Travelling to UK with a 2 yr old!

Anyone out there been there, done that! :eek:

We are thinking of travelling to the UK in June to visit DH's family. My gorgeous, active - won't sit still, 16 month old will be a little over 2 by then and was wondering how we might manage the flight???

We visited when DS was 5months old so have an idea about the aircraft, flying time etc but not sure how we'll cope with an active 2 yr old. How will the other passengers cope, how will we cope, what about jetlag on the way there and back, is there a good time to leave, and what about stop-overs???

I think it's really important we go as the opportunities in the future might become less and less, but it's a daunting prospect.

So... any hints, tips, ideas, info, experiences etc will be greatly appreciated. :)

Our friends visited us when we lived in the UK and when they left their boy was a bit over 18 months. We didn't hear any horror stories about their return flight.
There's generally only the Singapore stopover (though I guess this depends on the airline) which you get after 9 hours of flying (departing Melbourne). The stopover is about 2 hours and then there's the 12ish hour leg to Heathrow.
Aeroplanes cater for toddlers....toys, special menu and entertainment and it's in their best interests to be as nice as they possibly can to your little boy, for everyone else's sake, so I imagine it should go smoothly......
I would recommend leaving as late in the day you can...
Good luck! I hope he picks up a cute little Brit accent while he's there!

I think the best tip I can give you is get a portable DVD player and take along a selection of his favorite DVDs. Some planes have the entertainment systems in the back of the seat (I think Emirates have them on most flights) but from a toddlers POV its much better to watch familiar DVD's over and over (and over and over).

I haven't done it (only with an "easy" aged 9 month old) but I sat next to a couple who had a 2 year old......

Loads of low GI snacks and drinks
DVD player with familiar and long movies (Jungle Book/Nemo etc)
Try and get a late out of Aus flight

Singapore as a stop-over is an ideal option: only 2 hours, and there is a lot of kid friendly stuff (for an airport) to kill time, including, of course, Maccas!

WORSE case scenario, and obviously each to their own, some mild sedative....not sure if I would/could, but I would probably pack some JIC!!

GOOD LUCK!!!!

(We are planning for a UK trip for Christmas 2007.....with a nearly 4 year old, a 2.5 year old and 15 month old......OMG, we must be MAD, so I will be fascinated to see how you go.......)

We went to the US when Matilda was 18 months old. One thing, is remember its only 1 day out of the life of.... if hell breaks loose, it will all be over soon.

Matilda went okay the trip to the US. She was awake & played games with us for the first few hours, got cranky in NZ on the lay over & then crashed for 7 hours to the US. On the way back she screamed for 7 hours, vomitted all over us in NZ & then slept from Auckland to Brissy.

We have done some short trips since then & she has been fantastic. We flew to Sydney twice since the trip to America & it was heaps better, I think because she's older too?

Late night flights are better because they are tired, but Matilda's main problem coming home was that she was overtired, heaps of snacks, not "real" meals but snacks to occupy her. A portable DVD player is a great idea so you can play what you want when you want it with plenty of power! Drawing activities, walking around the plane and DH & Matilda had a jumping contest in the back of the plane too. So basically what others have said.

From remembering flights when I was little, we didn't have DVDs or anything back in my day so I remember lots of activity books and favourite story books - remember, if you're flying to the UK you may not be allowed DVD players on a plane, but books are probably OK. Check with the airline about the special rules for the UK and USA.

Also remember that the airport isn't a fun place when you're little. Add on an extra 3 hours to the flight for getting to the airport and all the queues there; that's far more boring than the flight, especially if you sit by a window and point out the different countries (make them up if you have to!) and tell them stories about those countries.