Flying with toddler

[Deleted]

Has anyone flown with a toddler before? DD is 18 months old and I'm flying to VA next week with her by myself. The last time we flew she was a couple of months old and slept the whole way. I got her a seat so she will be in her car seat, but other than bringing some snacks and a few books, I'm not sure what I should bring to try to keep her occupied. Does anyone have any suggestions?

[penguin129]

DD loved stickers and coloring. She also loved playing with the skymall magazine and other things that were in the seat back pocket. The window shade was a hit too. We flew with DD on 2 round trips. I made sure to not bring out the things I brought along until she got bored with the things on the plane. Let her play with the window shades and pull them up and down, the seat belts, the a/c, etc. DD also liked having index cards she could use as mail and put between the seats. You could also bring some aluminum foil and tissue paper and let her crinkle and crush it. The last flight we took DD didn't sleep at all so I'm glad I had plenty of things to keep her busy.

[socomama]

We flew from CA to FL in Dec. DD was 2y, 3m. We don't typically do much tv, so we loaded the iPad with Peppa Pig, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and Olivia. We taught her to use headphones prior to our trip. I also went to The Dollar Store to pick up new games, toys, and books. I brought tons of snacks and a few Dum-Dum lollipops as a last resort (we had to use them twice).
I won't lie- it was very stressful at times, but we managed.

[mrslka]

Went we fly with our boys we buy a couple cheap new toys (like from the dollar store). If they get lost or broke during travel no big deal but they are new and different so they are entertained. Have some easy snacks and sippy cup and water or juice. You can bring it through security since it is for a toddler. Have something for her to suck on or eat during take off and landing, we give juice in straw cups or lollipops. We also load videos on our iPads, they tend to be into everything else though so we only used those when flying internationally.

Oh and ask if they have a family line for security. We alway go through the handicap/family line instead of having to wait forever in the regular line!

[butnotthearmadillo]

I am not sure what your daughter is interested in and YMMV, but my toddler is pretty obsessed with cars. We had some catalogues from car dealerships and he loves leafing through them. The are easy to store, printed on cardstock paper. Easy to store and not too much of an issue if you lose them or they get taken apart. Could you get a boardbook about airports and read it before the flight so she can recognize things and knows what is going on?

(Another note: not quite todlder related, I found it very helpful to bring a large, foldable tote bag with to stuff all our winter coats etc. in it - it made boarding etc much easier once we were past security. Although you might be already busy transporting the carseat etc.)

[Deleted]

Thanks for all of the suggestions! I guess we might have to stop by the dollar store before we go. socomama how did you load the mickey mouse clubhouse onto the ipad? Did you buy it from the itunes store? We don't watch a lot of tv either, but she does like that. butnotthearmadillo that's a great idea on a bag for coats I was planning on bringing a back pack...I can probably fit at least her jacket in there.

[namastebiotches]

I'm not much help because the first flight we took was this past October & DS had just turned 3. I just say lots of snacks.

[mrslka]

yes use a backpack! It frees up your hands and helps a lot. We have done a few different things with winter jackets: 1) if we take a stroller, stuff jackets into the gate check bag with the stroller, 2) buckle them onto our backpack.

As for getting Mickey mouse onto my iPad, I use Amazon prime, you can buy specific episodes and download them.

[socomama]

@auri My husband did it...he either used Amazon Prime or iTunes. It saves onto your iPad and you can pull it up anytime (no wifi needed).

[kellimark]

We brought movies and a portable DVD player. Lollipops and other snacks. Also a new toy that was interactive. Our flight was 1.5 hrs so all that helped to pass the time.

[icequeen]

Uggghhhh. Not fun. At least for us it is usually not. My DD used to be great up until she started walking, and now she absolutely cannot sit still. We usually try to pick the flights around nap time and make sure she has a meal before getting on the plane. That usually helps put her to sleep. Last time we flew was over Christmas, from New Orleans back home to Chicago. She was running all over the terminal before boarding because of course the plane was not on time. Luckily while we were taking off, I was bouncing and cradling her so she was able to fall asleep and stayed asleep almost the whole 2 hours. I find that the way she behaves has everything to do with the timing of events pre-flight. Good luck, I know it is not easy!!!

[sugarkissed]

We just flew with DD in December, and like icequeen it used to be so easy, but since she's started walking she wants nothing to do with sitting still. We came loaded with more snacks than she could ever possibly eat, and a few of her favourite books.
She also really enjoyed the magazines, the window shade, unbuckling and buckling our seat belts... and the table tray, but we had to put a stop to that for the sake of the person in the seat in front of us. Haha. We had many walks down the aisle, and let her run out as much energy as possible in the terminal before boarding. Good luck!!