Plane Rides with Toddlers

I have so much to tell you.  It's been a while since I had a chance to post and that's mainly because I went to Houston for a conference.  And what a conference it was!  I really had a great time and it was made even better by the fact that my sister drove over and hung out with Evan while I was attending sessions and presenting.  Good times.

Of course to get Evan to the conference we had to somehow survive a four hour flight.  People have asked me a few times about traveling with toddlers, so I thought I'd do a quick post about my strategies and how I survive travel with a kiddo all by myself.

I admit I was a tad bit nervous this time.  The last time I had flown with Evan was when I went to New Orleans and he was only 10 months old.  There is a big difference between 10 months and 17 months, I can tell you that.  And the main differences that matter to airplane trips? Walking and napping less.  Previously I could count on Evan sleeping the entire time on the plane...not really the case this time.  Plus, with a four hour flight he would inevitably be awake for at least half the flight because there was no way he was going to nap for 4 hours.

Playing in a car - not quite a plane and he only stayed put for five seconds!

Luckily, it didn't turn out too badly.  The flight there was a bit more stressful because we sat on the plane for 45 minutes before leaving, essentially turning a four hour flight into a five hour flight.  Plus, I had decided to skip his nap in hopes he'd sleep on the plane; however, rather than falling asleep during take-off he decided to sleep the second half making the first half of the trip a bit more challenging.  We sat next to a pilot who had four kids of his own so he wasn't too annoyed that Evan kept poking him and he didn't even glance up when Evan had a mini tantrum on the floor of the plane.  And by mini, it really was pretty small (thank goodness).  Just a fuss, an attempt to throw himself backwards that failed due to the very small space, spaghetti body, and then sleep.  I counted myself lucky!  The return was even better.  He played the entire flight and fell asleep the last 40 minutes or so.  No fuss or tantrum at all.  

A previous plane ride, when he was still a little baby and napped the entire time.  My, have times changed!

Keys to a successful plane ride?  Not sure I really have the answers, but I will give you my thoughts on traveling alone with a toddler.

1. Bring lots of toys!  I packed the diaper bag with a plethora of airplane friendly toys (or at least I thought I did until a few were chucked at my face and they were deemed unsafe for such close quarters).  I brought books, a train, a little car, a small soft ball, some measuring cups, and some blocks.  I didn't break out the toys until Evan was restless and then I'd bring one out until he tired of it, etc.  I should have brought a crayon and paper because I think he would have liked that, but we were pretty good on the toy front.

His favorite toys = anything that is not a toy.  I did bring some kitchen utensils on the plane though!

2. Bring lots of snacks!  This was a lifesaver, of course.  When are snacks not life savers?  I had lots of pouches, little crackers, rice cakes, applesauce, and honey grahams.  The flight was long and crackers went a long way.  The flight attendant gave us Ritz cheese crackers (something I would never give Evan normally) and I gave some to Evan as a special treat.  Totally worked!  Because the flight was long and snacks keep a kid busy, they were essential.  Especially crackers in those little plastic containers with the rubber flaps on top that make it a challenge for kids to get the crackers out.

3. Remain relaxed.  This is key.  Kids are masters of sense - at least mine is.  The second I am nervous or anxious Evan goes into anxious mode.  Although I was nervous about being in such cramped quarters with him and wondering how he was going to sit in my lap for four hours - I kept telling myself that we could both handle it and if he started throwing a fit, the plane ride would eventually end.  Even when things didn't go according to plan and he decided not to nap when I thought he would, I just let him keep playing and remained calm.  I think that helped the situation because Evan never once acted anxious or clingy.

Cool as a cucumber - no stress in sight!

4. Make friends with the people next to you.  Obviously this is luck of the draw, but I try to sit all the way in the back in hopes that the people who sit next to my/around me consciously made the choice.  I feel like people like to sit in the front of the plane because they want to exit first, but there is no good reason to sit in the back of the plane.  So, if they choose to come all the way to the back and they see I have a toddler, then it is their own fault.  And if they choose to sit next to me?  They should expect to get poked a few times.  I got lucky and had very nice people sitting near me - they played peek-a-book with Evan and helped me carry my bags off the plane and did all kinds of nice things.  It was way easier to remain relaxed with friendly people nearby.  Plus, Evan loved playing on the floor between the seats and this would have been awkward if the person next to me was a child-hater.

5. Try to turn part of hour flight into nap time.  Really, isn't this everyone's goal?  The first flight was during Evan's nap time so I was really counting on him sleeping.  He did eventually fall asleep and that was great because it gave me time to relax, get a beverage, and read my book.  However, the flight back was in the morning and didn't really overlap much of his naptime, so I was uncertain if he'd actually fall asleep.  He ended up falling asleep the last 40 minutes or so and then slept all the way until I got my bags in baggage claim.  Would I have preferred a longer sleep-time on the plane?  YES!!!  However, he was in a really good mood and wasn't fussy at all, so I didn't complain in my head too much.  I did still nurse him on the plane and I'm sure people thought he was too old to be breastfed (although it's recommended to breastfeed until a child's two, most people I know stopped at 1 and I feel like a lot of people I know think it's weird that I still breastfeed Evan).  No one said anything to me and I didn't even get any weird looks or anything, but I can tell you that the older Evan gets and the more he grows, the harder it is to find space in those tiny cramped airplane seats!

Those are all the suggestions I have.  I feel like they are pretty much common sense, but sometimes when you are sleep deprived or so anxious about something you forget most common sense.  I had thought that maybe I would walk up and down the aisle with Evan for a bit but then I was afraid that if I took him to the aisle he'd never want to sit down again, so I decided against it.  He did spend a lot of time on the floor and looked at books down there and ate some snacks down there and was quite content.  We also had a middle seat free for part of one flight so he liked to sit there and buckle and unbuckle the seat belt.  My next trip is to Orlanda and the husband is FINALLY coming with us so it will be nice to have some help.  It will be the first trip I've taken with Evan that I haven't had to do alone.  Plus, planes to Orlando are always filled with tons of kids so he won't stick out at all.

How do you fly with kids?  Any suggestions?

I'll recap my amazing conference tomorrow!