gregeickholt

This weekend, my wife and I will be travelling with our 11 month old for the first time since she was about 4 months old. She is travelling as a lap child, and I wanted to know if anyone had any suggestions for making the flight bearable for her and other passengers.

We are flying early afternoon from LAX to MKE on Midwest, she is 11 months old, and she is a little wiggly, but well behaved (she acts out sometimes, but all babies do).

We plan to bring four different toys/books (one for every hour) to keep her entertained, plenty of diapers, extra food, and bottles. What would you find to be annoying? Is a rattle too much? Light singing/reading? Would a toy that has Elmo's voice for an hour be annoying? I have travelled extensively, but I have never noticed a toy or child that has bothered me (thanks to the IPod). We truly want to be as considerate as possible, and want to make sure that we are taking all the right steps to avoid a miserable experience for those around us. I promise that there will be no changing of diapers in the seats!

Thanks in advance for all of your advice.

obscure2k

Welcome to Flyertalk, gregeickholt. If you scroll down to "Special Interest Travel" you will find the Travel With Children Forum. That would be the best venue for your thread, so I'll move it over there.
Obscure2k
TravelBuzz Moderator

SkeptiCallie

deleted

BillScann

1. Have your baby nurse or drink during take-off and landing. It will allow her ear pressure to equalize.
2. Please, no noisy toys. Even my (almost) three-year-old son knows that it's not polite.
3. Elmo must die. I'm not joking.
4. Books good. Soft singing good.
5. Don't weight yourself down with too much crap. It's a short flight, not an expedition.
6. Remember, you are your daughter's favorite toy. She does not need much else.
7. The flight is the easy part. It's the rest of the time traveling that's a hassle. The lighter your load, the easier that time getting to/from/around the airport will be.

CDTraveler

1. do bring a small blanket for your daughter - airlines rarely provide them anymore, and plane temperatures can get quite cool.

2. also bring a favorite stuffed animal/lovey - something quiet. Nix on Elmo - I can't even stand him at home, let alone on a plane.

3. absolutely do not allow your daughter to stand on your lap and yank on the back of the seat ahead of you - this will immediately make even a child lover very, very cranky.

txskygal

These are wonderful suggestions. Also, please do not let your child use the tray table as a seat, as these are not seats, aren't cheap, and can possibly break, leaving the whole seat unable to be used by other passengers traveling behind you.

You would think "grownups" would know better; but there's reasons why I'm asking not to let this happen!

cacic

Wake the baby up an hour or so earlier than you normally do and try not to let her nap. By the time she gets on the plane she might just fall asleep. I used to do it when mine were small and they would fall asleep just as we started to taxi. Ah, the good old days! Now they need all the bells & whistles before they can even think about getting on a plane to go on vacation no less!

BUFman

A 11month old will probabably want to crawl (or move around). Since this will be difficult on the plane (at least in Y on a full load) I think it is a good idea to provide some space for that at the aiport. A blanket will do, though their are special blankets with a cord at both ends that transform the whole thing into a bag (to transport the toys). Worked pretty well for us.

amsNYC

since you will be 2 adults w/ 1 child I strong rec. that 1 parent board at earliest opportunity to stow stuff/get settled and that other parent and toddler try to be the last to board. More running time in airport + least time confined possible = happiest child.

canadianpilgrim

You need to bring plenty of bottles (empty now, sadly) and get the appropriate liquids for your child from the flight staff. You want your children swallowing during ascent & descent. This helps relieve the pressure behind their ears. A soother or candy or breastfeeding also do the job. One time we lost my son's favorite sucky toy and he & we could not relieve this pressure. He cried at the top of his lungs for 50 minutes straight, the entire length of the flight. Luckily it was a short hop. Not a pleasant experience for everyone on board.

You want your kids to fall asleep, so whatever does that, do that. Tire them out in the airport, stuff toys, wake them up early to go to the airport, skip a nap, cold/anti-nausea medication, the decision is up to you. The easiest child to manage is a sleeping child. Next is a happy child. If you can't make them sleep, make them happy.

BillScann

Most. Important. Advice. Ever.

RichMSN

Absolutely. It's the routine we followed and it's the best way. Carryons situated, mother in center seat, I have the aisle with the child.

BillScann

What is it with some parents and sticking their kid in a stroller? At an airport no less! And then Mom and Dad wonder why Junior is bouncing off the walls at 35,000 feet.

CDTraveler

I heard this advice any number of times, and found it was just plain wrong for us. We always bought a seat and used carseat when my son was under 5. Once his seat was strapped down, he wanted to check it out, check out the space under the seat, experiment with the tray table, arrange his stuffed animals in the seat with him, etc. If we 3 pre-boarded, he could take care of checking everything out and still be buckled in and ready to go at the appropriate time. He could also do all his "pre-flight checks" without disturbing other passengers when we pre-boarded. (he started this routine when he was about a year old)

I also never allowed him to run wild in the airport because once he gets revved up, it takes ages to calm him down. We'd take walks around the terminal, but I tried hard to keep things calm so he would understand what behavior was acceptable and what was not.

uastarflyer

Efficiency in travel, particularly when the baby (or toddler) is asleep.