Thread: Travelling With a Toddler

I've travelled with my daughter before, when she was younger. But now she is two years old and we have another trip coming up. I am concerned that now she is more active that she will be harder to keep calm and quiet during the trip and that it will be awful.

Any advice?

Oh, thats very problem.
People will not be happy with your daughters . It would be better if your daughter sleep at the flight.

You assume automatically that I have a bad child. I do not. She is very good girl, but she likes to talk. And you know ultimately, I pay for her ticket just like everyone else does theirs. She has as much right to talk as they do....

Advice would be appreciated. No, I will not drug her to make her sleep, and depriving her of sleep before hand is NOT normally recommended because all that does is leave a cranky child.

I think it would not be a problem. And you don't need to drugs her to sleep. You know child will mostly sleep and behave while on the trip not only if they feel hungry right. And I think it would not be burden not at least if you have 5 younger kids to bring. Just relax I know you will have a smooth trip with your daughter.

Thank you. I have plenty of entertainment planned-her favourite books and so on, and I will be carrying snacks. It would just be nice to hear from someone else who has flown with a two year old.

Britjojo, don't be worried about it. Travelling with your kids can be limiting, it can be more stressful at times. But it can also be the best experience of your life. They really help to bring the wonder back into travel.

Thats exactly how you have to think about that. It has to be to the point where you don't think about the negative aspects of traveling with kids because it will get in the way of your fun.

I don't mind really taking my child with me, I mean it isn't their fault they are young plus I want them to see the world.

I think that it's a good idea. I love to see that children can still experience all the culture that there is in the world. As for keeping calm and quiet on public transportation, all I can suggest is that you be attentive. Many parents just seem to let their children scream and throw trantrums, which is what I cannot stand.

Hello
Here are a couple of tips from our own experience:

1. most importantly: call the airline and try to get a bassinette, and at least one seat next to it(that's the crib that attaches to the wall in front of the bulk head seats). the bassinette itself will probably be too small for your child to actually sleep in, but will hold all the extra stuff that comes along with a toddler. moreover, the extra leg room will give your toddler more space to play that is NOT your lap or the aisle...
note: bulk head seats are usually booked first because there's more leg room there, but parents with infants on-lap (younger than 2 years) have priority to these seats on most airlines. if you can't book the seat in advance, don't dispair - you can still get it upon check in: come in early and insist on it!
2. try to keep the child's routine as close to normal as possible. keep meal times and nap times as close as you can to your "home time". bring small packs of favorite foods and snacks with you, as plane food is not likely to top your kids list... you can heat up baby food by putting the container in a small cup filled with a half-inch to an inch of boiling water and stirring the contents. "Gerber" containers fit perfectly, or you could use the small, round, 4-oz disposable plastic containers which also fit in the coffee cups provided on airplanes.
3. of course, if your child has a favorite toy, stuffed animal, blankie etc., have it with you on board.
4. get a bunch of new, real-cheap little toys that you wouldn't mind losing / throwing away by the end of the trip. introduce a new one every hour or so -- it'll buy you precious time! i'd put under this category also some little arts & crafts items, like stickers and crayons.
5. have at least two full changes of baby clothes and lots of extra diapers with you, as well as a small "baby-bath travel kit", just in case your layover gets extended, your suitecases go astray, and so on... i'd also take an extra shirt for mom and dad, for any unfortunate accidents.
6. on the plane, don't be shy - let baby run up and down the isles. fighting it won't help anyway, and the excersize is good for you both ;-) plus, the more energy they spend, the more likely they are to fall asleep at some point...
7. talk to your pediatritian about baby-safe antihistamines - a small dosage may be all the help baby needs to get drowsy and sleep better when they're already over-tired, but the strange environment won't let them fall asleep...
8. take a deep breath, and remind yourself that, as hard as this one day may be, it's only one day of travel, and it, too, shall pass!