Flying with a Toddler

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Katherine and I are back in the States in time for the holidays. I was really anxious about flying for so long with a toddler. When we first came to Germany, we had an overnight flight, so Katherine slept part of the way, but coming back to the States our 9-and-a-half-hour flight was during day-time, so I spent a lot of time planning in-flight activities.

Here are some tips from me to other globe-trekking mothers of toddlers:
1) Prepare your toddler. Start reading picture books about air travel before you leave. You can even use pictures off the internet to make your own book explaining airports and airplanes.
2) Choose the right airline. U.S. Airways had a nice selection of movies and television shows on the backs of all chairs, so if your toddler likes TV, they’re a good choice. My only complaint is that a lot of the selections on “Kidview” weren’t really toddler-friendly. (I love the Simpsons, but maybe they belong on “Teenview”.) Anyway, my toddler hates wearing headphones, so she didn’t watch much TV, but she did enjoy having “The March of the Penguins” playing in the background as she was doing other activities.
3) Prepare, prepare, prepare… Gather numerous activities that you know your toddler will enjoy. I kept the following activities in an accordion folder in my carry-on:
• Felt shapes, cut yarn, and sandpaper to make and re-make collages
• Sheets of bubble wrap (my toddler spent a solid 30 minutes popping bubbles during our flight.)
• Pipe cleaners and plastic beads for making bracelets
• Foam shapes, we got a bag of princess shapes that included two princesses, two princes, two unicorns, clouds, stars, and hearts; and my daughter played with them as if they were dolls for long periods of time.
• Markers and paper
• Crayons and a thin coloring book
• A wide variety of stickers (you can make your own finger puppets if you buy happy face stickers)
4) Take lots of snacks, juice, and water. Give your toddler something chewy during take-off and landing to prevent pressure from building up in their ears.

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