We’ve been fortunate to take two fantastic family vacations that involved long haul flights. The first was when the kiddo was 16 months old, and we spent 9 days in Hawaii. The second was a two week vacation to Australia when the kiddo was three. Both trips involved flying from Cincinnati to Los Angeles (which is a 4+ hour flight in itself) before continuing on to our final destination. I’m not an expert, but we survived both flights with minimal tears (from the kiddo and from me!), so here are a few of my tips to hopefully make your flights smoother!
Set the Expectations
The kiddo loves airplanes and airports, so we frequently talk about flying, but a few weeks prior to our trip to Australia, we made it a point to talk about the trip. We told him we would be on two airplanes, we would stop in California, and we would be on airplanes for a very long time. We told him he could eat, listen to music, and read books on the plane, but we stressed that mostly he would sleep on the plane. Perhaps we were trying to will it into existence? By the time our flights came around, he knew exactly what to expect and he could tell us in general terms what our flight experience would be.
Book Flights around Sleep Times
Sometimes you are at the mercy of the airline schedules and don’t have options, but try to take advantage of sleep schedules. The kiddo still takes an afternoon nap, but we can usually push nap time back an hour or so without meltdowns. Our flight to LAX departed mid-afternoon which was perfect, considering the time change we were about to experience. He fell asleep shortly after take off, and woke up with an hour left in the flight. Our flight to Sydney departed at 10:30pm, which was 1:30am Eastern time. With a long, late nap, he managed the super late night as well as we could have hoped, but he was exhausted and fell asleep immediately after boarding.
Return trips are often the hardest. Before kids, Hubby and I usually took the first flight home because we found that if a flight was delayed or, heaven forbid, cancelled, we could usually rebook or re-route and still get home that day. With the kiddo, we use sleep schedules (nap time from Sydney, bed time from Hawaii) to pass the time on the flight.
Use Layovers to Your Advantage
Normally, I hate layovers, but when they are unavoidable, I embrace them to the fullest. Hubby and I both have TSA Precheck, and we checked all of our luggage, so we left the airport during our seven hour layover to Sydney. We took an Uber to Manhattan Beach for dinner. We gate checked the carseat in Cincinnati so we could have it (since Uber doesn’t have the carseat option in LA yet), and checked it through to Sydney when we returned to LAX. After dinner, we took the kiddo to the beach and let him run around a little bit to burn off some energy (and saw a gorgeous sunset). He loved it… until he got hit by a wave. Which brings me to my next tip…
Pack Extra Clothes for Everyone
In order to facilitate a good night’s sleep, we changed the kiddo into pajamas for the flight. We also had packed a second set of pajamas and clothes for when we arrived in Australia. I also packed extra socks and shoes, as well as these slippers for the kiddo to wear on the plane. I packed a full change of clothes for myself too, in anticipation of a spill or just needing to refresh after a long day.
Use the Airline Lounges
We flew Delta, and Hubby has an executive membership to the Delta Sky Club, but many lounges provide access to passengers on international flights or offer day passes. I love the lounge for a lot of reasons, but mostly for a clean bathroom, fresh fruit and vegetables, and a glass of lemon water before I fly. When flying with the kiddo, we used the lounge to mirror his at-home bedtime routine as much as possible. Even though the lounge was crowded, we had a few minutes of quiet time while we gave him a shower, brushed his teeth, and dressed him in pajamas. Then we found a cozy seat and read books until boarding time, and he was mellow and ready for bed.
Pack Snacks (and Order Appropriate Meals)
We ordered the Toddler meals for the kiddo on Delta, but on the way to Australia, he slept through every meal service except for breakfast. That meant that when he did wake up, he was hungry! On the way home, he was awake for every meal and enjoyed his meals much more than any of our options.
I am conscientious about what my kiddo eats when we are at home, but I am more relaxed when we travel. I decided early on in my Mom Life that it’s not worth fighting over crackers when we’re stuck in a car or a plane for any extended period of time, and certainly not for fifteen hours! That being said, I don’t want him to develop an upset stomach while we are traveling either, so I pack a variety of snacks and offer the healthiest options first. We stashed away fruit cups, muffins, and other shelf-stable food from meal service, but I also packed crackers, fruit/vegetable/yogurt pouches (just let security know you have baby food), oranges, kiddie granola/fruit/protein bars. The Starbucks PB&J Protein Box is a great travel hack if you need to grab and go in the airport. (Bonus: I keep the chocolate covered raisins for myself!) But, I’ll always take the freebies from the airlines too!
Don’t forget a water bottle or cups with lids or you may need those extra clothes earlier than you think!
Pack a Variety of Activities
On the way to Australia, the kiddo slept most of the flight, but we weren’t so lucky on the way home. Fortunately, we had both new and familiar activities to entertain him during the flight. We had the inflight entertainment system, of course, and a tablet loaded with movies, songs, pictures, home videos, and books, but we also had activity books for the kiddo to color, practice writing his letters, count objects, and a variety of other fine motor activities. We also had regular books and flash cards to flip through, and we brought (in a plastic pencil box) that he played with for hours during our layover on the way home.
When we went to Hawaii, the kiddo was young and not interested in anything electronic, so we entertained him with a lot of books, coloring supplies, and assorted small toys (like these pipSquigz suction cup toys that he could feel, shake, and bite). The trick for us was to have familiar favorites combined with new toys that he would spend time exploring.
Mimic the Comforts of Home
If your toddler sleeps with a special blanket at home, bring that blanket! The kiddo sleeps with a blanket and stuffed animal at home and at daycare, so we always travel with a blanket and a stuffed animal. Gerald the Giraffe is our constant travel companion, and he is beloved both at home and on the plane. Gerald doubles as a sound machine so even though the airplane creates white noise, sometimes having a little “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” can help relax the kiddo more (and is quiet enough not to disrupt other passengers). On long haul flights, I also bring a travel pillow for the kiddo that I fold into a disc and put on the armrest, so the kiddo can get comfortable for a long flight.
I do use the provided blankets, but rarely as the main blanket. I’ve used the blanket to create a fort to block any light from entertainment systems or during meal service, and have put it on the floor for the kiddo to lay on when he just can’t get comfortable in his seat. Sometimes I’ll just bunch up the blanket and provided pillow to create a higher seat or higher pillow for the kiddo. And, sometimes it’s just a great toy for a round (or seven) of peek-a-boo.
Get Kids Their Own Seats
I understand cost-savings as much as the next person, but the difference between getting vacation off on the right foot or the wrong foot can be a little extra space for everyone. I discovered a four hour limit with a kiddo on my lap, so we bought him his own seat to Hawaii even though he could fly for free on my lap.
If a separate seat isn’t in the cards, and your little one is small enough, look into bassinets on the plane. The guidelines and restrictions vary by airline, but usually they are placed in bulkhead rows and can give your baby their own “seat” without actually taking a seat on the plane.
Or you could try…
Get an Empty Middle Seat
When I book flights, I almost always book window and aisle, leaving the empty middle seat, and I meticulously check to make sure that middle seat stays open, and move us as necessary. I did this when we flew with an infant in lap in hopes of getting an empty seat for the kiddo.
Even when the kiddo has his own seat, that extra space can be helpful for getting a good night’s sleep on long flight. As soon as we arrive at the airport, I talk to the agent about keeping that middle seat open if at all possible. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t, but it never hurts to ask!
Move When You Can
Long haul planes are great for walking the aisles because there are usually at least two aisles! We walked to the back of the plane, cut across the kitchen to the other aisle, walked up to the bathrooms, cut across to the original aisle, and repeat. Or, we purposely used the bathroom at the back of the plane just to stretch our legs a bit more. Sometimes the kiddo just needed to stand on his seat for a little while. If the seatbelt sign was off, we embraced moving, which was as good for us as it was for our kiddo – just be courteous to other passengers!
