My husband and I recently flew 18 hours to India with a 19-month-old. That’s right! We flew 14 hours to Doha and then another 4 hours to Chennai with our little boy. He was a complete angel! And people in the airport and on the planes were so kind to us. They let us cut security lines in the US, Doha, India and Singapore (we went to Singapore for a week). For the most part, everyone on the  was super nice and accommodating.  The experience was far better than I could’ve hoped, dreamed or prayed for!

Here are a few tips that helped us make it through our super long flight. Hopefully they’ll help you too.

1. Go to the pediatrician a few days before the flight and make sure your little one doesn’t have an ear infections or lots of fluid in his/her ears.

2. Take lollipops on the flight so that your child can suck on them during take off and landing — this will help them adjust to the cabin pressure.

3. Head to the Dollar Tree or $1 spot at Target and stock up on inexpensive toys for the flight. I wrapped them in Christmas paper and gave one to my little boy every 45 mins or so.  I tend to overpack and had more than enough for three kids! Good thing too. We shared some toys with the two toddlers sitting next to us. Disposable placemats and stickers are great for a trip like this.

4. Most international airlines have bassinets for children < 24lbs. We reserved one, and our son slept comfortably in it on the way to India. We opted not to get one for the flight home.

5. Reserve kid’s meals for your little ones — most airlines provide baby food and smaller-sized adult meals for children. They’ll also give you cups with straws.

6. Some airlines also provide special headphones for children. Our airline did. Our little one watched cartoons in 7-10 min intervals until he got bored. We try not to let him watch too much TV, but this was a special case.

7. Don’t be afraid to walk the aisles with your little one. This will burn off some of that extra energy and make the time go by a bit faster.

8. The flight attendants are there to help you. We were fortunate to have a crew of men and women who loved children. They gave us extra food and blankets. They even let my little one play in the back of the plane!

-When traveling with children, you can take bottled water, baby food, formula, liquid medicines, mosquito repellant through security. We took 3-24oz bottles of water with us. This was a lifesaver.

-Most international airlines allow one carry on per child. The carry on can weigh more than the normal allowance. Take advantage of this.

-Take a ton of diapers and baby wipes on the plane. Seriously. I took three diapers for every hour in the air. I also took three packages of baby wipes on the plane. They came in handy!

-Take an extra change of clothes for your and your child. You’ll need a fresh shirt if your child spits up on you.

Check out more tips from TSA’s website.

Good luck on your journey!