How to Fly with an 18-Month Old Lap Child - Advice from a Former Flight Attendant

I Googled this very title of this blog post when I was doing research. Turns out, there’s not a lot of information out there - or at least I couldn’t find much. How to fly with an 18-month-old lap child is one of the great mysteries of life. Most of the advice out there is basically, “Yeah, it sucks, and you just have to get through it.”

I agree with that advice. However, I do have a few tips that may help. So, if there are any struggling moms out there Googling how to fly with a toddler, I’ve got you.

Specifically, I’m talking about an age range of maybe 12-24 months. If they’re younger than 12 months, hopefully they’ll sleep, nurse, take a bottle, etc., and be content. By 24 months, hopefully they’re more interested in TV and can watch their tablets and whatnot.

Our 18-month-old was not bad on the flights; he was just being an 18-month-old. They’re little wiggle worms who constantly want to move around and get into everything. He did NOT nap on either of our flights. The flight from Springfield to Phoenix was over three hours, and the flight back was over two. Prepare to entertain your toddler for 5-10 minutes at a time before switching to a different activity.

Here’s what I would do if I were you:

Pack snacks-and lots of them. This is going to be the ace up your sleeve. Pack non-messy snacks if you can. I made the mistake of packing neon orange cheese balls. I didn’t give them to the baby, but I did give them to the three-year-old, and orange cheese dust was EVERYWHERE. Really think about that when you buy your snacks. I also brought those sleeves of sandwich crackers, and they were pretty dang messy as well. Goldfish, fruit strips, applesauce pouches, Cheerios, yogurt bites, and teething crackers might be safer bets. Try to drag out the snacks as long as possible. Maybe hide the Cheerios in your hands and turn it into a game of sorts.

The baby is going to want to pull the tray table down and put it back up over and over again for the entire flight, most definitely annoying the passenger in front of you. I don’t have a tip for you-just a warning. If there were a way to tape the tray table to the seat, that would be awesome, but I don’t believe there is. You can put little strips of painter’s tape on the tray table and let them peel them off for entertainment.

• Board early. Board as early as you can and wipe down every surface with a sanitizing wipe.
  
  
• Do check your wagon or stroller at the gate. You don’t have to check it with your luggage.
  
  
• Bring empty water bottles for the kids and fill them with water, juice, etc., once you get through security.
  
  
• The seat belt (after being sanitized) can provide a good 5-10 minutes of entertainment. Let them buckle and unbuckle it.
  
  
• The in-flight snack menu, beverage menu, and entertainment card can provide some fun. Point out every little thing and tell them what it is.
  
  
• Bring a few small books. They love the little finger-puppet ones.
  
  
• Toys... I tend to strike out with the toys I pack on trips, and they’re never played with. They take up a lot of room, so be strategic with the ones you choose. Make sure they’re interactive and can hold your child’s attention for more than 30 seconds.
  
  
• Use your phone. Go through old pictures and show them to your baby while you talk about them. You can also take selfies or videos of yourselves and play them back - they’ll get a kick out of that.
  
  
• Put them in a sleep sack and hope they go to sleep.
  
  
• Pass them off to Dad and give yourself a break!

I’ll update this post if I think of more tips. I should have written it right when we got back from Scottsdale!  I'm already suppressing the memories from those flights, haha.

Quick Trip to Scottsdale

We had some Allegiant flight credits (from our canceled flight last year) we needed to use, so we decided to book a long weekend trip to Phoenix!  Why Phoenix, you ask?  Springfield has a few Allegiant flight options right now - Vegas, Florida beach destinations, and Phoenix.  We visited Clearwater last year, didn't want to take the boys to Vegas, so Phoenix it was!  We'd never visited Arizona before and we loved it - the landscape was incredibly beautiful with sagebrush, cacti, and palm trees.

On the first day, after flying into Phoenix, we took it easy; we made a grocery run to Trader Joe's, picked up some fast food, and settled into the Airbnb.  The boys were exhausted, and we were exhausted too, so we lounged at the pool and enjoyed the condo.

On the second day, we took the boys to breakfast (their favorite meal!) at The Breakfast Club in Scottsdale.  We feasted on pancakes, sausage, eggs, bacon, and fresh fruit.  The food was great, and Oliver especially loved the watermelon.

We spent a good chunk of the day at McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park.  If you have littles, they will LOVE this!  There's a splash pad, tons of playground equipment, a little train you can ride, a carousel, a model train museum, and an old train you can tour the inside of.  

After another grocery store run, we headed back to the condo and had a picnic outside on our patio followed by some swimming and some much-needed naps.

The only dinner reservation I could get at Pizzeria Bianco was at 4 p.m., so we headed over there for the early bird special.  I feel like taking little kids to nicer restaurants is always a ticking time bomb, so we speedily ate.

We started with the Wood Fired Spiedini - skewers of prosciutto wrapped fontina.

For pizza we tried the Rosa - parm, red onion, Arizona pistachios, rosemary.

We also tried the Wiseguy - smoked mozzarella, wood roasted onion, and fennel sausage.

Both were delicious, but I think we preferred the Rosa.  It was a pleasure to have visited one of Chris Bianco's restaurants!

We had some time to kill before heading back to the condo, so we walked around Old Town Scottsdale for a bit.  We visited this old-timey ice cream dessert parlor called Sugar Bowl where we ate a gigantic ice cream sundae.  It was actually kind of interesting, with Turkish coffee ice cream, caramel sauce, red raspberry sorbet, marshmallow sauce, and whipped cream.

                                                

We headed back to the condo for more relaxation, and yes, more swimming.

The next morning we ate breakfast at Butters Pancakes and had another fabulous meal.  The pancakes were incredible!

fter stuffing ourselves with breakfast we spent a few hours at the Desert Botanical Garden.  We couldn't stay too long because of the kiddos being in the heat.  Luckily, they had a "Kids Club" we stopped by so the boys could play and cool off.  

We had Shake Shack on this day and it was really good.  We don't have them in Springfield, Missouri yet!  We headed back to the park and let the boys play in the splash pad for a while.  Then back to the condo for swimming and naps!

We had a great little weekend trip and I'm so proud of the boys for being such troopers.  I hope they love traveling as much as I do!

Pistachio-Limon Pan Seared Sablefish

I can’t believe how busy life and work have been lately. With the arrival of spring always comes a wave of new activities and projects, and this year is no exception. Our son started soccer last month, so we’ve been juggling practices and games - fun, but definitely time-consuming. With two boys, I have a feeling this is just the beginning.

On top of that, we’ve been renovating the floors in our home, which has left the house in a constant state of chaos. Between the dust and the disorder, it’s been hard to find the motivation to cook or bake. I’m hoping to test a cake recipe this weekend (fingers crossed) and maybe squeeze in some grilling, but otherwise I’m keeping things simple.

Recently, a few coworkers brought up a recipe I created for the Great Sustainable Seafood Recipe Contest back in 2024. I ended up winning the grand prize, which included a trip to Napa and a tour of St. Supéry Estate Vineyards & Winery and Dollarhide Ranch - an unforgettable experience. My entry was a Pistachio-Limon Pan-Seared Sablefish, paired with their Sauvignon Blanc. The buttery, delicate fish with the bright, crisp wine made for a pretty perfect combination, if I do say so myself.

Sablefish (also known as black cod) is considered a sustainable seafood choice for several reasons. Fisheries are carefully managed to prevent overfishing and keep populations healthy. Ongoing monitoring helps maintain stable numbers by adjusting catch limits as needed. Plus, the methods used to catch sablefish tend to have minimal impact on marine habitats. There you go - the more you know!

Ironically, I haven’t been able to track down the original recipe anywhere - not online, and not in my own collection either. So is it lost forever? Maybe. But the good news is, it was never complicated to begin with, and it’s easy to recreate.

• Start by making a simple pistachio–lemon pesto: blend lemon juice, lemon zest, fresh basil, olive oil, salt, and pistachios in a food processor until you have a bright, slightly textured sauce. Set that aside.
• In a skillet, melt some butter and sauté sliced shallots until softened. Add sliced tomatoes and cook for another minute or two, seasoning with salt and pepper. Toss in a handful of Castelvetrano olives for a briny pop.
• Pat your sablefish dry and season lightly with salt and pepper. In another pan, melt a generous amount of butter over medium-high heat and sear the fish on both sides until just cooked through- this only takes a few minutes per side thanks to its rich texture.
• Once the fish is done, remove it from the pan and deglaze with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a splash of Sauvignon Blanc, letting everything come together into a light, flavorful sauce.
• To serve, spoon the tomato–olive mixture onto a plate, place the sablefish on top, and drizzle with the pan sauce. Finish with a generous spoonful of the pistachio–lemon pesto over the fish.

I may not have the official written recipe anymore, but honestly, this version is better - you can adjust it, play with it, and make it your own.  Cheers!

Quick Easy Sourdough Sandwich Bread Recipe

It dawned on me the other day that I've never shared the sourdough sandwich bread recipe that I use.  I use this bread for everything from BLTs to PB&Js.  It's light, fluffy, buttery, and slightly sweet.  The boys like this bread better than the rustic bread I bake because it's not so crusty and toothsome.  The little guy especially appreciates this since he is still growing all of his teeth!

I could bake this bread in my sleep, and so can you.  If you're intimidated by sourdough bread baking, you could start with this recipe to build your confidence.

First off, you do need an active bubbly starter.  I fed mine twice and felt like it was strong enough to bake with. 

Then, into the bowl of a stand mixer add:

• 1/4 cup salted butter, melted
• 3/4 cup lukewarm milk
• 3/4 cup lukewarm water
• 100 grams starter
• 20 grams honey
• 8 grams sea salt
• 550 grams flour

I microwave the butter, milk, water in a measuring cup.  Make sure you drink some good coffee while making this bread.

Mix the dough using a dough hook on medium speed for about 5 minutes until smooth and elastic.  Cover and place in a warm area to bulk ferment until doubled in volume.  For me, this takes about 4 hours.  

Then I scoop out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and stretch into a large rectangle.  I fold in each long side into the middle, then roll up horizontally.  Place in a buttered loaf pan and allow to rise 2 hours in a warm area.

Bake 45 minutes at 375 degrees F.

Voila, you have beautiful freshly baked bread!  See how easy and not complicated that was?

Bagel Update

 

I ended up choosing the Sourdough Sesame Montreal Bagels as my bagel recipe and spent a cozy little Sunday baking.  My three-year-old loved them!  Overall, I thought the recipe itself was great and I didn't run into any real issues with it. 

That said, the bagels did turn out a bit dense - but that was on me.  I didn’t use my starter at its peak activity, which I’m pretty sure was the main culprit.  I also wonder if they could have benefited from a longer proof.  Looking back, I think I rushed the process more than I should have.  I’d definitely make these again, but next time I’d slow it down and give the dough more time.

 Here they are after shaping - this is the stage where I’d likely extend the proof next time.

Then into the bath of honey water!  They boil a minute or two before being placed back on the sheet tray and brushed with egg wash and sprinkled with seasoning.

I made my own "Everything" seasoning with black garlic, onion powder, celery seed, black sesame seed, and salt.  I loved the addition of black garlic and celery seed; celery seed/salt isn't used enough, in my opinion. My only complaint is the black sesame seeds went everywhere when my my three year old was eating these.  I am still finding them almost two weeks later.

After baking.  I went longer on the baking time to get a nice golden color.

All in all, they were pretty tasty. I wonder if once you make homemade bagels you never go back to store bought? 

We shall see.  What should my next sourdough project be?

Brooding Over Bagels

One of my co-workers enjoys baking and keeps me up to date on what desserts are popular on TikTok.  Examples: Vietnamese Coffee Swirl Brownies and Ina Garten's Brownie Pudding.  How fabulous is that?  When I'm in a baking rut she inspires me to branch out and make something I wouldn't normally attempt.  Most recently, she's inspired me to make bagels and I think I'm going to go for it this weekend - naturally leavened, of course.  It's too difficult to bake during the week with having little ones and working full-time.  Although, I did manage to bake two loaves of sourdough on Monday night after they proofed all day.  They didn't turn out as well as the last batch and I think it's because I didn't let the dough bulk ferment enough.  

Which brings me to my question: What's the best bagel you've EVER had?  Have you even had a really, really good bagel?  I feel like truly good bagels are few and far between.  The best bagels I've ever had were from St-Viateur Bagel shop in Montreal, Canada.  Montreal-style bagels are smaller, thinner, hand-rolled, wood-fired, and a little crunchier than New-York Style bagels.  When I was a flight attendant I would always stop by St-Viateur in the airport for a delicious sesame bagel with salted butter.  Those bagels made layovers in cold, snowy Montreal a little more tolerable.  Paired with a hot Tim Horton's coffee?  Get out of here. 

I had to dig through my Instagram to find a picture of a Montreal bagel I had and this was the best I could find from 2016.  I mean, we are sharing photos from 2016, right?  Apparently I had a smoked meat bagel this particular time.  Not the most enticing picture, I admit.  I swear, they're good!  Side note - why did I post a picture of every Bloody Mary I drank and why did I drink so many?  Oh my gosh, my sodium levels must have been through the roof.

Another good bagel spot - Black Seed Bagels in Manhattan.  This one had sprouts and beautiful watermelon radish.  

What's your go-to bagel recipe?  I'm thinking maybe I'll try one of these:

Sourdough Montreal Style Bagels

Montreal Style Bagel Recipe
Sourdough Sesame Montreal Bagels

Meal Planning 911

Nobody warns you that the hardest part of motherhood isn’t the sleepless nights or the mountains of laundry - it’s figuring out what everyone is going to eat every single day. And let me tell you, it gets extra fun when you have a meat-loving husband, a picky toddler, and a baby with seven teeth who basically survives on soft carbs.

My husband is a great cook and actually enjoys it, but he gets home later than I do. So weeknight dinners? Yeah… those are my problem to figure out. I usually walk through the door with both kids sometime after 5:30 (later if we run errands), and by 6:00 they are acting like they haven’t eaten all day. Which leaves me very little time to make dinner - especially when bedtime is 7:30/8:00 and baths have to start around 7:00.

So what’s a busy working mom supposed to do? Live off fast food? Honestly, sometimes yes. But that gets expensive, and it’s not exactly the picture of health.

A casserole I made recently that nobody liked. Truly humbling.

So here’s my question for you: what meals are you making for your family? Weeknights, weekends - I want to know it all. Even if it’s microwave mac ’n’ cheese and chicken nuggets. I am in desperate need of quick, easy, affordable meal inspiration. No judgment here, and shortcuts are absolutely welcome.

Here are some of the meals we have on rotation:

• Cobb or Caesar chicken salad (usually with avocado, bacon, egg)
• Turkey club sandwiches + chips & dip
• Burgers & fries
• Chicken & cheese quesadillas
• “Pizzadillas”
• BBQ nachos
• Lettuce wraps + egg rolls
• Breakfast for dinner
• Lasagna + garlic bread
• Broccoli cheese or tomato soup + grilled cheese
• Pot roast with veggies
• Stir fry + rice + egg rolls
• Chipotle-inspired bowls
• Shrimp scampi + rice
• Chick-fil-A-inspired sandwiches + fries
• Charcuterie night
• BLTs + chips
• Indian + rice + naan
• And on especially exhausted nights… chicken tenders or nuggets

Now imagine cooking any of this with a baby strapped to your hip and a toddler screaming for Cheez-Its and Danny Go. That’s the vibe.