going on a 9hr flight with a 14 month old.......

[sweetgirl]

this may be on here already, if so, i can't see it...

anyway, i am going on a 9 hr flight with my little sweetboy, does anybody have any tips or ideas i could use....

mainly i would like to know how to deal with ears popping??

many thanks

[SBot]

With the popping ears, give him a drink during this time, the sucking helps. Or if he has a dummy, this also can help. Entertainment wise, little books to share, snacks always keep them occupied! Let him stroll up and down the plane if he wants. It might annoy other passengers but action songs too. A small bag of duplo, maybe only 10 pieces but enough to keep his attention for a while. Maybe a little photo album filled with photos of family and also cut outs of his favourite characters, peppa pig pics etc.

Good luck!

[sweetgirl]

thanks sbot....

[Undiscovered]

My brilliant friend went to AJ Farmer and bought a gift bag and about 6 little toys. We took it in our hand luggage and did the big reveal just before take off. Then hid this for the holiday and did the same on the way home. Really worked. We didn't have a flight for as long as you, but if I did it would be Peppa downloads on the IPad once we were I up

I think! Or educational games? There lots on there (if you have one?)

[mysticmark]

Lollipops - always a smile-bringer anyway, are especially helpful on long flights; having 3 little monkeys, 2 with my Japanese wife, has made that one clear.

Plus a fave blanket and cuddly.

Bon voyage!

[a.smith]

Hi,

Milk or bf always helped.when we had short flights i usedto bf my girl and she would fall asleap.if milk comforts stock some extra, also she refused to eat on the holidays - very sadly and survived on milk- each country even same brand has different taste ,so take more if you like only formula. we did long 11h one and she wouldnt sleep regardless many attempts.i also used ipad on a 7h bus journey- not proud but i would consider now dvd in car ,smth I resented for very long ( and still woundt allow on shorter journey). We were also looking at inflight magazines ,she knew all characters.favourite toys could help.smth i would aleays remeber- we put somemcartoon on the monitors,headphones needed ,but she would take them off and shout 5min to the tv-sing ,sing,sing .:)in general don't worry ,this is the easiest part of the holiday.have fun

[hernehillisabel]

I just got back from a 5 hour flight away with son who is 13 months he had Terrible ear infections because of the ears popping (I breast fed on landing and takeoff) because of all the altitude change so be well stocked up on that!

A lady lent me her ipad and on bbc iplayer we downloaded lots of episodes of fire man Sam and mr tumble etc

I also took books, crisps Pringles (as a treat) and I took cups, the lovely air hostesses let him run up and down the isle and there was a space at the back where we played cars and stacked cups and sat for about an hour - overall it was abit too much excitement so he slept 4 hours / 5 each way (off peak nap time too) so I think he understood !

[Convex]

Sling,

Toys,

His comfort toy,

A grown up water sippy bottle was more successful than his own one,

A new book,

A toy to unwrap,

Water colouring in books,

Sticker books,

iPad!!! With fave progs on,

A light blanket for naps,

Book the cot if you can,

Plenty of nappies,

And most of all, relax and concentrate on keeping your kid entertained and happy. If she cries, etc, if you get stressed that will make it worse. So although it sound awful, just don't worry a bout anyone around you. The best thing you can do is to be relaxed and calm to get your baby to be relaxed and calm. S in the long run its best for everyone!

We have done loads of flights and despite being really well prepared the success of it varies. Sometimes we have had the best behaved baby and sometimes the worst possible. But we would do it again in a shot.

[Convex]

Forgot the snacks! Lots of different and interesting snacks?

[lenster]

For ears popping I bought Earplanes fully expecting my little one to either refuse to let me put them in or pull them out a minute later. Was pleasantly surprised when she kept them in for take off and landing. They seemed to work as there were no tears unlike a previous flight when she'd suffered badly with pressure change.

If you're flying out of Heathrow Terminal 3 there is now a soft play room in the departure area. Not sure about other terminals.

[DaveR]

Lots of good practical advice here; I would add two further things from my experience of annual long haul flights with both the kids since they were babies:

Firstly, get on the right side of the cabin crew from the off - it can make all the difference. It might seem obvious, but smiling and saying than you a lot is definitely going to make them more inclined to help you out in any number of small ways later on.

Secondly, and kind of picking up on what Convex said above, be prepared for it to be difficult, maybe even terrible, while you are on the plane, but remember that it will be over soon. This may sound like somewhat negative advice but if you have a toddler you already know that not every day is all fun and laughter, so plan as best you can but don't get stressed if it doesn't all go smoothly.

[canela]

on a long flight like that you should usually get some in-flight entertainment. i've found that pressing the buttons on the remote control can provide hours of entertainment! and your son will probably sleep at some point.

best thing is to try and reserve a seat beforehand or else get there really early to make sure you get a good spot. if there are people with little babies they will get the seats with extra space, so you need to try and get a window seat - the worst thing in the world is to be stuck in the middle of a row of 5 or something! when you get on, go to your seat but mention to the crew that you would love a whole row if there are empty seats and they will try and oblige if they can - they want your child to be happy and quiet as much as you do!

[sweetgirl]

thank you all very much for the great advice.... stocked up on a few poundshop toys incl a bag of mini balls... few nibbles & defo milk bottles will be coming along too!!! thankfully its a night flight so hoping baby will be sleeping for the most part....

well.... lets see how it goes... only a few days til take-off!!!!!

[sarahf]

It's also a good idea to go to the loo before you board and have your own refreshments, books etc to hand. The chances are that your toddler will fall asleep on you (and your bladder!).

I hope that you have a wonderful holiday!