As everyone who knows me could tell you, I live to travel. I’m not doing much of it these days, with daycare expenses, school, and a toddler all factoring in. But we are getting ready to get away for about five days to visit my girlfriend’s sister (and kids) in New Hampshire, with a quick stop in NYC for fun!
So I’ve been on a plane for four legs with a six-month-old, and two legs with a 13-month-old. Six months old was pretty easy, even if one of the four legs was miserable with constant crying, I did get her to sleep with the Ergo and bouncing around in the aisle. Thirteen months was definitely trickier, but I learned a lot. For example, a bag of rocks may be thrilling for the toddler, but the people in the seats in front and behind will not appreciate all the rocks dropping/rolling/flying at them. I also swore I’d never go on a flight without getting her her own seat again… but as I have one month left to fly with her as a lap baby, and save a whole person’s worth of fare, I figured I’d do it one last time.
After our flight to Newark, NJ we’ll hop onto the Newark Air Train to Penn Station, where we’ll switch to the B/Q train to Brooklyn. We’re staying in an apartment there for like $60/night, through airbnb. Two days later we’ll leave with a rental car for New Hampshire, a roughly five hour trip, turn in the rental car (it was cheaper and way faster than train/bus options) and be at her sister’s house, from where we will fly back home. The flights will be roughly an hour each, with two legs coming home.
While in NYC we’ll try to keep it simple and budget friendly. Staten island ferry (free), Times Square for a piece of pizza, central park if it’s warm out (unlikely), and the 9/11 Memorial, which was not even close to being completed the last time I was there, in 2011. In Brooklyn, we can hit up the Brooklyn Children’s Museum or the Transit Museum.
I’m getting into prep mode… stickers, suckers, DVD player and kindle with ear phones, snacks, wrapped “surprises”, crayons/paper, books, a bottle with milk and pacifier… the surprises will be things she never gets to play with: keys, credit cards (non-working of course), cell phone, jewelry, etc. I don’t hand out packs of goodies and apology notes to my fellow travelers. It’s not that long of a flight, and it’s way worse for me than it is for them! As always, expending energy ahead of time is key: lots of running/walking through the terminal, playground, no nap til plane time, etc.
You should see her little Dora roller carry-on (got it used for $4). She looks ready to roll!
If you have an app that an almost-two-year-old enjoys or did enjoy, please share it with me!
Mother of All Things 
Try some of those window cling decorations if you might have a window seat! Pipe ceaners. A lirrle car or plane.
Brilliant! Never thought of taking window clingies on a flight. Pretty sure those would keep my youngest entertained for HOURS.