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NFT: Traveling with a two year old

jgambrosio : 5/20/2023 8:22 pm
So a loaded/multiple question situation here. Looking for advice and tips.

Heading to Paris next month. My parents got an air bnb in the city and invited my and my sister's families. So now about to board a transatlantic flight (connecting, not non-stop) from Florida to France.

Any advice? Flight entertainment, things to do, places to eat. Hell I've never traveled with a toddler yet (we went to Jersey last year but with a rental car and he shockingly slept through both flights), even how to handle car seats and related on the flight and on the ground. I feel completely unprepared right now. Which isn't my personality, so making me that much more nervous!
My advice?  
RicFlair : 5/20/2023 8:29 pm : link
Wait a few years.
Agree on waiting...  
DefenseWins : 5/20/2023 8:35 pm : link
or go without the 2 year old somehow. The kid will not enjoy it and will have no idea WTF is going on, and you and your wife will not be able to do what you really want to do.

Now, since you are probably going with the child, that is a long flight. A sedative for the kid. lol
We flew last spring from NJ to New Orleans  
10thAve : 5/20/2023 9:10 pm : link
Obviously a much shorter flight with our daughter who was a year and a half old at the time. She was actually pretty good for the most part. She had tubes in her ears which definitely helped at takeoff and landing, not sure if yours does. As far as activities, we had the full arsenal - iPad, stuffed animals, coloring, books to read. So long as she was kept busy she was fine, when she wasn’t occupied she got a little ornery. We also had a bunch of snacks to give to her too.

You’ll be fine, just be prepared with things to keep him/her occupied. That’s obviously a much longer flight so hopefully they get some sleep.

One thing I did notice is that most passengers were pretty forgiving with a child that young. We’re going to Disney in June so we’ll be able to see year over year progress with flying.
RE: Agree on waiting...  
Jim in Fairfax : 5/20/2023 9:14 pm : link
In comment 16120408 DefenseWins said:
Quote:
or go without the 2 year old somehow. The kid will not enjoy it and will have no idea WTF is going on, and you and your wife will not be able to do what you really want to do.

Now, since you are probably going with the child, that is a long flight. A sedative for the kid. lol

I just did a cross country with a two year old  
BH28 : 5/20/2023 11:11 pm : link
Back pack filled with toys. ipad w/ headphones is the fail safe.

Honestly if you've never flown with a two year old before, see if you can take a short hop somewhere a dry run. Try to workout some of the travel kinks before the transatlantic.
RE: My advice?  
eric2425ny : 5/21/2023 12:22 am : link
In comment 16120404 RicFlair said:
Quote:
Wait a few years.


This
Have your child and one parent  
12aob : 5/21/2023 2:20 am : link
be the last people to board the plane. Let him/her run around the gate area for as long as possible before boarding. Pre-boarding gets your kid stuck in a row of seats for an extra 20-30 minutes while everyone else boards. That doesn't go well.

Take some familiar small toys and some new ones to bring out from time to time as the flight progresses. Bring your own snacks and drinks. Get up and walk when the seat belt sign is off. Don't drink alcohol yourself - that likely will diminish your patience.

Be thankful for this opportunity. It may be a difficult flight and may not be the most enjoyable trip to Paris you'll ever have (hope you can go again when you are an empty nester!) but
Advice from a pediatrician: Have your child and one parent  
12aob : 5/21/2023 2:22 am : link
be the last people to board the plane. Let him/her run around the gate area for as long as possible before boarding. Pre-boarding just gets your kid stuck in a row of seats for an extra 20-30 minutes while everyone else boards. That doesn't go well.

Take some familiar small toys and some new ones to bring out from time to time as the flight progresses. Bring your own snacks and drinks. Get up and walk when the seat belt sign is off. Don't drink alcohol yourself - that will likely will diminish your patience.

Be thankful for this opportunity. It may be a difficult flight and may not be the most enjoyable trip to Paris you'll ever have (hope you can go again when you are an empty nester!) but heck, this is an wonderful opportunity your parents are giving you.
RE: Advice from a pediatrician: Have your child and one parent  
DefenseWins : 5/21/2023 7:34 am : link
In comment 16120466 12aob said:
Quote:
Get up and walk when the seat belt sign is off.


and for the love of God please do NOT let your kid walk around with no shoes in the bathroom like some other Darwin award winner parents do.
Bring some lollipops  
give66 : 5/21/2023 8:14 am : link
Kids ears get all screwed up, this keeps them swallowing and opening up the tubes.
A bag of old and new toys, lots of them.
Don't let them nap too much the day of the flight so they sleep. Night flights are better, but coming back from Europe hard to find.
Xanax for you (kidding or not)  
pmmanning : 5/21/2023 8:32 am : link
I have 3 now but flying with my 1st and then 1st and second
I was so stressed out the kids felt it.

Now with three I just chill myself out usually a couple of scotches before and during the flight. Earlier in the year flew cross country they were so chill people could not believe it ( I didn't pay for a drink on the flight they wouldn't charge me). When we landed my wife had to drive though she wasn't the happiest about that.
 
christian : 5/21/2023 8:37 am : link
I have a 20 month old, and we've flown several times from NY to CA, so I feel like I'm getting this down.

1) Get a lightweight travel car seat. At 24 months I'm assuming he's now in the grown ass man seat. Don't lug that on a plane. It's nearly impossible to get into a plane seat. You also don't want to lug that around after.

2) You board first when they call families, and have mom stay out with him. Get that seat in without people climbing up your ass.

3) Assuming it's an overnight flight, he will sleep. But don't do anything stupid like try and make him more tired or move his bed time. Keep his schedule 100% normal, and when the lights go down he will sleep.

4) Virtually everyone is wearing noise cancelling headphones, so don't feel guilty when he has a few normal fits. It'll be a biggish plane, so just walk him up and down the aisles to wear it off.

Everything will be fine. There are several kids on every plane. And anyone who won't cut you some slack because you have a small person with you is asshole and deserves a crying kid in their face.
Flying bulkhead seats are your friend  
Bubba : 5/21/2023 8:41 am : link
We flew with our kids since they were infants. Also got bulkhead seats so they had room in front of us to sit on floor and play with toys etc. You will be limited however on site seeing etc due to his schedules. Gate check car seat stroller etc.
Flying bulkhead seats are your friend  
Bubba : 5/21/2023 8:48 am : link
We flew with our kids since they were infants. Also got bulkhead seats so they had room in front of us to sit on floor and play with toys etc. You will be limited however on site seeing etc due to his schedules. Gate check car seat stroller etc.
I didn't travel when my kids were little...  
x meadowlander : 5/21/2023 10:21 am : link
...because it isn't a vacation when full-time parenting. The trips we took were contained. House rentals, camping trips, day trips. Rides no longer than 3-4 hours.

I never would have considered voluntarily taking a toddler on a flight - certainly nothing over 2 hours.

I'd say about half of my flights these days feature a screaming kid. Usually, the engines shut them up at takeoff, but sick kids can be relentless. Howling, coughing snot factories.

My advice, if there is no choice and it's a long trip - Benadryl is your friend.

Worst case scenario here:
8 hours trapped in hell - ( New Window )
Bulkhead not as good as it used to be  
jjgmrg901 : 5/21/2023 10:43 am : link
We flew from DC to London when our daughter was 18 months or so. We had bulkhead in the middle so all three of us were sitting together.
Last time I flew with bulkhead was crappy. Little room for legs and just a difficult set up.
I recommend upgrading your seats to economy plus. Try to fly Air France British Airways or Lufthansa. Their economy upgrades actually give you more room and fewer people in the row. Avoid Delta.
We gave our daughter either a half of a valium or Benadryl. It really knocks them out. Not sure what the child police would say about that.
Good luck and enjoy.
 
christian : 5/21/2023 11:23 am : link
Giving your kids Benadryl on a flight is a bad idea. Diphenhydramine actually has the opposite effect on a pretty good size of the population, and can also effect their breathing.

If you have a horror show of a kid, the first order of business is a good look in the mirror. If the problem isn't something you can address, and your kid has genuine situational behavioral issues, a discretionary flight probably just isn't in the cards.

The best odds to get a kid to fly well is keep their routine, keep them fed, and keep your outward frustration level down to not rile them up.

Virtually every flight has multiple kids and a crying baby has never been the reason a plane went down.
RE: I didn't travel when my kids were little...  
pmmanning : 5/21/2023 11:23 am : link
In comment 16120513 x meadowlander said:
Quote:
...because it isn't a vacation when full-time parenting. The trips we took were contained. House rentals, camping trips, day trips. Rides no longer than 3-4 hours.

I never would have considered voluntarily taking a toddler on a flight - certainly nothing over 2 hours.

I'd say about half of my flights these days feature a scream, but sick kids can be relentless. Howling, coughing snot factories.

My advice, if there is no choice and it's a long trip - Benadryl is your friend.

Worst case scenario here: 8 hours trapped in hell - ( New Window )


Yes Benadryl if your kid is stuffed up or has ear problems.
It knocks 2 of mine out the other one it makes whacko.
So only if really needed.
RE: …  
eli4life : 5/21/2023 11:37 am : link
In comment 16120544 christian said:
Quote:
Giving your kids Benadryl on a flight is a bad idea. Diphenhydramine actually has the opposite effect on a pretty good size of the population, and can also effect their breathing.

If you have a horror show of a kid, the first order of business is a good look in the mirror. If the problem isn't something you can address, and your kid has genuine situational behavioral issues, a discretionary flight probably just isn't in the cards.

The best odds to get a kid to fly well is keep their routine, keep them fed, and keep your outward frustration level down to not rile them up.

Virtually every flight has multiple kids and a crying baby has never been the reason a plane went down.


But it could be the cause of the plane landing with a few less passengers than it took off with
Children’s Earplanes  
Jim in Fairfax : 5/21/2023 11:55 am : link
Prevents a lot of crying
I just came back from Denver  
upnyg : 5/21/2023 12:26 pm : link
and there was a crying kid on the plane for 4 hours...kind of rough for people around. Parents did a good job walking him around.

My kids are all adults. however we did drive down to VA Beach when my oldest was 2. She got car sick and we had to change her clothes 3 times on the way down. Sometimes, there is nothing you can do.

Wishing you well, I lke some of the advice Ive seen here.
My daughter went with us  
OBJ_AllDay : 5/21/2023 12:47 pm : link
to Florida at 2 and 3. Its not bad with a short flight. Can't speak to anything longer than 3 hours though. On the way back this last time her ears hurt the last half hour and it was a little rough. Other than that no problems. Its a lot to pack but if you stay at a resort where you don't need to leave the premises much its pretty easy. If you're loading up on trying to see places or move around its going to be a nightmare.
I don't have kids but, what about  
MNP70 : 5/21/2023 12:50 pm : link
what YOU'RE going to do about YOU? When I was married, my sister/brother in laws brought their children everywhere and guess what? It pissed everyone off. Fellow travelers/vacationers and grandparents included.

It easy for me to say leave them home (and figure out arrangements) , but just the fact that you're asking these questions tells me that you aren't going to enjoy a minute of it, or very little. Your attention (as it should in most if not every circumstance) goes immediately to how to appease the kids even before you board the plane. What about you and your wife? This has stress written all over it, for you and everyone around you. The children will certainly not remember the trip or know what/where/who Paris is right now. I'm a huge believer in reducing as much stress in my life that I can control. To me, this is one of those occasions
Trank  
GiantSteps : 5/21/2023 2:56 pm : link
Darts
I did this  
McLovin28 : 5/21/2023 5:32 pm : link
2 years ago when my daughter was 20 months old and the plane was by far the easy part. My wife is originally from Sweden and we went to visit her family there and are actually going again this year. The plane ride we made sure all of her favorite shows were downloaded to the iPad, she had headphones, stuffed animals,snacks and everything she would need. She slept most of the flight but the nightmare began when trying to adjust to the time zone, that and everyone speaking Swedish around her did not sit well. If your kid is familiar with your parents then you may not run into this issue. However try to get them on some sort of schedule as soon as you get there because that's going to be the biggest challenge.
...  
SFGFNCGiantsFan : 5/21/2023 5:51 pm : link
God speed my friend.
You'll be fine  
widmerseyebrow : 5/21/2023 8:37 pm : link
We're doing the same: going to Scotland. We took him to Brazil and Argentina last year.

#1 you won't be alone. I never noticed how many upset children there are on a long flights until I had kids. It's less stressful knowing you're far from being the only one.

These long haul flights have all kinds of in seat entertainment for kids: shows, movies, games. You can also bring a cheapy tablet (kitted with foam case with a kickstand) and pre download some games and movies you know he likes.

Don't bother with the car seat. You can just rent one from the car agency and/or take trains. Not worth hauling something like that, but if you insist they have car seat bags with wheels on Amazon.

Good luck and it will definitely be worth it.
Oh yea and Benadryl  
widmerseyebrow : 5/21/2023 8:38 pm : link
Just in case :)
Just did my two year olds first flight  
Aaroninma : 5/21/2023 10:35 pm : link
Way shorter than yours, but it was way easier than i thought and i was really nervous about it.

Definitely get the ipad/tablet ready, download all the stuff they like before the plane(in case the internet sucks). Snacks on snacks on snacks. And just be ready to move around.

Biggest piece of advice, try not to give a crap about the other passengers. Anyone with a heart knows flying with a toddler isnt easy, and everyone has headphones. Do what you need to do for your kid.
Plenty of good practical advice here, so I'd offer solace:  
CT Charlie : 5/22/2023 11:16 am : link
Every child is different. You never know how one will react to a particular situation, nor even how one'll react to the same situation on different days.

So do your best.

I think the advice about a short-hop test run is useful but probably not practical. Any chance you know how they react to long car rides, say, 2-4 hours? That could be helpful data.

Whatever the experience, good or bad, take notes for the next time. Bon voyage!
RE: Bulkhead not as good as it used to be  
Bubba : 5/22/2023 12:45 pm : link
In comment 16120526 jjgmrg901 said:
Quote:
We flew from DC to London when our daughter was 18 months or so. We had bulkhead in the middle so all three of us were sitting together.
Last time I flew with bulkhead was crappy. Little room for legs and just a difficult set up.
I recommend upgrading your seats to economy plus. Try to fly Air France British Airways or Lufthansa. Their economy upgrades actually give you more room and fewer people in the row. Avoid Delta.
We gave our daughter either a half of a valium or Benadryl. It really knocks them out. Not sure what the child police would say about that.
Good luck and enjoy.


I forgot to inculde we always fly business/first class.
I would avoid having them sleep on first leg,  
bhill410 : 5/22/2023 3:21 pm : link
Since sounds like you are likely switching in Atlanta, charlotte or Newark.

Have Bluetooth kids wireless headphones (emphasis on no wire) and download movies on an iPad. Hold off on that until initial excitement wears out and then provide. If it’s a night flight they should fall asleep naturally, bring a little pillow for them but they have so much more room than we do.

We had a couple of games, coloring books, and other toys to supplement the electronic stuff. Don’t give them too much to drink which was a mistake I have made before
We love this snug seat for our 3 year old  
jamalduff123 : 5/23/2023 1:38 am : link
These Snug pillows are awesome, we've flown a few times with our toddler, now 3. (we're also going to France in a few weeks).

https://www.travelsnug.co.uk

this brand is from the UK so takes a little time to arrive, but they work great. It's a cozy little seat when they're awake and then you can spread it out for them to sleep.

Other advice:
--Have a few new toys and books that you surprise them with on the plane.

--Load up the ipad with cartoons, games, etc. We normally don't allow much screen time, but on the plane you have to pull out all the stops.
----get them their own kid's headphones so you don't annoy neighbors with the audio.

--get to the airport early and let them run around the terminal for a while to tire them out.


snug pillow - ( New Window )
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