Do you have some ideas on how to calm a crying toddler on an air flight?

I think it depends on babies. Some babies just don’t cry that much, for the others, no way.

Rock him under your arms a little and Sing a lulluby. Keep him busy, play with him. Do actions that intrugue him.

small portion of cold medicine, it’s safe. If the baby has a cold, flu or ear infection, you won’t be able to calm him/her down.

@lukers As per the FDA & AAP, cold medication is no longer recommened for children this age.

Giving the baby a snack during take offs and landings will help alleviate ear pressure.

I would take a backpack full of small, inexpensive new toys, books, etc. I would also add in favorites…..

If not ridiculously off schedule, I would delay a nap until flight time.

Good luck.

Sometimes the change in air pressure will cause the child’s ears to hurt and giving it something to suck on, such as a pacifier or hard candy depending on their age, will calm it down immensely.

anything smaller than a toilet paper roll should not be given to a child to put in their mouth :(

I flew with my son when he was 15 months and he is a very active child. Someone told me to give him a dose of Benadryl before the flight. I didn’t do it just because I figured that between my self and the 2 other adults that were flying with me we could handle it. Ask your pediatrician before medicating, as snoopy said a lot of cold meds are no longer recommended for small children. It would probably be a good idea to have your pediatrician look at your child’s ears before flying so that you can clear up any infection if present. A portable DVD player would be a good distraction. Also treats, toys, books, anything to keep the child occupied. Also, I flew with my son again when he was about 22 months and elected to purchase a seat for him, it was a much better experience, I brought a car seat and he fell asleep just like a car ride.

Do the other passengers a favor and stay home or drive.

Frankly, I seldom have problems with children on flights. I fly several flights per week on average and can only once remember being completely annoyed by a child crying. Yesterday there was a mother, father and infant directly behind me and the child was crying quite loudly when they boarded. We were on an RJ and I thought it would be hell but the child quieted down almost immediately. It was the mother who I wanted to brain. Every little thing the kid did mom had to comment on for all of us to hear. “Oh, she just sneezed. Oh how cute”. “Oh, look, look she’s smiling”. “Are you trying to tell us something,huh baby, huh,? What is it? what do you want to tell mama?” Yeesh, Luckily it was a 19 minute flight. I’ll take babies over their mothers any day.

My advice, let them cry and then leave them alone. They’ll be quiet in due time.

My condolences. If it gets bad, treat everyone around you to a drink.

Benadryl.

Grrrrr. Quit trying to drug the toddlers!

I used dramamine on mine, well into high school.

NO to drugs! Only people without kids would say that.
As far as staying home (yeah Niki), since that is not an option, I guess you’ll just have to bear with it. Everyone, at some point, has to deal with their own screaming baby on the flight. One day, Niki, you too might be in that enviable position.

My suggestion is to ensure proper equalization by having the baby drink some water or milk during take off (and landing, if possible). Otherwise, lots of activities and, if you can, have the toddler walk in the aisles when it isn’t busy.

Chill. I was joshin’. I don’t give a fuck if the babies cry. That’s kind of what they do. People shouldn’t freak about it, when they’re upset they yell just like everyone else. And that’s with the benefit of language. Why get pissed at a baby who has no other options to say they’re in pain?

It’s retarded.

The nightmare of my life involved a flight with my daughter—an overbooked flight, and being stuck on a runway waiting to take off for 2 hours. She was fine for the first part of the flight, and was asleep when I carried her onto the second plane, but woke up when we sat down. When the plane pulled away from the gate, I gave her a bottle, as the pediatrician suggested. Then we sat. And sat. And sat, waiting to take off.

Middle seat, she screamed, kicked the seat in front of her repeatedly, had diarrhea, pulled the hair of the woman in front of us, hit me, hit the man to the left of us, arched her back in a full tantrum so I could barely hold her. People from the back of the plane yelled at us, I cried, I begged to be let off the plane. They wouldn’t let me out of my seat to change the diaper, or get up and walk with her. It didn’t stop. When we finally took off, she sobbed for the first hour of the flight.

I rented a car and drove home.

oh, alfreda. That sounds horrifying. I am cringing for you…

Luckily, I have never had a need to fly anywhere w/ my kids. The thought of it gives me hives. We actually drove 14 hours to get to FLA this spring (overnight so the kids would sleep) to avoid the scenario you describe….yikes!

Scotch

Keeps me quiet on most domestic flights….