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5 Toddler Travel Problems, Solved
A. Stay calm yourself! If your toddler throws a fit, the worst thing you can do is freak out. "When you start panicking, your child picks up on your tension and can get even more upset," says Shelly Rivoli, author of Travels with Baby: The Ultimate Guide for Planning Trips with Babies, Toddlers, and Preschool-Age Children. Do what you do at home to soothe a tantrum: Walk around, hum her favorite lullaby, or distract her with a toy. And while it's only polite to try to keep your child from disrupting the flight, don't worry too much about what other people think. Apologize, but remember you'll most likely never see your fellow passengers again.
You should bring your child's car seat. This means you'll probably have to buy an extra ticket, but holding your toddler for the entire flight can be a drag -- and it's also unsafe. Plus, the car seat is familiar to her, and she's already used to traveling -- and napping -- in it. And don't forget to pack a carry-on bag filled with snacks and toys. Bottles, sippy cups, and pacifiers, in particular, are essential travel tools because sucking on them during takeoff and landing is a smart way to relieve ear pressure in a young kid.
Finally, decide at the gate whether you want to pre-board. "Getting on early gives you extra time to get settled, but it also means your child has to sit for that much longer," says Rivoli. A better idea is to have your spouse get on the plane and install the car seat, while you let your toddler run around until the final call.
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I would just add that if you already breastfeed your child, that may be comforting and will help their ears to pop. Some people are nervous breastfeeding in public, but I assure you it's much less embarassing than a four hour scream fest!
4/25/2011 10:47:03 AM Report AbuseWell if all else fails try a little pink gold. (bynadryl) my 2 year old is quite and not asleep but much calmer on the plane.
11/16/2010 11:05:14 AM Report AbuseMy daughter, 2 years and 3 months old, un-buckles every "big" car seat she's been in and with a booster seat undoes the car seat belt. I don't know what to do or what kind of car seat to get now.
7/16/2010 02:17:32 AM Report Abuse& to llrrww81: i have been on both sides of that airline seat and i suggest you carry a few pills for your nerves and ipod for your ears, it worked for me back then. the complaints dont make you feel better or the passengers or the flustered, worried, embarrassed parent. dont make rough situations about you b/c its just not cool.
3/23/2010 01:34:40 PM Report AbuseI have had a sick toddler in the car and it is a scary thing to have to pull over, clean whatever has escaped your child's digestive system from top or bottom, and comfort them as well all the while watching out for opportunistic predators. Nothing simplifies this.
3/23/2010 01:34:03 PM Report Abuseall of this is GREAT in theory but in reality when you are traveling with an upset toddler in an unfamiliar setting then nothing, I REPEAT NOTHING works. You can only be patient and ride out the storm as best you can...unless you employ tylenol right before boarding.
3/23/2010 01:33:39 PM Report Abusethe tag team effort doesn't work if you're not traveling with your spouse. this is the travel that is most dreaded. i will never again fly with my son until he is old enough to reason with. i was THAT mom on the plane with the nonstop crying infant, and i felt terrible. all the passengers gave me mean looks as they got off the plane. i know they say not to feel too bad because you're not going to see these people again, but we all know how annoyed we get when it ISN'T our child crying.
3/17/2010 07:54:27 PM Report AbuseIf the airline does not have a pre-boarding policy, you can always ask if you can get on the plane early to get settled in. I've never had a problem verifying at the gate that I can "pre-board" with my toddler. I introduce my toddler to the staff and everyone seems to be more tolerant of issues that may arise.
3/16/2010 01:31:42 PM Report Abuse"And while it's only polite to try to keep your child from disrupting the flight, don't worry too much about what other people think. Apologize, but remember you'll most likely never see your fellow passengers again." wow, just wow. Just because I'm never going to see them again does not give me an excuse to have a wild child. As an adult should I be disruptive to other passengers just because i won't ever see them again?
2/26/2010 12:50:02 PM Report AbuseThe "spousal tag-team" effort of separating while one pre-boards and the other runs around with the toddler is a great idea, however very few airlines offer pre-boarding anymore.
12/28/2009 02:45:24 PM Report Abuse