Tips for Flying with a Toddler

When I told some co-workers that I was planning a four week vacation to South America - and I was bringing my 20 month old son - I was met with skepticism. An onslaught of questions soon followed. "Why on earth do you want to put yourself through long flights with a toddler in a foreign land?" "What on earth will your toddler eat in Chile?" "Are you out of your mind?"

Trip planning consumed my free-time for a good month beforehand. This time, we weren't just flying to Grammy's house in New York; we were taking a (yikes) 12 hour flight to Santiago. I needed to be uber-prepared. I share with you the products of this resarch, including recommended parenting tricks and advice, as well as recommended travel-friendly products. Bon voyage.

Tips for flying with toddlers:

- Try to plan your flights around your toddler's normal sleeping times. Many international flights are late at night, which is a huge plus - they eventually fall asleep at midnight regardless of the excitement!

- Wear your toddler out beforehand. Run around the airport! No sitting allowed until they board the plane! Allow extra airport time for releasing energy before your flight's departure.

- Pack 3-4 healthy snacks in Ziploc bags. Pretzels, raisins and other dried fruit, crackers or cereal and granola bars work well. You never know how long you will be on the plane. I also packed a small bag of jelly beans (my toddler's all-time favorite, super special treat). Jelly beans can produce amazing results and changes of behavior. While I try my best to stay away from bribery, I'd rather treat my little one to a sweet than have them wake up an entire plane.

- Carry extra milk or formula. I was on a flight to Chicago once with my toddler and they only had creamer. Seriously. Horizon Organics makes a great product that doesn't need refrigeration.

- Pack extra diapers and two sets of clothes. If your destination climate is different, pack accordingly. Bring pajamas if you'll be on long flight. Toddlers really take their cue from routines - even if they won't be sleeping in a bed, putting on PJs will let them know it's sleepy time.

- Use a pacifier during take-off and landings. While at the time I was bemoaning my toddler's continued use of the binky, it proved a lifesaver while in flight. The sucking helps minimize pressure on the eardrums during take-off and landing. If your child uses a pacifier, pack an extra. If they don't, drinking or nursing will help with equalization discomfort.

- Plan for tantrums. For my trip, I wrapped up around 8 small matchbox cars. When my son was getting bored or started annoying fellow travelers, his attention was diverted by one of these new treats. Of course, if you're only taking one flight, one of these wrapped surprises would do.

- Pack small toys. Below I list some of my top picks.

- If possible, fly with a portable DVD player and your toddler's favorite movies. You will be rewarded with some good quiet time. Inmotion Pictures is located in many US airports and rents both the players (starting at $12 a day with one free movie rental) and movies ($4 a day). Check www.inmotionpictures.com. for locations and current rates.

- Minimize your gear. TriplePlay Products(www.tripleplayproducts.com.) Sit'n'Stroll Combination Car Seat/Stroller is great for toddler air travel. With this product, you can whiz your toddler through the airport and land them, with a click of a button, on their plane seats. Practice this maneuver beforehand - there's nothing worse than holding up an aisle of edgy travelers wanting to board. And don't expect to wheel this through every plane. It was too wide for most of our international flights, and many airlines wouldn't allow us to put in on the seat. While the US has strict flight regulations for kiddos, most South American flights only wanted our 20 month old to use the standard seat belt. Car seats were considered dangerous and unnecessary.

- Make them sleepy if you need to. I consulted with a few pediatricians before I went on my trip. While some said I could use Benadryl to induce sleep (always try beforehand because some children have an adverse reaction), I chose a more natural alternative called Bach's Rescue Remedy. A few drops of this herbal blend will make your toddler groggy, and it will calm your stress levels as well!

Since our flight was long, I packed extra toys in my luggage and rotated the toys in the carry-on to spice things up. In South America, dinners typically last over two hours, so these toys also helped entertain when we weren't traveling. Below I list 11 toys that saved my sanity, more than once. When choosing a travel toy, keep in mind size and weight - the more you can fit the better!

Top Choices for Toys When Flying With A Toddler:

1) Bring Along Thomas foldable playset by Tomy (www.tomy.com.)
2) Matchbox and other die cast vehicles
3) Crayons and paper
4) Crayola Color Wonder markers and learning books
5) Small containers of playdough and 5-6 shape cutters
6) Fisher Price Doodle Pro Doodle Talker (www.fisher-price.com.)
7) Wind-up Toys
8) My First Mobile Phone by I-Play
9) "Sticker Stories" books, published by Grosset & Dunlap
10) Tolo Toys Rainbow Stacker (www.tolotoys.com.)
11) Balloons

A year later, I can report with fond memories that my trip with my toddler was a success. When all was said, we went on ten different flights, crossed into Argentina on three separate boat and two bus rides, road horseback, and endured countless hours of rental car driving. The success of my trip was due, in large part, to all of the extra hands - having two doting grandparents along provided endless help and relief. But all of my prior preparation helped too. Hopefully, after reading some of my tips, you too can travel successfully with your toddler.