Travelling with 2yr alone - need advise

Hello Friends

I am sorry if this is not a relevant topic, but I desperately need your advise and input. (mods if reqd you can delete this thread after 2 days)
I am travelling to India on an emergency, I am going alone with my 2 yr old for the first time, I don't have a lot of friends with kids to ask for ideas. So thought of posting it here.
Can somebody tell me if there are any safe medications that I can give to my son to calm him down during the long sector journey of 16 + 9 hours, I really do not want him to get hyper and bother the copassengers?
I was planning to get him lots of new books(which he loves), get some crayons, small toys and stuff to keep him occupied. Any other ideas?
I know there are lots of moms out there who could share there experience on this.

Please friends, give me some ideas, input and advice. I am really worried about the whole thing.

Thanks in advance.

Niti

Nithi, hope everything will be fine in india. These are some of the suggestions, i could come up with:

1. My sister who travelled to india,with her 1 1/2 yr old son, used Infant Tylenol, frequently, to calm him down. He is usually a very active kid. But it worked well with him. She gave him, just a few mins before entering the plane, so tht by the time the plane took off, the kid was already sleepy. But please consult with your doctor, whether he suggests using tylenol for ur kid, and also abt the dosage. Sometimes, these medications can make some kids hyper. Some kids become very active. So the best thing to do is to test it on ur son, when ur at home, and take decisions based on tht. If your using tylenol or any medication, write down the time when u give him a dose. You dont want to overdose him

2. Carry all the basic medicines which you give him. Infant Tylenol, and Mylicon for gas etc. Some kids get ear pain, during take off. So the best thing is to give him a bottle of water or milk, while taking off, becoz the sucking action, will help in avoiding the ear pain. If in any case, you notice him tugging his ear, or feeling uncomfortable, give a dosage of tylenol, so tht he wont feel the pain.

3. Some medicines for you, especially for headaches, which may come due to stress.

4. Let him have a good meal and make sure to take him to the restroom, just before entering the flight.

5. Make sure he is dressed up warm. If he is cold, he's not gonna sleep.

6.Lots of healthy snacks for him.

7. Take Lots of new toys, crayons and some coloring books,toys and lots of stickers. Give him a book or paper and ask him stick them or something like tht. Give him one toy at a time. Let him play with tht and give the next, only when he gets bored with the one, he is playing with. Make sure you dont give him toys like balls, which may roll somewhere and be difficult for u to pick them up.

8.If your son is used to watching dvds, then try to take a small portable dvd player along with you. Most of the kids get glued to their fav. dvds. If the toys and books are not working, then u can bring out the dvd player as the last resort. Make sure you take the adaptor, so tht u can charge, when not in use.

9. When your checking in, ask at the counter, if there are any vacant seats. Sometimes you may be lucky. You can request them to give ur seat next to tht seat.

10. Dont give him any chocolates. Caffeine makes them go hyper.

11.Take him for a short walk down the aisle, when the flight attendants are not serving food.

12.You take good rest--have a good sleep, the night before flying. Cause you need a lot of energy afterwards.

Having said everything, if at all he cries and gives trouble, just try to maintain your cool. Kids cry and give trouble. Everyone knows tht. If someone is frowning. Just dont bother. Try to be cool, coz when ur not overwhelmed, then you can handle things in a better way.

Thats all i remember for now. I'll try to find out from some friends, and add in later. Have a Safe Journey. Edited by preethi_r - 16 years ago

I will go with what Preethi has said basically she has said everything. Mainly, i will be careful and keep an eye at him 24hrs.

Have a safe, nice and happy journey.

Niti, the first thing to do is to keep your
cool. If the child perceives your anxiety,
he will fret more. Basically all kids look
up to their moms for every thing and they can
not imagine that there is any situation that
their mom can not handle - some kind of a
heroine worship - so, even if u are all jelly
inside project a rock outside!!!

Cover his ears well and make him laugh with
open mouth while take off and landing - that
lets air in to the throat and the ear gets
eased out of pressure. Feeding milk in a
bottle is also an option - basically a sucking
motion helps.

Most of the airlines are children friendly - they
give toys etc., but make sure to carry his favorite
toy - the one he carries with him when he goes to
sleep - soul mate and safety network!!!

Do not bother about others around - every one has
had children at some point or used to other kids
around them - avoiding disturbance is an ideal
situation but if u are not able to, do not bother -
they will automatically adjust.

When he is awake walk him as much as possible.
playing running and catching in the aisle is
helpful - his attention gets diverted.

Grab some sleep for yourself when he sleeps -
very important - a tired mother wrecks herself
and the kid by loosing patience.

If any kind soul offers to engage him for a while,
gladly accept - provided he is willing to accept
new faces - will be a great relief for both of u .
Remember that the child is equally fed up of just
the company of mom - loves to interact with some one
else who is more flexible!!!

Have a safe trip and I hope that at the end of
the journey you realize that all your fears were
unfounded - u might say, " well that was not so bad, after all"
Good luck and come back soon. Keep us posted of
developments and pls do let us know once u reach home.Edited by rojapoooo - 16 years ago

Have a safe journey Nittip.

safe trip nits...and hope your emergency gets sorted out just fine...

Preethi & Rojakka covered all that I can think off. Aah.. One more thing, I am sure you know this already, just in case - Make sure the toys you are taking for him are the ones that doesn't make sound while playing! 😊

Have a safe & nice journey Niti!

Thanks so much my dear friends.
I have read everything in here and will definitely follow them. I guess after reading your messages, I am confident that everything is gonna be alright.
Thanks in millions to Preethi, Usha, Roja, Caryn, Jas, Nallu, Supree and everybody else, I really appreciate your time in posting here.
Love
Niti