Flying with a Two-Year-Old

Recently, I traveled with my two-year-old nephew, Matthew, to Vancouver for a Disney cruise. He is very spirited and extremely active. You can imagine how the flights would go. These are just a few of the tips I picked up along the way. 

In the airport

Get there in plenty of time. There are bound to be temper tantrums, bathroom stops, and any number of problems that could arise. M sat down after security while we were putting our shoes on and took all his trains out of his bag. It was a 5-minute temper tantrum, 3-minute clean up, and 5-minute clean up after the trains he threw the opposite direction of where we were going. 

Let him have his own small bag. M has a Thomas backpack with wheels packed full of all his trains and coloring books. He saw we all had bags, and he wanted to be responsible for something. It made waiting at baggage claim a breeze, because we kept told him we needed our bags too. Granted, letting him roll it himself was very slow, though it did lead to some adorable pictures. It was also easily slung over the back of the stroller.

Stroller, just bring it. This should be a no-brainer. It kept him strapped in when needed, and regularly served as a napping space everywhere on our trip. 

On a plane

Put them in the window seat. It was a source of entertainment for M, crop circles were Mickey Mouse, where did the ground go, and he drifted off to sleep looking out with his head on the window. Unfortunately, we were not able to do this on one of our flights; thankfully the man sitting Matthew was a saint. 

Bring some sort of chewy candies. They helped with teaching M about popping his hears. We used Starburst; there was also the added bonus of occupied time as he figured out how to unwrap them. 

Think about bringing the car seat. We did not do this, however two rows up a family with 2 kids had their little boy in one. The mother said that it helped her boys understand that they should not get up, and that flying was serious like riding in the car. She mentioned that it also made the new surroundings seem more familiar to them. 

Do not let them play with small toys. Thomas was thrown (he thankfully did not hit anyone) and then proceeded to roll down the entire aisle down past first class to the kitchen area. We instead switched to an iPad with Thomas the tank engine puzzles on it. 

Bring snacks. On long flights, the grownups get hungry, so for a grazer like M these were very important. M loves cheeseburgers, he has been known to fall asleep with them in his hand and wake up every time you try to remove it. That burger gave us 45 minutes of silence. Coupled with nuts and a few of his other favorites throughout the trip, it gave the plane 15 minutes of silence every time.

Pay for the movies, if you can. He was telling his seat mates all about the shows he was watching. When a two year old giggles it makes the people who were getting annoyed a little nicer. 

Article and photo by Jenna Storey, Houston.