Air Travel Suggestions

what i used for my daughter was color wonder coloring books, LOTS OF SNACKS!!! that arent messy, books to look at, small quiet toys, a dvd player (with headphones). things like that and their special blanket and lovey.

We are in the same boat and have an infant and a three year old.
We are taking a travel DVD player and probably letting her take one baby on the plane. The other big concern for us in snacks - very little kid friendly food in airports and on planes. We are packing pretzels, craisins, applesauce cups, and triscuits with cheese - that way we can all snack and it is relatively healthy and fillng, yet small can compact. If possible, call the airline or get there EARLY and request a bulkhead seat - first rows - the extra space is nice and while flying, your daughter could sit on the floor on a blanket and have some room to play.

Good luck with your trip!

My Pediatrician suggested Benedryl to help child sleep through most of the flight and Tylenol in case they are affected by the pressure at take off. Give both 40 minutes before take=off. I bring a portable DVD player to help the the non-sleeping hours, along with lots and lots of snacks, healthy and unhealthy :) This worked for us.

Hi,
I took my son to Italy when he was 20mo very long flights! I too tried to schedule the flights around nap time but my 2 favorite tricks are
1. Get a new "cute" backpack ( I got a turtle one at Target) filled it with new toys, small books, crayons... the day we left I gave him the backpack and told him when we were on the plane he could open it up. It worked like a charm he was excited about the backpack itself and then excited about the contents + I didn't have to carry any of his stuff. He uses the bag to this day and he is 5.
2. Bring a sippy cup for your little one to suck on, the attendents are happy to fill it with water or juice as you take off often times kids at that age don't understand how to "pop" ears and it does create discomfort so this would solve the problem!
Have a great flight!! Don't forget to bring one of their favorite blankets it can get cold on the plane.

Hi Miranda,

I've got 3 words for you. Stickers, Stickers, Stickers. I have 2 daughters 4 and 22 months. They both love stickers. We've recently traveled with the both of them. I packed them each their own carry on with copious amounts of stickers and big note pads with plain white paper to stick them on. Also lots of small soft cover books ( not too heavy). whenever they get ansy I just whip out something new. Snacks are also key. Costco has a great selection of huge sticker books for cheap and Target always has a good selection in the 99 cent bin.

Good Luck. I'll be doing it again in the fall and hope this works for me again.

I usually bring NEW things that she has never seen before. A few of the little party favor type toys that you find in the party supply aisle. Acouple of those little tiny things of playdough and maybe a couple of the cutter shape toys to go with it. A travel size doodle pro. Coloring book and crayons. Maybe a dvd to watch. Lots of books and SNACKS! My daughter always seems to like just people watching, playing with the stuff in the front pocket, walking up the aisles.

Hi Miranda,
I've been traveling with my son from LA to NY twice a year since he was 6 months old. First, it's best for everyone to get the baby her own seat. 5 hours is too long to hold her. Check with the airline but usually the diaper bag and car seat, etc. are not considered carry on so you can still do your regular carry on as well. You can also wheel the baby to the gate in the stroller and check it at the gate. It will be waiting for you when you get off the plane so you can put the baby right back in.

I always changed my son's diaper right before we boarded the plane so he started out clean and we would hopefully only have to do one change while we were flying.

We have never traveled with a car seat on the plane but it is an option if you want to do that. The most important thing to do is make sure the baby is sucking or drinking during take off and landing to stop her ears from popping. The benedryl thing sometimes helps but sometimes backfires and makes the kids hyper. See what your doctor says about it. My son is 6 now and he takes dramamine before we get on the plane and that seems to help him.

My son also fell asleep as soon as the plane took off - from the sound of the motor. Your daughter might do this too. He would sleep anywhere from 2 - 3 hours. I actually got to read a magazine. He did this until he was about 4 or 5 like clock work.

Bring lots of little snacks, extra diapers and wipes, little toys and books and a favorite blanket or stuffed animal. Bringing a few new books or toys is a good idea because that will keep her attention. Try not to bring anything with lots of little pieces because the kids wind up dropping them on the floor and they're hard to find.

Finally the best thing we bought was a portable DVD player. It has saved us many times! It's just hard to get kids to wear the headphones. We would play it low without headphones while everyone else was watching the movie so it didn't really bother anyone. Depending on the airline you're on, some of the seats have individual tv sets where your daughter can watch cartoons (but sometimes they only have cartoons for the older kids so the DVD is still a good idea).

Hope this helps! Good luck and have fun on your trip.

I try to book flights around bedtime or naptime. Since I have 3 kids, this seems to be a good trick. I also don't let me kids watch much TV, but on a flight that long, I book tickets with Jet Blue since they have their own TVs. We also have books, crayons, snacks (this is huge)...but sleep time is the best.