4-5 hours on a plane with a 1 year old, how to keep him busy?

[GoNz0]

tips and suggestions please, I vowed never to take a baby on a plane as I hate the noise they can make. He hits one 2 weeks before we spend about 4:30 mins on a Thomson tin can. What have you done to keep your nipper happy?
He is sat on me/Mum for the flight so this could be fun if he refuses to sleep!

[b0redom]

Take empty coke bottles. Costa coffee or whoever will sell you enough milk to fill them for a couple of quid, and it saves you from having to fight with security over liquids etc.

Make sure you take a change of clothes for you and the baby in case he throws up during the flight. Ours did that 1 hour into a flight back from Oz.

When they're that small though, there's not a lot you can do.

[GoNz0]

good idea on the change of clothes!

[peterb]

Apart from the lack of space its not really any different from a long car journey. He may be frightened by the noise of take off, and maybe clearing his ears with the change in cabin pressure, but feeding him will make him swallow which should aid that. Otherwise just engage with him and keep him occupied. If you can, get up and walk round with him, its as much about change of scenery. probably better not to let him sleep too much before the flight, but you don't want him tired and fractious before you board - ideally hell sleep for a couple of hours, after take off, and wake and compose himself before landing. Toys, games etc - all good distractions - favourite cuddly etc - all comforting and reassuring in what is a strange environment to him.

[ik9000]

and for everything else there's tixy-lix

[ik9000]

or you can pick up whisky in most duty free. a teaspoon dipped in that and they'll sleep right.

*endorsed by older relatives I know, may be not compliant with modern medical advice.

[Domestic_Ginger]

Plenty of food, can't remember what they eat at one so biscuits may not work. You can let them roam up and down the aisles.

Looking at the planes from the departure gets them pretty excited so they're less scared when you take off.

[Ttaskmaster]

Remember that whatever you do, there will be at least one woman who will tell you you're doing the wrong thing.... so let the nipper have at it and make her suffer!!

There are a myriad suggestions around the web, from headphones with soothing music (or apparently, white noise and static??!!), dummies, tickling, toys and so on.

I originally suggested checking him in with the rest of your luggage, but the Mrs is reading this over my shoulder and I got a smack!!

[Toadem]

It has been suggested already about the change in cabin pressure so something like a packet of some kind of sweet for him to suck on at take off and landing, I don't know if he uses a dummy or not but even something like fruit concentrate to dip a dummy into to stop his ears popping and lots of flashing images or fast moving games on an ipad/tablet, I know he probably cant play them but just the distraction of the moving images can give a welcome 10 minute break from the boredom.

[Jowsey]

A kind gesture would be to purchase a pack of those disposable Styrofoam ear protectors and be willing to offer them out to people around you

[kalniel]

Don't worry about other passengers too much. I don't have children, but I remember reading some years ago a guardian article about how much stress parents feel taking children on flights. Many of us understand it's just natural and not a result of bad parenting! I've sat next to parents so many times who have been fraught with worry when their child is bawling on a plane next to me - the relief on their face when I say it's OK and offer to help makes my whole flight.

(though I also have a great set of ear plugs that I wouldn't do without - mostly for use in gigs)

[ik9000]

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Airlines ought to have family-friendly flights or whole cabins set-aside on larger planes for any flight over 3 hours.

[abaxas]

you've already endured the lack of sleep, being vomitted on , etc.

Just go and deal with whatever happens.

[GoNz0]

Apart from the lack of space its not really any different from a long car journey. He may be frightened by the noise of take off, and maybe clearing his ears with the change in cabin pressure, but feeding him will make him swallow which should aid that. Otherwise just engage with him and keep him occupied. If you can, get up and walk round with him, its as much about change of scenery. probably better not to let him sleep too much before the flight, but you don't want him tired and fractious before you board - ideally hell sleep for a couple of hours, after take off, and wake and compose himself before landing. Toys, games etc - all good distractions - favourite cuddly etc - all comforting and reassuring in what is a strange environment to him.

My boys ok with noise so I expect that side of things will be fine, Daddy quit work to bring this one up!

or you can pick up whisky in most duty free. a teaspoon dipped in that and they'll sleep right.

*endorsed by older relatives I know, may be not compliant with modern medical advice.

110% agree, he likes beer so I wil try him on a drop of the good stuff prior to flying (hope the Mrs doesn't read this)

Remember that whatever you do, there will be at least one woman who will tell you you're doing the wrong thing.... so let the nipper have at it and make her suffer!!
Bitch can go jump

There are a myriad suggestions around the web, from headphones with soothing music (or apparently, white noise and static??!!), dummies, tickling, toys and so on.

I originally suggested checking him in with the rest of your luggage, but the Mrs is reading this over my shoulder and I got a smack!!

Tried, They said even if he has a cage with ample water and snacks it is a no go.

Best thing you can do is book the row in front of you and the row behind you, build walls of sound proof foam on the seats, and give the other passengers a break.

cock.

[ik9000]

we've all been there, long flight with the screaming baby nearby stopping us sleeping, driving us mad, can't concentrate on the crossword etc. the solution is to always fly with a decent pair of noise-isolating in-ear phones and an ipod and connector adaptor to use it on the in-flight system too (NB to take volume limiter jack too so it doesn't deafen you!)

No parent wants their baby to disturb others. They find it as annoying as the next man - and are probably more sleep deprived to begin with. The solution is family flights with specific booths for this kind of thing. But that kind of crazy thinking is anethama to airlines. Just like giving people leg room and sensible seat widths. It's all about profit they say (yet neglecting to tell you publicly that they don't make ANY profit from economy class - it's merely damage limitation, and more importantly - flying people so they don't go with a rival airline!)

[peterb]

I think this is the first time I have ever had to moderate a thread in this section.

The OP asked a question in good faith, looking to see how others dealt with the problem. Smart alec comments don't really help.

Unhelpful posts have been removed, and as far as I am able, other posts referring to them.