Help!!...How do we keep our 2 year old boy occupied on the airplane??

Question

We are flying from L.A. to Orlando and I'm a little worried he won't be able to tolerate the long flight...We switch planes in Dallas, which may help a little...He's quite rambunctious and very busy...Any tips from parents who have been there, done that??...Please help...any words of wisdom will be much appreciated....Thank you!!!

Answer 1

When I recently flew with my highly energetic 2 year old daughter, mostly she played with the pocket on the back of the seat in front of her (where they keep the magazines), tried to interact with other passengers, and ate from the enormous bag of cereal I brought for her to munch on. When the stewardess served the drinks, I got the whole can with a couple of cups and she amused herself for quite some time just pouring juice back and forth, back and forth between the two cups and the can. I brought her baby doll and her blanket so when she got sleepy, she could snuggle with something familiar.

I suggest you bring a bag with some books and other small toys in it that are new to him. Get a bag with a lot of pockets so he'll have fun finding all the hiding places and their contents. Don't bring too much stuff though; it's hard enough to change planes with a toddler without having to lug around a ginormous bag of baby stuff.

Edit: There was a mother and toddler sitting in front of us on the plane. The mother brought her laptop and some kiddie movies, which entertained her toddler for most of the flight. Mine had fun watching between the seats for awhile as well.

Answer 2

take a magna doodle along and let him scribble and play with that. No mess and he can wipe it clean over and over to draw again.take a favorite lovey along and a few extra   If you dont' have one, get a view master with some fun pictures for him to pop in and look at. They aren't that expensive. They dont' require batteries, don't make a mess and will keep him entertained for awhile. When you stop between planes if you have time let him run around in the waiting area, but not where he'll drive people up the wall.   If you're comfortable with it, buy him a set of kids headphones and put some kids music on an IPod and let him listen to that during the flight.

Take along a deck of "memory game cards" and see if he can match up the pictures with their mate.  Unless the plane has DVD players you can borrow or rent don't bother taking it.It's extra bulk you wont' want to carry on and getting through security with them is ridiculous.  Color wonder coloring books are great for this age.  I wouldn't take balls to play with. Nowhere to throw, kick or play with it.  Kaledioscopes (you can usually find at dollar type stores) will usually keep little kids fascinated and entertained for awhile.  

dress comfortable!  Even if it means letting him wear a clean pair of PJ's for the trip. If you aren't dressed comfortable your trip will be less comfortable to make.

Take along some healthy snacks he likes in your carry on with some extra juice boxes or a water bottle just for him. Planes don't usually give out unlimited snacks in flight and you'll want some extras on hand.  Granola bars,  bunny grahams, fruit snacks, chex mix, teddy graham or goldfish pouches, etc.. work great for flights.

Ask about early boarding for families when you reach your gate. You can get settled before everyone boards so you aren't feeling rushed to sit down and so your child can get settled in.

Also, use the bathrooms with your child BEFORE you board. Airplane bathrooms are like a phone booth at best and are nearly impossible with toddlers. When I travel with my son by plane we always go BEFORE we get on to make it easier.

Take your own car seat.you'll save a fortune at the car rental place when you land. you'll also know the history of your seat (where as you won't with a rental).

Be sure he sticks to his schedule from home as much as possible. DO NOT keep him up late or skip a nap. This is worse than a kid on energy as it turns into tantrum child that can make everyone miserable on the plane when the melt down starts from being too tired.

Umbrella strollers are a god send in airports with young children.They let you get around faster with them. You can also take them on the plane and the stewardess will put it in the front so it is ready for you when you land and get off.

There is no need to drug your kid for a flight just because you may get some grouch on your flight with you.  Be sure they have something for take off like a sip cup to equalize the pressure in their ears. Ask your doctor about drops for flights for kids to help also.You put them in 30 minutes before take off and it helps when the pressure changes for kids too young to chew gum at take off.   If someone grouchy says something to you just smile and say jokingly something like "he's only two, but he's sure good at it isn't he?" and then go on about your business.   You'll never make everyone on a flight happy with a young child in tow so there is no point in trying. Just do what you need to for your sanity and your child. Most people will understand.

Answer 3

The BEST thing we did when traveling overseas last year with our 3 children, one of them being 2 years old was, make sure he sits in his carseat!!! I can not tell you how nice it was! He sat there the whole time (1 flight for 3 hours and another for 8!!!) without ever asking to get out! Of course during the 8 hour flight it was night time and he slept the whole time, but still- I was amazed. The other thing I did was made sure I had something for each of them for every 1/2 hour of flight time. I got sticker books, magnetic books from Toys R Us, they watched 1 DVD on our DVD player, lots of different non-sugary snacks, colored tape- they loved sticking it all over the place, crayons/coloring books, etc... You'll be fine. Just really consider putting him in his car seat. He will already be used to traveling that way in the car and so he will just assume thats what you do on a plane as well! Have fun!

Answer 4

wear him out before you go, maybe keep him up  a little later the night before so he'll nap, will he watch movies? some planes have movie screens in each seat. take small snacks, crayons, small toys that he hasn't seen yet, so he won't get bored as quickly. good luck!

Answer 5

1.make sure he has a seat of his own.  

2.take - pens, paper, stickers and a coloring in book

3. wrap up little presents for him to open every 20 mins or so with a new little toy inside (cars, squishy balls anything small he can play with.)

4. take food that he likes (but avoid sugary foods as you don't want a hypo kid running around)

5. see if you can get hold of a mini dvd player with his favorite shows/movie on it.  (some airlines you can hire them)

6.let him run around the airport lounge like a madman when you switch planes to try and get some energy to wear off.

good luck!

Answer 6

Always bring games or little toys to keep him occupied. When they are a little older you bring card games like uno or something simple like a Leappad. All kids are rambunctious.lol But I would consider keeping him up a little past his bedtime. Making up might be a hassle but in the long-run it will count! Hope it helps!

Answer 7

Remember that you will be sitting right next to him and therefore it's a great time to pay attention to him. Bring fun things to eat, crayons, stickers, some favorite books and some new ones as well, music, a book about airplanes, puzzles. Talk to him about what to expect and let him know that he will be sitting for a long time and that you will be playing with him while he and everyone else is sitting.

Answer 8

I will let you know first off some people are grumps. No matter how old your kid is they still expect them to sit still,,,aint gonna happen. Bring lots of snacks and dvds to watch. I gave my son benadryl to help him sleep. You know let him walk up and down the isle. We went on a long flight to the islands. We would take turns walking him up and down the isle. Gives you a good stretch too. Bring stickers and plenty of coloring books. We got magnet books too. Lots of goodies and bring something like a canister or small thing for them to open and close that maybe you could stick some rasins or m&ms in for him to grab some out. Then put more in it and let him open it. I know my son loves open and closing things and especailly when he finds a yummie treat inside. I would chose dvds that keep his attention. My son loves baby einstein videos. Good luck and remember some people are just plain old nasty........so just ignore them and the glares.....they will get over it.

Answer 9

i always bring my portable dvd player, my daughter loves Dora and Diego so i make sure she has that to watch, toys he love. or you can make sure he don't take a nap before his nap time and maybe he can sleep most of the way. get a coloring book and let him color, Good luck i know how you feel