Flying with a young two year old - masks?

[Anonymous]

Masking regulation ends March 18 unless extended. So this might be a non issue. But if you’re traveling before then, all you have to do is google to see that two year olds and their families have been kicked off planes for not masking. It’s a crapshoot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Masking regulation ends March 18 unless extended. So this might be a non issue. But if you’re traveling before then, all you have to do is google to see that two year olds and their families have been kicked off planes for not masking. It’s a crapshoot.

Those cases make the news because they are rare. It's not good publicity for an airline to kick a toddler off a plan for drinking a bottle.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn’t bother, OP. 25 months is so young and no one will care. I flew with my daughter when she was about that age and a few months older and I just didn’t try. She wears it at daycare for her teachers (poorly, often slips below her nose) but will rip it off for me. I can bribe her with an iPad at times but it just stops below. No one even blinked. Including TSA which saw her birthdate. People. If you are concerned about a 2 year old wearing a mask on a plane, you should definitely not be flying. People are starting to return to the office at this point, and seriously, people no longer care. This is not 2020. We all recently had covid, and my young kids were asymtomatic.

[Anonymous]

My 2yo is 95th percentile weight/height and speaks in full sentences. She's never been good about masks, partly because of wearing glasses (masks fog them up easily) and partly because frankly I'm not in favor of masks for toddlers so we do the bare minimum.

We've never been called out on it and we fly somewhat regularly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn’t bother, OP. 25 months is so young and no one will care. I flew with my daughter when she was about that age and a few months older and I just didn’t try. She wears it at daycare for her teachers (poorly, often slips below her nose) but will rip it off for me. I can bribe her with an iPad at times but it just stops below. No one even blinked. Including TSA which saw her birthdate. People. If you are concerned about a 2 year old wearing a mask on a plane, you should definitely not be flying. People are starting to return to the office at this point, and seriously, people no longer care. This is not 2020. We all recently had covid, and my young kids were asymtomatic.

Do you always speak for everyone?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here - just wanted to note (again!) that there are a lot of posts that people are assuming are from me that are NOT. I've identified myself explicitly as the OP on all posts AND replies on this thread. None of the morality argument posts are mine, for example.

Appreciate the helpful responses from those who have been there! Playdoh is one I hadn't thought of!

Anyone else had luck getting their 2 year old to nap on a flight? Do you try with the mask or just leave it off? I'm really hoping he'll sleep but have no idea if he'll sleep with a mask on.

(Oh, and for those who think I'm some virulent anti-masker, I'm pretty pro mask and happily wear mine whenever I'm out and about)

I direct a childcare center for 2 to 5 year old children and all of our children, including our 2s, wear masks. BUT... they don't wear them to sleep, it isn't safe. So have him in the mask to get on the plane, feed him well in the airport so he is full and then see if you can get him settled down, read his 2 favorite naptime books all snuggled in your lap, get him mostly asleep, then transfer him to his own seat All of that can be unmasked, as you are preparing for him to sleep. Warning! You might end up with him sleeping on your lap for naptime, and that can be unmasked.

Also, start taking his mask and practicing now, in all the stores and everywhere else. And, you can practice at home, too, by giving him his preferred manipulative (duplos, magnet tiles,cars and trucks, trains and train tracks etc) so that his hands are busy and he doesn't focus on his mask. I encourage our parents to start practicing with their 2 year olds in the summer before they start in August by doing just this thing. If they are watching tv/screen time they often mess with the mask, but when their hands are busy, they don't.

Playdough is so much fun, get those small containers and keep bringing a new color out every little while! Also, 3 rolls of blue painters tape - that can be fun for him to stick it places as you rip it off the roll - and it comes right off and isn't going to leave a mess (just make sure you take it all off before you leave the plane). I say 3 because you want to have another one if it rolls under the seat in front of you, etc.....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn’t bother, OP. 25 months is so young and no one will care. I flew with my daughter when she was about that age and a few months older and I just didn’t try. She wears it at daycare for her teachers (poorly, often slips below her nose) but will rip it off for me. I can bribe her with an iPad at times but it just stops below. No one even blinked. Including TSA which saw her birthdate. People. If you are concerned about a 2 year old wearing a mask on a plane, you should definitely not be flying. People are starting to return to the office at this point, and seriously, people no longer care. This is not 2020. We all recently had covid, and my young kids were asymtomatic.

Do you always speak for everyone?

Get outside of your bubble

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn’t bother, OP. 25 months is so young and no one will care. I flew with my daughter when she was about that age and a few months older and I just didn’t try. She wears it at daycare for her teachers (poorly, often slips below her nose) but will rip it off for me. I can bribe her with an iPad at times but it just stops below. No one even blinked. Including TSA which saw her birthdate. People. If you are concerned about a 2 year old wearing a mask on a plane, you should definitely not be flying. People are starting to return to the office at this point, and seriously, people no longer care. This is not 2020. We all recently had covid, and my young kids were asymtomatic.

Do you always speak for everyone?

Get outside of your bubble

She can’t. She may run into an unmasked person and instantly die.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn’t bother, OP. 25 months is so young and no one will care. I flew with my daughter when she was about that age and a few months older and I just didn’t try. She wears it at daycare for her teachers (poorly, often slips below her nose) but will rip it off for me. I can bribe her with an iPad at times but it just stops below. No one even blinked. Including TSA which saw her birthdate. People. If you are concerned about a 2 year old wearing a mask on a plane, you should definitely not be flying. People are starting to return to the office at this point, and seriously, people no longer care. This is not 2020. We all recently had covid, and my young kids were asymtomatic.

Do you always speak for everyone?

Get outside of your bubble

She can’t. She may run into an unmasked person and instantly die.

That is a such a stupid comment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn’t bother, OP. 25 months is so young and no one will care. I flew with my daughter when she was about that age and a few months older and I just didn’t try. She wears it at daycare for her teachers (poorly, often slips below her nose) but will rip it off for me. I can bribe her with an iPad at times but it just stops below. No one even blinked. Including TSA which saw her birthdate. People. If you are concerned about a 2 year old wearing a mask on a plane, you should definitely not be flying. People are starting to return to the office at this point, and seriously, people no longer care. This is not 2020. We all recently had covid, and my young kids were asymtomatic.

Do you always speak for everyone?

Get outside of your bubble

Does that mean you do speak for all? Or just those in your ass bubble?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn’t bother, OP. 25 months is so young and no one will care. I flew with my daughter when she was about that age and a few months older and I just didn’t try. She wears it at daycare for her teachers (poorly, often slips below her nose) but will rip it off for me. I can bribe her with an iPad at times but it just stops below. No one even blinked. Including TSA which saw her birthdate. People. If you are concerned about a 2 year old wearing a mask on a plane, you should definitely not be flying. People are starting to return to the office at this point, and seriously, people no longer care. This is not 2020. We all recently had covid, and my young kids were asymtomatic.

Do you always speak for everyone?

Get outside of your bubble

She can’t. She may run into an unmasked person and instantly die.

Bless your hearts! That’s the best you could come up with?

[Anonymous]

Pack tons of masks (like a pack of ten). The masks gets gross so quickly. I have a 2 year old who will wear a mask just fine but honestly on flights we just give him tons of snacks and drinks to keep him happy. No flight attendant has ever said anything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Pack tons of masks (like a pack of ten). The masks gets gross so quickly. I have a 2 year old who will wear a mask just fine but honestly on flights we just give him tons of snacks and drinks to keep him happy. No flight attendant has ever said anything.

Interesting, he will wear a mask just fine. However, to avoid wearing a mask that he is fine wearing, you stuff him with snacks. But it’s ok, because the FA never says anything. Ok, got it. That’s some sound advice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All depends on which flight attendants you get. Bring lots of snacks and drinks and hope for the best. Sit the child by the window so he’s less visible to other passengers. Flight attendants don’t tend to walk up and down the aisle during the flight, so once the service cart passes by, you should be fine.

Your moral compass points south.

This comment is unnecessary and people like you contribute to the politicization of covid. You think you are morally superior but you are part of the problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All depends on which flight attendants you get. Bring lots of snacks and drinks and hope for the best. Sit the child by the window so he’s less visible to other passengers. Flight attendants don’t tend to walk up and down the aisle during the flight, so once the service cart passes by, you should be fine.

Your moral compass points south.

This comment is unnecessary and people like you contribute to the politicization of covid. You think you are morally superior but you are part of the problem.

I am in fact morally superior if I follow the rules put in place by the airlines and care about the well being of others. The ones throwing baby tantrums are the problem. If all followed the rules while in place, everything would be fine. The irony is you are politicizing it.