My son is two years old and no, as much as my husband and I travel we've never taken him along with us on any of our trips. Mainly because he is a very rambunctious, spunky and very LIVELY boy and our getaways are just that - getting away. In my pre-motherhood days I've often rolled my eyes at the sound of crying babies and annoying kids on past flights and I refuse to be "that" parent on the plane; baby crying, screaming, kicking. Basically doing everything except sleeping. But when my mother reached out to me asking if I'd like to go visit my sister in Ohio, I thought, sure why not - it's a short flight, how bad could it be?
My little one loves music, dancing, sports-like activities and Mickey. I made sure I had everything he needed: snacks, juice, tablet and headphones, books, plus all of the other toddler necessities. I always try to be as prepared as possible when it comes to this little guy.
Fast forward to our flight. He cried during take-off because he didn't want to stay in his seat. I would say about every 45 minutes he needed to move around. He wanted to go across the aisle to my mom, he wanted to go back and forth. When I made him sit, he screamed. He kicked the seat in front of him. Then, he cried during landing. He doesn't like anything restraining him so he was constantly trying to wriggle out of the seat belt.
Upon our return back home, it was pretty much the same EXCEPT this time our flight was delayed. So instead of leaving at 6:45pm we were scheduled to leave at 8:50pm. I immediately thought, this is where the nightmare begins. My rambunctious boy and I walked and raced around the Dayton International Airport in the hopes that he would K.O on the flight back. Nope. Didn't work. After countless times ascending the stairs and descending the escalator, this kid wasn't tired at all. The lights were off on the plane, I snuggled him in a blanket, and all he wanted to do was watch and sing along to Bruno Mars' "That's What I Like" on his tablet while others tried to get some shut-eye (myself included).
Overall, my mom gave him an "A" for his first flight. Me, I gave him a "C". Remember - I used to be that person who cringed at the sound of a child crying on a plane. I am the parent of that child now.