Practical tips to survive a 15-hour flight with a toddler.

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Holiday Season is finally here, which means it’s time to travel and spend some quality time with family. Sounds fun? Well, probably not so much if you need to bring your trouble-making toddler with you. What’s worse, you need to keep your cranky toddler still in a tiny seat, without losing your sanity, for more than 5 hours (or even longer). Trust me, I know the struggle. I have survived a 15-hour flight alone with my son, not once, but three times!

Any adult would feel anxious about being stuck in a tiny seat on a plane for more than 10 hours, let alone young toddlers. If you can survive a trip like this, any other voyage with your little ones will be as easy as a walk in the park.

OK, so now I am going to share my story about how I survived three 15-hour flights alone with my toddler son.

First Time Experience – How I survived long-haul flight with my 1-year-old son

If your child is older, you may skip this part and read the 2nd part of my post: How I survived long-haul flight with my 2 year old toddler (and again when he turned 3)

Before I was a parent, whenever I saw young toddlers seated around me on a plane, I would immediately feel anxious, knowing I probably won’t be able to enjoy my flight. However, after I had my own child, it was the best feeling to know that I was not the only parent with young toddlers trapped on the plane for hours!

Why? Because babies cry on the plane. They literally cry over everything. So it is definitely better to have some other babies crying with my baby, then to be the only parent that takes all the blame, you know! 😛

Hurdle #1: Sleep

I am sure you have heard about this traveling tip saying “night-time flights are good for toddlers, as they can sleep for most of the time”. Well, I don’t know about your kids, but that’s definitely not the case for my son. The outcome was quite contrary to what I had expected:

When my son turned one year old, he was already too big to sleep in the in-flight baby bassinet.  So I purchased a seat for him and took the infant car seat with me, hoping that he could sleep peacefully in his car seat for hours.

However, my plan didn’t work out as expected. My one-year-old son only slept in his seat for about 1 hour, then he wanted to roll over, and got stuck (obviously he was buckled in his car seat). So he woke up, only half-awake to be accurate, and started to scream…

In order to calm him down, I had to take him out of his car seat and just let him lie on my chest. That still didn’t work. So I started to rock him back and forth…This lasted for HOURS. He never slept soundly and almost was always half awake. I, of course, didn’t get to sleep at all during this trip.

So whoever tells you to book overnight flights for your baby to sleep is either delusional or super lucky to have an angel baby.

Tried and Failed:

Book night-time flight so the baby can sleep for most of the time.

Reason:

My then one-year-old son couldn’t sleep well anywhere except in his own crib. Night-time flight can be more stressful if baby can’t sleep well.

Hurdle #2: Eat

If you intend to survive a long-haul flight with a one year old, I highly recommend you to purchase a seat for your child (although it is not required for kids under 2). First of all, it is absolutely tiring to keep holding your baby on your lap for countless hours. Most importantly, it is impossible to eat your meal by your tiny tray table, if you have to hold your baby while doing so.

If your one year old is old enough to eat airplane food, good for you! Life is much easier. However, if your baby is still too young to eat the airplane food, or if you just want to feed your baby something tastier or healthier, here are a few of my tips to help you survive:

1. Put formula in small Ziploc bags or formula dispensers to bring them on the plane with you. I suggest asking flight attendant for bottled water as it is much cleaner. You can also use single-serve sized formula if you think it is easier for you.
2. Bring as many snacks as possible!! This is crucial in order for you to survive any long-haul flights. Two simple reasons: (1) Babies are at their worst when they are hungry; and (2) The more time your baby spends eating on the plane, the less time left for tantrums and meltdowns. You know what I mean!
3. Bring store-bought baby food. Here are a few of my favorites:

• Plum Organic Mighty 4, Organic Toddler Food
• Happy Baby Organic Yogis, Freeze-Dried Yogurt and Fruit Snacks
• Happy Baby Organic Superfood Puffs
• Baby Mum-Mum, Rice Rusks (Rice Crackers)

In addition to that, I have some other practical tips in regards of when to feed your baby:

• Milk during take-offs and landings. This would help equalize the air pressure in their ears and decrease ear pain.
• Solid food after you finish your meal. When it is meal time for yourself, simply secure your baby in his/her seat, finish your food first, then feed the baby. This should be the most hassle-free way to feed your baby on the plane, and your baby’s meal time is less likely to be interrupted.
• Offer snack frequently in between. Remember, nutritional balance should be the least of your concern at this time. The rule of thumb is to try everything you can to keep your child calm and happy on the plane.

Hurdle #3: Bathroom

Usually, there is at least one lavatory with a diaper changing table on any international flights from the U.S. to another country across the oceans. (However, some domestic flights or short distance flights don’t offer diaper changing tables. You can find a list of airlines that offer diaper changing tables here.)

Before my trip, I had thought that everything was going to be fine because I could easily change my son on the changing table. Well, I couldn’t be more wrong.

My one year old apparently thought the bathroom on the plane was the scariest place in the world. He totally tensed up the second we walked into the bathroom, and started to scream from the bottom of his lung right after I put him down on the changing table.

He was not only screaming, but was fighting for his life. So I had to hold him down with one hand while changing him with the other hand. What’s worse, it was actually a poopy diaper…

So if your baby is easily scared like my son, be prepared for the struggle and the mess! Also, make sure to bring enough wipes and change of clothes (Don’t forget to prepare change of clothes for yourself too, just in case! You know…).

And for us adults, if you are alone with your toddler on the plane and don’t trust other passengers to watch over your child, it can also be a little tricky for you to use the bathroom.

If that’s the case for you, there are two ways to do it:

1. Ask flight attendant for help. Some flight attendants will be happy to watch your baby for a little while when you use the bathroom
2. Bring the baby with you. This is the only way to do it if your baby (like my son) doesn’t like strangers and/or have separation anxieties. I ended up using a baby carrier to carry him while using the toilet…It was not pretty and not easy. But as moms we do what we gotta do!

*****

When my baby was not sleeping or eating or getting his diapers changed, I would read a book, let him play with his favorite toys, or carry him and walk around. So it is extremely important to bring your baby carrier with you. I highly recommend Ergobaby 360. It is easy to use, the most comfortable and you can carry your baby forward facing in the best ergonomic seated position.Below is a pie chart I made to showcase how much time we had spent doing what we did on the 15-hour-long flight. Hopefully it can help you stay prepared.

Second Time Wasn’t Easier – How I survived long-haul flight with my 2 year old toddler (and again when he turned 3)

I thought I was a veteran after survived my first long-haul flight alone with my baby. However, only one year later, I realized that my experience from the past year didn’t help much. (Hello, terrible 2!) When my son turned 3, it was somewhat easier, but still quite similar to what I had experienced when he was 2. So I combined what I had learned into one category.

The biggest challenge I had to face, traveling with my 2 year old (or 3 year old) on a long-haul flight, was to keep him entertained in his tiny seat for over 10 hours, and at the same time, try not to disturb our neighbors…

So here are my 5 Survival Rules that I wanted to share with you:

Rule #1: Unlimited Screen Time

If you don’t allow your kids to watch TV on the plane, then my only advice will be: Brace yourself!

Really, if you want to survive a long-haul flight with any kid older than 2, you need to just let go of your screen time rules, and let them watch as much TV as they want.

When stuck on a plane with my toddler, my motto was: Anything he wants as long as he doesn’t disturb the others. If watching TV for 10+ hours can achieve that, then just let it be!

If you allow your kid to watch TV on the plane (a.k.a. every mom who wants to stay sane), here are the two must-have products to make your life easier:

1. Large Ziploc Bag

With something as simple as a Ziploc bag, you can easily hang your smartphone or tablet on the tray table in from of your child. The best part is, the iPad will be on your young kid’s eye level, and you can swipe on top of the Ziploc bag too.

The bag really comes in handy when you need to put up your tray table during take-offs or landings. Also it won’t fall or shift during turbulence. And it is super cheap!

2. Headband Earphones

This headband earphone I found on Amazon was extremely useful. My son hated to wear anything on his head, but he loved this headband earphone. It is cute, comfortable, and it’s even volume limited so that it doesn’t get too loud. There are many other cute designs too, including unicorn, panda, frog, fox, bunny and more, Click this link to check it out.

Now, here is one thing to keep in mind. If you believe that as long as you let your toddler watch TV, the plane ride would go super smoothly, you will be disappointed. My son watched TV for so many hours that he even got bored from watching TV!!

In order to keep the entertainment experience fresh and appealing, I had to help him switch from seatback screen to iPad and switch between shows. The most annoying part during the whole process was that he liked to kept swiping and clicking randomly on the screen…

I told him to stop, of course. But after a couple of failed attempts, I just took a deep breath and let it go. The end of the day, as long as he didn’t disturb the other passengers (according to my motto), he can do whatever he wanted…

Rule #2: Mess-Free Play Time

In order to make sure my son doesn’t get sick of watching TV from non-stop cartoon marathons, I often suggested him to take a break and do something else. He usually agreed as it was tiring to keep watching TV for hours.

I tried to read to him but somehow it was hard for him to focus with all the noises on the plane. I also tried to show him one new toy at a time to keep him excited and engaged, but the toys I brought were too small, so it was somewhat boring and really easy to roll or fall to the ground. All of these made him even more anxious and frustrated, which was not good at all when you are on a 15-hour-long flight.

Tried and Failed:

Bring many small toys and take out one toy at a time to keep my child entertained.

Reason:

Small toys are not entertaining enough for young toddlers who are cranky and overtired from the long flight. What’s worse, it’s easy to lose them on the plane which can lead to major temper tantrums.

It turned out that the most entertaining and the most manageable activity for my son to do on the plane was to draw. So I discovered the following mess-free products that are the best for trips like this.

1. Washable Crayons

This is the most obvious option. First, it is washable. Second, crayons are much better then markers (we all know washable markers aren’t really that washable).

2. Color Wonder Mess Free Markers

These markers won’t color on skin, furniture or fabric and ONLY color on the special Color Wonder paper. So you don’t have to worry about the mess at all.

3. Melissa & Doug Water Wow Activity Pads 

These pads truly make wonders. Your kids can use the refillable water pen to “color” on the pads. And the best part is, after the pages are dry, they can do it again!!

Rule #3: Best to Be Portable

If your 2 year old still uses diapers, then it could be comparatively hassle free. However if your toddler is potty trained, you know what’s coming your way!

Everyone knows that nobody can use the bathrooms during take-offs and landings. But when a toddler, especially a boy, needs to go, it means he REALLY needs to go! What usually makes it worse is that there is always a line when the bathroom is open for use. So accidents are very likely to happen on any plane rides.

However, I have found something portable you can use to make your life a little easier.

1. Portable Emergency Urinal

This magical invention saved my life. I think it was designed mainly for boys (for obvious reasons), but there is actually a version designed for girls, which you can try if you are curious. I used it not only on the plane, but also in the park and when he just started to potty train. A must have if you have a toddler boy!

2. Portable Potty for Travel

This potty is useful if you don’t want your toddler to sit directly on the dirty toilet in the lavatory. It is also handy for girls to use in emergency situations. You can easily fold it and put it in your backpack. A must have as well!!

Rule #4: Be Prepared For the Hyperactive Behaviors

Any toddlers over 2, especially boys, must have so much energy to burn. When confined to a small seat, they just can’t stay still.

My son is not considered an athletic kid, but the long-haul flight still managed to turn him into a hyperactive kid.

His in-flight “workout” routines includes but not limited to: Take out all of the magazines and cards from the seatback pouch in front of him and throw them on the floor; jump on his seat; drum roll on his tray table; open and shut the window blind, etc. I even saw some other kids constantly kicking the back of the seat in front of them (which I absolutely won’t allow if my boy ever tried to do this).

In order for my son not to disturb our neighbors, I tried everything I could to stop him. But we all know that there is only so much we can do when we are stuck on a plane, and most importantly, considering the unpleasant nature of long-haul flights, sometimes it is better for your toddler to jump than to scream…

Most of the time, I would just direct him back to his cartoons. But when even TV wasn’t enough, 5 minutes surely felt like an hour. At some point you would have to just look away and pretend the toddler belongs to someone else…

Rule #5: Better to Lay Flat

After traveling with my then one year old on a long-haul flight, I learned that it was not a good idea to confine him in a car seat, where he couldn’t sleep well. Actually since my first traumatic experience traveling with him on the plane, I didn’t expect him to sleep for long hours on the plane at all, due to his demanding sleeping habits (he needs plenty of legroom, sleep on stomach and keep rolling around).

In spite of the low expectation, I still wanted him to nap for a little bit. So I did some research, asked around and found the following two tools that might be really helpful:

1. JetKids

A friend of mine used JetKids during her long-haul flight with her one year old son and it worked decently.  If you want to buy this for your next trip, please keep in mind that it is pretty bulky and not all airlines allow it. Please check with JetKids staff before you make any purchase, just to be safe.

2. Inflatable Travel Pillow/Bed/Footrest

I saw someone using this pillow on the plane while traveling back to the U.S. and it looked pretty neat. The best part is, you can keep it in your backpack and inflate it when needed. This particular product also received pretty positive reviews on Amazon.

I eventually decided not to bring them with me mainly because I was traveling alone with my toddler and there was just no extra room. However, if my husband can also join us and when my son gets a little older (when he is 4 or 5), I will certainly give it a try!

*****

Eventually, I used the old-school way to solve the sleeping problem. I raised the armrest, let my son lay his head in my lap and sort of lie down on his side. It was not ideal but it kind of worked. My son only managed to take two short naps (about 1.5 hours at a time), but it was good enough for me…

Below is another pie chart I made to showcase how much time my toddler son had spent doing his things on the 15-hour-long flight (when he was 2 and 3 years old). Again, hopefully it can help you stay prepared.

*****

Summer time means lots of fun and frequent traveling for kids, but it could be a headache for the parents. Hang it there and let’s try to survive this together 😉