View Full Version : Travelling with a young child (21 months)
Looking forward so much to our holiday in august but it will be the first time we have been long haul with our son! We are flying Virgin from Gatwick. Has any one else had experience of travelling with a young baby and is there any advice you can give to help keep him occupied, his parents sane!:) and the other guests on the aircraft happy that he is not screaming the place down[msnscared]
Thanks
caroline
05-05-2004, 13:27
Hi
You may like to check out the following, there are lots of topics relating to travelling with young children
http://www.orlando-guide.info/forums/forum.asp?forum_id=27
Have a great time:)
hi hillgj1
we took our son when he was 22 months, 10 years ago now, he was quite good realy,except we couldn't keep him still. I think he intoduced himself to almost half the passengers. take plenty of picture books ,crayons etc also there should be cartoons on the flight. Plenty of juice and snacks and of course Calpol. It was just the 3 of us but I imagine it would be a bit easier with a larger party.
have a great trip
benfilo.
ps
don't forget to do the infant swap on the rides, to save queing twice(don't get your hopes up they don't give you a quieter child)[msnwink]
[quote]Originally posted by hillgj1
Looking forward so much to our holiday in august but it will be the first time we have been long haul with our son! We are flying Virgin from Gatwick. Has any one else had experience of travelling with a young baby and is there any advise you can give to help keep him occupied, his parents sane!:) and the other guests on the aircraft happy that he is not screaming the place down[msnscared]
Thanks
[Hi, We have taken our little one 3 times, the first at 6 then 14 then for her second birthday she enjoyed it each time, pleanty of toys for the flight and a change of clothing for all not just babe as Vigin are not the quickest at removing the meal plates we found and a small child can occupy themselves very quickly with these(hence the change of clothes) We had no problems really she walked it half way to the USA/quote]
We took our little girl when she was 21 months old and flew virgin from manchester. We gave her Calpol about 45 minutes before take off and kept her dosed up with it to make sure she never got sore ears. Unfortunately it did not make her sleepy!!!!!!!! As she was on our knee noone really got much sleep on the way back.
We took things like....crayons, colouring books, sticker books, threading beads, and lots of little snacks.
Get some NEW toys etc, lots of little bits and pieces that will keep him occupied. Try not to get stressed as he will pick up the vibes and make him worse, and don't be afraid to take him for a walk when the meal service is finished!
Good luck and have a great time!!
Ray&Sarah
06-05-2004, 11:55
We have taken both our boys on flights since they were little. We were very fortunate that they both behaved really well. We did feel really sorry for one baby on one of the flights who was really upset as the landing was affecting his ears. I hadn't even considered it. I guess that the Calpol idea is a good one.
Have a good flight, as long as they are occupied they are fine.:)
If you give your child a drink or a snack during take off and landing, this helps with ear problems as swallowing is good. Crying is also good for their ears (but probably not for anyone else's!).
That's the reason why you used to get boiled sweeties on airlines once upon a time!
We were given boiled sweeties this morning as we were landing.
As for children travelling, our two (20 months and 4 years old) were good outbound and inbound.
Eldest watched the Looney Tunes film over and over. The youngest sat in her provided car seat and watched cartoons silently (wouldn't keep headphones on).
On our flight back, Virgin - Ruby Tuesday, we had the Nintendo game system and that kept the eldest quiet (and me) for all the time she was awake (not long).
The flight back tends to be the flight when little ones sleep and in my experience is the easier flight.
Kids adapt well to travelling and a lot of the time surprise you, good luck...
cheap little toys and stuff as people have detailed above works well, make sure you wait until they get bored with the surroundings before you deal the goods. Then stagger them as they get bored with each new item.
Brizzle.
Thanks everyone for the great tips. Next step is to find something for me to do to take my mind off our trip as it is still 3 months away and I can't wait! Did you have a good time Brizzle? it sounds like all was ok with the kids so I hope we have a good time also. bet you are glad to be back!
Had great time thanks.
This is the third time travelling to Florida with our two (youngest being 4 months the first time) and whilst it isn't all plain sailing (or should that be PLANE sailing, sorry...[:o)]) it is very managable.
And once you get there the kids love the whole Florida feeling...Disney if you do it is great. My little monsters have the autograph, turn, pose and smile perfected....:) as demonstrated.
http://www.orlando-guide.info/forums/Data/brizzle/200456192123_cinders_mouse.JPG
http://www.orlando-guide.info/forums/Data/brizzle/200456192059_cinders.JPG
Another tip is make sure you take the time for your son to enjoy it as well...you see some people rushing around with a toddler trying to take it *all* in whilst the young 'un wants to take time and explore. And when they want to rest let them rest, as we all know they get cranky!!!
You and your family will have a great time.
Brizzle
We took our youngest when he was 12 months old and I must say the crew were much quicker warming his second bottle (after the fuss he made waiting for the first)
Our eldest was 3 at the time and spent ages watching one channel on the screen whilst listening to another - with a rather confused look on his face, kept him quiet anyway!
Debbie.
we didn't give our son calpol until about halfway through , when he was hot and bothered and fighting mr sandman. If you are unlucky and he is a bit restless or noisy just try not to get stressed the flight will soon go. Most of the stress is caused by worrying what other people are thinking. I'd rather have a restless or noisy child sitting next to me than a rude obnoxious adult.
benfilo
orlandobabe
07-05-2004, 03:01
How nice that the characters pose with them on their knees-I've never seen that before.
Can't wait to take my grandson!!!!
Ray&Sarah
07-05-2004, 03:05
Some lovely snap shots to remember their holiday by Brizzle.:)
Calamity Jane
07-05-2004, 11:02
I think what everyone needs to remember is that every child has a different temperement. If you are worried about travelling on the plane ask your health visitor for advice. I have been taking my kids out ( and they are now grown up with kids of their own) since they were very tiny and it wasn't Florida it was California ( much longer flight)
My eldest grandson is now 5yrs and has been coming to Florida with me, (he's been 14 times) since he was 9 months old, he has always been a dream to take, the other grandson is 2.5 and is a nightmare at home ( big style) and has been with me 3 times, I was panicking at the thought of him on board for 9 hours, but he has also been superb.
If you bring plenty of small toys ( not noisy ones) to amuse them, and crayons, plenty to eat, drink..especially milk ( dont forget you have to get rid of any fruit or milk products before you land) there is no reason why you shouldn't have a good flight, you will also find that they will have a pretty good sleep whilst flying.
I also took Calpol but never needed it, sweets at the begining & end to suck when taking off & landing because it can affect their ears ( not always)
And whatever you do, dont worry if your child cries or makes a noise on the plane, some people forget that they have had children, they should have a little sympathy for unsettled children, who just may not be a good traveller.
After all that you will have a fantastic time..enjoy !!
:D