Long flights with 18mo old
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Anonymous
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How bad is it really? We have a very challenging, wild 15 month old (and a nice, easy 3 year old). We've been offered an all expenses paid vacation to South America. 13-20 hour flights. I just see it being a nightmare. He doesn't watch tv or read books or really anything happily. We usually drive (while he's asleep) or short 3-4 hour flights.
He is still nursing and it puts him to sleep. Car seat or no car seat? (And no debate on which is safer, I only care about his happiness on the plane). Any tips for how to make him see the iPad? He just ignores it and doesn't watch shows. My older dd could play dolls, stickers or watch movies happily the entire time. |
Anonymous
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I haven't tried that long a flight, but even my 18 mo, who wouldn't be described as wild, still spent the entire flight crawling up my face just out of curiosity. The layovers were good for allowing us to stretch our legs and get a break.
Get him his own seat (I learned my lesson for the next flight before she turned 2). He'll definitely sleep better in his car seat than in your arms. Colorforms are fun to play with as well as Water Wows. Between some snacks and nursing, he should be out for a few hours. |
Anonymous
| Our now 20-month-old is pretty darn active and what's worked best for us the past several months is when we can do overnight flights on an airline that offers a bassinet. She can hang out there and play with her toys and generally have more opportunity for movement than she can in a carseat, which goes over much better! |
Anonymous
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Op here. I thought bassinets were for infants? My 18 month old would far prefer the bassinet to a seat that he can’t lay down in.
He’s a fab sleeper 7-7 so I’m hoping to book an overnight flight but I haven’t looked that closely at their schedules. Money is tight for us so we have to choose the cheapest flight (plane tickets aren’t included) |
Anonymous
What is the weight limit on those? I always assumed they were for very tiny babies |
Anonymous
NO car seat. CARES harness instead. An 18 mo old in a car seat on a plane can reach the seat ahead of them with their feet. You will want to avoid that at all costs. CARES is worth every penny. |
Anonymous
| Bassinet PP here. We usually fly Lufthansa or SAS (because we're usually going to northern Europe, where we have family) and they say bassinets are available for babies up to 2 years old. I will say I think we technically passed their weight limit by a few pounds before our last flight (IIRC it's around 24 lbs and DD's closer to 27 lbs now - she's also tall, so she bumped up against the end of it a bit) but it wasn't a problem. No one gave us any hassle about it and those things are really solid, so it was fine. The kid in the bassinet next to ours was also a toddler around DD's size, so it wasn't just us. I'll be sorry when she ages out because they're great! |
Anonymous
| It is hell. I flew with my oldest at 1 year, 18 months, 2y, and 3, because we have family abroad. You absolutely need a car seat. Every single trip leaves me wanting to kill myself or my child. You need to insist on checking as much luggage as possible. Bring toys and books. Bring extra pouches. Can you leave the 18 month old with family? Can you pay for an extra plane ticket and bring your mom? I couldn’t make my kid watch screens either. We were only flying to a Europe, and I still have PTSD from our plane trip at two. Four hours on the Tarmac, which would have been illegal in the US. We ran out of food, because the 5 hour train journey to the airport took two days. The whole thing was horrible, just horrible. I know this post is rambling, but this topic makes me a little crazy. |
Anonymous
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CARES has height and weight limits and would be too loose for a jittery 18 mo. I use it now with my 2.5 yo because she can sit still for short periods and amuse herself with toys and screens, but she would never be able to sleep comfortably.
The bassinet also has weight restrictions and you're not guaranteed access to it. Call and ask about the rules governing them. |
Anonymous
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Someone I know did the world's longest flight to Singapore with an 18 mo. I think a lot of Sudafed was involved.
You'll survive the experience. It depends on how much you want to do it. I don't know if it would be worth it to me, personally. |
Anonymous
Yes. This is 15:43. If DH would okay OTC drugs, I would be much happier. |
Anonymous
NOT Sudafed! That’s a stimulant. Benedryl is the OTC drug that often sedates kids. But try it first. Some kids have the opposite reaction and bounce off the walls after taking it. |
Anonymous
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I've flown to India when my kids were 18mo and 3.5 - it was tiring but fine! Probably 25-26 hours total travel time, including airport transfers.
Depends on the kids. Mine were so excited about the whole experience they didn't sleep great on the plane, but they weren't cranky and accepted diversions such as snacks, new dollar store toys, in-flight entertainment etc. The worst part was actually dealing with jet lag and the resultant 4am wakeups for 4-5 days after we got there. Still it was a fantastic experience for them and we go back every other year! |
Anonymous
Op here. that’s why we chose South America- similar time zone so no jet lag. |
Anonymous
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You know your child best wrt to the car seat question. At 18 months mine screamed bloody murder in the car seat -- we would fly as often as possible because driving was a complete trial.
You will also have a ton more room without the car seat. |