While the prospect of a long-haul flight with such a toddler could be daunting, proper preparation can help alleviate some of the stress. Assume that you will be spending the majority of your time on the flight trying to keep your toddler entertained.
If you can manage to put your toddler to nap during the flight, that's fantastic!
We think it's well worth the effort to figure out how to put your kid to sleep just on plane. Although a strict schedule isn't necessary, everyone will have a better day if your toddler isn't constantly exhausted.
In our post on traveling with a young child, we cover topics such as what to expect from the flight and ways to keep your child occupied. We also state that getting your child to sleep is crucial if you want to make it through the flight with them, so we figured it would be useful to elaborate on this topic.
While there is no guarantee that your toddler will fall asleep on an airplane using these methods (trust me, we tried everything and failed miserably on a flight lasting 10 hours or more with our toddler), you will have a much better chance of success.
A plane full of infants. Neither passengers nor their parents appreciate having to walk by the board at the end of each row.
However, one advantage of flying with a newborn is that babies often sleep. A bag of tricks is needed to make this happen.
Flying with a baby is a breeze once you've done it a few times, but if this is your first time, here are a few pointers to keep in mind.
Every parent of a young child hopes that their child will be able to sleep through the flight. This is the honest truth. An airplane is a much more relaxing place when a child is sound asleep in his or her seat.
No matter how long your flight is, it's always nice to get some rest while the baby sleeps.
We have effectively brought a baby to sleep in the air, as well as a toddler and a baby, and 2 toddlers to sleep in the air.
The situation is complicated by the fact that we have one great sleeper and one not-so-good sleeper in the family.
Some people have discovered that there are ways to improve their chances of falling asleep in the air. So that other frazzled parents like yourself won't have to figure out how to put your child to bed on a plane, we've compiled some tried-and-true techniques.
FAQs About Baby Sleep
It is usually best only to give Benadryl to children above 12 months old. Those younger than 12 months have greater side effects and variable sedation. It's best to give one dose. If on an international flight or cross-country drive, you don't want to sedate the child continuously.
When travelling, babies should sleep alone in a crib, portable crib, bassinet or pack and play.
Request an airline bassinet if it is available on your airline/flight. If you are flying with an eight-month-old infant as a lap baby, then good news – your little one will fit in almost all airline bassinets, meaning hopefully they will sleep in the sky cot, allowing you to get some rest. Too!
Don't let children sleep on the floor of the plane.
Even if you may have gotten away with it in the past or friends have recommended it, please note that infants or children sleeping on the plane floor is a big no-no – refer to the fact above that they must be wearing a seat belt.
Little ones can use Joie travel cots from birth until 15kg (approximately three years) or until they can climb out. Most accessories, such as changers, bassinets, and napping seats, are usable up to 9kg or until the child can sit, kneel, or pull themselves up unaided (approximately six months).
The 21 Best Ways To Get Your Baby To Sleep On A Plane
Maintain Your Routine.
Children thrive on regular schedules. They anticipate a warm bath, a snuggly blanket, a glass of milk, a bedtime tale, and a goodnight kiss every night. It's a good idea to stick to your usual schedule on the plane, whether that means putting the baby down for a nap or putting them to bed at a certain time.
While you might be able to give your child a full bath, you can still get them ready for bed by giving them a snack, giving them some warm milk, and reading them a tale. With the help of this relaxing routine, you can convince your youngster that it's time for bed.
Walk, Walk, And Then Some.
Make sure you have such a baby carrier and take it along on your next trip. It is also a great spot to put your baby down for a nap after a long day of sightseeing. Put your small one in their carrier and face them in so they may rest and feel safe, rather than out where all the action is located on the plane.
Put the hood over the infant's head and create a small, dark area. Ensure they still can breathe by keeping their mouth unblocked. Just get out and take a stroll. It shouldn't take more than a few minutes of rocking your baby to sleep.
Don't be embarrassed to do the bouncy walk through the aisles if you feel the need to. Everyone on the airline feels your pain over getting your kid to sleep. When you make an effort to keep the airplane quiet, nobody will make fun of you.
Make A Quiet Zone
An aisle ticket on the plane would be ideal so that your infant has more space to sprawl out and get some sleep throughout the ride. However, this is not always the case. An empty seat on a plane is as likely as finding a spare diaper bag.
Your private retreat can be made even with limited quarters. Shut down all electronics, lower the rear seatback screens, and draw the window shade. You should eliminate as many potential sources of stimulation as you can.
Put your infant in a position where they can't see passersby by turning them toward the window. The less stimulation your infant receives, the more probable it is that he or she will succumb to sleep.
Make A Tent
Taking away a child's electronic devices isn't guaranteed to help them calm down. Some people can't be trusted not to see what's going on, so a physical barrier is necessary. Create a shelter from the elements with the help of the blanket you packed or the one provided by the airline.
Tuck one end of the blanket into the top of your seat and the other end into the tray table to create a makeshift wall (you should still be able to put your tray table up). If you're sitting behind someone you know, you might also tuck the blanket's other end into their headrest.
You may construct walls and a roof with this method, giving them a cozy place to rest throughout the flight. Even young children and adolescents who have trouble winding down when there's a lot going on can benefit from this.
When flying with a young child, it is feasible to put him or her to sleep or nap.
Having a happy child on board will be worth the occasional creative challenges and lack of sleep. Your fellow travelers will share your excitement.
Bring A White Noise Machine For Your Toddler On The Plane.
While a white noise machine in flight may seem superfluous, it actually helps drown out more of the plane's ambient noise so you can focus. Keeping your toddler asleep is also a big benefit.
On The Plane, Play An Audiobook Or Music For Your Toddler.
Your toddler may be too curious to go to sleep when it's time to land, so be prepared for some airplane exploration. If you're able to get your child to lay down & listen to some music or an audiobook (for a somewhat older toddler), you may find that he or she relaxes quickly.
Make A Tent For Your Toddler On The Plane.
Making a tents for your child to sleep in is one of our favorite travel hacks for families with toddlers. Using an airplane blanket can help reduce light and noise for your young child.
You can stow it in your child's seat tray or another compartment (either the headrest or even along the back of the seat will work).
Maintain A Flexible Schedule.
Allow your toddler some time to play & explore the plane before trying to put him or her to sleep.
This is for your health. You’ll feel angry if you board the plane and simply try to put your baby to sleep. Being in a brand-new setting is thrilling.
Many things will be within their reach, and they will naturally be curious about and eager to experience all of them. Don't put them to bed at their regular hour; wait till later, even if it's already late.
Choose The Best Flight Time For Your Toddler.
If your child has a solid track record of falling asleep for naps and bedtime, and she also tends to perform well in unfamiliar environments, you may have some success getting her to sleep just on plane. Plan an overnight journey if you need to take a long-haul flight with a child so that you can both rest.
When Flying With A Child, Make Sure You Have The Right Seats.
Choose a seat away from the restrooms and the areas where people congregate to get up and move around. Your young child will be easily distracted by their loud conversation.
Discuss The Flight With Your Child.
For us, this is and will likely continue to be among the most effective methods for putting our young children to sleep during air travel. We got going on it well before our child turned two. We always started planning for the flight a week in advance. We would go over the flight itinerary, talk about the plane, and clarify the seat belt light.
We'll play games and have snacks once we're airborne, for instance. As soon as the plates are cleaned, we're changing into our pajamas and curling up with a good book. When we've finished studying for the day, it'll be appropriate for you to turn in.
We would chat about this subject several times a day, every day of the week. That way, nobody on the plane was caught off guard. In fact, we used to go over the plane's features verbatim: "There's the safety belt light. What state does it currently occupy, on or off? If you were driving right now, would you put on your seat belt?
Reduce Your Child's Sugar Intake.
It's already challenging to fly with a young child. Limit your intake of sugary foods and drinks before takeoff.
That doesn't mean you shouldn't have some snacks on hand in case of an unexpected event.
Pack All Of Your Toddler's Snacks And Milk.
Pack a lot of snacks for toddlers to eat on the plane. Snacks are a fantastic way to keep your kid entertained and full during a long flight. If they have a habit of having milk before bed, don't forget to bring it.
Cheerios and blueberries were two of our favorite toddler-friendly in-flight meals. Knowing that our toddler probably wouldn't eat the airplane meals, we'd also bring a few pouches of their favorite snacks. If you want to keep your snack from ending up on the airplane floor, a spill-proof cup is a must-have.
Use Your Toddler's Sleep Routines On The Plane.
Can you describe your typical nighttime routine at home? Toddlers benefit greatly from regular schedules. Put your little one in pajamas and read to them while you run the bath water. Sing your favorite bedtime tunes that you listen to every night.
Take your toddler through the same pre-bedtime rituals you use at home.
In Your Toddler's Carry-On Luggage, Include A Favorite Blanket Or Stuffed Animal.
Bring your child's favorite blanket or toy on the plane to help them feel more at ease when napping.
This comfort item is well worth the extra room in your toddler's carry-on bag, as your child will enjoy snuggling up with it during the flight.
Travel By Plane With A Toddler Car Seat.
You should bring your child's car seat on the plane if you have one, or if you can get one, and you think it would help him or her go asleep.
Allow Your Toddler To Burn Off Some Energy Before You Board The Plane.
Allow your child to run about and get some energy out as you wait to board the plane. However, don't allow them get overtired, as sleepless toddlers and infants are even challenging to put down.
Pack Some Quiet Toddler Travel Toys To Keep Your Toddler Entertained On The Plane.
Bring along some books, tiny toys, or anything else that will keep your kid entertained that doesn't involve a device. The books are a necessary component of your nighttime ritual.
Select The Appropriate Seats.
The infant needs to sleep! If you have a baby with you on your flight, you might wish to call your airline ahead of time and ask for a bassinet.
(often only found on international flights) Babies can sleep soundly in their bassinets during the flight. Choose seats away from the bulkhead if you're traveling with kids who are a little older.
Commonly, the armrests do not raise, negating the room gain. We always attempt to get the middle four seats in a row so that we may have the aisle to ourselves and accommodate our two young children. As a result, there is plenty of space for everyone to spread out and unwind.
We also prefer to be close to a bathroom, but not right next to it, to avoid being bothered by the constant flow of people entering and leaving. When attending a large (and noisy) concert, We prefer to sit at least a few rows back.
Purchase An Inflatable Foot Pillow.
This is one of the best purchases we've made for traveling with our toddlers, therefore we recommend it often to other parents. After the seatbelt indicator goes off on a long journey, we blow one up for each child and leave them inflated until we need to put away the tray tables.
Our children have been able to sleep through the night for the first time since they were able to lay down flat. Inflatable footrests are a must if you want your little children too sleep on an aircraft. After all, lying down is the best position for getting some shut-eye on an aircraft.
Making a bed aboard an airplane:
- Hold off until the flight's religious ceremony is through.
- Pillow has to be inflated.
- Put a blanket or pillowcase on the chair/pillow.
- Don't forget to tuck the baby in (if possible, keep them buckled for safety reasons)
Again, one of the finest travel recommendations I can give for these lengthy journeys is to have an airplane seat extender for your youngster.
Seriously. Try not to force yourself to sleep. Do not assume that your child will sleep through the flight and awaken after you have landed. (Though, that does sound fantastic!) Children will mimic their parents' level of calmness.
It's not their usual sleeping situation, so try to be understanding and flexible. Your child may sleep two hours later than usual (or not at all), and they may take a three-hour nap when they only take one at home.
The journey itself is the highlight of any vacation. If your child is having trouble falling or staying asleep on the trip, you may wish to consult our tips for Keeping Your Baby or Toddler Entertained.
Before Bringing New Toddler Travel Gear On The Plane, Put It Through Its Paces.
Inflatable airplane beds are great for traveling with newborns and young children, but it's important to take the time the set it up as home before you leave.
When flying with such a lap toddler or if you anticipate your toddler will need assistance falling asleep, you should also include a toddler carrier.
On a long haul flight with a young child, you don't want anything to go wrong.
If You're Frustrated, Swap Places With Your Significant Other.
It might be difficult to get a young child to sleep on an airplane. Don’t fear to get your love other to take control for a moment. If they haven't been dealing with this up to this point, they may be able to bring some much-needed peace to the issue.
Ignore Them And Pretend To Sleep.
Your infant or toddler will find all of this to be quite exciting. Putting your toddler to bed with you could be a new experience for both of you. The chances are high that he'll keep trying to play with you and interact with you. Tell your child that you and mommy are going to bed. So just shut your eyes and act like you're sleeping.
Conclusion
Sleeping toddlers on a flight is essential. Flights are calmer when kids are asleep. Some travellers know how to fall asleep midair. If you usually snooze or put the infant to sleep before takeoff on planes, do it again. Aisle seats allow your baby to stretch out and relax during the journey.
Young children can sleep on flights. Physical partitions are needed because you can't expect everyone will close their eyes. Aircraft blankets can block light and noise for small children. If your child sleeps through the night or throughout naps, she may sleep on an aircraft. Consider taking a lengthy flight with a youngster overnight.
A leak-proof container is necessary for flying snacks for young children. Follow your family's pre-bedtime routine with your toddler. If you need to fly with a baby, request a bassinet or car seat. Flying with kids requires inflatable footrests. Avoid pushing sleep.
Your child won't sleep on the flight. That's tempting! Children behave peacefully like their parents. Newborns and young children travel well on inflatable airline beds. Young children may have trouble sleeping on planes.
Content Summary
- Assume that you will be spending the majority of your time on the flight trying to keep your toddler entertained.
- If you can manage to put your toddler to nap during the flight, that's fantastic!We think it's well worth the effort to figure out how to put your kid to sleep just on the plane.
- In our post on travelling with a young child, we cover topics such as what to expect from the flight and ways to keep your child occupied.
- We also state that getting your child to sleep is crucial if you want to make it through the flight with them, so we figured it would be useful to elaborate on this topic.
- However, one advantage of flying with a newborn is that babies often sleep.
- No matter how long your flight is, it's always nice to get some rest while the baby sleeps.
- We have effectively brought a baby to sleep in the air, as well as a toddler and a baby, and 2 toddlers to sleep in the air.
- It's a good idea to stick to your usual schedule on the plane, whether that means putting the baby down for a nap or putting them to bed at a certain time.
- Make sure you have such a baby carrier and take it along on your next trip.
- Create a shelter from the elements with the help of the blanket you packed or the one provided by the airline.
- Tuck one end of the blanket into the top of your seat and the other end into the tray table to create a makeshift wall (you should still be able to put your tray table up).
- When flying with a young child, it is feasible to put him or her to sleep or nap.
- Keeping your toddler asleep is also a big benefit.
- Making a tent for your child to sleep in is one of our favourite travel hacks for families with toddlers.
- Using an aeroplane blanket can help reduce light and noise for your young child.
- Allow your toddler some time to play & explore the plane before trying to put him or her to sleep.
- This is for your health.
- Don't put them to bed at their regular hour; wait till later, even if it's already late.
- Plan an overnight journey if you need to take a long-haul flight with a child so that you can both rest.
- We always started planning for the flight a week in advance.
- We would go over the flight itinerary, talk about the plane, and clarify the seat belt light.
- That way, nobody on the plane was caught off guard.
- Pack a lot of snacks for toddlers to eat on the plane.
- Cheerios and blueberries were two of our favourite toddler-friendly in-flight meals.
- Take your toddler through the same pre-bedtime rituals you use at home.
- Bring your child's favourite blanket or toy on the plane to help them feel more at ease when napping.
- You should bring your child's car seat on the plane if you have one, or if you can get one, and you think it would help him or her go to sleep.
- Bring along some books, tiny toys, or anything else that will keep your kid entertained that doesn't involve a device.
- The books are a necessary component of your nighttime ritual.
- After the seatbelt indicator goes off on a long journey, we blow one up for each child and leave them inflated until we need to put away the tray tables.
- Our children have been able to sleep through the night for the first time since they were able to lay down flat.
- Inflatable footrests are a must if you want your little children to sleep on an aircraft.
- Try not to force yourself to sleep.
- Inflatable aeroplane beds are great for travelling with newborns and young children, but it's important to take the time to set it up at home before you leave.
- It might be difficult to get a young child to sleep on an aeroplane.
- Don't fear getting your loved one to take control for a moment.
- Putting your toddler to bed with you could be a new experience for both of you.
- Tell your child that you and mommy are going to bed.
