This is pretty much the range LO will be when we bring her on a 15 hour flight to a place where it's 9 hrs ahead... Just want to start thinking and managing my expectations now with your experiences!
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We flew with DD from SFO to Kyoto when she was 13 months. It actually went really well! Though the flight got off to a rough start when DH accidentally bumped her head on a overhead TV monitor - oops. But for the most part, she was happy and there were no meltdowns. We let her roam the aisles and the flight attendants were really friendly. We brought plenty of food (pouches, cheerios, blueberries, etc.) and new toys for her, along with books. She'd take some naps, especially if I nursed her. We were also lucky we did get a bassinet and a bulkhead seat so there was room on the floor for her to play in.
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DS gets a bit antsy after about 2.5 hours. He didn't like being confined to our seats. Having bulkhead seats helped since I could just plop him on the ground and he could play. Funny enough, the air sick bag was his favorite toy for awhile. He enjoyed putting things in it, then taking it out. Rinse and repeat.
Napping/sleeping on the plane was hit and miss. On the flight up, he just put his head on my shoulder and went to sleep. Amazing. Flight home, oh man, no matter what I did, he didn't want to sleep!
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@lemong: How many naps was she down to by then? And for meals during the trip was she able to just pretty much eat what you eat?
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@Alivoo01: So do I dare ask you what happened when he just didn't want to sleep? lol!
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I think you have to plan for the worst and then be pleasantly surprised when it doesn't go that badly.
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@snowjewelz: I held him and paced around the area where the flight attendant station is.
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@snowjewelz - She was still on 2 naps at that point. We pretty much let her sleep when she was tired on the plane because of the time change. She'd eat some stuff off our plates but for the most part, she would eat pouches on the plane and crackers/cheerios. Oh, and fruit - she reliably eats pretty much any fruit.
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@looch: That's my life motto lol! That's why I want to hear all the good and the bad! I'm just mainly insure what a 11-14 month old is even like!
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@snowjewelz: The hardest time to fly, in my opinion, was just around the time my son began walking, at 12 months. Walking was so new and he wanted to do it all the time, even if he fell a lot, so it was a challenge to keep him seated! And, he saw another kid pacing the aisles with his parents and was annoyed that we couldn't do it too (there's just no room and it's my personal pet peeve when people walk around planes and come hang out by my seat that I paid extra for to have more room).
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At 10 months- easy. At 14- nightmare. LOL! But seriously, 12-14 months was probably my least favorite age and especially for flying (because of the whole learning/mastering walking thing, plus there's a wonder week in there, and both of mine got more teeth around that age). Agree with @looch: to expect the worst and hope for the best!
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@Baby Boy Mom: wow, that def makes me want to try to travel latest by 10 months then.. It just sucks that we can't do any earlier or I would've much prefer to do it between 6-8 mo!
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My Lo was a bit older at 16 months, and we did a 12 hour flight. It was a nightmare, not gonna lie. It was an overnight flight, but he barely slept, so was so overtired--woudl have been better to do a daytime flight so he had time to acclimate to the plane and then maybe would have slept. I think just set expectations very very low and definitely buy the baby her own seat!!
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@snowjewelz: Yeah definitely the earlier the better. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but flying with a toddler is just a pain. Once you hit 18 months at least they have a little more attention span for screen time and more snacks but it gets a lot easier at about age 2, and then continuously easier after that. But we have family far away so long flights are a part of life and you just go into survival mode and deal.
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@Baby Boy Mom: Thanks for being real
I figure if we have no choice but to go when she's 12+ then at least I want to be prepared!
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@hilsy85: alright let me book tickets to go NOW lol!
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He was 15 months and it was pretty bad. (Disclaimer - I flew alone with him to visit family, which I will NEVER do again until he's older.) Our flight was delayed so I had to use up so many of my tricks keeping him happy in the airport. Once on plane, my plan was juice, goldfish, and Elmo. The flight attendant asked if I could please turn down the iPad (which was not loud) as to not disturb other passengers. I responded sure, but I hope my soon screaming child doesn't disturb them more.
On our flight back, he just wanted to roam so bad. Luckily this flight attendant was so nice and did everything she could to keep the seat next to me free. She was able to and I honestly don't know what we would have done if someone had sat there.
I agree with PP. Plan for the worst and be pleasantly surprised when it goes better.
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It's not very fun at that age, especially if they are closer to walking because that's AAAALLLL they want to do. Try to tire her out at the airport before getting on the plane. Like others have said, prepare for the worst and then be relieved when the worst doesn't happen.
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I posted this last month..we took an 18 hour flight with my 10 month old. First flight was 1 hour past her bedtime. .she was excited initially with all the lights in plane but after dinner she gave a little trouble going down but slept for around 7 hours. Rest of flight she was happy. Then we had 3 hours transit where she napped 1 hour but for next flight she didn't slept 4 hours straight but never cried inconsolably during 18 hours. This was her first ever flight. Coming back was bit easy as she was tired from all travelling we did and slept quite a bit on both flights. Return flight was in evening and she was ready for bed when we reached. She did quite well with jet lag. Only first night she was awake for 2 hours from 4-6. Make sure to go out alot in sun when you reach your destination and after coming back. Gud luck n let me know if you need more help
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@Jass: Not bad! Glad to know that it doesn't always have to be horrible!
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@snowjewelz: I went into in expecting it to be horrible and it turned out to be great. .totally worth all the effort
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We flew Australia-Canada and back when my son was 9 and 10 months. He was still taking 2 naps. It wasn't the funnest time in my life, but it was fine! We broke up the trip with an overnight in Seoul both ways, so it was 2 10ish hour flights each way. Just keep giving your kid new stuff, even if it's just a spoon or a piece of plastic or something you never thought would entertain them - you'll be surprised!
Not gonna lie, the jetlag was about 20x worse that all 4 flights combined. I was ready to jump off a cliff, and it only slowly started getting better after 4/5 nights in each location. But Australia to North America is about as bad as it gets - hopefully it won't be so bad for you!
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@ScarletBegonia: My friend brought her 7 month old on that same trip and they were def in jet lag hell and had to re-sleep train and all that so that I def expect to have to battle with!
I figure if we have no choice but to go when she's 12+ then at least I want to be prepared!
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