Dave

Message: My wife and I are considering bringing our 16 month old to Maui. 8 hour non-stop flight. Longest baby has been on a plane has been 3 1/2 hours. Have you done? Would you do? Feedback...thoughts? (it is a free trip and we'd like to bring him, but we are a little nervous about the flight.)

ow

I sat in front of one once. It felt like a 16 hr plane ride due to parents that did not want to "stifle" or "stunt" the child's ability to "express itself."

So, the whole plane had to be part of this child's growth experience? And anybody who "expressed themselves" were stifled!

Remember, you're not the only people who have had children.
Sorry to sound so cranky. Can't blame the child though.
Good luck.

patg

Yes, I have done it. It depends mainly on one thing - is your child a good, sound sleeper? There are a lot of distractions on the plane and an overwraught child is really tough on everyone. Work with his or her sleep times and get all the exercise you can before the flight and at breaks. Bring extra everything; when you don't have to use it, you'll know - a successful flight is an uneventful flight.

abused

I once had the unfortunate experience, gross understatement , of sitting next to a woman travelling with a child about this age on a completely sold out flight who did not have his own seat and squirmed and fussed and carried on all the way across the country. Do everyone a favor , your fellow passengers , the child and especially yourself and at least buy a seat for the child if you are going to contemplate doing this.

air-rage

I completely agree with Abused. I have travelled transpacific and transatlantic
flights with babies crying for the entire duration of the flight. Don't ruin the flight for you, your baby and the rest of the fellow passengers. The baby stays home.

Brian Kilgore

Chances are the airplane trip would be a major annoyance to the kid, (sore ears at a minimum, acute boredom, and more)and a 16 month old is just as happy somewhere otehr than Maui.

If you've got a good place to stash him, do that, and enjoy your trip with the little guy.

If you do take him, good luck.
I used to carry a 1.5 - 2.5 year old across Canada on airplanes, and she was a very good, very quiet bably, but she did not have a particularly happy time. On some flights she just sat on the floor (always try to get a bulkhead seat) and ripped newspapers into tiny pieces. You can do that for a lot of hours if you have enough newspapers.

A 16 month old can escape, so you'll be trying to keep him from runningup the aisles, which is dangerous for the kid and annoying for the other passengers.

Are you planning on getting this kid a seat?


If not, he'll at least have mom or dad to sit on. I saw one family where two kids were seatless, and neither parent got a break.

When all is said and done, bring some presents back for the kid, and give yourself the gift of a break from parenthood.

BAK

David

I hate to agree w/ most of the comments above but I left my 18 month home this past summer because of the long flight (9-10 hrs) to Hawaii. Hell, my wife complained about the length of the flight. The other part to consider is how much fun is baby going to have once you get there? I know it's a tough decision but....

Anti-troll patrol

G*ddammit goldurnit ratsaflatzit! Just once I'd like to see a post asking for help with traveling with children without having the anti-kid brigade haul out their howitzers and tell whomever to park the child somewhere else!

I truly hope Dave's post is not a troll. If it is, you deserve all that cursing yourself.

But if not, Dave, you should be aware this topic is like an entire scarlett schooner-sail waving in front of a herd of Mad-Cow crazed bulls, mouths dripping with foam at the chance to trash parents who travel with children one more time!
As if the comfort of these self-absorbed, special-treatment-for-me, get-out-of-my-way, hatched-not-born passengers was the only consideration. As if they suffered more than the child or the parents, and that was the primary problem.

This is entirely doable, Dave. (And why wouldn't a child like Maui or anywhere else that has a beach?) The usual helpful comments involve having a stash of lots of old and news small toys; reading to the child (YES, people, in a VERY low voice, so we can hear you talking about how wasted you got at your last party); getting him tired during the day and traveling at night; making sure he has things to drink, swallow, suck on to keep ears clear; perhaps getting an antihistamine to help with ears and with side benefit of sleepiness.

I recommend you do a search on the subject -- there's a mine and mine-field of info already at this site and on these forums -- and otherwise ignore the inevitable preach-screech from the anti-child crew here.

Mom2Three

To Anti-Troll-Have you ever flown with a child that young on an 8 hour flight??? It is hard on adults to fly that long in a cramped space. Kids that age have a hard time sitting still for any length of time. And, kids that age cannot be expected to sit quietly the entire time and not annoy anyone. I don't think this is an anti-child sentiment, just using common sense and being practical. If Dave wants an enjoyable vacation, there are plenty of nice beach resorts closer to Maui he can take his child. If he truly has his heart set on Hawaii, either leave the child at home, wait till the child is older, or fly halfway and stay overnight somewhere to break up the flight.

April

Take the baby! Try to keep her up as much as possible before the trip. Make sure she has her own seat!. Take a backpack full of favorite toys, extra snacks, maybe a tape player with headphones and some children songs. This is an opportunity for you to see somewhere through the eyes of this wonderful child. I am a pharmacist so I do give this advice. Give Sudafed or generic about 45 min. before takeoff and repeat dosing every 6 hours. Get a prescription from you Dr ahead of time for an antibiotic for ear infections and tell your pharmacist not to mix it! Just show you how to mix it. The sudafed will relieve pressure in the childs eustacian tubes but the recirculated air along with the pressure of the cabin give the child about a 75 percent chance of an ear infection on a trip that long. Have a wonderful time and just hug that baby 100 times a day and take lots of pictures. I have an 8 year old and we have been traveling since she was 3 months old. I do not regret 1 minute of our travels. Yes it gets rough some times but all in all, it is totally worth it.

Anti-Troll

Yes, overburdened Mom-to-3, I have done that. I am actually more of a problem on an 8-hr. flight than most kids, what with fidgeting, small bladder, etc.

I agree 8 hrs. confined anywhere is a problem for a child, and Dave is already questioning that. And 16 months is admittedly about the worst age for travel in any mode -- too old to sleep non-stop, too young to hold a crayon.
But the answer doesn't have to be dump the kid and take off. And there's no excuse for screaming at Dave because someone else's kid kicked the back of your seat once (not sure a 16-month old can reach yet, anyway).

Don't know if your oldest was an only child for very long, but perhaps you can remember how much easier life is when parents outnumber kids and there's only one kid to entertain. He'll sleep at least some of the time and eat some of the time, anyway. Dave's decision is whether going to Maui and having Dave Jr. there with him and his wife is worth devoting the 8 hrs. over and 8 hrs. back to non-stop child care.

Your suggestion of breaking up the trip has some merit EXCEPT consider what happens when there's a missed connection and/or delay. That's a nightmare in itself and guaranteed to make everyone whiny and inclined to cry a lot -- if a child actually DOES cry, it tends to draw the fire of everyone who FEELS like crying.

Sal

I've said it before, I wouldn't hesitate to take my child if I felt I could keep her happy and occupied. Do heed April's advice. Having traveled with three she's giving you very good information. Have you ever gone on a long road trip? If so, how did he do? Instead of Sudafed, we give ours Benadryl. It accomplishes the same thing, plus makes them drowsy. I would be careful about depriving him of sleep in hopes that he'll make up for it one the plane. Every child is different, but sometimes that tactic has the opposite effect resulting in a child who's cranky because he's off schedule and now cannot sleep because he's in unfamiliar surroundings. Don't worry if he cries a little. He is a baby and I find most passengers are sympathic. What I find amusing is that we felt the same way you do when we had our first. Now that we have three, time alone is high on our list!

Dad

April-Big difference between a baby and a 16 month old! 16 month old children are prone to meltdowns, can't sit still very long & hate to be confined! I agree with Mom, save Hawaii for when your child is older. There are plenty of nice resorts that require only a couple of hours of flying time. Save Hawaii for another time.

And April-Have you ever traveled 8+ hours with a child??? If you have, you would realize it is a pain, even with all the toys and goodies. You strike me as one of those parents who knows it all and claims to have done it all. I think you need some serious help lady and probably a good parenting class.

No

No doubt amazed and dad are one in the same troll. But since their ignorance is showing, this mom will point out that most doctors will recommend giving a young child a Benadryl or Sudafed type of medication that will keep their ears clear, thus free from discomfort upon take off and landing.

Doc

Sorry NO-Most doctors will not recommend giving children Benadryl or Sudafed. Drinking something on take off and landing is the only thing I recommend.

ilisa

Actually, my pediatrician, and all the pediatricians that my friends and family use, have recommended a decongestant taken about a 1/2 hour before takeoff.

Nurse&Mom

Regarding Benadryl and Sudafed,the principal drawback with both of these medications is the chance that in some children they will have the opposite effect, and induce hyperactive behaviour. In addition, they can cause nightmares.

Y

Take the kid. But keep Air-Rage home where psychos belong. Abused, you probably were to hear you rant. Stay away from all decent company. Appalled .. stop responding to MM .. he's always an idiot, so find someone who thinks. His sister or whoever is always killing themselves (probably to get away from MM). It's up to the parents whether the kids goes or stays, not you posters. So, who cares what you negative yappers post. Now go back to work.

Jean

I would NEVER take a 16-month old to Hawaii - the flight is hard enough for an adult, let alone a child. It isn't only the long flight, there is not that much for toddlers to do once they are there - the parents spend their entire vacation taking care of children and naot truly enjoying themselves! Either leave them home, or wait until they are older!

No

Ilisa,

I guess you, me, and our friends need to find new pediatricians. Isn't it strange that we both use pediatricians (and in my case, also a ped. ENT) who have all suggested some type of decongestant to HELP make our children comfortable in flight.