Stumble It!
So in less than a week, my mother and I will be on a plane with two small children. I'm not worried about dealing with Charlotte. As snarky as she is, she's a great kid. Very easy going and loves new situations. She will do fine on the plane. I'll have our mini-DVD player, she has her own page of apps on my iPhone and she'll be so excited by the whole situation, I'm sure she'll do perfect.
I'm not going to list here all the ways boys and girls are different, because well they ARE, but I'm worried he's going to ground the plane. Or that he'll be THAT baby on the plane - the one who cries and fights and turns into a demon and spews pea soup. And then some douchenozzle will say something and I'll lose my cool because that's MY baby you're rolling your eyes at and get in a fight on the plane and then I'll be arrested and live out the rest of my life in an orange jumpsuit and orange is so NOT flattering on me.
I tried to time the flights with nap times and we're leaving Philly around 11:45, assuming no issues with the flights. I plan on keeping him awake and running around the airport for as long as possible, boarding last, all those tricks. I thought about the Benny bottle but they don't let me carry through liquids, right? How can I take Benadryl through the gate?
I'm hoping that since he's still on the bottle I can plug him up for a bit, at least during take-off to help with his ears. Thankfully his cold is gone but I'm sure there's some lingering congestion. I plan to give Charlotte gum for the first time on the plane, hoping the novelty of the new candy and chewing will help with her ears.
The DVD player may hold his interest for a bit and I plan on buying some new Curious George movies which are his favorite. I'm also going to bring a few little toy cars and trucks. Bottom line is I'm hoping that he sleeps but if he doesn't and I'm sure he won't for the whole trip down, what the heck else is there?
Short of letting him run up and down the aisles a couple of times or walking with him, what else can I do? We took Charlotte on a plane at his age and I wasn't even remotely concerned. I didn't even bring a DVD player. She just looked out the window, talked to a few people, sucked on her bippy, and passed out.
But Sawyer is a different breed. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't dreading this flight. He's a GOOD baby, happy and smiley, giggly and funny. But he's ALL OVER THE PLACE and will NOT sit still. He doesn't even like to be rocked or held when sleeping, which adds to my concern about him sleeping on the plane.
Of course, I may not be giving him enough credit. He may end up being perfect, sitting nicely, playing with toys, watching a movie.
Or I could be right and we'll be kicked off the plane somewhere in the hills of West Virginia and I'll have to change my name to Bobbi Jane and become a hillbilly. Have you met my son Jethro?
Any tips on taking a very spirited small toddler on an airplane? My only saving grace is that it's only a 2-hour flight. I mean, people endure torture for years. I can handle two hours, right?
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Two if by air
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
19 comments:
You may have said already what you're planning to do about this and I missed it, but when we took Bubba on a plane when he was about a year old, we brought his car seat and buckled him into it. Even though it was kind of PITA to carry it, he was comfortable in it, accustomed to it, and fell asleep right away.
Also, unless you've given the Benny bottle before, be very careful because I've known a couple of parents on whose children Benadryl had the OPPOSITE effect. Heh.
i never tried benadryl, but you can throw a bottle in a small zip lock bag to take through security and it is ok.
i went to the dollar store to get new things for the plane ride. they always have tons of disney stuff that helps lessen the load you have to pay in the parks for stuff.
i also bought a sticker boook. the sticker book i bought at walmart was huge and $10. i thought it was a waste of money but it was the best thing. it kept him entertained way longer than i had expected. he stuck them all over the plane and luckily they peeled off easily so there were no issues.
i also brought a bunch of snacks and timed nap the best i could around the flight too. however when we went to seattle he decided to revolt and stayed awake the whole flight.
good luck!
I should add that we did not pay for a seat for him so he won't be in a car seat. He'll be alternating laps. I wish I had the extra money to do that since strapping him ANYWHERE now seems like a splendid idea but I just couldn't spend $250 for a 2-hour flight.
You can take Benadryl in a Ziploc bag. Or, get him the fast melt tabs.
I think he'll be alright. If ANYONE gives The Eye Roll or, Heaven help them, says anything, they're clearly tools and either don't have children or stuff their kids in a suitcase when they travel.
Good luck! Can't wait to hear how it goes :)
From experience, you don't want little rolling toys like cars on a plane. They hit the floor roll under the seat & are never seen again until the end of the flight because you can't get down there to find them due to the seats being so close together & probably they are wedged under the carry on luggage of the people behind you & then the child wails about having lost his toy. One larger wheeled toy is better, if slightly more inconvenient to carry.
I have very little advice - that's my worst nightmare also. However, we did Disney in the spring and she managed the flight. We will likely do it again this spring.
But if it makes you feel better ... it's a trip to Orlando and there are TONS of kids. You won't be the only parent with an excited child.
Also - the Benny bottle. Have you ever tried this? With Sawyer? Here's why I ask. We CANNOT give Matt Benadryl. For Matt it's worse than an energy drink. He bounces off the walls and it's terrifying. I asked our pharmacist about it and he said some kids fall asleep - others get ridiculously hyper (like Matt). So, seriously, if you're going to do it - try it first at home!!!!
(don't take that as judgement. I'd be all over it if it worked for us)
Also, chloe really loves colouring, so could you get the the special crayola markers - colour wonder? I sware by that.
Also, we resorted to Candy. She loved Smarties. So we did the Smartie thing.
The other thing that helped us - we ran our kids around the airport before we took off. It tired them out.
They hardly bat an eye at the stuff we bring on the plane for the kiddos. We even got away with the organic milk cartons though they did check them out and made us wait - they let it go. Medicines especially are not an issue in my experience.
I have to say that our son is well travelled and is a total trooper. It is our 2nd who has made plane travel hellish. When our 1st was little we travelled all over by plane with little to no issues.
With our daughter every plane right has been torture. We all get THAT look when we board (and we wait till we are the last to get on every time to let her run around and be crazy before the flight.)
The last time we flew some man even sighed and grumbled about how she was kicking his seat unintentionally of course. We did not say a word to that man but both my husband and I were a wee bit peeved to say the least at that man's behavior.
There is SO little room to let the kiddos walk up and down the isle these days that we could not even let her do that comfortably pplus she wants to touch and grab everyone...
Mostly we plied her with food and held her in the isle or back by the bathrooms/steward stations. Otherwise, we mostly just ignored the looks and let her scream and cry. The only saving grace the past few times was that we were seated in the BACK of the plane so we had that space mostly to ourselves. After this past flight recently I told my husband that we HAVE to get her own seat from now it. She would not even nap and I looked like went through the prize fight - I was bruised, bitten and scratched by the time we got home.
It has been wild experience after how placid our son was to travel with and I am not looking forward to our next flight in Feb.
It is tiresome and stressful but we have survived five flights with her (she has been VERY sick and healthy and was the same way every time...) with only that guy who really ticked us off with is general bad 'tude.
The good thing about Orlando is that it is relatively close - two hours is easy compared to two flights across the country from Indiana to Seattle, trust me! GL!!!
It will be fine.
My daughter is pretty high energy and we've taken her on a number of flights, including several long flights when she was roughly Sawyer's age. In my experience it matters less what you bring and more how you dole it out. We pack a little bag of toys (favorites and things she hasn't seen before) and snacks, and then whip something new out every 20 minutes or so to keep the novelty alive. She generally would fall asleep at some point, but 2 hours should be manageable, even if he doesn't.
also, agree that sticker books are good as are the crayola color wonder. Both of those make it into her toy bag every time.
We took Alex on a couple of long flights when he was about a year and a half old. The only trick that really worked for him was get to the airport early (which you probably would anyway) and just run him around. Up and down the terminal. Let him investigate anything he wants to, walk wherever he wants...just keep him moving. With Alex he'd either fall asleep or at least be too worn out to wiggle around much and the brand new toys that I'd packed for him to play with kept him happy.
Now, there was a time when we were going to Panama and we had a long layover in ATL and when we got on the 2nd flight, he was just done traveling. When he got real antsy I took him to the bathroom on the plane and he played in there for a while, splash in the sink, looking at himself in the mirror... I even let him draw on the mirror with my lipstik (which I wiped off before going back to my seat of course)
Basically, it probably won't be as bad as you think it will be, the good news is, if it is that bad, it's only 2 hours :)
Someone suggested to me once to pack a whole bunch of earplugs and pass them out to the people surrounding you on the plane before takeoff.
Good luck!
I don't have much advice, when we first took our kids on a plane, I had to give them Dramamine because they both get carsick. After the plan exchange in Las Vegas, they both fell asleep right away.
A good alternative to gum (even for Charlotte) is Skittles. They're chewy enough, but don't have the lingering "don't swallow your gum" (or spitting it out) issues. They chew pretty easily and are pretty small (as opposed to say, wine gums, no on both counts), so the choking hazard is low. If he is able to eat those (sorry, three kids and I have *no* recollection of any milestones), they might help with the ears. Plus they're currency!
Just don't run out of fucking Skittles or you're meat!
the best advice i was ever given in this situation was by my mother. She said to tell myself that the trip will be okay; my child will be okay. and if something comes up, there will be someone who can help. Whether that be a nice lady sitting next to us who plays peek-a-boo with my child or a flight attendant who is kind and understanding. her point was simple though--think positive and your experience will be positive.
it worked.
you can take medicines on planes. Also - fruit snacks or gummies are as effective as gum in the chewing department if you are worried about giving gum for the first time. And don't forget old fashioned coloring books. Easy to carry and can be used in multiple places. I have flown with my kids many times and these have kept us all sane.
Yes you can bring benadryl and baby bottles on a plane. Once when Cole was on a plane as a baby, he screamed and cried for 1/2 the flight. I had to sit in the back of the plane with the stewardess as she fed him her own personal stash of fruit snacks but even that didn't work. It was horrible. After that whole experience, the little ones got benadryl on the flights(as per my ped's recommendation) Works like a charm. I bought the pre-measured Benny spoons and packed them in the diaper bag.
The older kids have DVD players and gameboys/leapsters to keep them busy.
So pack snacks, DVD player, bottles and some benadryl and you'll be golden. *hopefully*
An alternative to the benedryl bottle may be children's gravol. I don't know the specific ages (we were giving it to our daughter as young as 3, but that's when she started getting motion sickness in the car) though, so it might be out.
If it's OK for him to have, it's a cherry tablet, similar to a chewable multivitamin. You could always break it into pieces and feed it to him that way.
I also have an older, calmer daughter and a little wild guy (now 2). We took a similar trip about 6 months ago, and it was fine - and I was on my own with the two kids for the flights.
Stickers are great. Food helps. I let my boy have a sucker for the first time, and it bought me almost 15 minutes (and helped with the ears). A peeled and cored whole apple was also amusing for a good few minutes. And whatever you have, just keep it nicely spaced out during your trip. Oh - and don't forget extra clothes for the boy. My guy spilled or somehow managed to completely saturate himself (and me) both ways.
And not to bring additional worry to you, but be prepared for delays. Our outbound flight was great, but the trip back home was delayed for over 4 hours - two on the ground and 2 in the plane - before take-off. Bring more than you ever think you'll need just in case.
And enjoy! The flight will be over, and Disney is such a wonderful place. Good luck!
If you sit near the very front of the plane, he may be able to get up and move around a little if need be, because there's usually space up there to stretch out. That's the only thing I can think of that you haven't mentioned.
Oh, fun! I just took a flight yesterday with my good friend and her 20-month-old son. He's an old pro (has been flying since he was 5 months) but he did wonderfully. He's also a VERY busy little boy.
You can absolutely take ol' Benny and any other liquids you need through the gate - just have them in the quart-size Ziploc. If you need larger liquids (more than 3oz) you can also bag those and if they're sealed and for the babies, they'll scan them specially and you'll usually get through.
For Jack yesterday she had some cars and snacks, but with his bippy he just passed out about 20 minutes into the flight. She'd brought the DVD player, but he never needed it. It was his naptime and the white noise on the plane did him in.
He did drop his toy truck several times, but it was a biggish chunky one and there were several older women around us who were all to happy to help pick up and chat/make faces with him. I suppose that was one of the "luck" aspects of the flying experience - everyone around us was super nice and grandmotherly.
Oh - and the other thing is, she's always treated the plane like a car. Absolutely NO getting down to run - it's just not allowed, and he doesn't really try anymore. I don't think he knows it's an option.
For him, juice and lovies seemed to be the most important things. Good luck - he just alternated between our laps, and he did great. Really. You guys will too!
Post a Comment