We are traveling to Europe from NZ tomorow and are taking everything for our 14 month old daugther. I think we have overpacked.
I am not sure how she will handle the long plane ride. We are travelling at night and are stopping in Hong Kong and then Singapore ont he way back to give her some rest.
If you are worried about the pressure and ear problems, you can give them an antihistamine before and after the flight. Something like dimetapp or demazin, or even phenergan. It helps keep the airways open so the pressure is minimilised. This was recommended to me by both my pharmasist and doctor. Also a saline spray is good to keep on hand as well. During take off and decent if possible give them something to suck or chew on, I gave my son a bottle with flavoured milk in it. The only reason it was flavoured was that I was guaranteed that he would drink it....oooooh choccy milk!
but yeah toys are good thing. the aqua doodle is a good idea, but then you are also limited to carry on lugage restrictions. so I would take bubs fav comfort toy, and some small toys that will keep occuppied,
I just flew with 2 kids under 3 and it was not as bad as I thought. The biggest thing is to make sure you have lots for her to do. If you are sitting by a window have her look out and see whats below. You can go to the dollar store and get a bunch of cheap toys. Give her one new toy an hour to keep her entertained. Let her walk the eisle every so often. And have to talk to the flight attendants, that's the best, they are great with kids! I know she is a bit young to do a whole lot with the flight, but every little bit counts. Good luck!
On average we have flown with our 22 month old every two months since he was born, both long and short haul. It is a bit late now, but a bulk head seat which has the folding bassinette shelf to hold a chair is fantastic!!! Contact the airline if you have time, google 'seat guru' for your airline and plane type to check the best seats. You get more leg room in the bulk head seats and your child can sleep there whilst you eat/sleep and can move around without disturbing her. They are on a first come first served basis, but you may be able to book them for the return part of your journey if nothing else!
Make sure she has lots of fluids, especially if she is awake on take off/landing to help with the pressure. If she sleeps let her! I always carry a bag of new toys to keep our son entertained... things like the aquadoodles are great.. and mess free!!!
I would also try to adjust your daughter onto the time at your destination as soon as possible for things like nap time and meals... if you can do this on the journey it really helps!
About the cabin pressure... I actually found that if my son slept through the take off and landing he would be just fine, so it probably depends on the child. If he was awake I would try and get him to drink as swallowing takes care of the pressure, and at least for my son it would be easier to get him to drink something he likes rather than trying to get him to yawn. Whatever works!
Is your little girl a good sleeper? If so, I think you can be pretty confident she will just sleep most of the trip. We have travelled from Australia to USA 3 times with our son who is now 2. He usually sleeps about 10 hours. Have you been able to order a bassinet? Otherwise I would call right away and see if you can get one. Our son was 20 months last he used one. They are attached to the wall in front of you and are simply the best. With regards to the wake time... Does your girl have some favorite DVDs? We bring a portable DVD player and they can be a lifesaver! And lots of snacks :)
The most important thing I found was not to let a young child sleep thru takeoff & landing. Cabin pressure changes at these times & the casual ear-pop that we do automatically with a yawn as adults isn't as easily achieved in a child. This can lead to excruciating ear-pain The howls of misery that follow usually take care of the ears (tho not always) but make a baby very hard to settle after. So when the seat-belt sign is on (& anytime the ride feels 'bumpy'), have bubs in your lap & yawn at her so she'll yawn back & keep her ears "adjusted" to the changing cabin-pressure. I gasped enthusiastically at every tummy-drop & push-back feeling too so she'd think all the sensations were fun; I wanted my daughter to be a good traveller... She was.
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