I don’t think we really realized how long the flight from ATL to Boston was until we were on the plane! It ended up being about 2 hours gate to gate on the way there and 2.5 hours gate to gate on the way back. Liam has usually done pretty well on flights but 2 hours+ is a LOOONNNGG time to ask a toddler to sit still. Luckily we had already packed things for entertaining (we had expected a long layover that luckily didn’t happen) so we were sort of prepared. However you get to learn from our mistakes! So today I’m sharing my tips for surviving long flights with a toddler!
Tip #1
Plan flights around nap time. . . This one could really go either way. When we could count on Liam to just take a bottle and fall asleep or when he was still breastfeeding, we planned to be on the plane during nap time. On the way to Boston, this DID NOT work out well for us- and really we should’ve known better. He’s 2 now and its way harder to get him to nap on the go- so avoid flying through a nap if you know your child is hard to get to sleep.
Tip #2
Meals on the plane. . . If your child is a good eater and is always excited about food, this is a great way to buy some time. On the bigger flights they have a TV with kids movies and shows so he can just sit and snack/eat.
Tip #3
Board last. . . Try to be the last/next to last people on the plane if you know you don’t need extra time. The worst parts for Liam is the agony of waiting on the plane and not being able to watch us move out the window or feel the plane move etc. We usually go with the last group so we can hop on right before they close boarding. Also, if there are delays- you haven’t been sitting on the plane for 20 minutes+ already.
Tip #4
New toys. . . We used Playdoh on the way home- he’d never seen or played with it before so we was super excited and it bough about 45 minutes. Something that will intrigue their curiosity or something they have to figure out is best. It didn’t really make a mess at all- of course we had to watch him with it but we pulled down the tray table and helped him roll out shapes and numbers etc!
