Parents of Preschoolers  Discussion Forum

Hi,

I,m planinng to visit india in nov with my son.At that time he will be 2 yrs old.I'm not sure about this that is it necessary to sit 2 yrs old in a car seat in a flight.I'm traveling alone my flight takes 23 or 24 hrs .How i manage bulky car seat if it is compulsory.I read somewhere that it is recommends that child who is under 40 pounds sit in car seat.at 2 years how much weight average boy have?

Any idea about how i keep busy my son in plane.How he is going to sleep in flight ?

All these questions make me nervous .if anyone had any experience please share with me.

bye
PREETI replied. hi
i wont repeat what others have already offered the tips, they r great. i recently traveled to and from india alone, with my son, who was 19 mts old. i took small bottles of bubbles, and every kid on the plane loved it, and also on the airports. yes, pl. keep yr handbag lite, and take the most fav. toys, blankie etc for your toddler. i wud also suggest buying a portable dvd player, and that can be a life saver on the flight. i traveled on delta, and the service was not that great. they hardly help u with luggage. grab the empty seats soon. tylenol didnt help him to sleep. i bought indian fever medicine in india, and that helped him on way back from india to usa, to sleep really well. also carry with u some diarrhoea med, and rash cream. pl write back if any questions. have a great flight. Sangeetha replied. Hi Tina

Have you sorted out your flight to India. When are you flying. I will fly with my daughter who will be just a few days shy of 2. I am travelling from Bermuda. so I have to first take a flight to New York and then I am taking Air India to Mumbai, then have to proceed to Chennai. the flight from JFK to Mumbai is about 19 hrs. I wonder how I will manage. Also as she's less than 2, I don't have a seat for her. Moreover, how do you travel light on such a long flight, we have to take loads of diapers, change of clothes, snacks, story books, crayons, small toys etc. We can't avoid any of these and this itself makes a heavy bag. Any suggestions how can I keep my daughter occupied during the flight. Does anyone know if AI provides the special chair for a child her age in the front seat (the chair that's fixed in place of the bassinet. I know that British Airways have it, but don't know if AI has it).

Thanks.

Sangeetha Kavi replied. Hi Tina,

First of all don't be nervous, i hope you can manage the trip!

I believe that after completion of 2 yrs the child will have a seperate seat and there's no need for a car seat! Some months back, i travelled from India to U.S alone wth my daughter, so i know how you feel. I too was scared that how i would manage her for 25 hrs, but it was fine. You can ask any neceesary help from the members in the flight.

You can just ask them if there's a any vacant seats in 4 seated row or 3 seated row, so that you can move over and make him sleep. If not, jusy lift the center handle of the seat, make him sleep with his legs on your lap and head on the other side stuffed with pillows. You can ask them for extra pillows and sheets too!

As Munny said, it is better to keep a very light hand bag with important stuff like ur passport, ticket etc. Take some things which he likes to do, a story book or some papers and crayons or anything he likes to do most.

I think he'll do fine. My daughter hardly slept and was awake almost all the time. You can get a special meal card for ur son when u check in( you should specify it when u get the ticket). Check with the airlines for more details.

Remember that the stomach should be half filled while travelling for ur son. So don't worry if he does not eat properly! If you feel like, you can take few things which he likes to eat too!

Always remember that 2 things are very important, your son and ur hand bag with passport and ticket, so wear ur bag around ur shoulder and hold ur son's hand. All other things will be safe by itself.

Have a nice trip! Anything u need, feel free to ask, bye! Munny replied. Hi,
You don't need a car seat for your 2 yrs. old. He could sit on his own seat or on your lap. I went to India when my daughter was about 20 months. old. Fortunately the flight wasn't full, so I got two extra seats, so she could sleep. I didn't get any extra seat from London to Bombay, and she was in my lap, but She went to sleep on my lap. Take his favourite toys with you. And keep the handbag light. Just take neccessory things in the handbag, so it would be easier to manage a child and a bag.

Good Luck