Toddler Traveling with Toddler

When I did a plane trip every six months with my daughter on a plane since she was 2 weeks old. (although that was before 9-11) We would take in our carry on lot of snacks for her to eat as well as books and coloring crayons and markers. (the type that are the best is to get the crayola that does not show anywhere but the special paper)

If you can do a late at night that might help you also.... what I would do though is make sure before the flight that you have her up and walking around as to tire her out before the flight. Music or movies might also help you too.

when I travel I try to do it at night with a little benadryl. Everyone has something to say about that but it's not harming my child but just helps them sleep better under such circumstances.

We have a sit n stroll stroller. It is a car seat that has a telescoping handle and wheels that pop out of the bottom to convert it to a stroller. It is GREAT for flying. It fits through the security scanner but not down the isle of the airplane. It has been a wonderful thing.

You don't say whether you're planning to buy her a seat or not. If you can, do, and pick the overnight flight. Or try to figure out if which flight is least likely to be full so you'll likely be able to use a seat for her. In our experience, a flight at nap/sleep time when our now-13-month-old (who's flown monthly since birth) has his carseat is pretty easy. No carseat? Impossible to get him to sleep until he's so tired he can't see straight. We also try to tire our son out as much as possible before we get on the plane - follow him around the airport as he explores as he meets all the passengers. The sooner he's tired enough to sit still and sleep, the happier we are (the drawback when you've got no carseat is a pretty crazy kid for a while - but I'll take that for 90 minutes over my normal hyper guy for the whole flight!)

Our boy will be 3 in September, and we've traveled with him on an airplane about 2 times every year for those 3 years of his life (seeing grandparents). I found that the best way for us was to put away age-appropriate toys for awhile before that would work well and keep him entertained for awhile - I didn't bring toys that he played with everyday before the trip. You might even want to buy a "new" (second-hand store or garage sale is more economical) multi-function quiet toy. Then, of course, I found little compact things around the house like straws, small kitchen gadgets, or anything that was compact and I thought would entertain him for a decent amount of time (books?). Then, of course, I brought food that was slow to eat/drink that would take time too. All these things I did not use until I had to, so if he was interested for a little while looking out the window or playing with the safety card, then I'd let him do that instead. At some age, I remember he really enjoyed playing with the plastic cup they give you for beverages - I just asked for one. Finally, I always kept in mind that I may have to get up and walk with him down the aisle at some point if he got too agitated.

Hope that helps!

Hi, M. -
Yes, if you can fly late (red eye), do so. Put your child in their jammies and they may sleep for most of the trip. If you're flying to NY, try Jet Blue. More room on the plane, and I think they run some overnight flights. Other than that, try a portable DVD player,sticker books, and lots and lots and lots of snacks! You'll get through. Good luck!

Does your little one like to watch videos? I found that carrying a portable DVD player on the plane with my two-year-old helps keep him entertained for a good portion of a long flight.