Hi everyone....

I could use some tips on flying with an 11 month old. We're heading down to Disney on the 12th of December for our very first "family" vacation.

We decided to purchase a seat for our son to make things easier for my wife and I, now I could use some tips on :

A) Keeping him occupied
B) Any help with taking a car seat (any ideas on a seat that's
relatively lightweight and safe)
C) Any info anyone's willing to share!!!... : )

Thanks in advance

Bobcat

Bobcat, First off, buying your child his own seat on the plane will increase your experience about 1000%. Smart move. All of my experience (and my wife will likely chime in as she has more experience than I do) is pre-Sep 11 so changes in airline security measures may effect these suggestions.

1. Unless you are rich I would use the car seat from your car. Buying a new car seat doesn't make much economic sense and since you can now only carry on 1 bag (plus a purse or briefcase), you should have no problem carrying everything onto the plane. But if you decide to buy a new seat, perhaps AdrienneK or another newer mom can give you some ideas.

2. Buy NEW TOYS that your child has never seen before. SAVE HALF for the return home. Lisap will help me out with the name but our kids loved these twistable sticks that you could twist into any shape and then retwist. Don't buy alot of expensive junk, just new things and a special bag to keep them in.

3. You used to be able to push your stroller to the gate and do a gate check. They would pick it up at the end of the jet way and return it to the same spot when you arrived. It didn't have to go through baggage claim and you could keep your kids in it as you traversed the airport. This may have changed so check with the airline.

4. If at all possible, get a carry-on that can be worn as a backpack. This leaves your hands free as you go through the airport for holding your son, pushing the stroller, carrying the car seat, etc.

5. Don't overpack. Orlando is part of the United States of America and as such as Drug Stores, Supermarkets, etc. Check on if there is a place to shop near your lodging and if there is, just pack enough to get you down there and then buy what you need. We had a tendency to overpack when our girls were younger forgetting that we could buy everything we needed from the nearest Target or WalMart. (This suggestion does not apply if you are staying on property and would have to shop in overpriced Disney owned stores).

Have fun and give us a trip report.

Well, EandCDad pretty much said everything I was gonna say....

I'm gonna second his recommendation that you gate check your stroller. Having a stroller to help carry the car seat, kid, and carryons was a lifesaver for us when we travelled with Matthew. Especially if you might hit long lines and waits at airports, you'll want that stroller!

Adrienne K

You should remember to bring a pacifier for your child when you fly; you are probably like most parents and would have brought a pacifier anyway, but you should remember to have your child suck on the pacifier when you take off and when you land. This is very important because it helps them deal with the pressure change, as children don't know that they need to "pop" their ears to adjust to the change in cabin pressure. Sucking the pacifier will help them to accomplish this. Your child will be more comfortable and less likely to be irritable when you fly!

Enjoy your trip!
:)

Ok, I may get the title of The Worst Mom in America for saying this but if you suspect that your child may have the eansy weensiest possibility of having a cold or getting a cold a some time in the future, give him/her a dose of Triaminic Night Time a half hour before you board.

Yes, I have done this. I have flown a lot (alone) with one or two little kids on 5-6 hour flights and doing this *occasionally* has saved my bacon, especially if your child is a busy little one who abhors the car seat for any amount of time (it just slows them down a bit, helps them take a nap).


Also, pack very interesting little snacks in ziplock bags--some familiar and some new. My kids never wanted to eat the plane food (who could blame them), so having food from home will help.

P.S. A roll of scotch tape is amazingly interesting to a little one.

Originally posted by EandCDad

5. Don't overpack. Orlando is part of the United States of America and as such as Drug Stores, Supermarkets, etc. Check on if there is a place to shop near your lodging and if there is, just pack enough to get you down there and then buy what you need. We had a tendency to overpack when our girls were younger forgetting that we could buy everything we needed from the nearest Target or WalMart. (This suggestion does not apply if you are staying on property and would have to shop in overpriced Disney owned stores).

There is a Publix (grocery supermarket) on Hwy 192 East, just remember to bear RIGHT when exiting the World. It has better selection and way lower prices than the oft-recommended Goodings at the Crossroads.

It looks like the closest Target store is:

Kissimmee Target
3003 West Vine Street
Kissimmee, FL 34741 USA
Phone: (407) 846-6611
Hours: 7 days a week 8am to 10pm

Enjoy your trip!

Originally posted by lisap
P.S. A roll of scotch tape is amazingly interesting to a little one.

And very useful when you decide it is time to simply tape them to their seat.

Originally posted by Alex Stroup


And very useful when you decide it is time to simply tape them to their seat.

:D
I find the silver electrical tape works well for this--speaking as the Worst Mom....


;)

Originally posted by lisap

I find the silver electrical tape works well for this--speaking as the Worst Mom....

Also not the best electrician. That stuff's called "Duct Tape." ;) (No not Duck Tape.) One of its many uses is taping down little kids, but not taping wires. :D

The cough syrup tip is the voice of experience. Honest.

VERY IMPORTANT: Be good to Mom and Dad. When you can, spend money to save your neck.

Originally posted by lisap
Ok, I may get the title of The Worst Mom in America for saying this but if you suspect that your child may have the eansy weensiest possibility of having a cold or getting a cold a some time in the future, give him/her a dose of Triaminic Night Time a half hour before you board.

Yes, I have done this. I have flown a lot (alone) with one or two little kids on 5-6 hour flights and doing this *occasionally* has saved my bacon, especially if your child is a busy little one who abhors the car seat for any amount of time (it just slows them down a bit, helps them take a nap).



Ahh. We're a Dimatapp family. Mom's little miracle grape juice. Time to go night, night....:)

Personally, I don't see anything wrong with the nighttime dimetapp. Traveling is hard on children, having to stay in one spot for hours with very little stimulation or excercise. Frankly, I think you're doing them and every passenger on that plane a favor.

I was on this flight to London in 99, 11 hour flight... and before we even took off, this child (actually I believe the term I used at the time was demon child, but I'll be nice here) started crying. Cried for 45 minutes straight. Stopped for 3, then cried for 30 minutes straight. Luckily I had brought a bag of cookies with me, so I gave the father one (did I mention how close this child was to me? just across the aisle and one row back). The kid shut up for 5 minutes, then began to cry again. We did the cookie thing like 3 times, then the father refused any more cookies. What do you think? The kid cried and cried and cried and would not shut up! I'm all one for consistency, I've made no secret of that, but on an 11 hour flight with 400+ people is not the time nor the place. Had that parent been a good parent like yourself and given the kid some dimetapp, we'd all have been better off!

Here's another tip for you: Most airplane bathrooms (not all, but most) have a fold-down changing table. Many people don't notice it, but it's often on the wall behind the toilet and folds down over the toilet. Easier and cleaner than changing on the airplane seats - and much nicer to those around ya ;)

Also, it's probably too late for this trip, but... if you live in a city that is served by Jet Blue Airways (it's a small, relatively new one, but they serve quite a few cities already), I'd recommend flying them. They have tv's at each seat with satellite feed. We used to have that at an airline I used to work for (no longer in existence), and the mothers would come off swearing by those tv's. See, they had Discovery Kids, Boomerang (by cartoon network), and Animal Planet as part of their 24-channel lineup. Kids would sit transfixed the whole flight, not making a peep.

Originally posted by Morrigoon
Personally, I don't see anything wrong with the nighttime dimetapp. Traveling is hard on children, having to stay in one spot for hours with very little stimulation or excercise. Frankly, I think you're doing them and every passenger on that plane a favor.
SNIP>

Also, it's probably too late for this trip, but... if you live in a city that is served by Jet Blue Airways (it's a small, relatively new one, but they serve quite a few cities already), I'd recommend flying them. They have tv's at each seat with satellite feed. We used to have that at an airline I used to work for (no longer in existence), and the mothers would come off swearing by those tv's. See, they had Discovery Kids, Boomerang (by cartoon network), and Animal Planet as part of their 24-channel lineup. Kids would sit transfixed the whole flight, not making a peep.

Well, thank you all for not call Child Protective Services on me ;)

The tv at each seat would be insanely great!!!! I would so love to see that on every carrier. We did bring eandc's laptop one flight and played Toy Story II for the gals but the battery gave out after a while. I heard about airports renting DVD players and DVD that one could return at the arrival airport. It might be expensive, but if your child is a video nut, this could sure help.

P.S. I was kidding about the electrical tape, by the way--just to make sure we're all clear...:D

You guys rock!

We've actually gone an arranged for a town car of some sort to pick us up at the airport, I've made arrangements already to make a pit stop at Publix.

Andrew, I know exactly where a couple of them are, no need for a Target however, my wife makes a weekly visit to the one near our home... : )

All of your ideas and advice are greatly appreciated.

Funny, this is the 15th time in Orlando for my wife and I, but the first with our son, not to get to sentimental here, but we've been looking forward to this for a long time.

EandCDAd, we're staying for 4 nights at the Polynesian in the concierge level (Merry Christmas to us) I'll do the best I can to get a trip report together.

Thanks all!

Bobcat

Hi there, Bobcat! Yes, it actually is me...busy as ever, but never too busy for Disney...hope all's well in Revere!

Here are my 2 cents for when we took our 1 1/2 year old to Hawaii a few months ago. Stickers are awesome...I bought a whole bunch of stickers (pretty cheap at Target...tell Ca!) and that kept the little one busy for a LONG time. I also had PediaCare or Triaminic...can't remember which now...available just in case. In addition to pacifier, I'd consider bringing some juice...anything to get the little kid to swallow a lot during take off and landing.

I also put a bunch of inexpensive toys in a lunch pail, and that really kept her busy...don't know if your little one is into the "take it out, put it back in, take it out" cycle yet, but ours was.

We brought our regular carseat with us (when we bought it, we made sure it was okay for flight), and believe it or not our little one refused to sit in it. Oh well, it did help as a place to put our junk in flight! She ended up sitting on my lap most of the trip.

And yes, heed Morrigoon's advice...there is definitely a fold down changing table in the bathroom!

Good luck! Feel free to e-mail me with any questions...sorry I haven't been available lately!

Why hello Dlandmom,

I thought you'd forgotten about me!

All is well in Revere, thanks for asking.

Oh, you'll definitely be hearing from me very soon, how are
the plans for May coming along, I'm assuming you're still meeting
us correct?

I'm really liking the Dimetapp (sp) or the Triaminic idea to promote
some type of napping or as a way to calm my son. I have this feeling that he'll be spending an awful lot of time on our laps, just as your daughter did. He's in to everything!

The duct tape idea was quite good, I wonder if it works for adults who get annoying on flights, start by taping the mouth and work from there! :)

E-mail me when you've got a minute.

Bobcat

All great ideas, but every child is diffirent. For mine, I would just book red eye travel time and she would sleep through every flight. Very minimal snacks, toys etc. were needed on the plain.

Originally posted by Morrigoon
I was on this flight to London in 99, 11 hour flight... and before we even took off, this child (actually I believe the term I used at the time was demon child, but I'll be nice here) started crying. Cried for 45 minutes straight. Stopped for 3, then cried for 30 minutes straight
[Snipped]

More than likely, the initial cause of this was the inability of the child to correctly repressurize the ears. This causes tremendous pain and is often the reason babies and toddlers cry in airplanes, most notably during take-off and landing. The loud noise of the engine working full throttle during these periods does not help, either. I suspect that the mastication required for chewing the cookies helped to correct the pressure in the child's inner ear, and kept it from crying while eating.

For babies, consider a feeding during take-off and landing. For toddlers, fruit roll-ups would work well. Older children can chew on red rope licorice, caramel, jerky, fruit chews or any number of things as well.

Before medicating your child, talk to the pediatrician. The purpose of the medication is to render your child groggy, with a clear sinus; the latter can be remedied by the above solution. Not every parent feels comfortable doping up a child before a flight, after all.

[I'm not a parent and I don't play one on TV, yadda yadda yadda.]

Originally posted by lisap
I heard about airports renting DVD players and DVD that one could return at the arrival airport. It might be expensive, but if your child is a video nut, this could sure help.Some airlines provide this as well, built into the seat. I think Virgin does this, at least in its upgraded class of service.

Originally posted by EandCDad
5. Don't overpack.Bobcat, this is especially true since 9/11. If you have not done so yet, consider reading my most recent article, "Traveling in a Changed World (http://www.mouseplanet.com/lani/tp011107.htm)", which ran here recently, and which discusses some of the changes you need to be aware of when flying. I used to be able to tell parents that they could travel with just their carry-ons even when traveling with young ones, but since 9/11 I am afraid all but the most experienced light travelers would need to check in their luggage when traveling with babies. You might still consider reading my Travelite FAQ guide, however. You can still get some practical tips there.

Have a wonderful trip!

RE: renting DVDs at one airport and returning them at another....

I know of one person who did this flying from San Jose to Denver (I'm pretty sure he flew out of San Jose.)

Re: feeding babies during take-off and landing.

I realize that the standards for air travel haven't quite reached the level of automobile standards, but then, my parents had me in a car seat, well, let's just say multiple decades ago before they were legally required, so my family has either been ahead of the times or paranoid. I prefer to think we were ahead of our time....

I refuse to travel by plane unless my child has his own seat. Yes, I dragged my son's car seat through Chicago on the way to Kansas City in the middle of one of the coldest winters anyone could remember, and then I did it again coming home through Denver, while travelling with two adults who were in the final stages of a bout of food poisoning, all while I was 5 months pregnant. (Yes, I'd like a medal, thank you.) (and we did need the carseat for driving around Kansas City anyway.)

My point is that I know it's not convenient but I felt it was in my son's best interest and so I did it anyway. Nursing a very young child would not be possible for me and very young babies should not be drinking anything but breastmilk or formula, although you might consider a bottle of juice for take-off and landing if your baby is old enough to eat solids.

Talk to your pediatrician, consult professionals, I'm just a mom sharing her experience and opinion. (Yeah, I know, you're shocked that I have an opinion-- who knew?)

Adrienne K

Originally posted by Mad Madam Mim
All great ideas, but every child is diffirent. For mine, I would just book red eye travel time and she would sleep through every flight. Very minimal snacks, toys etc. were needed on the plain.

Very true--every child is different! I had an absolutely nightmarish experience flying the red eye with my two children...took me days to feel functional again.

My older daughter had terrible airsickness due to exhaustion and greasy Chinese food too late at night. I held a plastic bag at the ready the whole flight and did not sleep a wink. The other passengers looked at my child like she was a demon. I feel ill just thinking about it.

Those were extreme circumstances, but I'm way too afraid to fly the red eye with the kids EVER again. :(

Lani, I would love to agree with you about the ear pressurization, but the crying began a fair 20-30 minutes before takeoff (you know how long they spend boarding those 747s for international flights). At least the first (and longest) crying spell did not begin with ear trouble. Had the father done the humane thing, though, and given his child a little cold medicine or airsickness medicine (both of which we know to be total zonkers), the child would have suffered less, and the 100 or so adults within earshot of the child would have suffered less. There was also the issue of him not taking any more cookies, when it was clearly working. Yeah, if it had started DURING takeoff or landing I totally would have pitied the kid. Maybe next time I go international I'll bring lollipops instead of cookies ;).

You know, those carseats that come with stroller frames look like the neatest things. You just pop open the frame and the carseat locks right on to become a stroller. I'll bet that would be great in an airport!

Will agree that children crying is not always due to the pressure. I've flown enough to realize that some kids cry and some kids cry ALOT. Before takeoff, after takeoff, all during the flight, in the waiting area, at baggage claim, etc.

Now I'm one of those intolerant types who would normally sit and seeth at this but I've come to realize that usually no one is really to blame. The kid? He's tired, cranky, scared, hungry and is doing what he does when he feels that way, he cries. The parent? If there is one person who wants that kid to shut-up more than you its the parent. So I bring music and DVDs and am thinking about upgrading my earphones.

Some people have a problem with the medication but we've talked to our pediatrician about this and he said it was fine. I'll take his word for it.

The DVD players are expensive if you want them for more than one day, but for one day it is $10 and you get 2 movies. The only problem is the screen is tiny. A guy had a player next to me and an extra set of headphones and asked me if I wanted to watch "Any Given Sunday." I did but after about 5 minutes I wished I could have gently told the guy "why don't we watch it on my laptop."

Lani, three posts in a row must set off some kind of warning in the moderator room.;)

Originally posted by Morrigoon
Lani, I would love to agree with you about the ear pressurization, but the crying began a fair 20-30 minutes before takeoff (you know how long they spend boarding those 747s for international flights). At least the first (and longest) crying spell did not begin with ear trouble. Had the father done the humane thing, though, and given his child a little cold medicine or airsickness medicine (both of which we know to be total zonkers), the child would have suffered less, and the 100 or so adults within earshot of the child would have suffered less. There was also the issue of him not taking any more cookies, when it was clearly working. Yeah, if it had started DURING takeoff or landing I totally would have pitied the kid. Maybe next time I go international I'll bring lollipops instead of cookies ;).


My husband I and once sat next to a family on a nonstop flight from Boston to San Francisco with a kid who screamed the whole time!!! He fell finally fell asleep as we were landing. I thought my husband was gonna kill the kid.
What was the icing on the cake is when the airline gave the parents a nice bottle of champage to apologize for them not getting a bulkhead seat. My husband thought we should get the bottle for putting up with the kid the whole time. (and we don't drink). Not even a I'm sorry, or a "gee, he's so cranky because he has a head cold" or anything. Was miserable.