Anonymous
Post 04/04/2013 19:51     Subject: Flying with toddler, tips, suggestions?
Anonymous wrote:Just get the extra legroom seats and call the airline the day before and make sure you get switched to a seat that has an empty one beside it. Confirm your seat assignment again when you check your bags and again at the gate. Odds are you will both get your own seat.

Good luck! I fly alone with my toddler and baby a lot and have since they were born. People have been wonderful on flights and I've had more people offer to help me if a DC gets antsy than give me the stink eye (not that I would've noticed as I'm too preoccupied with the kids).


Have you flown recently? I haven't been on flight less than full in, well, I can't remember flying on a less than full flight. And to and from Florida this time of year? I flew back from Miami on Sunday and every seat was occupied and every square inch of overhead space was taken.

I fly at least 6 or 7 times a month and I haven't seen an empty seat except for the shuttle in a long, long time.

Good idea in theory.
Anonymous
Post 04/04/2013 19:40     Subject: Flying with toddler, tips, suggestions?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:It sounds like she's doing this solo? I would not even try it with a 21-month old, unless you have the most calm child known to man. Even with DH and me, which gave us another seat to play with, we could not stop our then 17-month old from getting his feet on the woman next to us (luckily we had the bulkhead). He was big, and squirmy, and hard to keep in our "space." We bought a return ticket for him on the flight back.

Get on and hope for the best, is all I can say. I'm not even sure where you are going to have room to set up snacks, ipod, etc. if the flight is full and there are two people right next to you -- there's not going to be room for the tray if your 2-year-old is in your lap, and it's going to be hard to get to your bags.


Really, do you ave to be so doom and gloom? Some women are single and have no choice but to travel alone with a toddler and others don't have the available cash to buy another ticket. She asked for tips and suggestions, not every negative thought you could think of.


Just another reason to have a husband before you have children.


Unless you marry a deadbeat like we read so much about on here, then you are much better off flying (and living) alone.



Op here - Thank u and true... I am much happier alone.... Fwiw I got laid off a couple months ago and have been unable to find work. I am traveling so that my dd can visit with my family some of which she hasn't met yet. Funds are tight and I thought it would be a good opportunity to go and visit. Wow, I have never read so much judgement, rude and ignorant comments before in my life. I wanted to get tips on flying alone with my toddler and could never dream up such responses. Thanks everyone...
Anonymous
Post 04/04/2013 19:37     Subject: Flying with toddler, tips, suggestions?
It's a flight to FLORiDA, you're not in the air for long. Suck it up, bring some stickers and snacks....
Anonymous
Post 04/04/2013 19:31     Subject: Flying with toddler, tips, suggestions?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:It sounds like she's doing this solo? I would not even try it with a 21-month old, unless you have the most calm child known to man. Even with DH and me, which gave us another seat to play with, we could not stop our then 17-month old from getting his feet on the woman next to us (luckily we had the bulkhead). He was big, and squirmy, and hard to keep in our "space." We bought a return ticket for him on the flight back.

Get on and hope for the best, is all I can say. I'm not even sure where you are going to have room to set up snacks, ipod, etc. if the flight is full and there are two people right next to you -- there's not going to be room for the tray if your 2-year-old is in your lap, and it's going to be hard to get to your bags.


Really, do you ave to be so doom and gloom? Some women are single and have no choice but to travel alone with a toddler and others don't have the available cash to buy another ticket. She asked for tips and suggestions, not every negative thought you could think of.


Just another reason to have a husband before you have children.


And I guess never get divorced? Must be nice living in your judgmental bubble.
Anonymous
Post 04/04/2013 19:20     Subject: Flying with toddler, tips, suggestions?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:It sounds like she's doing this solo? I would not even try it with a 21-month old, unless you have the most calm child known to man. Even with DH and me, which gave us another seat to play with, we could not stop our then 17-month old from getting his feet on the woman next to us (luckily we had the bulkhead). He was big, and squirmy, and hard to keep in our "space." We bought a return ticket for him on the flight back.

Get on and hope for the best, is all I can say. I'm not even sure where you are going to have room to set up snacks, ipod, etc. if the flight is full and there are two people right next to you -- there's not going to be room for the tray if your 2-year-old is in your lap, and it's going to be hard to get to your bags.


Really, do you ave to be so doom and gloom? Some women are single and have no choice but to travel alone with a toddler and others don't have the available cash to buy another ticket. She asked for tips and suggestions, not every negative thought you could think of.


Just another reason to have a husband before you have children.


Unless you marry a deadbeat like we read so much about on here, then you are much better off flying (and living) alone.
Anonymous
Post 04/04/2013 19:16     Subject: Flying with toddler, tips, suggestions?
Free and discounted flights for children should stop. Your "fly for free" is a damn nuisance and over two yrs. takes up a whole seat just as much as an adult.
Anonymous
Post 04/04/2013 19:13     Subject: Flying with toddler, tips, suggestions?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:It sounds like she's doing this solo? I would not even try it with a 21-month old, unless you have the most calm child known to man. Even with DH and me, which gave us another seat to play with, we could not stop our then 17-month old from getting his feet on the woman next to us (luckily we had the bulkhead). He was big, and squirmy, and hard to keep in our "space." We bought a return ticket for him on the flight back.

Get on and hope for the best, is all I can say. I'm not even sure where you are going to have room to set up snacks, ipod, etc. if the flight is full and there are two people right next to you -- there's not going to be room for the tray if your 2-year-old is in your lap, and it's going to be hard to get to your bags.


Really, do you ave to be so doom and gloom? Some women are single and have no choice but to travel alone with a toddler and others don't have the available cash to buy another ticket. She asked for tips and suggestions, not every negative thought you could think of.


Just another reason to have a husband before you have children.
Anonymous
Post 04/04/2013 19:00     Subject: Flying with toddler, tips, suggestions?
Just get the extra legroom seats and call the airline the day before and make sure you get switched to a seat that has an empty one beside it. Confirm your seat assignment again when you check your bags and again at the gate. Odds are you will both get your own seat.

Good luck! I fly alone with my toddler and baby a lot and have since they were born. People have been wonderful on flights and I've had more people offer to help me if a DC gets antsy than give me the stink eye (not that I would've noticed as I'm too preoccupied with the kids).
Anonymous
Post 04/04/2013 18:52     Subject: Flying with toddler, tips, suggestions?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:It sounds like she's doing this solo? I would not even try it with a 21-month old, unless you have the most calm child known to man. Even with DH and me, which gave us another seat to play with, we could not stop our then 17-month old from getting his feet on the woman next to us (luckily we had the bulkhead). He was big, and squirmy, and hard to keep in our "space." We bought a return ticket for him on the flight back.

Get on and hope for the best, is all I can say. I'm not even sure where you are going to have room to set up snacks, ipod, etc. if the flight is full and there are two people right next to you -- there's not going to be room for the tray if your 2-year-old is in your lap, and it's going to be hard to get to your bags.


Really, do you ave to be so doom and gloom? Some women are single and have no choice but to travel alone with a toddler and others don't have the available cash to buy another ticket. She asked for tips and suggestions, not every negative thought you could think of.


I wrote the original "doom and gloom" post. No choice? It's awfully serendipitous that the last airplane trip she ever has to take is happening 3 months before she'd have to buy another ticket anyway.

And I did say "hope for the best." But, as my experience and the experience of the vast number of posters on this thread point out, there is nothing that will make this experience anything other than grin-and-bear-it for her and the people sitting next to/in front of her if the plane is full and there is no extra seat.
Anonymous
Post 04/04/2013 18:48     Subject: Re:Flying with toddler, tips, suggestions?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Why not just give the kids something to knock 'em out...throw him in a duffle bag, and stow it in the overhead compartment. In the event of turbulence, THAT would actually be safer than holding him in your lap.



I hope that every flight you get on from now on results with you being seated next to the loudest babies who cry non stop during the entire flight, while kicking tour seat repeatedly that would be divine karma

Hugs!


+1 karma is a bitch.
Anonymous
Post 04/04/2013 18:46     Subject: Flying with toddler, tips, suggestions?
Anonymous wrote:It sounds like she's doing this solo? I would not even try it with a 21-month old, unless you have the most calm child known to man. Even with DH and me, which gave us another seat to play with, we could not stop our then 17-month old from getting his feet on the woman next to us (luckily we had the bulkhead). He was big, and squirmy, and hard to keep in our "space." We bought a return ticket for him on the flight back.

Get on and hope for the best, is all I can say. I'm not even sure where you are going to have room to set up snacks, ipod, etc. if the flight is full and there are two people right next to you -- there's not going to be room for the tray if your 2-year-old is in your lap, and it's going to be hard to get to your bags.


Really, do you ave to be so doom and gloom? Some women are single and have no choice but to travel alone with a toddler and others don't have the available cash to buy another ticket. She asked for tips and suggestions, not every negative thought you could think of.
Anonymous
Post 04/04/2013 18:40     Subject: Flying with toddler, tips, suggestions?
Why do they ask you (adults and those over 2) to buckle your seatbelt during turbulence?
Anonymous
Post 04/04/2013 18:18     Subject: Flying with toddler, tips, suggestions?
Anonymous wrote:Try nanny in the cloud ( I think it's nannyinthecloud.com or nanniesinthecloud.com)

Nannies already are in that flight - you just pay them to help you during check in, wait and flight.

So say I was a nanny and I booked a flight to California on April 12. I would go to the website and I update my profile to show what flight I was on and inform parents (who also have profiles) that are on that flight. Than I would do it for my return trip.

I'm not sure what you pay I think it's like 15 for one kid or something close to that. My friend did it when she flew to France, alone, with twin 11 month olds.


The website suggests $20 per hour...but if OP is too cheap to buy her kid a seat for his own safety's sake, she's not going to pay for an on board nanny.
Anonymous
Post 04/04/2013 18:14     Subject: Flying with toddler, tips, suggestions?
I bring cash and if our baby gets loud I immediately offer to buy a drink for anyone cringing at the noise.
Anonymous
Post 04/04/2013 17:38     Subject: Flying with toddler, tips, suggestions?
Sorry that is a per hour rate