Flying with a 13 Month old, Which flight choice

Flying with a 13 Month old, Which flight choice?
We are going to Hawaii from the midwest with a 13 month old. We are debating going from Chicago to Honolulu on a direct flight, or breaking it up with a couple of stops? Any help from people that have been on long flights with children is greatly appreciated. THanks
Air Travel - 4 Answers
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1 :
Go for the long haul. Will be easier on everyone in the long run
2 :
Little kids often have problems with the pressure changes, and it can be worse if you make several stops (multiple take-offs and landings). Talk to your doctor about decongestants that will also help your child sleep.
3 :
We've done both, actually. We flew ORD-HNL when our girls were 9 months old and 3 years old, and then ORD-IAH-HNL a year later. My personal preference after those experiences would be to take the non-stop flight, particularly on the return. Going there: It's a day-time flight, so it's not really too bad. The kids did get tired and a little cranky at times, but did sleep pretty well in the car seats. Just make sure you have enough distractions to keep your little one entertained. If you're buying a seat for your child (which I recommend, personally), you should be ok. If you're holding your child in arms, it's helpful if your child actually does sleep in your arms (our younger daughter did NOT, which made the trip - particularly the return - very difficult). Note that infant-in-arms severely limits what you can do, as you'll have to take turns eating, going to the lav, holding the child while sleeping, etc. The return: This is difficult because you'll either be taking a morning flight with a very late arrival, or an afternoon flight with an early morning arrival. THIS is where the infant in arms thing really comes into play, especially if your child is not a good sleeper in arms. As I said, our daughter was NOT. The first flight back (nonstop HNL-ORD) was BRUTAL. She hardly slept as my wife and I cradled her, walked her around the cabin, etc. We eventually had to pull our older daughter out of the carseat and put her little sis in there. Of course, this upset big sis. My wife and I didn't get much rest as a result. The following year, we got both of them seats and it was a HUGE help, as they both slept soundly on the return for a solid 5 hours. I also like the overnight flight because it gave us a little extra time on the island and we were actually time-adjusted pretty well when we got home at something like 5am. The kids (and we) got to bed pretty early that night and we were good otherwise. I do not recommend more than one stop, if you go that route (no pun intended). If you do break it up, and ORD-LAX/SFO-HNL might work, as it breaks up the flight fairly evenly. However, more than that is just prolonging the travel time and upping the potential baby crankiness factor. You want to get it over with as quickly as possible, imo. You know your baby better than we do, but it also pays to talk to your pediatrician if you have any medical-related questions, especially if your child has any issues like frequent ear infections (can cause some serious discomfort on a flight), sinus issues, etc. You can also talk to your ped about medications or the frequent advice to use benadryl on your child to knock him/her out. Let me know if you have any further questions (strollers, carseats, etc).
4 :
I'd suggest the most direct flight that will get you to your destination the fastest. I have a 3 year old and will be traveling 10.5 hrs. to Istanbul with him and have been researching the subject extensively. The best information has come from a retired airline hostess and mother from the following site: http://flyingwithchildren1.blogspot.com/ The info is complete, exhaustive and will take some time to read. Re: Do not give benadryl unless you know how your child will react. Some children do not get drowsy, but it has the opposite effect on them, it makes them hyper. Also, all medications are stronger at altitude.