After another somewhat tumultuous plane ride, we are home. Here are a few things I learned about flying with a toddler:
1. Everyone I talked to said the best thing to do when flying with a little one is to stock up with a bunch of new, cheap toys from the Dollar Store before you go so that when you get on the plane, the novelty of new toys will keep your child happy and occupied. This was a dirty, dirty lie. I jammed the diaper bag full of cheap new toys and Avelyn hated them all. She took every one of them and hucked them at my face.
2. Snacks are a necessity. A good mom would have brought raisins, cucumbers, and chick peas. I found chocolate chips much more effective.
3. A caddy is a non-option. You must have another person see you off to the airport to help you carry all your junk: car seat, stroller, 2 suitcases, diaper bag, and carry-on purse.
4. Drugging your child is frowned upon. But not illegal. Avelyn was very congested from the tail end of a cold so, to keep her from developing an ear infection from the change in air pressure (like she did when we flew at Christmas time) I gave her some Baby Benadryl, a gentle antihistamine, to dry up the secretions in her head. The bonus side effect? Drowsiness.
5. Layovers are the breeding ground of temper tantrums. Trying to kill three hours in an airport will frustrate your child and she will learn how to growl. Really deep, guttural growls of frustration that will the draw the pitied looks of onlookers. Upon arriving home she will continue to practice this growl and pull it out whenever she doesn’t get her way. I wish there were an antihistamine for brattiness.
6. There is nothing sweeter than seeing your husband’s face waiting for you at the arrival gate and having him scoop up your daughter in his arms then giving you a big, happy group hug. (Cheesy, but c’mon, can’t you picture it?)
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We missed you!
And yes I can totally picture it… and it makes me smile.
Here’s what I love: strolling up to the gate with infant/1yearold/2yearold (depending on which trip we are talking about) and seeing the look of HORROR on our fellow passengers faces. They ALL have that OH SH*T I hope the are not sitting next to US look. Some even have that hopeful “maybe they aren’t on OUR flight” look. Sorry buddy. No such luck.
(The looks have disipated some since the twin are now older. Whew!)
Oh, and I should have said strolling up to the gate with TWINS.
Ha! I concur. We travelled across the whole country with a two year old and me 36 weeks preggers. We, also, purchased the cheap flights only to kick ourselves as we wound up flying through the night with killer long layovers. Good times, good times! I was thankful to travel with someone, though, as I tried to sleep on the terminal floor while Justin changed Hunter all over creation, screaming and… umm… growling.
So glad your story didn’t also include unexpected delays, freak snow storms and overbooked flights! I’ve only done the plane thing once with Belle when she was 5 months old, I really can’t imagine doing it now that she’s mobile! Glad you guys made it home safe, and way to be proactive on stopping her cold from getting any worse :)
are you sure she had a cold…or did you just want to give her some “sleepy” meds?!? just kidding…
I hear you on the toy thing – when we flew this summer I had a stock of about 4 new dollar store books (which are painfully dull), and a handful of new toys. On the plane they held her attention for exactly 30 seconds. Since we’ve been home? She won’t put those books down and demands that we read them ALL.THE.TIME. Did I mention how awful they were? She even sleeps with one in her crib.
And Baby Benadryl did nothing for Miss M so I’m actually waiting to wean from the boob until after our next flight so I can at least have that as my secret weapon. While I’m so very ready to be done, I know a few more weeks for the sake of a calm flight is worth the sacrifice!
Glad you made it home OK.
Love the cheese!
We’re home too! I’ll call you later about a play date. I want to hear that growl in person ;)
Traveling with children (as much as I love mine) is, like, my least favorite thing to do IN THE WORLD.
Welcome Home!
Welcome home and thanks for all the travel tips. I am embarrassed to admit that we have yet to take Charlie on a plane. Partly due to fear of flying with a toddler and partly due to my general fear of flying. When we do, I 100% plan to use the Benadryl if necessary.
Not cheesy at all. I always hated that when I was single, flying into airports, getting off the plane to NOBODY. I think it is sooooo sweet when you see a little kid run across the floor yelling “dadddddddddyyyyyy”
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