Two years ago, my 21-month-old daughter flew for the very first time. With my parents. Without me.
And she was an angel.
The flight home, with Mark and me? That was a completely different story. It involved a tiny plane and a lot of turbulence, sweat and tears. Oh, and the screaming. Did I mention that part? The screaming that was so loud the pilots heard it through the big steel door and sent back earplugs for the other passengers?
Yeah. It was bad. (Baaaaaaaad.)
Last year, she flew again. This time, she was great for both my parents and me. I’m not sure if that has more to do with the fact that she had her own seat this time or the many desperate prayers I threw up. (“Please, God, don’t let her scream! Please, please, please!”)
In a few days, my little traveler will board another plane. I’m way less nervous this time around, a fact I attribute to my parents for both flying with us on all these trips and being veteran parents with endless tricks up their sleeves.
Here are a few tips I’ve picked up (from my parents and my kiddo).
Tips for Flying with Preschoolers:
1. Book a flight. I realize that you can’t always choose when you travel. But when you have the luxury, book a nonstop flight whenever you can. And if you can fly during naptime? Even better.
2. Talk it up. Now that Annalyn is three and a half, she has the memory (of an elephant) and comprehension she hadn’t quite developed when we took those first two trips. We’ve been talking about our upcoming trip for several weeks now and in recent days, we’ve spent a lot of time discussing “riding on a plane in the sky.” She’s properly excited and looking forward to the big trip.
3. Pack your bags. Annalyn is flying down with my parents a couple days before I join them for this vacation. So a couple nights ago, I took her two bags – complete with new Dora underwear, her swimming floaties and her favorite Tag Reader books – to my parents’ house so they can repack them.
No, they don’t doubt my packing ability. Well, they may, but that’s not why they’re repacking Annalyn’s bags. They have a packing strategy, and it’s complex enough to make up several subpoints here.
a. Check as many bags as possible. I’m a big fan of Southwest, which doesn’t charge to check two bags. But even if Southwest doesn’t fly where you’re going, it might be worth the baggage fee to have your hands free when loading yourself and your kiddo onto a plane!
b. Kids can carry their own bags. I love those adorable little kid suitcases I’ve seen other families use. I’m not sure my own child is quite coordinated for that yet, though.
c. Backpacks are best. She can, however, wear a backpack, which is what she’s taking on the plane. And if you have a baby, a backpack is also a great diaper bag, because it keeps your hands free and won’t bop as many people on the head as you walk to your seat.
d. Don’t forget the toys. I recommend a combination of new toys or activities and old ones that your kids haven’t played with in a while. (And, of course, quiet ones. Your fellow passengers will thank you for that!) A portable DVD player or handheld game unit thing (I don’t have one. Can you tell?) is also great. Just make sure your kids know that they’ll only be able to use them when the pilot gives the okay.
e. Chewing is good. Think about it this way: if they’re chewing – a snack, a wad of gum, an entire package of Twizzlers – they’re probably not yelling or crying. And obviously this will help prevent ear pain, too. Annalyn just recently learned to chew gum (without swallowing it), so I’m excited to get her a brand-new pack of fruity gum for her trip!
One more thing. If your kiddo still uses a sippy cup, take one in your carry on. The flight attendants will fill it up for you, and you don’t have to worry about buying four tiny bottles of water to make it through the trip.
4. Expect the best. Plan for the worst. No, I don’t mean that you should pack your own ear plugs! I’m saying that you should pack an extra change of clothes, plenty of diapers or training pants, and lots of wipes. Because you just never know.
5. Get there early. But not too early. On the day of your flight, make sure you leave with plenty of time to spare. I’ve found that – in just about every situation – my child is crankier when we’re running late. Yes, I have much experience to draw from here, okay? Anyway, get to the airport early enough that you aren’t stressed out, but not so early that you have to sit and wait for hours on end.
That last point, of course, makes me realize that we need a whole separate post about how to deal with a layover. And we haven’t even addressed the issue of to stroller or not to stroller.
Obviously there’s much to think about on this topic! So, what tips would you offer? What keeps you sane when flying with kiddos? And what keeps those kiddos happy and [reasonably] quiet when flying?
This post has affiliate links. And it will be linked to next week’s Top Ten Tuedsay at OhAmanda. (Yes, I’m counting all those subpoints.)
You might also consider a clean shirt for yourself…just in case. Can you tell I’ve flown with toddlers, too? ;-)
That is a good tip – for traveling with anyone! :)
Love this post!!! I have flown with my seasoned little traveler many times, and luckily, we’ve never had screaming. Yet. I love all of your tips – we have used most of them many times. The best tip I got was to bring stickers – she can put them all over everything(we just have to remove them before getting off the plane), that kept her busy for a long time. The last time we flew I gave her my digital camera and she took pictures for about a half hour. It was neat to see what she found interesting enough to take a picture of on a plane. Needless to say, we deleted a bunch of pictures of the tray table and the ceiling, and the floor. Hope you guys have a blast on your big trip! Can’t wait to read your blogs about that!
The camera idea is a great one. I saw a mom using that trick at the library today!
I flew a lot with toddlers – I agree with all you said. However, don’t bring 50 diapers for a 2hr flight! I always packed very light: a few diapers & wipes in my purse, then more in the carryon. That way you’re not constantly getting in and out of it. Tiny toys and tiny books.
What you should have when walking onto the plane: one small purse and one carryon suitcase or bag. I can’t tell you the times I saw mom holding kiddo in one arm, with 2-3 large bags over shoulder, carrying bag of food and holding a drink trying to find and then hand her ticket to the agent! Don’t carry anything extra!
And don’t expect to eat or sleep – it will be full attention on kiddo. Oh, and have sick bags out & ready!! If kiddo is under 2 – DO buy an extra seat! It’s worth it! Good luck!
The full attention on the kiddo is the part that I struggle with. Wait! Don’t think horrible thoughts about me yet! :) What I mean is that I get sick when I fly, so it’s really hard to deal with that on top of focusing on her. That’s why I’m so thankful I’ve only had to fly alone with her once. Tag-teaming is a good thing!
I have the air-sickness too. Get the wrist bands – they work. And sit in the middle of the plane where the wings are – that’s the most stable. ANd I really try to NOT fly on the smaller regional planes, you’ll feel the bounciness more on smaller planes.
I have no tips or anything, but just wanted to say I appreciated your post! Also… thanks so very much for your very sweet post recently on my blog. it meant the world to me!!!! I really appreciate you :)
Looks like great ideas from a well prepared momma. I’m sure it will be a great flight.
I’ve been flying with babies and toddlers and it helps to bring along coloring book or store their favourite movies in a portable dvd player. It did help me when we went on a short flight this month with the 3 kids- 9mths, 4 and 7.
Yep, the portable DVD player is a lifesaver!
Great tips! I could do a sub-post for you about How To Change a Diaper On Your Lap In The Airplane’s Bathroom. Whaddya think?
Anytime you want to write that one, let me know! :)
Sometimes there will be a changing table in the airplane bathrooms….but sometimes there will only be one in one of the rest rooms. Ask the flight attendant before going at it the hard way. I once changed a kid on my lap in the bathroom only to find out there was a changing table in the rest room at the front of the plane. :)
We are flying in November with a bag of Twizzler’s. Thanks for the tip.
Good luck!
I would LOVE to know what your thoughts are on strollers and carseats. Reading this post is my first step out of denial of the fact that I’m flying with my nearly-2 and nearly-4 y.o.’s at the end of July. Thank you for making it sound feasible! :)
If you have a layover, I definitely recommend taking along strollers! Car seats are a toss-up, and it depends on how much they cost to rent. Good luck on your trip!
Great tips! My now-5-year-old daughter has flown, successfully, several times now. She is very excited about our upcoming trip. My youngest daughter, 18 months, is a different story. She is typically very sweet-tempered, but I am already preparing for the worst…and trying to think of different ways to apologize to my fellow passengers (should I take homemade cookies?). Our flight is booked – non-stop from TX to VA, diaper bag has been transferred to backpack, small toys tucked away, and iphone loaded with movies. We are as prepared as we can be. Fingers crossed!
Ha! Taking along homemade cookies for your fellow passengers might be a good idea!!
great tips! I’ve traveled a few times with my two girls… I think they both are starting to enjoy it. I’m always anxious beforehand concerned about missing connections or loosing luggage. One time while traveling, I left my stroller (on purpose) at the gate in order to try and RUN to the next gate so we didn’t miss our connection. I was willing to sacrifice a stroller! And… I know this isn’t classy but I changed my daughter’s diaper on a seat in the airplane (desperate times, desperate measures — it was just #1).
Desperate measures are completely understandable!!