KarinNp

DH and I do have children, 6, and have traveled with them.

We recently were on a 2 1/2 hour flight with a couple that had a mountain of items for their child. Do the airlines have a limit for what you can take with a child?

I know the mother was rethinking the entire trip just by the look on her face.

vjpblovesitaly

You mean they had more than one carry on and one personal bag (backpack, purse) for the kid?

november_moon

I think the same rules apply regardless of age - so each passenger is allowed a personal item and a carry-on. For children under a certain age, you can also take an approved car seat for the child to use during the flight.

KarinNp

They had a stroller, car seat, diaper bag, her 2 carry ons, his 2 carry ons and the child in one of those parent pack somewhere in the mess. I was so amazed I took a photo which is to remind me to travel light.

By carry ons I mean a 22 inch roller and back packs each.

KarinNp

They had to have bought the child a ticket??? Right????

gilber20

What do parents recommend bringing on board to keep toddlers (age 2) or young kids (ages 3-5) occupied during a 2-hour flight?

My wife and I have brought plenty of snacks and books on board for our toddler son. I've seen those portable DVD players everywhere and am considering whether to buy one.

On the one hand, too much TV is a bad thing for kids. On the other hand, your fellow passengers might appreciate it. Any thoughts?

siena1

Depends on the age of the child. If the child was over 2 yrs., they had to purchase a ticket.

Did the child have his/her own seat, or was he/she riding in a parent's lap?


As for the DVD player, I say go for it. A few extra hours of tv over the course of a lifetime isn't going to harm the child...but it IS going to help you keep your sanity! That's just my two cents; I'm no expert.

KarinNp

My niece has a interactive game system with a horse and dog care program that you can't get out of her hands. She is 5. It is about 2.5" by 6", sorry I don't know the name.

KarinNp

They had a car seat so I think they must have purchased a ticket.

MonicaRichards

So that means the kid only had one carryon, which is right (stroller is gate checked and carseat doesn't count). The parents should have checked more luggage, though, that's a lot to handle!

mrswilburrrr

The hand held game could be a Nintendo DS. My daughter will play with hers a lot.

A would vote for the DVD player as well. Unlike TV, you can control what gets played on it. You may even find an educational DVD that your kids would enjoy.

http://www.panama-city-beach-vacatio...there-yet.html has some tips for travelling with kids in a car. Some of them work just as well for an airplane.

BKP

We fly a lot with our 3 year old son. While doing research for ways to occupy/pacify him I came across the advice to bring a new toy/treat for every 10-15 minutes of your journey. Well, on an overseas flight from the West coast to Europe (about 10 hours) that works out to 40 little toys! We don't really bring that many, but if you think about your child's attention span and plan accordingly, it can add up!

We use our laptops to play movies for our son. We try not to let him watch too much t.v. at home, but honestly, if it kept him calm and quiet I'd let him watch movies the whole time. The flight is about survival! We're flying overseas tomorrow and for the first time we'll be bringing computer games on our laptops. I think my son will be in heaven.

I know that it seems like a lot. We will certainly look like pack mules tomorrow. But wouldn't you rather the parents around you were over prepared than under?

Oh, and I promise I am not receiving compensation for promoting this product, but every chance I get I tell people who fly with small children about the CARES harness. You use it in place of a carseat and it provides more stability than the regular airline seatbelt. We love it. It's the second thing we make sure we have when we leave the house, after our passports!

iowamom

Definitely get a DVD player - it has been a lifesaver for us. Check out your local library for DVDs or the video store - that way you can have new/different DVDs for the trip.

My DD (now age 6) loves coloring books, sticker books, workbooks, etc. She knows that every time we go on a trip she gets a new workbook. You can also print coloring pages from the web.

Snacks are also important too!

beentheretwice

If someone has a laptop, you can play the DVD on that, as well as computer games.

We also get the books on CDs from the library and my kids liked to listen to the stories.

I don't know about the new toy every 15 minutes, that is a bit much, but we did get something new and cheap for each leg of the flight.

Dry erase boards with a caddy to keep the markers.

There's also Benadryl.....

BKP

I know that it wasn't the original intention of the OP for this to become a thread with tips and advice -- but if a parent ever searches the forum and this pops up I'm sure it will help.

beenthere makes an excellent point about the caddy for makers. We use a backpack with lots of compartments and pockets as our carryon. Then, the activities are grouped together and everything has it's own bag/box/caddy etc. You don't want to just have one large bag and be digging past the toys your child is bored with to find something new and exciting.

We also keep the snacks in a separate carryon. I can get pretty frazzled on the plane and it helps me when everything is organized and in its place.

I'm sorry to go on and on. Traveling with a child has sort of become my little soapbox. I hear so many people (on ALL sides) complain about it. I just think with more preparation (and patience) everyone's flights would be more enjoyable.

wliwl

Whatever happened to books and tapes for little kids? My kids used to listen to the tapes (I suppose they'd be CDs now or whatever) and "follow along" in the book - even though they couldn't read.

They were plenty entertained and they were always good readers.

emcash

we travel often with our 2 1/2 year old and once she turned two, we invested in a portable DVD player. For the take off and landing when you can't have electronics out, I bring out a "new" toy to keep her interested (sometimes it's an old toy she's forgotten about). but the DVD player has been a lifesaver. Personally, I wouldn't worry about an extra few hours of TV for a flight- honestly, seems sort of silly to me to worry about that. It keeps them occupied and quiet and everyone is happy.

And, as BKP suggested, the CARES harness is wonderful. At her (?) suggestion we purchased it for a flight to bermuda and thought it was wonderful-- and so much less bulky than a carseat.

Lala2003

Okay, it's been awhile since I had toddlers, but these things were pretty small and easy to pack, and always made for smooth sailing: dvds/cds (and headphones that fit little heads!) and books on cd. All of the above can be put on an ipod now, which is even more portable. Sticker books in French and Spanish were fun ways to learn new words - stickers in general were fabulous - buy a blank inexpensive sketchbook and let them go crazy! Also colored pencils - I would trace the outline of their hands and mine and they would "paint" the fingernails or create an animal or monster out of the shape. When they're a little older, Nintendo DS has some really fun games that will keep them occupied for hours! We basically said they could only use them on trips, so that made it seem new each time. . .

travelerfromtx

The portable DVD player (or laptop) is an excellent thing to bring on a plane for a child. It is VERY important not to forget to pack the headphones though!

longhorn55

I'm on the opposite side when it comes to having portable DVD players to entertain children when flying. I'm sure they don't do any harm, but I think my kids appreciated the time I spent with them when we took long trips (and we took a lot of them). We played games, read books together, colored pictures, etc. Being "stuck" on a plane is a great opportunity for some one-on-one time with your child, so I encourage you to take advantage of it.