My Son Will Be 19 Months and Taking His 1St Airplane Trip.

I will just offer a small bit of advice that I read and used when I took my daughter on her first plane ride (she was just under a year). Bring one or two new things and don't let your son see it until you are on the plane. Just a new little toy of some sort- new things always hold their attention longer than old ones. Also, bring things out of your bag one at a time. Start with a sippy cup in the begining to help with the ears and just talk about what is out the window and the people on the plane. Resist the urge to start taking out toys and handing them to him right of off the bat.Only when he starts to show signs of bordom-take out one toy- not the new one yet, then once again wait for signs of bordom and move on to a snack and so on. Try to bring some sort of new snack he hasn't tried before too. Also, never underestimate the power of ordinary items. If your son is like most kids he would love to have something from your purse that he doesn't think he's supposed to have- not something dangerous- just an ordinary object- a mirror, an old receipt, your sunglasses- you'd be amazed how long they will play with something like this. If you have an i-pod that you can download videos too, you can download cartoons to it. I did this rather than bring a portable DVD player because when you are traveling with a little one the last thing you need is another bag.

Good luck- also, prepare yourself for the rude people and just know that you will probably never have to see them again.

We just returned from a flight with my 19 month old son. Not his first flight, but his first since he was mobile and not breast feeding - so it was like a new experience for us.

I brought a TON of little things for him to play with but ended up not using many of them b/c I decided he would just drop (i.e. throw!) them and I would be trying to climb under the seat to get them, or apologizing to other people for the items hitting them.

I do recommend them though for when you get to your destination. I bought my son a little toy camera at Target (Parents brand). It makes noise but is not so loud that it would annoy other passengers. My mom brought along a crayola toy that had things that slid out and back in. My son loved it. We brought some books, my son's john deere cell phone, a coloring book (again watch out for flying crayons - my son is a thrower).

We actually traveled and my son had an ear infection at the time. He had been on antibiotics for a few days and we got the go ahead from the doc before going. One of the many things we used for him was the little noses saline spray with the decongestant because it helped to open his airways better before flying. I had cups of liquid prepared. Actually if you are flying with a toddler security will let you bring along juice boxes, baby food, etc (within reason) that you need for traveling. But we took an empty cup for water after going through security. One thing I found at HEB that my son loves is called Smashies. It's applesauce in a capri-sun like pouch with a big fat straw attached. Great sucking action needed to get the stuff out and he loved it!

One thing I did was to get a travel pack of lysol wipes at Target and the second we sat down, I used several to wipe down everything that my son would want to touch (window, shade, arm rests, back of seat, tray, front of seat, etc) that way when he wanted to "explore" I wasn't as freaked out about him touching stuff in our area.

Oh, and if you do have to change the diaper on the plane, make sure you close the toilet seat lid before pulling down the changing table above it. Or you will drop something in the toilet! (Learned from experience!)

Good luck!!!

We travel internationally a lot with our 14 month old - we just took a 15 hour flight!

Don't depend on the nap - especially since this is his first plane trip! You have gotten a lot of good advice and some advice that I wouldn't recommend.

1. Take a few of your son's favorite small toys (wrapped in tissue paper as others have suggested so he had the added work and fun of opening surprises). Also bring a new toy or two wrapped up. That way you have the novelty of "new" along with things that you know he already loves.

2. Drinking or chewing something will help with the ear popping. Our daughter has never had a problem with ear popping or clogging and she has traveled a lot.

3. I don't support or suggest the Tylenol or other med suggestions because you don't want your child to think that taking meds is just common place OR you don't want your child to associate travel with being sick.

4. When/if he gets bored or squirmy Describe EVERYTHING - show him how the seat works, the tray table, if you are near a window let him see how the wings move, etc. The air knob provided endless entertainment for my daughter on her last trip because it would "blow" in her face and on her hair, etc.

Good luck with your trip.
blessings,
stacy

Portable DVD player--baby einstein videos or whatever his favorite it. I use it near the end of the flight when they get sick of sitting. Or use your lap top if you are bringing one. I don't bring the entire DVD travel case, I just throw the dvd player in my backpack---remember to charge the battery!

Take walks on the plane when you can (seems those "fasten your seatbelts" signs are always on). Breaks up the sitting time.

I know people won't agree but I do bring candy as a LAST resort. A sucker can last longer. May be a horrible idea if the child throws a fit when it runs out but it has stopped many a tantrum for me.

Backpacks are great. I use them instead of my purse, sometimes instead of the diaper bag. Just so much easier when walking through the airport pushing the stroller.

Remember extra clothes for him and you as well. My daughter peed through her diaper ALL over my husbands pants on our last flight during her nap. My husband didn't have anything to wear. Live and Learn sister!!

My eldest son took his frist plane trip at 15 months. I will pass on the wisdom I got from an elderly lady at the airport. My hubby and I were discussing strategies prior to boarding and a women in her 60's came over to us and asked if it was his (my son) first flight and how old he was, etc... Then she said "Do you want to know the secret behind him having a good trip?" Of course we said yes. She said "You will never see these people again." When we realized she was done with the advice we asked her to explain it to us. She said that the more anxious we are the worse the kid will be on the plane. Go into it knowing that you will never see any of those people on the plane again, and relax. If your child cries of throws a fit and makes them miserabel, so what! Do what you can to keep your kid active and happy, but do not stress about how others are taking it. We had a great flight. My sons was happy and occupied most of the time and screamed for the last 30 minutes of the flight before passing out asleep.

I recommend that you make sure that he has zero congestion on each flight - a baby decongestant should do the trick. If his ears hurt at all you'll have screaming. To get him to pop his ears - he'll probably yawn if he sees you doing it! Swallowing also helps pop the ears.

T.,
As for your son's ears popping, just make sure that he is drinking something out of his bottle during take-off (first 5 minutes) and landing (last 5 minutes of flight). That will help prevent his ears from being "clogged".
Also, bring some brand new toys that he's never seen before.
Those are the things I did for my son when he took his first flight (he was about the same age as your son when he had his first flight too).
HTH,
Jen

I've been on many plane trips with my little ones (my hubby is in the Army, so we travel a lot moving and visiting family!) I think the best things to take are a coloring book and a baggie of crayons, a few matchbox cars, a few books, and any other small favorite toys. Also, if he has a favorite blankie or stuffed animal, make sure and take those. As for popping the ears, if he uses a sippy cup, that will work just fine, just have him drink something just after you get in the air and also after the plane levels off to it's cruising altitude, have him take another drink. Snacks that work best on planes include cereal like Cheerios, trail mix, sandwich crackers (the kind with peanut butter or cheese inside), granola bars, etc. I always take twice the amount of diapers and wipes that I think I'll need (you never know when your plane will be delayed or you might have to sit on the runway for awhile before taking off. Also, take a complete change of clothes for him in case he gets motion sickness or spills a drink or something. I would also take some children's tylonol or motrin just in case =)
Remember that after 1st class boards, parents with kids under 5 get to board the plane before everyone else to get settled! You should also call the airline to ask if they will check a stroller at the gate. Some airlines will let you push your child in a stroller all the way up to boarding the plane and then take your stroller to the back (this does not count towards your checked baggage limit) and then when you get off the plane, your stroller will be waiting for you just outside the door of the plane. This can be really helpful if it's a larger airport and you have to walk awhile to get to baggage claim.
Don't forget to take EMPTY sippy cups through security. You can buy juice or milk or fill it up with water after you get through security. They can also give you drinks to pour in his cup on the plane =) And if you take medicine, it has to be less than 4 oz I believe (you can check on the airport or airline's website) and it has to be in a quart-sized baggie and you have to take it out of your carry-on and place it on the conveyer separately
Hope this helps and let me know if you have any other questions!

Hi T.,

we have an 18 month old and we live abroad so she travels by plane quite often. The main things to bring are a favorite toy, maybe the cuddly he sleeps with, and the best thing we brought this last time, even though she's a little young were a coloring book and washable crayons. They are light and pretty small so they were easy to just stick in her backpack. that's another thing that was helpful. i bought her a backpack for her diapers, cuddly, coloring book, etc. So that she could carry it herself and it went through security easy.

Another thing is you can bring unopened snacks, but no liquids over 3 oz., so only bring a few sippy cups and wait until you are through security to buy him some juice and milk. But I also bought a variety of cookies and crackers to keep her occupied.

As far as the ears go, most of the time she is not bothered at all by them, but when she is it's usually on landing and for her there is really nothing we can do since she won't drink because of it and she doesn't take a pacifier anymore, but try to get him to drink or take a paci if he has trouble.

I bet you'll be surprised by how well he does really. And it's a short flight so remember it's not the end of the world. Ha! Ha!

We live in Argentina so back to houston for us is a nine hour flight, thankfully it's over night so she does sleep most of it.

Good luck and enjoy your trip. I bet he'll be a perfect angel!

T.,

You've gotten great advice about activities and such for your son. Take gum. Teach him how to chew gum if you haven't already. My husband and I were on a short flight PK (pre kid) and the little boy across the aisle from me burst into tears and covered his ears as the plane was ascending. His daddy was at a loss. I handed him a piece of gum and it fixed everything. Of course his older brother required a piece as well. :)

Best wishes,
B.

I agree the drinking helps with ear popping. If you are nursing then nurse during takeoff and landing or give him a sippy cup with his favorite drink. Take 2 already full and ready. (you may not want to take them cold though I have always had trouble with sippy cups leaking as they hit room temp).

Snacks

Toys that he has never seen before but stay away from toys with lots of pieces.

I would definitely try to take advantage of that nap. Try not to let him sleep at all before the plane then snack/drink and nothing until he starts to fuss. He may just zone out and watch the people then fall asleep. At least we always hope taht is what happens!!! :)

OH one more thing. You may want to try to change his diaper as close to getting on the plane as possible. Lots of planes I have been on didn't have changing tables. Even the one that did it was really hard to do it with a toddler. It has been a couple years since I have flown so it may have changed.

Good Luck.

Our daughter who is 4 months old has been on 4 plane rides already. Key to keeping them entertained at this age is diffrent then at 19 months, but make sure that you have a bottle available for take-off and landing. If he drinks this it will help to keep his ears from popping. It is hard to explain to them what's happening so that is key.
Also if you are checking a car seat, make sure you put it in a travel bag, it is amazing how quickly your seat can be destroyed when you are traveling. Also check your base at the gate, just in case your luggage doesn't make it you want to make sure that you can take your little one in the car when you arrive.

My almost 2 yr old flew for the first time earlier this month and did great. I took the advice of having new toys and giving her tylenol. The best were the 2 pack books from Dollar Tree. They are small so they don't take up much space. Since she doesn't chew gum yet, I gave her gummy snacks to chew while we took off. I liked the advice about "the talk". She got to kicking her legs and they just reached the seat in front of her. Landing was the only time she cried, but it was late, she was asleep and it hurt my ears. I don't know if you planned on taking a carseat, but I truly believe that was what really made the difference for us. I bought her a ticket, strapped her forward facing carseat to my rolling suitcase with a strap I bought from www.travelingtoddler.com and was then able to strap her in like any other trip. I think she felt more comfortable because it was a norm. Also, she knows she can't get out of the seat while we are moving so there wasn't any screaming to be let down. We had a full flight and the seatbelt sign was on most of the time, so we couln't get up and walk around. Something else that may have helped was letting her move in the terminal, get some energy out. Hope this helps!

I kind of glanced at what others have said, but didn't read it word for word, so sorry if I repeat. We've traveled quite a bit with my son who is now 2.5. One thing someone recommended to us that I agree with is not pre-boarding. You don't want an extra 20 minutes to half an hour on the plane. Get in as close to the end as you can without holding anything up (maybe once they announce that all groups are boarding). Once you are on the plane, let your son explore the stuff in the seat pocket first (my son likes the emergency card, and it occupies him for quite a while). Definitely get out a sippy cup or some kind of snack for takeoff. Once in the air, I pull out little toys just like someone else said. I always bring them out one at a time, as needed. What's great about that is that you go through fewer toys than you expect. The toys I recommend are: stickers, board books with doors or puzzle pieces (I got some really cheaply (a dollar or 2 each) in the Boarders clearance section last time I flew), a slinky, and cars. I wrap all of these so that he also gets the fun of opening presents. One thing a mother pointed out to me is that for the plane, you can get toys that would normally be too old for your son because you'll be sitting there watching him the whole time.
We didn't buy a seat for our son until we had to, and it always went fine, so if you don't have a seat for him, don't worry.
One last piece of advice, don't let him know that it's possible to walk the aisles! It seems like a good idea to get up and walk, but then he'll want to be up and about all the time. It's better if he thinks it's like a car where you have to stay in your seat.
Good luck. It's never as hard as I think it's going to be, but it's definitely more work traveling with a toddler than it was traveling alone!

We took our son to California at 12 1/2 months. I took a few small toys and empty bottles. We got juice from the flight attendant, at the time you couldn't take any liquid on the plane. Now you can buy drinks once you are through security and take them onboard. I also gave him a small dose of Tylenol as the plane was getting ready to go. He ended up sleeping almost the entire flights. As he has gotten older, he still tends to sleep a lot on the plane, maybe it has a calming effect on him, I don't know.

He's 7 now, so we take small hand held toys, without removable parts, too easy for them to fall to ground and get lost. He also as a Nintendo DS that he plays. We haven't been back on a plane with movies, but if your plane has one, get him headphones and let him listen too. If you have a portable DVD or laptop computer, bring some videos to play in them. Take a couple of familiar toys/books but also somethings new.

I like the chewy gummy snacks. I doubt an 19 month old would understand the concept of now swallowing the gum. It took mine forever to learn.