shirt for mom and dad, for any unfortunate accidents.
6. on the plane, don't be shy - let baby run up and down the isles. fighting it won't help anyway, and the excersize is good for you both ;-) plus, the more energy they spend, the more likely they are to fall asleep at some point...
7. talk to your pediatritian about baby-safe antihistamines - a small dosage may be all the help baby needs to get drowsy and sleep better when they're already over-tired, but the strange environment won't let them fall asleep...
8. take a deep breath, and remind yourself that, as hard as this one day may be, it's only one day of travel, and it, too, shall pass!
good luck! :)
Here are a couple of tips from our own experience:
1. most importantly: call the airline and try to get a bassinette, and at least one seat next to it(that's the crib that attaches to the wall in front of the bulk head seats). the bassinette itself will probably be too small for your child to actually sleep in, but will hold all the extra stuff that comes along with a toddler. moreover, the extra leg room will give your toddler more space to play that is NOT your lap or the aisle...
note: bulk head seats are usually booked first because there's more leg room there, but parents with infants on-lap (younger than 2 years) have priority to these seats on most airlines. if you can't book the seat in advance, don't dispair - you can still get it upon check in: come in early and insist on it!
2. try to keep the child's routine as close to normal as possible. keep meal times and nap times as close as you can to your "home time". bring small packs of favorite foods and snacks with you, as plane food is not likely to top your kids list... you can heat up baby food by putting the container in a small cup filled with a half-inch to an inch of boiling water and stirring the contents. "Gerber" containers fit perfectly, or you could use the small, round, 4-oz disposable plastic containers (like "Glad" or such) which also fit in the coffee cups provided on airplanes.
3. of course, if your child has a favorite toy, stuffed animal, blankie etc., have it with you on board.
4. get a bunch of new, real-cheap little toys that you wouldn't mind losing / throwing away by the end of the trip. introduce a new one every hour or so -- it'll buy you precious time! i'd put under this category also some little arts & crafts items, like stickers and crayons.
5. have at least two full changes of baby clothes and lots of extra diapers with you, as well as a small "baby-bath travel kit", just in case your layover gets extended, your suitecases go astray, and so on... i'd also take an extra shirt for mom and dad, for any unfortunate accidents.
6. on the plane, don't be shy - let baby run up and down the isles. fighting it won't help anyway, and the excersize is good for you both ;-) plus, the more energy they spend, the more likely they are to fall asleep at some point...
7. talk to your pediatritian about baby-safe antihistamines - a small dosage may be all the help baby needs to get drowsy and sleep better when they're already over-tired, but the strange environment won't let them fall asleep...
8. take a deep breath, and remind yourself that, as hard as this one day may be, it's only one day of travel, and it, too, shall pass!
good luck! :)
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