Anonymous wrote:18 months was the worst for flying with my kids, however I would suck it up for an all expenses paid vacation!

Yep it's bad when they can walk but can't understand reason. This too shall pass....

from our perspective, the key benefit to car seat or cares (i woudl invest in cares precisely because of the "kick the seat in front of you" problem) is the kid is strapped in, whereas in a seatbelt or on your lap they can climb out. There's something much more reassuring about having the kid unable to move unless you let t hem, they acquiese so much more easily to long periods of inactivity.

For most of the major airlines (Delta, American, etc) your kid needs to be under 20 pounds for the bassinet. Delta requires that the child is under 26 inches.

I doubt your 18 month old will be under those limits (my eighteen month old was 33 inches).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Car seat or no car seat?

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.

I agree with this. I have a 20 month old who travels with us frequently across the country (DC to west coast) and he has been in a CARES harness for several months now.

Just accept it will be bad. That way if it goes well it is a bonus. Dont' stress out over it not going well - just accept it as part of air travel with an 18 month old. He will crawl all over you and the seats, get fussy.

Bring some new toys that he hasn't seen before. Things that he can take apart and put together or play with on the tray tables or seat.

18 months was the worst for flying with my kids, however I would suck it up for an all expenses paid vacation!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have taken our kid on long flights multiple times. If they are in the bassinet weight limit, then get that, so much easier to sleep. Just be sure to but the belt on so he doesn't wake up and jump out, and also for safety during turbulence. Carry a lot of snacks, you said the kid doesn't do TV - is that because you don't allow or he doesn't like? Either way, it's the easiest way to keep them entertained on a flight. So maybe rethink that one? Pack multiple small toys. I try to tire my kid out at the airport before we get on the flight and try to nurse to sleep just as we are taking off. I also used to make her sit on the tray table so we could look at each other and play for a bit. We also took a few walks in aisle when safe.

OP here. We aren't opposed to TV, but don't watch it on weekdays. We are getting a 2nd Ipad and I'll try to find shows he likes and give it to him during short car trips before the flight. And headphones that he won't fight me on...

At 18 mo, my DD got a kick out of the CozyPhones https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01EX1E2GO?tag=rvwtbrn-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1

They are the furthest thing from durable, but she was happy to wear them. She also did't really need much sound, she just liked looking at the pictures, so I'd give her a kindle and no headphones with a few Daniel Tiger/Peppa Pig shows and have the volume extremely low. Sitting next to her, even I couldn't hear the show so you won't be disturbing anyone.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have taken our kid on long flights multiple times. If they are in the bassinet weight limit, then get that, so much easier to sleep. Just be sure to but the belt on so he doesn't wake up and jump out, and also for safety during turbulence. Carry a lot of snacks, you said the kid doesn't do TV - is that because you don't allow or he doesn't like? Either way, it's the easiest way to keep them entertained on a flight. So maybe rethink that one? Pack multiple small toys. I try to tire my kid out at the airport before we get on the flight and try to nurse to sleep just as we are taking off. I also used to make her sit on the tray table so we could look at each other and play for a bit. We also took a few walks in aisle when safe.

OP here. We aren't opposed to TV, but don't watch it on weekdays. We are getting a 2nd Ipad and I'll try to find shows he likes and give it to him during short car trips before the flight. And headphones that he won't fight me on...

At 18 months, your kid might be more interested in looking at pictures of himself on a screen. When they were little, my kids loved to watch those little slide shows that the iPhone makes out of photos.

If you think nursing is what will keep him calm and sleeping, I wouldn't bother with the car seat unless you are confident you could nurse him to sleep and then transfer him to his carseat.

Otherwise, plan to bring a lot of snacks and a few smaller activities--post its, washi tape, whatever. It sounds like you've flown before, but one warning with a longer flight is that there's a higher chance that the kid will get motion sick. I'd be sure to carry on a change of clothes for the kid and at least a clean top for the parents. Good snacks are things that aren't too filling that take forever to eat. Cheerios and pipe cleaners are fun. The kid can thread the cheerios onto the pipe cleaner and then eat them.

Another tip is to have one parent get on the plane first with all of the bags, the car seat, etc... and the other parent stays off with the kid, running around until the last possible minute before getting on.

Anonymous wrote:We have taken our kid on long flights multiple times. If they are in the bassinet weight limit, then get that, so much easier to sleep. Just be sure to but the belt on so he doesn't wake up and jump out, and also for safety during turbulence. Carry a lot of snacks, you said the kid doesn't do TV - is that because you don't allow or he doesn't like? Either way, it's the easiest way to keep them entertained on a flight. So maybe rethink that one? Pack multiple small toys. I try to tire my kid out at the airport before we get on the flight and try to nurse to sleep just as we are taking off. I also used to make her sit on the tray table so we could look at each other and play for a bit. We also took a few walks in aisle when safe.

OP here. We aren't opposed to TV, but don't watch it on weekdays. We are getting a 2nd Ipad and I'll try to find shows he likes and give it to him during short car trips before the flight. And headphones that he won't fight me on...

Anonymous wrote:What part of south America are you going to?

Is this one poster that insistently asks the poster to disclose the details of their trip instead of answering the question or is there a whole bunch of busy bodies?

What part of south America are you going to?

Get a Flytot or Kuki travel pillow and turn the seat into a bed basically (assuming you are in coach). We used them for flights to and from Asia and the kids slept 10 hours or so.

We have taken our kid on long flights multiple times. If they are in the bassinet weight limit, then get that, so much easier to sleep. Just be sure to but the belt on so he doesn't wake up and jump out, and also for safety during turbulence. Carry a lot of snacks, you said the kid doesn't do TV - is that because you don't allow or he doesn't like? Either way, it's the easiest way to keep them entertained on a flight. So maybe rethink that one? Pack multiple small toys. I try to tire my kid out at the airport before we get on the flight and try to nurse to sleep just as we are taking off. I also used to make her sit on the tray table so we could look at each other and play for a bit. We also took a few walks in aisle when safe.