You might think we’re crazy for booking a direct flight to Hawaii from New York with an almost 18-month-old. Trust me, we did have our moments where we were like WHAT WERE WE THINKING. Before the flight Matt kept asking “are you ready??” like we were about to skydive or try something insane and brand new that was super scary. It is scary, you never know what mood your child is going to be in on the day-of, or how they are going to react in different phases of life to being on a plane. Hudson has flown A TON (I even wrote a post about flying with a baby here), but mostly before he was mobile. It’s very different traveling with a child who is just sitting up VS one who is crawling or walking. I’ve been asked a lot about how we travel with Hudson, and I’ve been meaning to write an updated version on flying with a toddler for a while, so here it finally is!
… Also before I jump in I just want to make it known that we by no means had a perfect travel experience. On the way there Hudson did not want to sleep, so it was very tough. These are just things that we did that worked & other things we wish we did!
TIPS
Bring everything that your child associates with sleep on the plane. If thats a sound machine and a blanket, bring them both! For Hudson, it is his blankie, his pacifier and his fox. When he was ready for sleep we pulled all 3 out, and he knew even though he wasn’t in his crib, it was time to go to sleep.
Bring some toys that take a while to play with, or books that take a while to read. On this flight, I brought this book, which we can read over and over again, this toy that challenges his fine motor skills that he enjoys playing with for a while, and some blocks that keep him pretty entertained.
Pack a ton of snacks. Sometimes the best strategy to keep Hudson calm is to slowly give him snacks until he winds down. We cut up fruit, prepared some of his favorite pasta, brought raisins, gold fish, cheerios, yogurt packets and a ton of different food options. We never know when he’s going to be in the mood to reject a ton of different foods, so we brought a lot just in case.
Bring their favorite show on the ipad. We are not big on TV, but there is a time and place, and the plane is it! We downloaded a ton of Little Baby Bum which Hudson loves, and brought it on Matt’s kindle. We also picked up these adorable fox headphones for toddlers, that he actually used for a little bit.
Download teaching apps on your phone. Anytime Hudson is allowed to use my phone, he is GAME. He also really calms down and focuses if he knows I am trying to teach him something, so I downloaded two vocabulary apps on my phone – My First Words & 100 Words. We went through and practiced words, and he was loving it.
Use seat guru to strategically pick your seats. Seat Guruis a site that allows you to see the layout of each plane, so you can pick a seat that allows you to be alone with your child and more comfortable. We’ve had seats with a bit more leg room before, or rows to ourselves thanks to it!
Let your child get their wiggles out before the flights. When Hudson was younger it was car to stroller to plane no problem, but now he needs to burn that extra energy. We let him walk around before the flight as much as possible to tire him out.
Plan on walking up and down the aisles. We also got up a ton of times when he was getting very fidgety to let him walk up and down the aisles. It provided a nice reset during the flight.
Bring sanitizing wipes. I am definitely not OCD about germs at all, but airports are dirty. Hudson likes to touch everything, so we made sure to constantly clean his hands off.
Bring your tylenol + a change of clothing on the flight JUST IN CASE. Hudson had a bit of a stomach issue on our flight to Hawaii, and we went through way more diapers than usual. We were so happy we brought extra diapers, just in case. You seriously never know if they may suddenly get a fever, or ruin their clothes, so be prepared for anything.
Travel light for yourself! This one saves us every time. We always only bring carry on luggage, so we can be more adaptable.
Bring milk in a Hydro Flask. This keeps it cold without an ice pack!
THINGS WE LEARNED
Direct isn’t always best with a Toddler. Sometimes taking the long way home is better with kids. On the way to Hawaii we flew direct, and on the way home we had a layover and the flights were split into 5 hours each. It took us longer, but Hudson had a bit of time to unwind in between flights, get off of our laps, and explore.
Night flights are 100% better. On the way to Hawaii we left at 10AM, and on the way home we left later in the day, with a redeye from California to NY. He slept soo much better on the later flight VS being wide awake on the morning flight.
Sit far from the bathroom. Less foot traffic means less opportunity to wake up your baby if they are asleep.
I hope this was helpful, let me know in the comments!
