2.5 year old bad behavior on airplane, WWYD?

[Anonymous]

Carseat! It is a pain to carry - but my child knows expected behavior. And my child has slept in the carseat on the plane.

It is so much easier to restrain them that way.

Think about it - easier to carry a carseat or deal with a 2 YO on a cross country flight who is over tired?

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks for the mostly helpful comments. I will admit we weren't well prepared for this flight (I flew out a few days earlier for work and DH didn't pack enough distractions... his experience on the way out wasn't great either but apparently it didn't occur to him to make any changes for the return, ha).

I think videos on the ipad is going to be key. I just never figured out how to do that since streaming amazon prime or googling "train video" or "truck video" don't work on a plane. I guess i need to bite the bullet and pay for some downloads. What's a good source for cheap kid videos? itunes?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks for the mostly helpful comments. I will admit we weren't well prepared for this flight (I flew out a few days earlier for work and DH didn't pack enough distractions... his experience on the way out wasn't great either but apparently it didn't occur to him to make any changes for the return, ha).

I think videos on the ipad is going to be key. I just never figured out how to do that since streaming amazon prime or googling "train video" or "truck video" don't work on a plane. I guess i need to bite the bullet and pay for some downloads. What's a good source for cheap kid videos? itunes?

Amazon Prime will allow you to download many videos. (I do this for my own shows.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Second bendaryl

Some kids hype up on Benadryl.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks for the mostly helpful comments. I will admit we weren't well prepared for this flight (I flew out a few days earlier for work and DH didn't pack enough distractions... his experience on the way out wasn't great either but apparently it didn't occur to him to make any changes for the return, ha).

I think videos on the ipad is going to be key. I just never figured out how to do that since streaming amazon prime or googling "train video" or "truck video" don't work on a plane. I guess i need to bite the bullet and pay for some downloads. What's a good source for cheap kid videos? itunes?

Amazon Prime will allow you to download many videos. (I do this for my own shows.)

You can stream but can you download to watch later? The wireless on the planes doesn't support streaming video yet.

[Anonymous]

When my kids were that age I used to take a ziplock baggie full of Jelly Belly jelly beans.

I kept if for emergencies, and when it looked like things were starting to head south I would sneak one out and pop it into their mouth.

Your roll as a mom on a contained flight is to do your darndest to make sure that the captive audience of other passengers is not subjected to your kid's loud bad behavior, even if it means compromising on how you usually parent.

So bend on the candy/screen times/treats, and completely nix the "you hurt my feelings and that isn't nice" parenting.

Be as firm and direct as you can (none of that mommy doesn't like when you say mean things bs). Just stick with firmly spoken nos, redirection, and bribery. Eventually your kid will be able to handle a long flight, but until then, you must deal with him in a swift and effective manner.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks for the mostly helpful comments. I will admit we weren't well prepared for this flight (I flew out a few days earlier for work and DH didn't pack enough distractions... his experience on the way out wasn't great either but apparently it didn't occur to him to make any changes for the return, ha).

I think videos on the ipad is going to be key. I just never figured out how to do that since streaming amazon prime or googling "train video" or "truck video" don't work on a plane. I guess i need to bite the bullet and pay for some downloads. What's a good source for cheap kid videos? itunes?

Amazon Prime will allow you to download many videos. (I do this for my own shows.)

You can stream but can you download to watch later? The wireless on the planes doesn't support streaming video yet.

I download videos to watch later (the wireless in my house is spotty, so I often download them to avoid disruptions). There is a button with an arrow on it next to the "play" button which will download the video to your device.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks for the mostly helpful comments. I will admit we weren't well prepared for this flight (I flew out a few days earlier for work and DH didn't pack enough distractions... his experience on the way out wasn't great either but apparently it didn't occur to him to make any changes for the return, ha).

I think videos on the ipad is going to be key. I just never figured out how to do that since streaming amazon prime or googling "train video" or "truck video" don't work on a plane. I guess i need to bite the bullet and pay for some downloads. What's a good source for cheap kid videos? itunes?

Amazon Prime will allow you to download many videos. (I do this for my own shows.)

You can stream but can you download to watch later? The wireless on the planes doesn't support streaming video yet.

I download videos to watch later (the wireless in my house is spotty, so I often download them to avoid disruptions). There is a button with an arrow on it next to the "play" button which will download the video to your device.

are you on a kindle fire or ipad? I'm not sure you can do this on non-Amazon devices. But worth checking. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Lollipops

[Anonymous]

^^ recommended to me by a former flight attendant

[Anonymous]

I just thought of this (too late for my own recent flight) - what about those ball toys for dogs that you hide treats in but it's s challenge to get them out? Would that work for a kid?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just thought of this (too late for my own recent flight) - what about those ball toys for dogs that you hide treats in but it's s challenge to get them out? Would that work for a kid?

My theory is that dog toys and baby toys are basically the same. I like the idea of a Kong for kids. It would totally keep my kid entertained--she can spend what seems like hours putting Cheerios into her snack cup and taking them back out again.

[Anonymous]

We took very many trips to the bathroom. You have to keep your seatbelt fastened while seated, but you can still go to the potty.

[Anonymous]

OP: the flight was pretty turbulent all the way across the country, so the seatbelt sign literally did not go off. There was a trip to the restroom for a diaper change, and that was it.

We'll just add videos, activities and treats to the preparation for our next flight.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have travelled a lot since my kids were born (including international trips) and my kids (6 and 4) are great travelers. We have had some bad flights and also a couple of VERY bad ones. Discipline would probably work with my kids now, but at 3 discipline can backfire. In my opinion, in those instances it's time to stop thinking long-term about your child's development and just get through the flight. Yes, it's better to read books than watch Dora, but that's probably not going to score you any points. After you've shuffled through books, toys, etc. It's time to bring out the potato chips, large cookie, and videos. Silently admit to yourself that in a crowded plane, your child will win the battle. A friend suggested I bring a box of Band-Aids for my then two YO to rip through. (Messy and somewhat wasteful but easy to pick up.). I've also bought my kids a new, small toy for a particularly long flight. Don't break it out until you need to. Actually, that's another cardinal rule- don't break out food or other high value items until the usual stuff is exhausted. Good luck!

You know what, this is funny for me. Before I had a child, if I were to see a mom on a plane giving her toddler potato chips and cookies, and allowing the kid to waste an entire box of band aids (and make such a mess), I'd have thought she was an awful, clueless, parent with a bratty child. Now that I have a 2 year old son I'm thinking "brilliant ideas for a long plane flight!"