Air travel with 14month old..

[sumo]

Hi,

It will be our daughters first air travel and longest. Any one have any suggestions or tips to travel with young kids?

Any specific toys that kids can play which does not make lot of noise and don't have many loose pieces to get lost?

Can I take home made or bottle baby food along with me? What are the restrictions?

TIA
-Sumo

[MrsPinecone]

How old is she again?

[ericayost]

When we flew last year with our one year old, we could bring a bottle. Also, you can bring a portable dvd player, our flight was a couple hours so it kept the kids busy. I filled a small back pack for my 3 year old with snacks and books, a small doodle pro. They actually did much better than I thought they would. Good luck.

[sumo]

Originally Posted by MrsPinecone How old is she again?

She is 14 months old.

She is not used to watch TV much but I think doodle pro is a good idea.. Thanks..

[jkelstaten]

Even if she is not used to watching TV on a daily basis it can be very distracting for her on a plane. Our kids don't watch TV more than 1-2 days a week (videos actually), but when we are traveling we let them watch DVDs to keep them occupied & quiet. I have a 5,4 and 16 month old. We make a 4-8 hour drive ever week or so.

If you can plan to keep her awake before you get on the plane, it is likely that she will sleep through a good portion of the flight.

Our 16 month old also loves "reading". Take along a favorite blanket, toy.

Most airlines will serve juice and water, so if she will drink that you can take an empty bottle with you. I have never had a problem taking milk or juice on the plane for the kids. If you are concerned just make sure that your bottle/liquid containers are 4oz. or less. There are lots of juice boxes that size. You will need to contain them in a quart sized bag, but if you are paying for her seat, you can utilize her carry-on and yours.

You can bring any food snacks that you want. Be sure to bring her extra clothes on the plane. Dressing her very simply is a good idea as well. PJs have always been the way to go for our kids with air travel (and we've done several international flights).

Remember that when you go through security you will need to completely empty your stroller, take off coats, shoes, belts, etc. Even for the baby. Do not start putting stuff back on until you are sure they are not going to submit you to further security checks. I have gone the x-ray, put everything back together only to get to the other end and have them tell me that my ticket it flagged for additional security check. Then I had to undo everything all over again.

You also need to see if you can take her carseat with you on the airplane and when you will be allowed to use it. Some airlines won't let you use it at all, some won't let you use it during take off and landing, some will let you use it if it has the FAA approval on it.

You can take your stroller to the plane and they will stow it with the baggage when you board. If they don't allow you to use your car seat, you can do the same thing. They may charge for the car seat now with all the baggage restrictions, just call and ask.

I hope this helps. We've done a lot of traveling and our kids seem to handle it very well, so if you have any questions please feel free to ask.

[ncbrunet]

You can take baby food, juice boxes, etc with you BUT they must fit in a QUART size ziploc bag and NOT be opened previously. Must be under 4 oz.

Take a book or two, and a doodle pad. My DS like s to look at all the magazines in teh seat back poucha dn the airplane safety card keeps him entertained for awhile.

Take a sucker (if your DD is used to them) for takeoff and landing. It will really help her with her ears. DS never notices the pressure change becasue sucking on the candy keeps his ears popping.

Also, if you are taking your own carseat with you, DO NOT CHECK IT. I had a friend that checkied theirs and it came out in pieces. They will not let you take it onboard unless it is FAA rated (doubt it will be, those are really expensive). Take it to the boarding agent at the gate, prior to the boarding call, and tell them you want to JETWAY check it. They will give it a tag and you the receipt, then when you board you leave it at the jetway door, they will put it in a special compartment under the plane (where wheelchairs go) and when you get off the plane, wait at the jetway door (right outside the plane door) and they will bring it to you in a few minutes. No broken carseat!

Good luck,

Marsha

[daisydog215]

My daughter was 13 months when she took her first flight. It was 2 weeks after 9/11, so everyone was very on edge. Definitely have a bottle/cup available for take off and landing. The changes in air pressure may bother her more than they do you. I agree with all other suggestions. I pack a bag just for her that has lots of snacks, small books, dvd player, favorite doll/blanket, etc. If she tends to fall asleep in the car, chances are that the plane will put her out too.

[duetchan]

When we traveled with DD at that exact age the first thing we tried to do was to have the flight coincide with when she would normally nap or be sleeping. We also did the portable DVD player with DD, but that was because she loves The Wiggles and was easy to distract her with the video. So the best advice with that would be to bring one or two things that your DD is easily distracted with at home for longer periods of time. I wouldn't get something brand new just for the flight in case it isn't something she interested in.
And with the bottle suggestion, it's easiest to bring an empty bottle and then ask for the juice/water or milk from the flight attendants when the come for service. If you bring a filled bottle from home the security will let you bring it, as long as you take a taste of what is in the bottle before you board. (This is what my mother who travels extensively for her job said she has witnessed on many occasions and decided for ease sake to just bring the empty bottles on board)

[tmsmalley]

Oooh, oooh, I know this one!

I fly all the time and have flown several times with my kids. First off, you can bring a bottle or sippy cup with you, however, you will have less hassle going through security if you have it empty at that time. You should be able to fill it with something on the other side from one of the snack stands.

I recommend a DoodlePro. It is a small toy with all the parts attached that even a child of that age can play with. My kids just LOVE "Boardy" even now. Also, there are many "non-toys" on the plane. Headsets (with or without music), maybe a movie (maybe appropriate maybe not). The magazines, the evacuation card, maybe an inflight phone (you can't accidentally dial anything without a credit card to activate it). Get a few small, quiet toys and hide them until you're desperate on the plane. Then surprise with one at a time. Be sure you have something for the child to drink OR a lollipop (with supervision of course) for take off and landing. This will help to clear their ears and keep them from being in pain and crying the whole way there. Also hide some M&M's and other small similar treats in your carry on for emergencies. Nicole looked like she lost a fight with an Ooompah Looompah by the time she finished her first 5 hour flight but no one strangled us so we considered that a good deal.

Also, let your child run around before you board as much as possible. Take your car seat on the plane (you need to buy a seat). Put the car seat on top of the stroller (most will fit if you cram them a bit) and take the whole thing to the gate. Check everything else except a carry on bag with toys, food, extra diapers, change of clothing for the baby AND for you and dh. When you get to the gate, get a "gate tag" for the stroller. They'll take it from you right when you board and then give it back in the jetway on the other side. You don't want to have to carry a 14 month old through a huge airport. Use the stroller!

Ask if they will let you pre-board (some do, some don't these days) when you get the gate tag (as soon as you get to the gate, get the tag and ask). It takes a few minutes to make your way down the aisle and get the car seat strapped in. And PLEASE buy the seat and use the car seat! As I said I fly all the time, things happen ALL the time. Hard bumps at the gate, luggage falling from bins, bumpy landings, turbulance in the air, etc. etc. The car seat protects and contains.

Oh, and check the baby food through (put a ziplock bag around it in case of breakage). You'll have a huge hassle with that through security. You can almost always get fruit, cookies and snacks at the airport that will be good for your child to eat on the plane. If the flight is domestic and less than 5 hours there probably won't be any food offered on the plane, so stock up on dry items you can put in the carry on.

Hope this helps!
Tess

[enginerd]

We always bring Play-Doh whenever we travel by plane with DS. Last time when we had a long flight back from Europe it was a lifesaver for another family that had two children and didn't bring anything for them to do. He is now 10 yo but we will still be bringing Play-Doh on our next flight.