I hope you enjoyed Part 1, here are my continued travel tips for taking a toddler overseas!
Tip#6: Plane TV troubles
Our little one didn’t like the TV on the plane (well he didn’t like TV in general before we left) but we did find that the screen is too small and the headphones are a no go with an 18month old. What we would do differently next time is download a few favourite TV shows or clips on our iPhone. Preferably ones he enjoys and likes. We also found the plane lacked small children’s videos and shows and really catered for primary aged children.
Tip#7: Bulkhead
If possible, opt for ‘bulkhead’ or extra leg room space on the plane as this helped give our little one a little more room to move over the entire flight. We were blessed with a spare seat next to us too on all the long flights which helped. I placed our little one on the seat between my husband and I for him to sleep which worked well.
Tip#8: Is my child going to be given food on this flight?
Make sure you know if your child’s going to be given food or not on the plane! We had to ask for extra bread rolls and fruit as sometimes they gave our little one a meal and sometimes they didn’t! We should have checked this out before we left!
Tip#9: Natural sleep methods
We bought organic cherry juice from the health food shop which we found helped calm our little one after a big day or before a night flight. Just seek advice from your local health food store. Cherries themselves are known for having a natural relaxant effect (google it!). Not sure if it worked or if it was coincidence, but anyone who knows us well knows that my little one doesn’t sleep well and never has, but surprisingly did some pretty amazing sleeps whilst overseas! Maybe we just wore him out too much, maybe our prayers were answered or maybe it was the cherry juice!
Tip #10: Reject shop visit is a must before you leave!
Visit the reject shop before you go! Why? To purchase cheap toys or easy to pack distractions for the little one. We bought stickers (which we stuck to the plane window at times, or to our faces!), we bought a bendy ruler and a packet of pegs just to name a few! Our little one loved the pegs!
Tip #11: Probiotics!
If you and your family don’t usually take a probiotic, make sure you do when travelling! Probiotics help the immune system stay strong and as we were travelling over winter (with a husband who is prone to chest infections) I started us on a good dose of probiotics before our trip and continued this practice throughout our trip. There are many different probiotics on the market, try not to be sucked into the “lolly” style you can get for kids. The probiotics kept in the fridge are the best! Just ask your local health food shop or chemist! We didn’t get sick at all!
Tip#12: PINTEREST!
I did a lot of reading and pinteresting for ideas prior to our trip. I googled activities for babies, food ideas, plane trips, best locations, parks and play equipment in each city and anything else in between! I read articles like this one you are reading and tried to read as many peoples’ experiences as possible.
Tip#13: SMILE!
Hopefully some of these tips work for you! They did for us. but obviously everyone is different and every child is different too!
If you have any questions, please comment below and I’ll answer them with what we found worked or didn’t! I am happy to try to help answer any questions!
Originally posted 2016-04-14 00:10:53.