Thursday, August 5, 2010
Flying With an *almost* 1 Year Old
Come September, Christian and I will be flying home to Colorado to visit with our wonderful families/friends and to celebrate the big FIRST birthday of our little man. What? How did that come so quickly? Anyway, I was hoping for some helpful suggestions on how to keep a one year old busy and happy on our flights out and back (we have a layover both times in Atlanta.) I know snacks and toys will help, but specifically are there certain toys/activities that you know of that might make the time go faster? This will not be Christian's first time flying (we flew to Florida from Colorado when C was almost 5 months to visit with Steve while he was at a training at Hurlburt Field) but I was able to coax him into taking a nap on my shoulder after nursing on those flights. This time it will be a lot different, and I don't expect him to want to sit in my lap for such long periods of time. Thankfully, my wonderful mother-in-law will be flying into SC a few days prior to help me fly with Christian out to Colorado. The extra set of hands and another lap will be SO helpful. The trip back will be just C and I. So...what advice do you have?
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4 comments:
Well you know I am a super big fan of our portable DVD player...it has helped on a lot of flights with both of my kiddos...Both Zach and Erin flew in car seats after they were about 8 months old, so I just popped the dvd player on in front of them once they were bored with me and my tricks. :) I know, I am totally a sucker for technology helping things...
Whew! I feel ya on this one. They are so much easier to fly with when they are little and still nursing. We have flown with Noah a couple of times now since he's a walker and it was challenging by myself. I think the best advice is to stay calm. I was probably stressing myself out worrying about it. Now that he is mor mobile he will probably be squirmy. I was given an excellent piece of advice about the toys and snacks. If hes attached to a teddy or something definitely bring that but actually try to bring new toys/books he has never seen before. This worked like a charm! His old toys he would just toss aside in the excitement of the plane ride but if they were new they kept his attention. Be sure to bring a pacifier or a sippy of some kind to help him clear his ears. I have an iphone and I downloaded movies and games on it and he liked that too. It will help tremendously that your MIL will be going out with you.
Don't stress to much about his behavior on the plane...most people are fairly understanding, as they have had kids of their own that may not have been stellar on a plane ride :)
We can't wait to see you guys! I bet the little man will do just great on the plane!
New toys that light up are great - I got LP a couple of light-up toys from the $1 bins @ Target and also that light up shark from World Market, which were all very entertaining. She also loved the travel magna-doodle, but I don't know if C is holding crayons/pens yet to use something like that. We wrapped all the new toys in wrapping paper and let LP open them on the plane throughout the trip.
New snacks are also a great distraction. If you can still wear him in some type of baby-carrier, that is great for toting at the airport (I found it easier than a stroller)...pack plenty of diapers (we had 1 layover that got extended and I was running very low and they do not sell diapers @ the airports, but they should!)
Also something for him to suck on - bottle, paci, sippy cup.
At the end of the day, even if it does go bad, remember you never have to see those people again so don't stress about it!
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