Good Distractions for a One Year Old on a Transatlantic Flight

Hi, V.,

You've received a lot of helpful responses so far, so I won't write much. I fly alone with my two babies often to meet my husband who works in other states and other countries. Needless to say, I can't carry much "fun" stuff. Sometimes, I've bought colorful little (3"x3"x1") books at my neighborhood consignment stores shortly before my trips. My kids, esp. the elder one, love these. I also bring a few colorful old magazines. My elder child, now 2 1/2, likes to look at the photos in them; my younger child, now 1 1/2, likes to tear the magazines to pieces.

Have a fun trip!

Lynne E

You can request a kid meal from the airline. Don't be afraid to get up and walk the aisles. Lots of little toys, books and snacks. Ask for a bulkhead row for more room. Take a carseat and make sure it is FAA approved. You can check the stroller at the gate. Good luck.

Are you going to purchase a seat for him? If so, I would consider not bringing a car seat on the airplane(bulky) and get a restraining 5pt harness http://www.kidsflysafe.com We used this for my son when he was almost 2yrs old. Lots of snacks,drinks,toys as many have said. Also, depending on the time of day/night you are traveling he may sleep a lot, so any comforting blankies/plush toys that he's used to.

Not sure how long it's been since you've traveled but here are some other great websites.
http://www.tsa.gov/311/311-carry-ons.shtm
http://travelproducts.com/store/safety.htm
http://www.travelproducts.com/
http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/tips_1232.html

Have fun, remember the camera and video recorder.

C.~

So many people are unaware of the under 3 toys at McDonalds and Wendy's etc. Just ask for them when you get a kids meal. I stock up on these and keep them out of sight for trips like this. I pack a couple of gallon size ziplocks full of unseen, new, little toys. It doesnt't matter if they are lost or misplaced, they are tossable in my book, when one bag is not fun any more you can pull out a whole new one with new stuff. A white board may be fun too. Also a bag of snacks, make sure he eats or drinks during takeoff and landing for the ear pressure (bring tylenol in case). As long as you can keep things new and exciting for hours it will be a walk in the park. Ha Ha. Only the lucky ones. Prepare for you child to be fusssy and unhappy (restriction is no fun at 1 or 40) so plan for the worst and then hopefully your prepared to make the best of all of it. Have a safe, relaxing, prepared trip.

My husband and I made this mistake when we first travelled with our daughter who was 18 months. I was so worried about my daughter that I brought snacks, toys, extra change of clothes for her, etc. I was also really worried about the whole ear pressure thing as I remember how much it hurt when I was young. Anyway, I read somewhere in a magazine that during take off, to feed the baby a bottle so that their eustachian tube (?) won't let air in (kind of like adults chewing gum to help relieve the pressure).
Anyway, she drank too much milk and spit up a bit, as I handed her to my husband so that I could get a spit up cloth, she proceeded to BARF all over my husband...twice.
Moral of the story---make sure you also bring an extra change of clothes (at least a shirt) for you and your spouse.

I always brought my kid's car seat so the travel was much easier because they were already comfortable with the seat. Then I brought lots of new, cheapy, toys and new books, and I nursed often. I have a friend who brought See's Suckers and gave them to all the people in the surrounding seats! Whatever works!!

ok i have flown with a 15 month old soo heres what i did. (we flew to michigan and it was 7 hours)
what i packed was the diaper bag and a bag with toys plus the carseat. now im assuming you bought your baby their own seat (which is the smartest thing to do believe me i have flown with baby in lap and i will never do it again).

in the diaper bag-
- only enough diapers that youll need for the flight (i packed 10 but your flying farther)
- travel pack of wipes
- diaper bags for dirty diapers (fyi plane bathrooms suck for diaper changes i layed my daughter in my lap to canger her i didnt care if she pooped or not)
- you may want to pack a couple outfits and or jammies if this is an over night flight (i only packed 1)
- any and all meds that your child currently needs (in the quart sized plastic bag)
- 1 or 2 cups (or bottles if not using a cup)
- i also packed my own lunch for my daughter something each to eat (1/2 a pb and j is great)
- SNACKS SNACKS SNACKS!!! i cannot stress it enough lots and lots of snacks!!!

in the other bag-
- quiet toys for your baby to play with (if your baby will wear head phones then bring a portable dvd player)
- color wonder coloring set (so fantastic!!!)
- a blanket and their special lovie (if they have one)
- more snacks haha

some good advice also-
- dont worry if people stare because your child cries they can piss off its a baby crying get over it.
- dont be afraid to walk your baby up and down the isle (when ok to) babies need to stretch their legs too.
- **a great must know is have your baby drink on the way up and way down the sucking will help their ears adjust to the pressure changes**
- my daughter loved to look out the windo so place your baby by the window
- also i find the fold down trays are great fun for them (well atleast it was for my kid haha)
- take your stroller you can check it before you get on the plane it will help!
-*** an even bigger must know and i stress that you do this TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE PRE BOARDING!!! nothing is worse then trying to get your baby settled with 100 people pushing by you its even worse when trying to hook a carseat in.
- and lastly buy all your liquids after you go through the check points and are waitng to board. i bought 1 huge bottle of water and a small bottle of juice and that lasted a long long time. (dont give your baby the water from the plane bathroom its not drinkable!!!)

i cant think of much more to tell you other then that so good luck with your trip. also im a young mom at 23 and i have flown 3 times with my daughter to and back from washington (she was 8 months) and then with my husband and her to michigan when she was like 15 months. she flies very well and we keep her very occupied and thats a huge help.

Hi V.,
First you can take your son to the gate in his stoller and check it there so it's waiting for you when you come off the plane. If you are able to buy a seat for your son that's the best (babies are 1/2 price until 2 years old). If not, try to get 3 seats together so you have an empty seat to put him down and change him or feed him.

I always changed the diapers right before getting on the plane so you hopefully only have to do one change on the plane. My son usually fell asleep as soon as the plane took off from the sound of the engine and slept 2 - 3 hours (we always fly from LA to NY - twice a year). Hopefully your son will sleep most of the trip.

The biggest thing to remember is that he needs to be drinking or sucking on something during take off and landing to stop his ears from popping. Some people give their kids benedryl but I think your son is too young for that and that sometimes backfires and makes the kids hyper. So have a bottle or binky or sippy ready for him.

We always travel with lots of snacks, books, little toys that can't get lost too easily under seats, favorite blanket or stuffed animal and, most importantly, a DVD player with lots of DVDs. This is the biggest life saver for a cranky baby. Make sure the battery is charged and bring a back up battery just in case. This was the best purchase we ever made. If you need to get videos for your son, the best are Baby Einstein or Sesame street or something like that. The only problem is that he most likely won't wear earphones so you just have to keep the volume on low.

I hope this helps. Good luck!

Be sure to call ahead and book the crib. ALL long flights like that have wonderful cribs that attatch to the wall so the baby can be put in them. They are safe and really clean. It is also the perfect spot for you to sit, right in front with lots of leg room! If your still nursing, or not, try and feed the baby on both take off and landing. This will greatly reduce the ear ache problems because the baby will be swollowing and this will releave the pressure in the inner ear. If the baby is old enough to play with toys grab a few new ones, they are always more interesting than the old ones. If not, just sit back and enjoy 11+ hours of holding that precious little one without anyone telling you to put him down!!. Also don't hesistate to walk around the cabin. Even a baby likes a change of scenery and you need a stretch every now and then anyway. Just pack that precious cargo around the plane a couple of times and give everyone a breather. The airplane bathrooms have changeing tables (most) they are a bit bumpy sometimes and cramped so have a few ziplock bags packed ahead of time with only the essential needed 1 diaper, a few wipes, powder and a small blanket to lay the baby on. That is it. You don't have much room to put things and you don't want them on the floor. Lysol also makes a travel size arisol now, that is handy for a quick spray on the change table if you need that peace of mind. Enjoy your trip and remember, when he fusses, most people will remember that no one wants that baby to quiet down more than his mother!
Have a great flight!!

My sister gave me this tip for traveling with very young children, and it has worked wonderfully for me. ALTERNATE BETWEEN A SNACK AND A TOY. Stuff the diaper bag with lots of snacks and small toys. About 2-4 weeks before your trip, put the toys that you are planning to take on your trip away in a box somewhere. Of course, toys that a child hasn't played with in a while will hold their attention a lot longer then something they just played with yesterday! It will then be almost like the toys are "NEW".

Also, try to schedule the flight for during the child's normal nap time. After the initial exciting of boarding the plane, once our flight was under way, my young child would almost always fall asleep for their normal naptime. Stick to their normal routine (as much as possible) for meals and naptime!

Dear V.:

I always found it easy to travel with my infants because I had the best distraction available and you do too: Breasts! Keep it calm and quiet so your child doesn't feel constrained. Nurse frequently and it'll help with the ear pain and it'll make baby sleep better. Bring soft squishy cloth books and quiet toys and make it a special part of your journey where YOU don't have to be driving or looking at directions or signs. If you enjoy relaxing in flight and transmit this tranquility to baby, you'll enjoy a peaceful trip.

Best wishes,

M.
PS: Be sure to change him BEFORE you get on board. It's not fun changing them in the tiny restrooms and don't even THINK about changing him in your seat...people will riot!

ask for the child's meal as soon as the attendants can serve it--that way you won't be juggling your own meal and your baby's

bring extra clothes for everyone. Our baby had a blowout diaper as the plane descended. It was not pretty.

lots. and lots. of wipes.

Toys: bring small toys but to make them last longer wrap them up like presents in nesting boxes. Cheaper and you don't have ten million toys at the end of it. We've always brought puppets--fairly small and interactive. bring some familiar comforting toy, and some new one(s).

travel, if possible, during baby's nap time or at night.

snacks. there are those little snack cups with tops that little fingers can fit through but that are non-spill. Bring lots, bring a variety.

Use overnight diapers instead of normal ones during the flight, so if you are stuck in your seat (because of drinks service, turbulence, long line for the bathroom) you have a little extra time before the diaper goes kablooie.

Start collecting new little toys, because new toys always keep the attention longer. Also a portable DVD player with cartoons, Barney, etc. Is Barney still on TV? My kids are older now.

DVD player with a lot of movie/show choices.