Let a toddler start watching TV on flight to Colorado?

Do it. On the airplanes, make an exception and let the kid watch and indulge on screen. You know your child best. When ours was a little before 2 years old, we armed ourselves with a bunch of short films — classic Disney shorts like Ferdinand, how the grinch stole Christmas, Mr. Rogers, and Sesame Street episodes to fly to the east coast. 2 year olds often can’t sit through a 2 hour movie although yours may be an exception, so many different things helped.  Comfortable noise cancelling headphone is a must. Good Luck!

I think if you let him watch on the plane, you can associate TV/screens with travel and not with your routine at home.

I'd definitely do it. And if you're generally uncomfortable with them watching TV, this can just be a plane thing. It doesn't mean they start watching at home if you don't want them to. We all do special things on vacation that we don't do at home. :)

I would say though a child that age is unlikely to watch a 90 minute movie. You might try content that is geared more to 2 year olds and is shorter. Sesame Street comes to mind of course. Commonsense Media is a great website that you can search by age and has recommendations for shows.

I happen to be flying to CO next week with my 2-year-old very active son! I was also apprehensive about screens. We started showing him Daniel Tiger and Sesame Street but it’s very limited (maybe 20-40 mins only on weekends) and it’s basically a way to fill time. He only recently started sitting still for more longer periods of time to watch. We went on a family vacation with his older cousins last week so I knew there would be more movies/TV on. He was enamored by Luca and Moana (he had listened to the Moana soundtrack a million times) and loved it. It kind of freaked me out how much he did, but we’re back home and back to barely watching anything so I know it’s the daily longterm habits that matter, not one-offs. I plan to bring paper and crayons, tons of snacks, one of those activity boards with snaps etc, Daniel Tiger figurines he hasn’t seen yet, and anything else I can think of, in addition to an iPad. The iPad will be used strategically and I know it won’t be the whole time so I’m totally fine with it. Screens are inevitable so I’m trying to take a healthier approach of thinking about it. Also, I’m due with our 2nd in a few months so I’m sure #2 will be seeing screens much earlier! I’ll have to get comfortable with and navigate that…Good luck with your flight!

I flew alone with my very active son on my lap until he was two and for years after in the seat next to me with no screens for flights that were up to 20 hours. Get some little toys you can bring out every hour or so and a few activities. You will get to engage your child, not check out  on your screen, it takes effort but I always enjoyed the time with him:) 

We were in a similar bind when my youngest, also very active, was going on his first trip back East. For us it would've involved buying a tablet and I felt like once we did that, and once he understood what it offered, it would be an uphill battle to manage limits, and I didn't have the wherewithal to tackle that at the time. So I googled something like "toddler plane activities" and stuffed a bag of goodies that I took out at intervals in between snacks and walks up and down the aisle as needed. His favorite was a roll of blue painters tape. We'd break off bits and let him tape it to the seatback etc then spend time removing it. When the flight attendant gave us a worried look we assured her we'd remove it all and it wouldn't leave a mark and she let us be. Blue tape became our de facto cheap, portable diversion toy!

I was very screen-strict when my child was younger, and one way that it paid off was that in very select situations, I could introduce it as a special treat. If your home itself isn't centered around TV usage, a special "airplane treat" movie will probably be just that-- a treat, and not one that will turn into constant viewing. (At your son's age, he might end up thinking that movies only exist on airplanes!) Enjoy your trip!

Go for it. But make sure that you have other options for activities for your kid. A 21 month old who has never watched TV is unlikely to be interested in watching a movie for very long. Also, if your child is sensitive, he could be terrified of the movie. One of my kids is really sensitive to violence or scary (even mildly scary or suspenseful) parts of movies & I wouldn't have wanted to find this out the first time in the middle of a flight. Even at age 8 he covered his eyes for part of Moana ... even though he's seen it a few times.

I'd also recommend trying to get a seat for your son if possible - usually they'll give you one at the airport if the flight isn't full (Southwest is especially good about this). I stopped flying with lap infants after my kids were immobile infants. It was well worth the money to be able to strap a wiggly mobile child into a carseat they were familiar with and that they couldn't escape on the plane. Our kids tended to sleep in the car & we found that if we put them in the car seat on the plane, they often (not always) fell asleep and slept through most of the flight. It was so much easier. 

We held out to three including flying to Australia. Yikes! not sure how we did that. Any way, a trip to Colorado is no problem at that age with some good books and a few new toys and some snacks. But screen time only on the plane is also completely fine if that is what you choose to do. It isn’t all or nothing. As your kid gets older, putting limits on screen time is key. It isn’t really about yes/no screen time or none. Mr Rogers and calliou were good first shows for our boy as they were gentle and slow paced and not too frenetic for a young brain. Maybe because we took it slowly with screens my son was still scared of Moana at five, fwiw so maybe have a few different options ready. 

Before COVID when our ability to travel & screentime limits were simultaneously put on hold we strictly limited TV with our toddler *except* on planes or, less often, long road trips. Yes, opening the door a crack led to the occasional requests outside of aircraft but for the most part she accepted the context-specific nature of the permission and didn't beg for screens all the time thereafter. The bigger issue was that the screens weren't 100% effective on the plane and we still struggled to keep her entertained/contained on longer flights. I would just be *very* thoughtful as to what you pick (we love Moana!) because you will open the door irrevocably to requests for various marketing items afterward as we learned to our chagrin after picking Peppa Pig somewhat at random. We like Magic School Bus, Sarah and Duck, and StoryBots for that reason (plus lots of old musicals and Miyazaki!).

We do screens for our 3 year old (weekends and trips/hard weekdays) but we found when she was that age she was more into audio stories like Cuentos for Kiddos on Spotify. There are tons out there. Also stupid Vtech toys like their music phone with a headphone Jack could be good. You set the rules so even if you do screens on the trip you can still limiT or forbid them at home. Make that the expectation. 

First of all, I agree with you that there is something to be said about allowing kids to be bored, instead of offering them endless entertainment, so that they learn creativity and self reliance. I did my best to restrict screen time for my son when he was young when I noticed that he would become hyper, scattered, and unable to focus after screen time. He even (no kidding) ran a fever. Taking the screen away from him was a no brainer. That said, because he wasn't allowed any screen time when he was younger, he showed little to no interest in the screen on long flights. It held his interest for about 10 minutes and then he was done. I don't think kids can sit on a plane with an iPad for hours until they are at least 3, maybe older. So you can try giving your child a screen, but also be prepared with tons of toys, sticker books, coloring pages (those that change color with a pen full of water are great because they don't stain), and lots and lots and lots of snacks. As for whether you will hurt your child by offering him a screen on a plane--no, you won't. Screen addiction with children that age are entirely a parent problem. Preschoolers/toddlers don't even know how to turn on a device, especially if you lock it. Just be strict about not caving in to requests for more screen time when he gets home, and within a few days he will forget about it. When we used to travel internationally with our son (after he was older), he got as much screen time as he wanted on the trip, then we went through a one week detox of no screen time at all when we got back, and he was back to baseline. Good luck!

Whatever you decide about screens, check out BPN archives for how to entertain toddlers on planes. I got so many good ideas! My kiddo could NOT sit in a lap for long but we were successful bringing her car seat on the plane and letting her have her own seat starting at 19 months. She would nap in her car seat (but not on a lap.) Introducing a “fresh” toy or snack every 20 minutes (and put away the “old” one really works. Colorado is not too long or far. If there are two adults one can board early to get carry-ons and your space set up and the other can run the kid around until last call. They cuts 20 minutes out of the sitting time. 
Good Luck! 

When we traveled with our 22 month old (prepandemic) but for 5 hours, we individually wrapped his toys and books (mostly toys he already had and a few new toys and books) and the time it took to unwrap added to his enjoyment and surprise even if it was an ‘old’ toy. Plus he enjoyed shredding the wrapping too! (Since it was a 5 hour flight we did one every hour or every 30 minutes depending on need)  We also have a runner but he seemed to stay busy with various snacks and toys and books but every child is different!!

(The child behind us who had screen time most of the flight had a much harder time and cried a lot but again every child is different! And we all do what we can to survive!)

A similar question was posted a few weeks ago. From CA to CO is very doable without a screen, especially if you've been going without it for long. We flew from CA to NC, CA to Europe, and most recently CA to Caribbean all without screens. Our kid was ~3 and ~4.5. The first flight is already exciting. Some suggestions: 

Make sure you have a window seat so you can point out all the exciting things during the flight. It might not seem exciting for you, but it's exciting for a 2 year old! 

Bring snacks, LOTS of snacks. We let our kid open all the snacks himself to kill time, and we also let him eat the plane snacks which are totally new. We're also a no/low sugar family, so we made the exception for airplane cookies. 

Books. A couple of new books, if he's into being read to. 

Our son listened to music via headphones and also audio stories. 

We gave him a new toy in the beginning of the trip that he got to play with during the flight and we promised one more toy when we arrived if he cooperated. 

Our kid is approaching 6, and we are just recently introducing screen time (maybe a couple of Sesame Street episodes a week, and he gets to watch the 6 minute MLB summaries with his Dad every morning). But still no movies, no Disney, no Paw Patrol, etc. More recently we've been doing flights of 1.5 hours or so, and he just looks out the window and asks for snacks, doesn't even occur to him to watch anything. 

Regardless of how you feel about them in everyday life, screens are a life-saver on flights - let go of that guilt! In case sitting through a 2-hour movie is too much, I'd also highly recommend episodes of shorter shows (you can find semi-educational things from PBS like Wild Kratts and Sid the Science Kid if that seems better) and even toddler-friendly iPad or phone games if that's an option - at that age my youngest could sit still for quite a while playing alphabet and shape games, which seemed *sort of* like learning. Plan on variety, like some snacks, a small new toy, a favorite book (Richard Scarry books were a favorite with my kids because there are so many details to look at - he has a slim paperback called "A Day at the Airport" that made many trips with us), a screen, some crayons/coloring, etc., because at that age you never know what will capture their attention and for how long.

Absolutely do it. While kids in general don’t understand exceptions well, I think most understand that being on an airplane is very different than normal life, and therefore can follow that that is an exception.

I think a full length movie will be too much for your little one to pay attention to. You will have much more success with short things specifically targeted to that age. The “Little Baby Bum” series on Netflix was good for mine.

Practice with the headphones at home. 
Good luck!

Our daughter believed until the age of 6 that the tablet ONLY worked on airplanes, and didn't in any way translate watching TV on the airplane to the potential to watch TV at home. She has kid headphones that don't go above a certain volume and look really cool. Her very active 20-month-old sister just took her first flight and gazed over her big sister's shoulder at whatever was happening on the screen the whole time and it was a godsend. (She didn't have any sound, and I'm not sure would wear headphones. Given that, maybe instead of Moana just some downloaded kids' shorts--like Sesame Street--would be visually enticing enough to actually not *need* the sound? Especially because he doesn't, you know, need to know he's missing out on anything.)

Anyway, you're not going to ruin your no-screentime rule. Travel is a magical exception and it's your trip, too.

We started letting ours watch TV around that age.  For what it’s worth, he is now a four year old who enjoys watching TV but also has no issue turning it off and loves active play and imaginative play just as much. Even if you’re not ready to start watching TV as a habit, I definitely think it’s worth it to make an exception for the plane. I can’t imagine how you’ll keep a 21-month old still or a couple hours otherwise.

one thing to consider: Moana may actually be too advanced for him. Not because there’s anything inappropriate but it may be hard for him to follow the plot and he may get bored. I’d suggest something geared toward very young kids with minimal plot (we started with Daniel Tiger, Sesame Street and Peppa Pig). Good luck!

I was (am) of the same mind as you.   You don't need for me to say this, but holding out as long as possible does amazing things to developing a child's creativity, imagination, physical coordination, etc.  being all-in of the 3-D world means more practice at using ALL of their senses, social interaction, social-emotional development and more! 

After saying all of that, I am absolutely not a purist - our family has a fairly typical number of screens, and we use them (for reference, my kid is now 14, and i'm sure I and my whole family uses screens way too much these days).   But the more you can delay the onset of screen habits, the better. 

In answer to your real question, about whether to let your 21-month-old watch a movie on a plane, I totally would.  Maybe a couple of toys first, then pull out the screen when you need it most.  One of the benefits of holding out on screen time is that when you make exceptions for special circumstances, it is a novelty.    I steadfastly resisted handing my phone to the kid for everyday things like waiting in line or grocery shopping, because I didn't want to set that kind of precedent, but it was a fine distraction during a blood draw, for example.   Keeping a screen as an option for sanity on an airplane is reasonable!

My husband had to fly to Cambodia with our son alone when he was 18 months old, and we made an exception with TV on the trip. My husband found a couple of shows that captivated our sons attention at the time (Tayo the bus and Titipo the train), and it helped with the long hours of air transit. We also used TV when we had long car rides on the trip, and there wasn’t too much hassle weaning off the tv when we got back. In general, our super active kid does better with no tv, but we make exceptions when it’s helpful, like travel. Good luck and bon voyage! 

I'll second letting your toddler watch on the plane. I also agree that, when I started letting my toddler watch something when traveling, I noticed that she couldn't hold her attention to a full movie. If he knows the music it could be different though! I'd also download a couple of little simple games or short movies/shows, just in case. Good luck!

Whatever helps you all get thru the flight - just do it! 
we were also holding back on TV for a while with my firstborn but we flew back to my home country for a visit when he was also 21months old and we had to endure 20hours of flight time (2 separate 10hr flights - Yikes - won’t do that in a rush again with an active toddler). 
we decided to let him watch some kids TV but much to our dismay he would only watch for about 10mins at a time. He was most interested in running up an down the aisles so that’s where we spent most of our time. But a flight to Colorado is so much shorter. You’ll get thru it! Your toddler will probably take a nap, watch a little TV and want to walk the aisles a little too. And before you know you’ll be at your destination. Good luck!

Do it. Consider downloading the Moana music videos (and others) off of YouTube if your kiddo is into the soundtrack. The short videos and familiar sounds that can be replayed should work well.

I'd also include a few Daniel Tiger episodes, maybe Tumble Leaf, or Elinore Wonders Why, or Cocomelon. I suggest a few different shows only because you don't know what your kid will gravitate to and some characters just resonate better than others.

Best of luck and safe travels!

For the sake of other passengers and for your family's sanity, let the child watch TV on the plane!  Our children have watched lots and lots (and lots) of TV on planes, car trips, and at home since they were toddlers, and they are bright, active, creative, and kind people.  Our 17 year old used to watch a movie at dinner every night as a toddler and she just took 4 AP tests (including AP Calc) and is an incredible artist.  Our other child is an outdoor enthusiast and sports nut.  You kid will be fine, and your fellow passengers will thank you. 

Go for it, definitely! You want to do everything you can to keep that little kiddo happy and comfortable, because if he isn’t, there’s not much you can do on an airplane if he’s screaming or crawling off of you, or into everything. Be as prepared as you can be. You might want to download some short videos, as a movie is much less likely to hold the attention of a youngster that age. On the other hand, if he has never seen the screen, he might be entranced no matter what. If you are worried about it becoming a habit, don’t worry! If the airplane is the only place he is allowed to watch a screen, he will just think it is something that happens on airplanes. We flew with my son for the first time when he was 22 months, and we used little videos like truck tunes, which we got on DVD, and other short videos like baby Einstein and I think Nickelodeon Junior DVDs, that might have been when he was a little older though. We also invested in a pair of noise canceling headphones for him, which seems ridiculous given the price, but it was well worth it in terms of having a calm toddler on the airplane. We were also well prepared with plenty of snacks, small new toys to produce if security lines were long, and his favorite stuffy and a little blanket for a possible nap (which unfortunately never happened). We also let him have a cookie when the wait at the gate was long, which we never did at other times in regular life. Basically, we were prepared to bend the rules quite a bit for the airplane ride to make it go smoothly, and I recommend the same. It makes a big difference. 

Having traveled internationally with our two children, I fully agree that you should go for the screens, and have a variety of options (including some shorter things) although we had more luck the more language our kids understood. Our kids loved Mr. Rogers'. Neighborhood, Daniel Tiger, Tumbleleaf, and Stinky and Dirty (all on Prime) and Bluey is amazing (Disney+) - some things you can download and some you can't. Our son loved Cars and Cars 3 - he liked Moana and Frozen around age 2-3 and then later got scared of them. Apps like Metamorphabet are also good screen options. 

Our pediatrician recommended that we get a few new airplane toys (small things that squeeze or twirl or flip are great) and wrap them like presents. Then you get the unwrapping time also. We also had some luck with things like WikiSticks (the wax sticks that you can bend and shape) or pipe cleaners, a hand puppet, a piggy bank you can put "coins" in and then open up and get them all out (I cut rounds out of cardboard for coins), and the "poke-a-dot" books are bulky and well worth their weight. The no-mess pens and coloring books were hit-and-miss for us, and be prepared for the pens to end up on the floor. When all else has failed, ask the flight attendants for some clean empty drink cups - they can be stacked and squeezed and you can look at your fingers through them, and napkins can be ripped into pieces (and for bonus points the pieces can be put into something!)...

You'll manage and the travel time IS finite - and if you bring enough to do, your kiddo might just sleep through it 🤪. Good luck!

We also have a 2 year old and have been very guarded with screen time/TV watching. We just moved to SF from NY, which is when we finally capitulated and got her a tablet to watch on the flight. We'll sometimes let her watch on long car rides now. We don't let her touch our phones or otherwise have a screen unless there's a specific purpose (flight, long drive).

My suggestion would be to watch the show first to make sure it's not what I call crack-cocaine TV. I put a show on for her called Masha and the Bear once... it was a frenzied explosion of colors and rapidly playing music, flashing screens, excentric scenes... clearly engineered to solve for maximum brain stimulation/dopamine release. A lot of media feels very sinister like they know exactly what they are doing. It's meant to be unhealthy and addictive with zero nutritional value. Like a 1999 supersized McDonalds combo meal.

We let her watch Winnie the Pooh and Peppa Pig, which feel much slower-paced, gentler, and somewhat educational.

Well, I traveled from SF to Michigan, once with a lap child and once with a 3 year old and an infant with no other adult and no electronics, because it was before the cell phone.  I brought books, crayons and paper, magnetic blocks, and snacks and had no difficulty finding something to do what with reading stories and drawing pictures and looking out the window.  I’m sure it’s much simpler with a movie on, but it can certainly be done without.

Agree with the previous poster. I wouldn’t worry about “breaking the seal,” as it’d be easy to make it a special thing you only do on planes or long car rides until it feels appropriate to do more. We caved and let my daughter (now 2.5 y/o) have some screen time around 22/23 months, when we were at the end of our ropes during COVID. Though I can’t say anything about its long term effects, so far it seems to have only led to an absolute explosion of imaginary thinking. 

I think indulging on an airplane is lifesaving. Sanity saving! Especially if you are super strict all other times--it's easy to compartmentalize the iPad or screens or whatever. If they are only allowed on an airplane, they are only allowed on an airplane

As for content, I would avoid long-format movies in favor of short things (long-formats get boring for kids who aren't used to them because they can't follow the story) in lieu of smaller, more bite-sized programs (our family favorites for that age are Puffin Rock (Netflix) and Daniel Tiger (PBS)), which also have the benefit of not having the scary, incomprehensible jokes and drama that movies made for older kids and adults have.

I’m impressed that you’re holding out on allowing tv. I’m so happy to have done that with my kids (now 17 and 19) but it was easier when they were little because smart phones and tablets weren’t so common then. When we flew with them as toddlers, they were excited by being on the plane so that helped. Also, bringing fun, novel snacks and a few small gift wrapped activities (that don’t have small pieces that can get lost) may keep him occupied. Maybe keep the movie in your back pocket in case he starts to fall apart. Just because he’s allowed to watch one movie on the plane, doesn’t mean you have to keep allowing it at home. Good  thing is it’s a relatively short flight! Good luck!

Every kid is different, so YMMV from ours but — our approach to screens was similar, we had the same dilemma, we decided to watch movies on planes…and it was totally fine and our now nine-year-old has not at all become addicted to screens, in fact she not-infrequently turns tv/movie opportunities down in favor of other activities. The one thing I would be on alert for is scary things in movies—I personally find the lava monster in Moana utterly terrifying and I think kids who aren’t exposed to screens as much can be overwhelmed by the visual/audio flood of fast-paced stuff in movies. This is even more intense when the kid has earphones—it’s a more solitary experience and the flood is more intense. And children often are frightened by things adults don’t necessarily register as frightening. Mine was super scared of the witch in the Wizard of Oz, for example, and she was six when we saw that. For a child that young you might want to instead consider downloading Mary Poppins or even Mr. Rogers episodes (I was not a fan but my kid LOOOOOOVED him, and they are all on Amazon, and did you know his show included a bunch of operas for kids, yes operas, and that his multitalented cast included two professional opera singers from the Met?! I kid you not. The operas are trippy but fantastic and we can sing a lot of those songs by heart.) Or shell out for in air internet so you have more chill options for media. But YES screens help for long plane rides and won’t ruin your child. Good luck!

This sounds like a great time to bring out the reinforcements and go for some tv!  Based on your intuitive parenting so far, you will probably do this but I would just hold off on the screen until you’ve exhausted other activities on the plane. Not sure how sensitive your child is but Moana has a couple scary scenes (as do most Disney movies). Daniel Tiger is a fun show to start with also and includes lots of original music written by Mr. Rogers. In fact, we listened to music from Daniel Tiger before ever watching it and it’s fun to watch the show and already know the music (similar to your Moana plan!) It’s great that you’re following your intuition and limiting screen time based on what is best for your family. Plan rides are a great time to take advantage of having the screen option without overusing it.  I also agree with another poster, make sure to get comfortable headphones. Kids headphones usually have a volume limit so they can’t blast out their ear drums. You could also get a headphone splitter so you could watch together, both on headphones.  Hope you guys have a great trip!