Traveling with 15 month old son tips

[CrzyCanuck]

I finally get to be one of parents of those kids who scream on a plane!

3.5 hours from Edm to Tor on Westjet, 3 hour lay over, then 6 hours to Portugal on Sata sitting in club seats. 3 weeks later we return.

Anyone have any good tips for this venture specifially with this normally curious boy of mine?

Thanks.

[Superflyer]

I have just 2 words and 3 letters for you. Portable DVD Player. They are amazing inventions. They kept my kids quiet all the way to Kelowna and that is not easy to do.
Also how old?

[MolsonInBothHands]

A shot of Brandy, for him, not you. ;-)

My son, was quite a bit older, but this might work: My wife packed a bag of new books, small toys, etc. He had never seen anything in the bag, it was all a surprise, and he didn't get bored with old toys. It kept him occupied for hours.

[Ironhorse]

We did a 9 hour flight to Frankfurt with our 16 m/o a few years ago. He was a pretty good kid, and we did pay for the extra seat. We had lots of playing and interaction with him, snacks, etc. He was pretty excited actually. We also walked him up and down the isle a number of times to excercise his legs. He slept quite a bit between us for the most part. There was a couple of older ladies behind us going to the Ukraine, and he played peek-a-boo for about an hour with them. No real screaming issues, but he wasn't much of a screamer / cryer to begin with.

Oh, and having him take a drink while ascending / descending helped his ears pop.

[fredr123]

Are they allowing books and electronics and stuff on planes again? If not, kiss digital boops and beeps goodbye. That is seriously going to suck...

[Bingo]

bring a bottle and/or lots of juice ...

the best way to get the little ones through the air pressure going up and down is having them chug through it to pop their ears.

phone ahead and ask if the plane is full. If not get you and your wife to sit ailse and windown with an empty seat between you. Chances are no one will take it.

[Bleeding Red]

Originally Posted by Bingo

bring a bottle and/or lots of juice ...

the best way to get the little ones through the air pressure going up and down is having them chug through it to pop their ears.

phone ahead and ask if the plane is full. If not get you and your wife to sit ailse and windown with an empty seat between you. Chances are no one will take it.

These days, best to bring an empty bottle - the Flight Attendants are usually really accomodating to little kids and will fill the bottle / sippy cup as often as we want.

Full bottles or juice boxes may not be allowed on the plane - better safe than sorry.

Also - take a change of clothes for him.

The bag of new toys works really well - just no play-doh or modelling clay.

cartoons on the DVD is a great idea. Westjet gets treehouse on their tvs.

Some airlines have a kids audio chanel, but your son may be a bit young for it.

[CrzyCanuck]

Our kid won't watch tv for more then 30 seconds. I like the idea of a bag of completely new toys/books. He won't know what hit him.

They are finally relaxing some of the electonic restrictions, but any food for baby must be tested by the parent during security check.

I'll find out if we can bring our own juice. (damn terrorists) He will be drinking during take off.

[habernac]

I get to do the 2 day drive down to Vegas with a 9 month old in October, should be fun.

[Jagger]

Some good tips here so far.

I've done some extensive travelling with three young kids (I must be nuts!) and incorporate most of these tips in some shape or form.

An extra set of clothes or two is a must. My 8 year old got extremely sick on a flight back from Florida and went through three outfits. Luckily my three year old is very big for his age while my eldest is not as he had to wear some of the younger ones clothes.

The portable DVD player is a must with us on long hauls. This can keep us going for a long time. Gameboys are good too but not with a 15 month old, unfortunately.

Buying new toys that the babe doesn't know about are great. This usually keeps them busy for a while.

Failing all this, be prepared to walk up and down, up and down the aisles for a long long time. This usually works............

Good luck and have fun.

[CrzyCanuck]

Originally Posted by Jagger

Failing all this, be prepared to walk up and down, up and down the aisles for a long long time. This usually works............

Heh, good thing that mom, aunt and I are on this trip!

[Nilson_26]

Originally Posted by CrzyCanuck

They are finally relaxing some of the electonic restrictions, but any food for baby must be tested by the parent during security check.

I'll find out if we can bring our own juice. (damn terrorists) He will be drinking during take off.

I know with your flight to YYZ no juice is allowed. The only liquids allowed would be breast milk or formula. I think it would be the same for your flight to Portugal, but I can't say for sure.

[Jagger]

Originally Posted by habernac

I get to do the 2 day drive down to Vegas with a 9 month old in October, should be fun.

Ah, that's not so bad. 9 month olds still sleep a fair bit in my experience. Try flying for eight hours with two teething kids under the age of three and a very sick eight year old!!!!!

Also, we drove for 5000 kms in just over a week, while camping (tenting) along the way with the three of them.

If you are prepared for the worst and are somewhat organized it can be done fairly painlessly.

[chockfullofgoodness]

Rub some NyQuil on the little feller's gums.