Two years ago, we had a potential airplane crisis. We barely took off from Logan Airport in Boston when our two-year-old son, Riley threw a piece of Muenster cheese into an older lady’s hair. And it stuck. Everyone behind our seat in 23 A chuckled, stared and were curious how I was going to handle the cheese head dilemma. My husband Harry slouched down low.
No doubt, parents thought, “Thank God it’s not me.” I ended up plucking the cheese out as I gently bumped into the back of the lady’s seat. Whew! Here’s some tips I have to pass on to you.
If you’re traveling with a baby, on your lap or in the seat next to you, make sure you’re in an aisle seat. That way you can jump up often and rock your baby your arms. Most flight attendants don’t mind you trying to soothe a crying baby in the back of the plane away from other passengers.
Bring shiny things for the baby, ages 1 to 2, to touch such as a:
Mirror
Watch
Calculator (great for buttons)
Big puzzle
Soft fabric book that has glitter on it
New doll
**The best thing my baby Tegan loved was sitting in the bathroom getting her toes wet in the bathroom sink. I sat on the toilet, closed lid of course! and ran warm water for Tegan to splash her fingers in. She loved it and I kept the door open since I’m a bit claustrophobic. I was prepared if someone needed the potty but most people thought it was ingenious and didn’t want to disturb us.
Luckily there wasn’t a huge line for the bathroom and it was a good conversation starter. I’d say, “Just trying to keep her quiet” and many people who tell me how many grandkids they had, or how it’s hard to travel with babies whose ears pop. (I’m sure you already know this but make sure you don’t give your baby a bottle while you’re boarding. That way she’ll be thirsty when you offer it during take off and not suffer from the pain of air pressure/ears hurting.)
For our rambunctious toddler, here’s what we’ve done which works well.
We try to only fly direct. It’s worth the extra money to avoid two lift offs, two landings, racing for a connecting flights and more chances for delays…
We gift-wrap little toys for him in brightly colored paper/or the Sunday comics. Here’s some winners:
Magnet book where you can create a scene or a felt board with figures
Sticker/Activity books
Watercolor paint book (all you need is a little
brush and a bottle of water.)
Magic markers
Action figures
Clay (Below I said no play doh due to smell.)
Wooden or plastic Legos (limit it to a small bag.
Enough to build a fort.)
Favorite book(s)
A mini photo album (you can buy them at CVS) and a pack of photos for them to fill.
Playing cards (limit to half the deck or smaller.) Toddlers love adult games.
Alphabet cards or flash cards with photos on it.
A mini board game such as checkers with the fabric board
It helped me to shop for these items a few days beforehand, thinking of Riley’s favorite things: horses and dinosaurs. I would also wrap up things that I knew he hadn’t played with in a long time. He would say, “I have one at home just like this!”
If Riley was quiet and playing, I didn’t bring out anything new. Don’t forget you have a return flight waiting for you on the other side of the vacation. If Riley didn’t like something then he had to wait a little while until he could get a new toy/gift. It’s not Christmas but a way to reason with a small child in a crowded space where noise/crying/whining is not appreciated. Well heck, who appreciates that?
I want to emphasize that sometimes I’ve found Riley is happy for long periods of time with something I got at a dollar store. Target has a dollar section in the front of their store and I’ve gotten some great items. Once we had to build a horse and I got so into it, an hour had passed before I looked up.
Here are a few no no’s:
Don’t bring anything on board that makes noise or would disturb someone-
Nothing electronic for young ones even if it does have an off switch. I know we’d just argue the whole time about keeping it off…
No balls, marbles (they’ll roll)
No play doh (not everyone likes the smell)
Bon Voyage.