Toddler Travel
In three days Macy and I will be traveling to the great white north... South Dakota... for five days to visit my brother, Paul. I am absolutely excited and terrified at the same time. I am thrilled to see Paul and experience, first hand, his life in Rapid City. But I am boarding the plane with trepidation.
Macy is under two years old, so she can still fly for free provided I hold her on my lap. So, three weeks shy of her third birthday Macy will be confined to my lap for three hours. No carseat to strap her into. Just my lap which she understands to be optional seating arrangements. Even at home she is unlikely to sit still on my lap for more than a few seconds at a time... but... three hours? Oh dear.
So, I've calculated that we'll be flying for 3 1/2 hours - that's 210 minutes. I have broken that time up into 15 minute increments and am bringing supplies for a different 'activity' every fifteen minutes. Here's what I've got so far:
- playdough and shape cutters
- matchbox cars
- markers and paper
- aqua-doodler
- stickers
- straws
- books
- colorful pipe cleaners
- a photo album
- her babydoll with a box of bandaids
- a roll of scotch tape (this one may even use up 20 minutes)
- a string with animal shapes on it
And because I'm not above bribary I'm bringing
- suckers
- fruit snacks
So - I still have thirty minutes unaccounted for. Any ideas?????????? Anyone? Can you sense my desperation?
posted by Andrea @ 3:09 PM
11 comments
11 Comments:
Benadryl...seriously, my doctor's wife has recommended this before. :)
Besides that, borrow a portable DVD player with batteries.
Take a small cookie sheet with a rim for her to draw on, use for playdoh, play with the cars so they don't roll off, etc...
Color Wonder Markers and paper (expensive, but they work; and for Elisha, markers are a *big deal* since we don't use them often.
I'll keep thinking...Google might have some ideas
Wow...this is a realm I am so not used to thinking in.
I like the bribery idea :).
Just for *fun*, I Googled, "flying with a toddler." There were many suggestions (most of which you have on your list already) but the best thing I read was "No sitting down allowed until you get on the plane" to tire them out. :) Good luck!
BTW, how are you feeling? (I know, the question everyone asks a million times...)
You need to ask at the check in counter if they can put you next to an empty seat...that has been a life-saver several times for us. We flew with Evan in October (one month after his 2nd birthday) and unfortunately had to pay for his seat. It ended up being to best thing ever!
i cannot offer any brilliant ideas although i wish i could...what i can do is tell you how unbelievably excited paul is to see you and macy and how grateful he is you are embarking on this exceptionally brave voyage! hang in there! as for the preggo veil of sickness...zofran (a chemo drug for sickness) saved my life-i seriously considered naming my daughter zoe francis as a living tribute to this amazing anti vomit med. if you havent tried it...get some!
portable DVD player. When I flew to Florida with Bekah and my parents, she watched it even without sound (cause she wouldn't keep the headphones on). She also slept more than I thought she was because of having to wake up to get on the plane, etc., so I would leave some time allotted for sleepting. (what about books and/or coloring?) Did you include that in your list?
Why don't you take some childproof door knob covers? She's keen on those!
Dido the portable DVD player
Hair clips etc.- let her sit facing you and 'do' your hair.
(Mya loves this)
This could take up lots of time!!
(you may look like a crazy lady, but you'll be a happy crazy lady if it occupies her)
Get on at the very last second
If worse comes to worse let her down and chase her up and down the aisle...I'd rather see a kid running the aisle than screaming in the seat.
Good luck - I haven't flown with ours since she was a baby for this very reason....
Since I'm not a parent I have no real advice, except sleeping pills:) That's what we gave Lucy on our 26 hour drive to Canada in a moving truck, but she's a cat... Good luck!
Benadryl can be worth it, but one word of caution: make sure you test it out on your little one before boarding. In small fine print on the bottle, you'll notice that it says it can cause fatigue but also excitability in small children. We weren't prepared for that one on our 5 hour flight to the West Coast!
The Crayola Color wonder finger paints are great and the texture is fascinating to our little girls. Plus maybe some new board books with flaps, fabric, etc. might take up a few more mintues.
Good luck!
Hey Andrea! This is Tammy (Landis) Tropf. (From camp at Fairmount!) Congratulations on the new pregnancy! I haven't read your blog in so long and I was just reading back through where you wrote about doing your internships with World Hope! My mom is actually beginning to do some missions trips with them and is heading to the Ukraine in January. She hopes that in about a year she will be going for about 3 months at a time! Are you guys looking at missions trips or working for World hope? THat is so exciting! (And Debbie Hoover, not sure if you've talked to her, is my dad's cousin!) HOpe all is well! Good luck onyour trip up north! Take care, TAmmy
Ok... seriously, someone's going to have to fire you because you are clearly not committed to this blogging thing.
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