Flying with a One Year Old!

My son is almost 3 but has been flying since 3 months. Best advise i can give, schedule the flight during her naptime or an hour after her naptime.
The "plane noise" seemed to be soothing to him as well and to my surprise everyone on the plane said "i didnt even know there was a baby on the plane". AND keep in mind, the more anxious you get about the trip, the more she senses that and the more SHE acts up. Just be very calm, bring some new books, some good snacks and maybe even a portable DVD player with a new movie that doesnt get opened until the trip!! I never travel with out it these days and it's been the best investment. Best of luck and have a fantastic trip!!

You can go to a vitamin store or an all natural food store and get "Catnip herbal tea". I know it sounds weird, but this tea comes in tea bags and you just let it soak in a bottle of hot water for about 5 to 10 minutes. I would suggest you do this before going to the airport with boiling water and then give her the bottle at the airport before boarding the plane. That will allow the bottle to cool as well. You can even mix a little apple juice,formula or even a touch of honey in with the tea for flavoring. I normally used apple juice, because that was my daughter's favorite. The tea is soothing to them and allows them to rest. I hope this helps. You may want to take some tea with you as well. Your cabin steward will get you the hot water to mix the tea if you ask them to. (I was a travel agent for over 9 years! ha! ha!) Enjoy your cruise!!! Bon Voyage!!!!!!!!!!!

Hello C. D,
My name is L. and I have a 2 year old boy. We live away from our home town so that has considered us to fly back and forth since my son was 6 months old. I was really nervous also but it will all work out o.k. What I do is give him The Benedyrl tapblets. When he was one he could take a whole one I gave that to him about 1 hour before we got on the plane and tried to keep him awake untill then. I think it just helps them relax a little. My doctor suggested that to me to kind of make them go to sleep. But you might want to try it the day before to see if it will make her drowsy or if It will do the total opposite. That is my tip. If she does stay awake I would just bring a little bit of her favorite toys, coloring books, etc. to keep her occupied. Good luck and have a wonderful cruise.

Take plenty of snacks and any toy that she absolutely loves! You can also talk to your pediatrician about giving benedryl or something to calm her during flight. The airlines are not very nice about fussy infants anymore. My husband and I flew from Frankfurt, Germany to Charlotte, NC a couple of years ago with our two year old. He cried the entire way and my husband rode in the bathroom the entire flight to muffle his cries. This was on the second day after we were prohibited boarding the first day b/c he was crying. They told us we wouldn't be able to board the return flight to Germany if he was crying, so we left him with my parents for two months while we returned to Germany to move. Good luck. I hope the flight is short and your baby is better behaved than expected.

Take little things that she likes to play with and keep them on hand in your carry-on. Make sure you have enough things to switch out with to keep her interested and not bored with one thing. Take big suckers (like tootsie roll) for her to suck on while the plane takes off and maybe during the flight. This will help her ears pop so she won't be so fussy with the altitude change. If she takes a bottle still or a pacifier, that would work too. Juice boxes w/ a straw might work, but I don't know if they're still allowed or not. Video Jr now players are WONDERFUL for this kind of thing, even with 1yr olds, especially if they don't watch much tv (BECAUSE they don't watch much and are totally intrigued) - with headphones made for toddlers/preschoolers.
Take antibacterial wipes with you, because most everything she has will end up on the floor several times, so you'll want to wipe it off if it's something she might put in her mouth at some point.

Good Luck! I hope you have a GREAT time, and I hope I helped at least a smidgen.

Yes! My son is almost two and is a frequent flyer because all of our family is in Nebraska, and we are here in Kentucky. Get a magna doodle! They have travel sized ones in the stores. That will give them 10-20 minutes of play time. Also have a bottle (yes a bottle!) full of juice, milk, whatever for when you start your desent. It will help with the popping of the ears. A pacifier will work too. Pack his/her favorite snacks. My son loves fruit snacks. He doesn't get them very often, so when he does he goes nuts for them. That also will take 5-10 minutes of flight time. Bring your childs favorite toy and blanket. Play games with them and be silly...even if you feel like a fool. Believe me! The other passengers would rather hear a silly mother or father than a crying child. Books also are a big help. Try the I-spy books. That way the reading has also turned into a game. Good Luck!

I'm sorry I don't have any good tips or for that matter any tips because I have never flown my self but I can tell you that the people who work these airlines now are so picky about everything, from what u can wear to your weight to fussy kids. But good luck in you rsearch for tips for flying.

B sure to pack all of her favorite snacks!!

I've flown with my son several times. You can really only cross your fingers that all will go well. I bought a small non-noisy toy and saved it for the flight(something new to play with). One new toy for each trip(1 for over there-1 for coming back) I also brought lots of snacks(that weren't to messy). I also brought some books and a couple of favorite toys. Good Luck.

Are you still nursing? That will help in the plane ride!
Do you have a mini DVD player-- you could use that to bring Dora, Backyardigan, etc. videos.
I would make sure you brought a lot of Cheerios with you (I went through 1/2 box between the first and return flights lol) & lots of books with pictures, so that you don't get tired of reading the same 2 books over and over lol

You are very brave brining the baby with you on the cruise!
I guess you have already been on one so you know what to expect! They are fun, so have fun!

One of the best thing that I have ever found when it comes to flying with the little ones is take a little bag of suckers. That helps them with the take off and the desend to keep there ears from hurting the sucking will stop that. I have also made sure that I get the first row of seat so that the kids can sit down there and play or color and it gives them more room. I take their favorite blanket or pillow.

Trust me it works I am a single mom with 2 kids and I fly back home to Ca at least 2 times a year.