Long flight with 15 month old lady
 

Concidering a trip with Daughter in law and Grandaughter to meet her Great Grandaughter. What might a long flight be like with a 15 month old, and if you can share any suggestions or thoughts, I'd so appreciate. My Mommy is in her 90's and I would so love for her to meet and play with her little great grandaughter, but want to aproach the trip as wisely as possible. Thanks for any help!

Don't know how long is long - but no matter how difficult, make the trip.

Do a search here and on "Airline" board for some good ideas. They will give specific advice. Since you will have 2 adults, it should be tolerable. I would strongly urge you to buy a seat for the youngest lady - she is probably accustomed to riding in a car seat, perhaps even napping in one, and will obviously be safer.

If your focus is on the baby, all will be fine. My kids at that age were so thrilled to have absolutely undivided attention of parents on flights, that they did great. My attitude was always that whatever worked, was allowed for the flight - such as extra cookies, ripping up magazines, unpacking my purse and carry-on, etc.

Have a great trip.

We had some success with finding flights that coincided with naptime. As our son got older we instituted the Trip Bag, which was packed with games, cards, books, music, snacks, a small blanket that smelled like home -- whatever would amuse him while traveling. He's 12 now and packs it himself.

Definitely go!

You might want to talk to her pediatrician and ask what you could do if her ears start to hurt on the way up or down.

I think trips are always a good time to get a few new toys, but it amazed me how my son would play for hours with the cheapest little things from the vending machines!

Have a fun trip!

:-)

Not sure what you consider a long flight. Some days with my two toddlers, a half-hour flight would seem long! Traveling with children isn't bad as long as you are prepared and recognize that boredom is your biggest enemy.

I would strongly suggest you get her her own seat. While you aren't required to under the age of two, on a long flight not having her own seat could be a real problem as she tries to get some rest.

As suggested, the trip bag is a good idea. With both our kids, we'll take away a few of their favorite toys a week or so before we leave so that when they get them on the plane they'll be more interested. Prior to two trips from NYC to Europe, we also picked up a new toy/book or two that we gave them on the plane. Having a few snacks isn't a bad idea.

If your child is a good sleeper and comfortable with new surroundings, it should present a problem for them to get some rest. If you're worried about that, you might ask your physician about using something like dramamine or benadryl. Our children's pediatrician didn't see a problem with giving them a half a children's benadryl to help them sleep, but he did warn us that some kids become hyperactive.

Feed her a bottle or a sippy cup when the plane is ascending and descending. This will help with the ears. For older children, chewing gum might help. We have had luck making the beginning of the trip as boring as possible, helping a child fall asleep. I.e. just looking out the window for a long while. If you bust out the toys and games and coloring books right away, they will never want to fall asleep since they think it's fun time. Save this stuff for that cranky period when they wake up later.