Steve and I are going with four friends, two kids and of course our little toddler, Abbey. The reason? To celebrate two 30th birthdays - mine and one of our friends'!
We can't wait. In fact, all six of us are counting down the number of days, and when we see each other we just have to say a number (currently 39) and we start jumping up and down. Well, we would if we were 'jump up and down' type of people, but we're more 'jump up and down on the inside' types. We're incredibly excited anyway.
So we know we'll have fun, we know the kids will love it. After all, there will be beaches, pools and cocktails. And there will NOT be work, telephones or housework. So it's sure to be great.
What I'm not sure about though, is the plane trip. It's only about seven hours, which will be broken into two trips with a short stop in New Zealand. But two lots of three and a half hours, expecting a not-quite-two-year-old to sit still? That doesn't sound like much fun.
So, what I'm asking, dear readers, is for any tips you have for making a plane trip with a toddler more bearable. In other words: HELP!
Megan
13 comments:
Hooray for you! There's no way to make the plane trip fun, but I think you'll find they surprise you. We took Mr6, then 3, to Europe and I found the best thing was to take lots of small toys in a box - some new, some old, some wrapped, some not, and just dole them out at intervals.
Also, read a few books about planes and plane trips before you go, so they have an idea of what's happening. I don't know if you're into the Tony Mitton/Ant Parker series but they do a little book called Amazing Aeroplanes, which lays it out well and in a fun way. Good luck!
We took the 8yo and the 6yo (then 3 and 18 mths) to Italy with us in 2005. All up, we sat on planes for over 24 hours. At times, it was a nightmare - but you'd expect that when they're not sleeping well. We've also done a bunch of trips to Perth (5hrs from Sydney).
My biggest tip if you have one: a portable DVD player. We have them, and pop in a Wiggles DVD (one they haven't seen) and it should buy some time. Take a number of DVDs in a portable CD case.
However, Abbey is a little young, so might not be taken by that as much. My other tip is playdough. If you can buy the "party packs" of playdough, that's always handy. Lots of colours in little containers. (I took homemade playdough once, but it dried out with the plane's aircon.)
Books. Thin books (so not heavy to carry).
Small exercise book with blank pages and a bag of crayons or Texta Zooms (roll up crayons) for drawing.
Food. Food. And more food. Anything that takes a little while to eat. Sultanas. Cheese & biscuits.
Sticker book. Dora or something similar. Something that has big stickers for little fingers.
That should do it.
You'll be right. So will Abbey. GET EXCITED NOW!!!!
I think that Jodie pretty much described everything.
Her comforter would be good too, never forget that. And take toys that she likes.
How exciting! I'm excited for you.
We haven't taken our kids on a plane yet - SO I'll just wait to hear how you went :)
How exciting! I'm excited for you.
We haven't taken our kids on a plane yet - SO I'll just wait to hear how you went :)
Vallergan. I mean - NO Vallergan!! It can make some kids go bananas (as you will read about in my book Beijing Tai Tai) and develop the uncanny ability to ingest only chocolate, texta lids and levitate.
But seriously... my girlfriend, who is an enormously successful, respectable woman with three beautiful, successful grownup kids, always suggests this: get drunk. Let the hosties take care of the kiddles.
;)
No idea, I am freaking terrified of flying ;)
oh my goodness, I am soooooo jealous! Hubby and I both turn 30 next year. Hmmm....
I think Jodie's fantastic response pretty much covered all of my tips. My daughter has been on a few flights now (only 17 months), including a 2.5 hr flight and it wasn't too bad. This might be a little too late for this advice (?) but we tried to book flight at a time where she would crash for at least the last half e.g. around nap time.
Also, make sure you have a sippy cup with straw ready to go (or a bottle if she isn't too old) with her favourite drink. That way you can encourage her to sip on this as the flight takes off and lands, to protect her ears. (As she is too little to explain to pop her ears or give her gum etc.)
Best of luck and I hope you have a great trip :)
We've done heaps of flights with the Sproglette - I took her back to Ukraine when she was 10 weeks old, then we criss crossed Europe a few times, before we moved back to Australia for good. Darwin is about 4 hours from Brissie where the family is, so we've done that trip a few times... All I can say is UGH. You're lucky you'll have people with you though, as I've done some of my trips with toddler solo, but still - ugh! It's not fun.
To add to what's already here: unpack everything you need into the pocket of your seat, or under the seat in front of you. It's toooooo hard to go digging through a locker continuously when you have to juggle a baby between yourself and your husband, all while trying not to disturb people sitting around you.
Also, don't be shy about asking to be sat next to a spare seat, if there are any available. Most airlines will be very accommodating, even Jetstar has voluntarily sat me next to spare seats without me asking! If you have an Ergo baby, use it. Even if you just use it to get on the plane and at the airport, having both your hands available when you've got luggage and carry bags etc is priceless.
Also, not sure how long you're going for, but perhaps take as many nappies as you can fit. I've heard some of the pacfic island destinations, being very remote and catering to tourists, can charge a fortune for things like suncreams and baby supplies.
We're going to Japan in June, and I'm not looking forward to the plane trip but getting to the destination will more than make up for it.
Bon voyage!
We're off to Hong Kong in November for my 30th, seems like it is the done thing, so many people I know are turning 30 this year and taking off on a holiday to celebrate.
We've done a number of domestic and international trips with our girls (now 4 and almost 2), we've always packed there favourite toys and a few other bits and bods in a bag for them to take on the plane.
Another thing which can occupy a little one is post it notes, esp the bright coloured ones. they can stick them everywhere and not destroy anything. Another thing is a snack box, I always have a lunchbox full of food and drinks for the girls.
Enjoy the trip, we love travelling with our girls and are lucky they are good fliers.
Thank you so much for your thoughtful comment over at my guest post on Zoey's site. I couldn't agree with you (and your mama) more - it's important to have the ideals to strive for AND for our children to see that we make mistakes, learn, and forgive ourselves.
As far as travel with toddlers:
we recently flew several hours (with a layover) and had a relatively pleasant time.
Snacks, new books (we got a couple of I Spy books which kept his attention for awhile), a doodle pro, and realistic expectations. :) Another "toy" that might be useful depending on the toddler's age - a digital camera. Maybe that will keep them in one place for awhile - taking pics of whatever is out the window, their seat mates, etc. Smile and chat with people in the seats around you - it will go a long way to combat later head shaking.
Good luck, and happy early birthday!
I have only done relatively short trips (2 hours at the most) with Riley - the last one when she was about 22 months. And my suggestions is DVDs - those Baby Genius ones. For some reason she finds them captivating in a way that Thomas the Tank Engine isn't and will sit and watch for 30 minutes straight. Other thing I'd suggest is paper and stickers - toddler distraction gold (Christie @ Childhood101 gave me that tip) and paper and pencils/crayons alos a big hit. Good luck! I'm sure you'll have an amazing time.
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