Berkeley Parents Network: Surviving Long Plane Flights

Berkeley Parents Network

Surviving Long Plane Flights

Berkeley Parents Network > Advice > Going Places > Surviving Long Plane Flights

Active toddler on X-country flight

July 2004

I've read the recommendations about travelling with a toddler in the past and have gleaned lots of ideas for distractions. What I am wondering is if anyone has any suggestions about helping a toddler sleep on the plane. We just flew to the east coast 2 months ago and I tried the Benadryl suggestion. Unfortunately, it had the opposite effect. Despite the fact that the flight was during naptime, she was up the entire time. On the way back, without Benedryl, she slept 1 hour, in my arms (she's never been able to really sleep in her car seat). You can imagine how wired this kid, who usually takes a 3 hour nap, was during the flight. She's already extremely active -- the added mania from lack of sleep was really challenging. Also, she didn't want to sit in her car seat and when she did finally sit in it, she kicked the seat in front of her the entire time (long legs!). We have decided not to take the car seat on board this time as it takes up too much room if she's not going to sleep in it. Any suggestions for making this an easier and more restful flight? Thanks!

We've found that taking the red-eye is what works for us. Then the little one is ready to sleep. Hyland's teething tablets also have a calmative effect, and won't cause the wired reaction like benadryl. Mike

I have no relevant personal experience, but my cousin recommends taking a nonstop red-eye going east. David

My 2.5 year old also has the opposite reaction to benadryl, and he also struggles with falling asleep on the airplane. But he does sleep well in the car. So the last time we flew (in June), we took along a portable CD player and headphones. Listening to his favorite CD mellowed him out enough to have him sleep. I would be VERY hesitant not to bring a carsea! t, because at least in the carseat he's constrained, not jumping all over, looking over the front/back seats, etc. As far as kicking goes, the only solution I have found is to sit in the front row (like on Southwest, where it's open seating), or get a non-exit-row bulkhead seat, so that there is no seat to kick. Good luck! Heather

Hi, Our baby had the same problem with Benadryl but we also experimented with ''Walcare'' which is just the Walgreen's cough supressant, antihistamine. For her, it really knocks her out and she has slept her way to Costa Rica and most of the way to Malaysia. Highlands teething tablets also mellow her out and help her sleep a bit but not as well as the Walcare...experiment with it before you leave! Good Luck! Renee

Unfortunately, there's no way you can make her sleep if she doesn't want to. The Benadryl has never worked for us either. Our solution is electronic: we bring a l! aptop, a pair of headphones, and a pile of our son's favorite DVD's. We normally limit his tv viewing, but on a flight, we leave it on as long as he will watch it. Desperate times call for desperate measures! Good luck and enjoy your trip. Catherine Scholar

If you're asking about sleep, what I'd suggest is Dramamine -- we started using it because my daughter throws up when the plane lands, but the side benefit is that she sleeps through a lot of the flight. Activity on the plane is pretty tough with a toddler or even an older kid -- the physical confinement is tough -- what we've done is lots of little toys & those small sticker books; anything new helps. WHat I find difficult for myself is that I have to play very actively to keep my daughter from getting bored, when my inclination is to doze or read on the plane. Good Luck. hates flying

I've traveled a fair bit alone with my toddler, and some of the tips that worked for us are as follows: -I make a habit of picking up inexpensive, light-weight and small toys on an ongoing basis, which I then wrap and have in a hold-all with me. Of course they LOVE getting little gifts over the course of a flight. Some of the biggest hits have been a Nemo sticker book, a little farm with all of the animals from Rainforest Cafe, Russian stacking dolls (this was the very best one--probably occupied my then 2 year old for a good hour or two!) I usually stock 5-7 of these goodies for cross country when changing planes. It always pays to have more rather than less. -I tried the Benedryl too on a friend's advice. It totally wired my kid-one of our worst flights ever. I spoke to the Advice Nurse about it. She said this happ! ens with about 10% of the kids, and if so to use the opposite. So, if I recall I may have used Sudafed then on another flight successfully, but I would check with your pediatrician. I myself only used it when he was coming down with a cold and I was afraid his little sinuses could clog. I have ear/sinus problems while flying and I definitely did not want my toddler to experience that kind of pain. -I save ''special'' snacks for airplane rides and other extreme situations-those goldfish that kids love (they now have trans- fat free ones, so I don't have to feel like I could possibly be harming him), maybe some animal crackers or for a while trail mix worked wonders. I never depend on the airline and their meals. I bring complete meals for my son, including a protein, carb and fruit/veggies. This is whether we are going to LA or cross country. You never know when or where you could get stuck. For me, hunger and being tired is what starts whining. Full and happy kids that are tired just sleep.. -Under no circumstances do I let him eat or drink the hour or so before taking off. I once did, when a flight was delayed, and lived to regret it. In my experience it is imperative that they are eating or drinking (preferably both) during take-off and landing. This is the only way to insure a cry-free flight. -I didn't take his car seat for the first time just recently (he is now 3 1/2). We both loved the fact that he could have his tray table down without it, but I think before he felt more secure with it than without---I also had a much more difficult time keeping him in a seat belt than the car seat. -In my opinion, as a million mile traveler myself, under no circumstances do I allow my son to kick the seat in front of him. I've been in that seat before, and ! did not appreciate it when a parent let that go on. They paid for a quiet, safe ride too- -My friend swears by gum for her kid, but my son simply swallowed it-- -Love that Jet Blue and their Direct TV! Fly them, if at all possible. I also found their employees to be the most helpful and sympathetic to kids. -And, of course, I always travel with several of his favorite books. Yes, I know this sounds like alot of stuff, but I bought the biggest back pack I could find and basically fill it with his stuff and two things for me-my wallet and ticket! Good luck and enjoy your little traveler! Flying Mom

I empathize. We are about to take an active one-year old on a trans-Atlantic flight. Definitely don't bring the car seat on board. It will likely be much more comfortable and interesting for your child to just sit in the seat. She will feel much more grown-up, and it will be more difficult for her to kick the seat in front. When my older son was a toddler, we used to ''rehearse'' the plane ride, so that he would know what to expect and what was expected of him. We also got books about planes to help him get excited about the flight. It helps to have at least one new toy that you introduce after you are on the flight and some new books. Be prepared to spend the entire flight working to keep the child entertained. The biggest mistake I have seen parents make on airplanes is to attempt to read and leave their small ch! ildren to entertain themselves. As for books, something about Dr. Seuss always used to put my son to sleep. We would read to him in a very quiet unexciting way, and he would go right out. World Traveler

Keeping 1.5 year old happy on 17-hour-trip

April 2004

Hi, We are planning on traveling to Malaysia from SFO in August'04. It is a 17 to 18 hour flight with couple of layovers. Our daughter will be 1.5 years then. She is a very active child who does NOT like even long car rides, especially since we have to tie her up. I am really at a loss trying to figure out how to keep her happy, while maintaining my sanity and that of other passengers. Any tips regarding food, toys, timing, activities in the plane, seating, strollers (should we take them ?) would be highly appreciated. Thanks all! Bharathi

You don't say what airline you are flying on - but I would recommend flying an airline that has individual TV screens where they show endless loops of movies and usually also have a special channel for kids. Singapore Air and Japan Air have these screens but the American carriers often do not. I flew frequently to the US from Asia when my kids were small and this was the SAVING grace of these long flights. Even if it's the same show over and over the kids would remain fairly well entranced with them which helped ease the having-to-sit part of the flight. Remember, if the flight attendants tell you to sit down and buckle up during turbulence, on the int'l flights they really mean it, no matter what your kid wants to do! SM

I do not know about international flights but we took our baby when he was 6 mths to NY. He did great. Pack toys that keep her occupied, sorting toys, pencils and paper, books, etc. Also pack a brand new toy she has not seen beforeBI suggest a Doodle Pro by Fisherprice. Our son loves this, now 11 months. We spent our time playing with everything we brought as well as with the phone attached to the seat, the tray table, the buttons on the arm of the chair, and the seat belts. We also spent a lot of time walking up and down the isle. People seem to find it cute to see little ones walking around and our son loved all the attention. We also hung out in the back of the plane where the flight attendants prepare food trays. At the end of the flight the man sitting in front of us, actually thank us, and complimented on how good our baby was. Regarding the car seat and stroller: Definitely take the stroller onto the gateway. You will park it at the plane entrance and the airline will load it on the plane. It will be there at the door when you get off your plane. We did not bring our car seat onto the planeBits bulky and another item to try to cart around. Our son seemed to do great without it, where as a couple of other babies were in their seats and cried most of the flight. I am sure it is because they were to confined. Our son loved being able to move back and forth between my husband and I. During take off and landing I held him and nursed him. This comforted him and prevented his ears from hurting, so he did not cry even once! Renee

12-hour plane trip with 15-month-old

We are going to travel overseas with our 15 month old child. It'll take about 12 hours to get there (flight + connections) and I've heard parents say one should bring lots of new toys for entertainment. Any tips on what works best? I would only get one or two things, so I'm curious to get ideas on toys/activities that keep babies fascinated for these long trips.

I do a lot of traveling with my kids and this is what I have noticed: They are fascinated by cups with ice in them, playdough with little things to manipulate (like a plastic knife, for instance), books, velcro pieces to "glue and unglue" (I used a small piece of felt, and stuck velcro on things like a ping pong ball, a small box, a lid, a large marker), stickers, a real lock and key, a couple of markers. Keep it all secret till the day of the trip. Save your cards! Space things out so that you do not run out of stuff to do. Take lots of walks in the plane if possible, and let the kid run off steam at the airport as much as possible. Bubbles are good for the airports. Good luck!

1. Have your child drink from a sippy cup during take off and landing to help the ear pressure. Bring a lightweight cooler packed with one of those ice packs to hold milk (don't bring the milk, as the airlines have it, just ask for some with each meal and keep it cool for when you need it) tissues, wipes, napkins and some cereal/snacks (the stewards are always busy when you need these things!)

2. Reserve a basinette. Most international airlines (not US ones, though) have these for babies. Your child can play in it, sleep, or sit there a while so you can eat (except during take off or landing). We lucked out because the family next to us didn't use theirs -- our 18 month old slept all the way from New York to Frankfurt.

3. Bring some brand new toys/books that your child has never before seen. Sometimes inexpensive disposible things work well. Large, colorful plastic paper clips were a surprisingly cheap and fun hit for our kids. We made chains, necklaces and bracelets and passed them out to other passengers and the stewards. I paid $1.49 for them, so no loss when they fall into the seat cracks and on the floor. (Of course closely supervised in case of choking).

4. Our doc recommended bringing Benedryll to help the kids sleep, just in case we needed it. We did-- our 3 year old had a major night terror (due to lack of sleep?) it calmed him and he slept thru a layover!

5. Do laps around the plane when the fasten seat belts sign is off. They need to get the energy out.

We took our daughter to Australia when she was 18 months old... with flights of 1 hour (SF-LA), then 14 hrs (LA-Sydney) then 2.5 hours (Sydney to Adelaide). It actually wasn't too bad... jet lag once we got there was a bigger pain in my opinion. Anyway, here are my ideas: you asked specifically about new toys as gifts. At that age, kids love anything wrapped up in pretty paper even if it's just a box of goldfish or a juice box. So wrap up all the snacks, wrap up some of her books, etc. You can hide some of her small books or toys away a month before the flight, then they'll seem really new to her once she opens them. If your kid is not already drinking juice boxes, she is old enough to figure them out and will probably be quite excited by them. They're good for sipping on (or sippy cups, too) during take-off and landing to equalize pressure. Bring a salty snack to give her so she'll want to sip the drink! If you can possibly afford it, buy her her own seat. If the flight is full, you'll be really uncomfortable having her on your lap the whole way. Plus you can bring her carseat, which is probably very comfy for her to sleep in. Finally, it's very stressful changing planes, especially if you have to go from a domestic terminal to an international one (and LAX is especially bad), so make sure you've booked plenty of time for a layover. Good luck!

Travelling overseas w/15 month old child. Sorry, there is no magic toy that will keep your baby fAscinated for 12 hours. The good news is that the movement of people, stewardesses etc. are likely to be much more interesting to your baby. Be ready for a squirmy baby who wants to explore and take the baby for walks up and down and around the aisles. Also, your baby will probably sleep for a lot of the trip as the motion/sound of the plane is very soothing. Have lots of snacks, a cozy blanket and plenty of changes of clothes and diapers, favorite stuffed toys, and lots of small things your baby likes to do-I used to take small picture books, and small toys (variety and distraction are key here). Most importantly, take something for baby to suck on if not breastfeeding-bottle or pacifier as this helps with the ear pressure during take off and landing, and take plenty of powdered milk or formula or whatever your baby drinks. If your baby is used to falling asleep in the carseat, take it on and strap the baby in, they fall asleep and you can rest or read without having to hold onto the baby, and of course its safer for them. ( I used to cover my daughter like a canary with her baby blanket and she'd fall asleep without the lights bothering her, or being distracted by the unfamiliar exciting surroundings). Also take a change of top for you as baby's have a way of making the meal end up all over you too.

For a trip that long, I would bring about six or seven new toys for my toddler to play with on the plane. I have found that they don't need to be "major" toys, just something new. I buy them very cheap at the Salvation Army or a used toy store or at a "99 cent" store (or at a very cheap kiosk in Moscow). I try to avoid things that roll very much, because it's bound to end up on the floor, rolling halfway down the airplane, or things with many small parts, because they're bound to get lost in the seat crack. A little stuffed animal or puppet is great. One recent success was a little Eeyore with a suction cup--my daughter delighted sticking the suction cup on and off the tray table in front of her. A new book is good, or stickers. I once has great luck with an electronic noise-making toy (with a cotton ball taped over the speaker to mufle the noise a bit). I also bring lots of my own snacks for my daughter, and several juice boxes -- sure, snacks and juice are available on the plane, but are they there are available on the plane, but are they there quickly enough? I also bring about a liter of water for me to drink. Bon Voyage!!

Our longest flight has been 5 1/2 hours non-stop to Hawaii and we've travelled a lot cross country non-stop for business along with our daughter. I always put together a set of things to do on the plane that are either new from the store or I've stashed several weeks before the flight so it seems new again. People always comment on 'how good' our daughter is at the end of the flight. Normally she's hell on wheels so I attribute our success to the combination of distractions we successfully deploy. Here's our list:

Mr. Potato Head (unbelievable how long she enjoys this, ears on top of the head or in the nose, tongue in her mouth, mommie's mouth, daddie's mouth, hat on all of us, etc.)

A baggie full of about 10 to 12 Lego parts (the big ones), I always include some of the new type that have eyes imprinted on them or some of the people and animals that plug in (not too many to drop on the floor but enough to build interesting configurations over and over again)

Crayola stamp pens, I try to get a new kind for each trip, if your child hasn't played with these before they'll really be a hit

Polly Pocket or variation, these are miniature plastic doll houses or locket style houses that have little characters, the Minnie and Mickey mouse castle locket provided at least an hour of fun

Paper back picture books, they're light and easier to carry than hard backs and board books

A baggie full of Cheerios

I used to buy several new paperback children's books and wrap them up. I used newspaper to wrap them figuring it was cheaper than real wrapping paper and that my 2 year old wouldn't notice what they were wrapped in. Then I would have her unwrap them one at a time and then I would read it to her. This worked pretty well to keep her occupied, quiet and relaxed.

I'd also bring way more clothes on the plane than you think you'll need. I ran out of clean clothes once - really awful. Also lots of food. Either they're asleep when the airline food comes or they get hungry in between or they won't eat what's offered. Definitely call ahead of time and reserve a child's meal. At least that way they'll be a greater likelihood that your child will eat something.

Other than sleep we brought lots of diversions for the trip: snacks, snacks and more snacks, books, small toys. One trick with the toys that I got from the Neighborhood Moms newsletter is to gift wrap many small toys and bring them out gradually. This worked well.

I can't think of any great travel tricks except to wear clothes ready to be totally encrusted with juice/crackers/drool/crayon by arrival and expect the worst--sometimes it's actually not bad at all and then you're pleasantly surprised. And allow plenty of time to get to the airport early--it's actually not a bad place to kill time with a kid, watching the planes through the window--and nothing makes a long plane ride harder than parents frazzled by a rush to the plane.

This is not about how to keep you child occupied/happy on the flight, but... you probably want to find out ahead of time, if possible, what movie(s) will be shown on the flight, and if it is NOT something you want your child to be seeing request a seat where it is at least difficult to see the movie. I have had a few unpleasant experiences where I didn't do this and then had to try to cope with my child being stuck right in front of a movie that was TOTALLY unappropriate for someone her age (sex, violence, gore, you name it). Anyway this is something to keep in mind... Caroline

Entertainment for toddler on plane trip to Europe

Jan 2002

i have a 15 month old and am planning a trip to europe. we are looking for good, not too bulky plane entertainment. we have books what else is worth shclepping? jessica

We have been taking long plane rides ( some as far as from the US to India, which is the other end of the earth) with our son since he was 6 months old. He is six now . The following things have worked well for us----- a new book that your child has never seen before( on a topic that is interesting to him/her), a tape which had all his favorite songs in one ( you will have to make the effort to put all favorites together so that you carry only one tape) with one of those little casette players with headphones -- the sporty ones, small objects with sparkles and materials and fluids filled inside that you can shake and look at ( like those Las Vegas key chains), good thin activity book ( you can buy good ones for your child's age at sweet dreams on college), favorite small soft toys, favorite snack in a funny colorful box ( preferably one that takes a long time to eat like dry cereal) and even though we are not big on TV watching on international flights the cartoons have rescued us many times. They give you food many times on international flights and I have seen that many children like to open up the silverware and generally like to play with all the small salt and pepper packets etc. Bipasha

One thing I always took (once I thought of it) was a length of 1/4 inch wide elastic a yard or two long (your can take two and give one away!). If you tie one end to something like your wrist, you can tie a toy to the other end and "reel it in" instead of spending the whole trip retrieving it from under the seat. You can tie the neck of a baby bottle to it, instead, or a pacifier, or almost anything. If you tie both ends to the seat in front of you and/or the baby, thread toys onto the elastic and they move back and forth. Your little guy can even play games snapping it on the back of the seat (not too obnoxious).

Part of the difficulty is packing what you need, and no more. Definitely a toy or two (that you can attach to the elastic), and a book or two. I also always took finger food like Cheerios, diapers for 24 hours (in case you are delayed) a change of clothes for me, and two changes for the toddler. Cabin attendants are often very helpful, if you ask them. Have fun! Heather

I've done this trip to Europe many times with small kids. For a 15 month old I recommend small puppets of some kind. They (or rather, your fingers operating them) distract the child from the overwhelming and repeated desire to run up into First Class from about hour four of a 10 hour flight. Good Luck! Hilary

I swear by the mini Magna Doodle for long airplane flights. It's very engaging and doesn't have any parts that can drop on the ground, roll away, or otherwise get lost. We also got a lot of entertainment mileage out of a simple hand puppet and a big sticker book. And of course, we saved all these new items for the plane ride so they were extra exciting. Janet

I recommend a travel Magna Doodle. ( Mr. Mopps probably has them) It's the small size of one of those drawing tablets that is magnetic or something and you slide the levor to wipe away the old and start a new drawing. My kids traveled with them for years. Also if your child likes music or stories you might try an inexpensive walkman tape player. This works great with older kids but 15mos maybe young for that. lynn

on a recent plane ride, another mother lent my daughter (21 mos.) a set of those Russian dolls, one inside another. Kept her busy for probably 40 minutes! Might be a bit advanced for a 15-month-old to manipulate, but just thought i'd pass that on. Nice and compact for travelling. The main thing is new toys. Or new objects of any sort. Mary

My daughter loved the following at that age: small amount of playdough (in a baggie) and a plastic garlic press to make playdough noodles, a child's rolling pin and a few cookie cutters; those boards that have holes in them where you can weave yarn through to complete cute pictures; a child's tape recorder with headset (they are light) with favorite music tapes (this occupied her a great deal of the time!); crayons/paper/coloring books; sticker books (Mr. Mops and Cody's have nice ones). I always bring a koosch ball to keep in my purse for the long airport lines to toss back and forth (15 months may be too young for tossing/catching; I can't remember!). I also always wrap age-appropriate surprises (tiny little dolls, fairy items, small jewelry) that I dole out at intervals on the plane.

A trick that saved us: bring an EagleCreek type of zippered bag that has several mesh (see-through) compartments to store your crayons/etc in. Attach two large safety pins to the top of it. When you board the plane, pin the bag onto the seat in front of you. You will be able to pull the tray down under it for eating and drawing (because the bottom of it is free). It enables you to have ready access to the toys, crayons, etc. without having to close up the tray to get to that woefully inadequate and hard-to-get to pocket storage that's already too full of barf bags and airline programming magazines. Good luck! Linda

As for toys, depends on your child's age, but Target offered a good selection of small, new things--colorform storyboards, stickers, playdough keychain. Once on a trip to Ixtapa our daughter (then two and a half) played with a .99 set of plastic animals from Toys R Us for an hour. Consignment stores also sometimes have great finds for small bucks. carolyn

I see you got some good responses but here are some from flights with my 15 mo old:

* stickers - not for art but for sticking/peeling over and over
* tiny squeeze flashlight - I bring one anyway, but it's my "ace in
the hole" on the plane in case he gets really bored
* bubbles in a tiny container (wedding favors)- can be messy but fun 
* new tiny popup book

Ideas you don't have to carry with you:
* familiar songs/rhymes - these I whisper in his ear to stop wails
* in flight magazine - usually magazines are off limits but I let 
him mangle every one, and spent a LOT of time pointing out every 
doggy,phone, etc. in the pictures
* looking around/standing on my lap - friendly fellow passengers 
can be a great distraction
* generally, think creatively - use tone of voice, repeating movement
games, and take advantage of their fascination with manual
dexterity (ie playing with a jacket zipper) to distract and amuse.

Enjoy! Frankly after a 2.5 week trip (7 flights in late Sept.) with our 15 mo. old we decided that travelling with him we had more fun than we would have before he was born, despite twice the hassle and three times more gear. -Charis

I got this trick from a "Reader Tip" section in one of my Parenting magazines a couple years ago.

If you have a hand-held camcorder, you can record your child's favorite videos onto 8mm tapes (my husband put the camcorder right in front of the TV, turned the volume very high and put the speakers next to the camcorder, then pushed play on the TV and record on the camcorder and that's how we did it! \) and then play them for your child on the plane.

This trick also works well if you don't have a TV/VCR or DVD/LCD screen in your vehicle on long trips. Our camcorder is a SHARP Viewcam so it's perfect because we got the larger screen (4 inch) and it's not flip-out so it can actually rest on something facing the children. I'm sure if you're creative enoughand desparate enough, you could figure out a way to use the flip-out screen model as well.

On the plane, however, either model would work as you could just place it in your lap for the child to see. We used this for our then 11 month old and 23 month old on a trip from Oakland to Florida (we actually switched three times and rode 5 different planes) last year and it worked like a CHARM. And everyone around us was so grateful for our creativity and ingenuity in keeping our children occupied during the five PACKED-OUT (four of which had not ONE seat left available) flights (which could have been a NIGHTMARE with two toddlers!). Happy flying! April

I traveled alone with my then 22 month old back East last year. It was a grand tour that involved 12 hour, and two 9 hour train rides in addition to the flights there and back. I couldn't carry as much as liked since I had all of our baggage and equipment to manage. I did bring a variety of new toys and books, but these were not worth their weight. The things that really saved the day were construction paper, scissors, and a roll of scotch tape. I cut out animal shapes and let Isaac tape them onto to the window to create dioramas. Then we made puppets. Then we made collages. You can use a paintbrush dipped in water to make Zen paintings on the colored paper. Try paper dolls or little farms with cabbages. It was a lot of work but very fun. Debra

Re: Entertainment on Long Plane Rides & Editing Ads out of Kid's Videos Both of these pieces of advice involved re-recording video using a camcorder.

Double check your camcorder's manual. Many modern camcorders, such as the Canon ZR-10, or any of the Firewire cameras compatible with Macintosh iMovie, can be directly connected to a VCR, to make a high resolution, copy of a video tape. Much higher quality than pointing your camera at a TV. I just did a test on a Disney tape, and got a high quality copy (even though the original Disney tape is presumably protected with the Macrovision copy-protection system.) Once you've made a copy in the camera, you can make a second copy back onto conventional VHS tape to omit the ads. (I didn't test this.)

Also, many modern laptop computers can record VHS quality signals onto DiVX;-) format video. See the web site: for more information. You can either leave the movie as a file on your laptop's hard disk, or you can burn it onto a CD-R. The http://www.ati.com/na/pages/products/mac/xclaim_tv_usb/ and http://www.ati.com/na/pages/products/pc/tv_wonder_usb/ are two inexpensize video digitizers.

-- David

I've seen previous posts asking for advice on plane trips with babies, and wanted to share what I feel was a flash of genius on my last trip with my 15-month old during our four hour flight to Chicago. He had his own seat (an expenditure I personally believe to be well worth the money), and before I buckled his car seat in, I took one of the big blankets that the airline provides and anchored one end under the seat and tucked the other end into the seat pocket, creating a "sling" in front of his seat. That way when he got tired of a toy and dropped or threw it down, I didn't have to repeatedly unbuckle my seat belt and wedge myself into the tiny space between my seat and the seat in front of me and wrench my back trying to reach the toy on the floor, but instead I could simply pluck it out of the sling. Also, his favorite toy was the strap on my carryon bag - I detached it and gave it to him to work with, because it has a similar mechanism to the straps on his stroller and high chair, which he finds fascinating. Fran (July 2000)

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