toddler help About This Page:

[DaisynDonald]

We took my 2 year old grandson to Disney in December, the plane ride was a nightmare!!! Does anyone have any tips to keep their children seated? My GS kept unbuckling his seatbeat or sliding under it & did not want to stay seated. We got yelled at by the flight attendant on the trip home
We are going back in Nov., & don't want to lug a carseat with us. Is there anything we can buy or use to keep him from escaping the seatbelt?

[JoanneS]

Sorry, we always used a car seat on the airplane. My kids already knew that once they were in the car seat, they had to stay there so they didn't make a fuss about it. But, I think there's something called a Cares harness out there, but I don't know if that will keep him from unbuckling his seatbelt. If that's the issue, then I would go with safety over convenience and take the car seat.

[tinker_me_happy]

Cares harness might work, but I'd watch a few episodes of the Supernanny show on tv and see how she teaches parents how to discipline kids even as young as 2. Try it on your grandchild before you leave for your next trip and let him know you mean business! He did it because he knew he could get away with it with you! Kids are pretty smart even at that age. He needs to know before you go that he can't get away with stuff with Grammy and Grampy!

[stardust190]

We struggled a little bit with my DS who is 18 months. The car seat may help. For my son it would have kept him in the seat, but he would have screamed most of the way. He does that on long car rides too. Did you have a lot of "distraction" items with you? A portable DVD player with favorite movies works well. Coloring books. We also brought a small stack of Duplo blocks that seemed to keep my son still. Stickers were also a hit. Hope you're able to figure something out.

[Belle*]

We always used either a car seat or a CARES harness when we flew with our son at that age. Like others have said, children that age are used to being restrained in a car seat so it is less of an issue trying to get them to stay put.

[Jesser Girl]

My kids always sit still with the lap tray down and some colored pencils and a coloring book. If you have a portable DVD player they also work wonders. I will take snacks for them and fill their cup after we get past security check, my kids do great with those three things. When we have meetings at church or a youth group outing or anything for that matter where my DS 3 has to sit still, I just take snacks. lol

[Teresa]

I'm going with the others: the car seat is a nuisance to carry about, but it sure does wonders in keeping them corralled. You'll have to make sure it's approved for use in flight.
Barring that - talk to the child before you go. Multiple times if you can. Explain that he will be seatbelted in and RULES are that he may NOT get out of his seat and may NOT unbuckle. NO-ONE can!! Make sure he understands it's a rule for everyone, not just him. Offer him a reward at the end if he does well. A cookie or piece of candy may be all he needs. If on the way down he misbehaves, DO NOT reward him. Remind him that on the way back he can earn his reward.

[LizCatMom]

As others have already said, but I'm going to emphasize, a personal DVD player is worth it's weight in gold! We've done multiple trips with the girls, including 12+ hours trans-Pacific flights, and while it doesn't guarantee you a stress-free flight, it will occupy their time for a little while. Another biggie is snacks. I have all kinds of snacks ready and a good one for take-off/landing are Dum-Dums, those little suckers. It keeps them settled down and as they suck on them, I believe it helps with some of that inner ear pressure. Also, any kind of new little toy to keep their hands busy -- stickers are always a hit. Give them some stickers and a little notebook that they can put them in. You just kind of have to keep them entertained. They aren't just going to sit there quietly if they don't have anything to do (or watch.)

[GingerJ]

I feel for you...it's easy to forget, as a grandparent, just why they're called the Terrible Twos!

Yes, please bring a car seat! You really, really, really have to do this. Yes, it's a bother, but it avoids that nightmare during flight. If the family has a stroller that you can use to carry the stroller, it's pretty easy. Pretty much every airline will let you gate-check the stroller; that generally means you have it with you until the middle of the jetway, at which time you give it to the crew and pick it back up when you hit the gate. Problem solved! And I've never heard of anyone being charged for gate-checking, either.

And take all the distractions you can. Some things I and others have used for this: Magna-Doodles, pipe cleaners, bubbles, age-appropriate handheld games (but check these for loudness! Many have annoying sound effects)....If you can find them, maybe even try some of the old favorites like the Magic Slate--lift the top sheet and the drawing disappears--and Woolly Willy, where you have the magnetic stick that moves iron filings around to make a beard, hair, etc. They're easily portable and can amuse some kids for hours.

But seriously, you HAVE to bring the car seat. The stewardess was angry at you because this is a SAFETY issue. And remember, though, that kids in this age range change constantly. A full year is half his lifetime, and he's likely to be over that stage and onto another one by your next trip.

Good luck!

Ginger

[GingerJ]

Originally Posted by GingerJ

If the family has a stroller that you can use to carry the stroller, it's pretty easy.

....whoops, of course I meant a stroller to carry the car seat. If it could carry itself....well, the thought is just mindboggling, but it would sure be easier to pack.

Ginger

[eff051102]

I also agree with the car seat. It might be a pain to carry around but it will
save your sanity on the plane. I would also bring a DVD player. My DD(4)
loves to watch her player on planes and in cars.

[Linnynad]

We have used both a car seat and the CARES saftey harness. I like the harness better for many reasons. You don't have to carry a huge car seat and since the car seat does have such a high base it makes the child sit up higer and at a perfect " let's kick the tray table the whole flight" height. The harness is super easy to use and while it may be expensive, you can use them for a long time with your child.
Also, I bring out my Mary Poppins bag filled with anything my kids could need to stay quiet. Snacks, drinks, food, DVD's you name it. It is a job keeping them still, but so woth it in the end.
Good luck

[Dave Marx]

The use of the CARES harness does depend on the child's height. If he/she is under that height, definitely go with a car seat.

The CARES system still depends on the regular lap belt, so he could still unbuckle the regular seatbelt buckle. Someone recently suggested turning the belt upside down, so the latch is against his belly. I no longer have a toddler, so I'm not in a position to test this, but it sounds workable (at least, until they get old enough to figure it out).

CARES does not have a crotch strap, so in theory a child can still squirm out from under the lap belt, but CARES does make it more challenging.

[Tigger25]

My DD(3) has a V Reader she likes on the plane. Of course I always have a stash of snacks, coloring books, books, flash cards ect. I am always the one having to keep my DD under control while my hubby reads magazines but that's another blog haha. My days if taking a nap on a plane are long gone. I also agree with the portble DVD player but ours never lasts long before the battery dies so it will be the middle of a movie then it turns off. Hopefully it's not too long of a plane ride for you !!!!

[millers2000]

My suggestions are:
Car Seat
Snacks - A great way to reward good behavior, to keep them quiet for a bit, and to help alleviate inner ear pressure during take off/landing
DVD - A Disney movie will get them in the mood, and an educational show (think Playhouse Disney or PBS Kids) will focus their energy for a bit
Crafts - A couple of small craft kits (usually just a couple of dollars) can keep kids occupied for quite some time

My kids created foam pirates, thank you cards for the in-room sitter, and cards for their favorite characters. They loved it, and we even got a couple of other children sitting close by involved.

Some trip planning could be fun, too. They're already excited about the trip, so take along some park maps or guide books and allow them to start planning out which attractions they want to visit first!