well take a spare change of clothes and maybe a clean top for yourself,in case of spilled drinks etc as he or she will be on your lap some sweets for take off and landing, and i used to give mine one of the 5 ml sachets of calpol before boarding the plane in case of sore ears. as we had a problem on his first flight. we always take jigsaw puzzles,colouring books etc but normally there quite happy looking out the window

thank you someonoe else told me about the calpol was your child in a lot of pain during take of and landing or was it during alll the flight

Hi -

Weve 4 kids, 3 now grown up, but at some stage over the last 15 years we have had all of them away at this age.

Its not too long a flight, so dont worry about it too much!

Good idea to take a change of top in case of spillages etc!

I brought some little story tapes and some drawing and story books. If youre on a package holiday the air crew usually bring some sticker books which are fun for a child that age. Try to get a window seat so you can talk about whats happening and show them the buildings etc out the window! Bring favourite small toys too.

And by the time you all have had something to eat, (bring little sandwiches yogurts etc with you for the little one) the flight will nearly be over! Re take off and landing, my children were all ok, just gave them Opal fruits so suck and chew, they didnt even notice.

Dont for goodness sake agonise over it, just be well prepared and then go with the flow, you will all be fine!

Have fun!

Story/song tapes?

Maybe a drink for take off and landing - clears their ears. Also a mini fan - it can get quite hot on the plane I find and babies especially always look hot and bothered. I'd dress them in loose clothing that's easily removed, take a fan and some nice cool wet ones to keep them feeling fresh.

yes he was in a lot of pain on the way home,during landing but it turned out he had an ear infection he hadnt had the usual signs like temperature
(not sure if ive spelt that right )so i go prepared now and he really enjoys flying

Hi all,

although we didn't have a child with us(both our girl are all grown up now) we have just arrived back from a trip to Rome where a couple had a young baby with them. They sat the baby next to the window, and she was so busy looking at goings on outside she was good all the way through the flight of 2 hours 25 mins. The little girl was probably 18-20 months.

Just make her feel that it is a normal day out fuss over her a bit and she should be fine

ps, most airline staff are great when it comes to young kids(and you get on the plane first!!!)

wow thanks a lot for all your help not flying till july so i will be a regular in here with loads of questions

hi we flew with a 21 month old little girl to ibiza on our knees and you do get a bit cramped for space and you probably wont get a meal for her so either be prepared and take things with you or share with her. we gave her a dummy or bottle of water to suck on landing and take ogg and the flight didnt bother her ears or a lolly to suck. it does get easier, when they have thier own seats after the age of 2 it is completely different as we found out this year. i found the most stressful part was having to have the seatbelt round us both for takeoff and landing as our little one os a wriggler and didnt like being tied down but we took it in turns between hubby and me. salou is great, you'll have a fab time. who are you flying with??

hi i am flying with thomas cook you got any ideas how much if i paid for a seat and would i also have to pay the supplement to which was 149.00

hi i personally dont know much about how air fares work. is the supplement you're talking about for a hotel/apartment? maybe someone on the tour operator questions might be able to help you with that one?

Having air travelled with my eldest on a regular basis since he was 5 weeks old I can honestly say that the worst time on a plane with a child of c.22months is just after boarding. My best advice is don't board the plane until you absolutely have to because then you have less time actually confined, seat belt on, in your seat with a stroppy little toddler who wants to get off your lap and walk and explore!

Check with your airline to see if you can pre-book bulkhead seats. These have a little bit more leg space because it's where the sky cots for babies usually go. This means that after take off you set toddler down on the floor with crayons, paper and a few toys and let them get on with it and give your lap a rest.

I wouldn't advise sweets or chocolates because a) they make a horrible mess...usually down you and b) sickness!! I used to take lots of sticks of carrots, breadsticks, plain biscuits, small pieces of fruit and currants and then place them in one of those tupperware type containers with lots of separate compartments. This used to go down a treat. I would advise plain water too for obvious reasons.

If you're toddler is still in nappies you will have a problem with any 'dirty' change because the nappy change thingies in the loos are not big enough for a child of that age. Your fellow passengers will not appreciate your bundle of joy if a 'dirty' change has to be done in the cabin so take a pill of 'devil may care and I don't give a wotsit' before you leave!

If they do have problems on take off and landing with the ears then if they still have a dummy/soother, let them suck on it. Alternatively give them water in one of those bottles that has a cyclist type top, so that they can suck on that like a bottle or teat. Sucking alleviates the pressure build up and therefore the pain.

If you were not able to get a bulkhead seat then get to check in early and see if you can get one then or ask if there are any spare seats on the flight. If there are then ask to have an empty seat to be assigned next to you. You will have to keep junior on your lap for take off and landing but in flight, they can have their own seat.

Let junior run a round and wear themselves out whilst still in the terminal building. You never know, they might just sleep all the way through the flight and then you can watch those pigs flying past :-)

thanks very much for the good advice how do i contact airline to see about these seats would i do it through who i booked holiday from or straight to airline

I always used to go straight to the airline and never had a problem doing it that way. Mind, I was usually booked on flight only. When I was on a package though I don't recall having any problems at all with the airline. Good luck.

We travelled to Kefalonia when my daughter was aged just 16months.
To be quite honest, we didnt pack any different to we do now. n

Just make sure she has a "favourite toy" on board the plane. We even bought her a new one in the Airport which she loved!
We may have been lucky, but coming back from Holiday, there was a seat vacant next to my hubby and I, so my daughter had a seat coming home!
She was really good while in Kefalonia, and just sat under a Sunshade all day... either on the beach or around the Apts.
You will be fine....... just pack your normal provisions for a holiday.
Enjoy!! Louise xx