Any first flight with kids tips...

[dmartin69]

I am traveling to Disney from Michigan with 3 small kids, Ages 7, 5 and 3... It will be their 3rd time to Disney but first time flying....

Any tips to help with the experience would be great..

Luckily they are direct flights on Northwest...

[nettii]

I always bring the usual stuff coloring books video games snacks but my kids always seem to fly well' my youngest has always enjoyed seeing whats going on, I tend to over pack to do stuff. We had a long flight in Nov and legos were the thing to do for my now 8 yr old and the psp was my now 14 yr olds entertainment. we had a 4 hour (yes it was long) lay over in FT. Lauderdale and playing family games was what they enjoyed most. Have a great trip!

[skip323]

hi!

I have flown a lot with my kiddos and often without DH. I also, as pp mentioned, bring the usual stuff and my kids do well. I bring plenty of snacks and also things that are chewy for takeoff and landing (gum or even fruit snacks and tootsie rolls which I usually prefer that they NOT have). When they were a bit smaller I also purchased a new, small toy for them
(actually 2, one for each way) and didn't give it to them until we were in the air. You know how new toys are....great initially and then forgotten but you only need a couple of hours!

I always, for pratical things, pack wipes/ wet ones and I still pack (well...now we won't be checking luggage as much but when we did) a spare tshirt, pair of underwear and a light pair of pants/shorts for each. Accidents happen be they food, illness or otherwise! Those I pack in gallon sized ziplocks and they take up minimal space but come in super handy. I also usually take a tshirt for myself...incase someone gets sick on me!

Finally a small bit of kids tylenol or something because there is nothing worse than having a kiddo who suddenly has a headache or something and you have nothing for them on the plane ride.

[jodeeb]

I have traveled alone with my two children since they were infants. I am living in California and my parents live in Illinois and have done that trip at least 1 time a year by myself since my oldest was 5 months old.

My thing is do keep them occupied and interested. Not always the easiest thing to do.

I always keep lots of snacks. My dd(11) loves that fact that I pack them a secret lunch pack before we leave. Last time I used the little lunch boxes that we got at the quick service area next to Soarin in DCA. I filled them with things that I knew they would like(low on sugar though) and didnt let them open them until we were up in the air.

I also put some dollar store toys into a gift bag for each, and hold it for the longest flight. These are things that they have not seen before, but we dont have to worry about loosing because they are so cheep.

Usually each kid has a coloring book mp3 player and Nintendo DS.(yes, since about 3 yrs) this just helps passing time.

If we have a layover, I plan some type of eating excursion. If it is a long enough lay over, I plan on a sit down meal in the airport. My stratagy is looking at the airport map before my flight and get some idea what gate we would land and at what gate we will take off. As soon as we land we head to our take off gate then go to the nearest restroom. Then whatever eating thing we scoped out earlier. This seems to better occupie there time.

I hope this helps.

[timzagain]

A few suggestions:

1. Coloured pencils, small colouring/ puzzle books, stickers, notepads and pencils
2. Portable DVD player and a movie or two - great for keeping the kids occupied during long flights and airport waits. Remember to pack headphones and headphone splitters so that more than one person can listen at the same time.
3. Video games - remember to have the chargers in your carry-on luggage; if necessary, you can easily find an electrical outlet to recharge the units while you wait in the airport
4. Remember to give them the opportunity to stretch their legs and move around before and during the flight. Pent-up energy can make for a VERY unpleasant flight. My normally mild mannered DD went nuts on a flight once because she had lots of energy and no way to use it
5. Snacks - healthy stuff, not sugary junk food
6. Remember to pack a hoodie for each child in case the plane is cold; inflatable pillows in case someone wants to take a nap

I'd also suggest that you keep your luggage to the barest minimum - it's going to be hard to keep an eye on three small children, while managing luggage. Give each child a small backpack to carry their own stuff. It'll take a load off you, and I found that our children were tickled to have their own backpacks - it seemed to make them feel a bit grown up

[dmartin69]

Thanks for the replies....

I will try and use as many of these as I can

[ty93850]

The chewy things will be a must for getting there ears to pop take off and landing. The other things would be what ever keeps them occupied. I work for the airlines and the biggest thing I see (and my kids) is getting there ears to stay equalized. A small trick that the flight attendants will sometime use is take a wet towel warm water and put it a coffe cup then hold it to the head around the ear. this will create a small diffrental pressure and let the ear adjust slowly instead of all at once the warm moist air will sooth the inner ear aswell. I have used this with a realy bad head cold it does help. Some other things that I have done with my girls when they were small is put there things books, nintindo ds, snacks........... in a kids back pack that way they can lug it around instead of you in the airport and getting on and off the ac.

[lizet313]

[jmann]

We have flown twice from Detroit and it's about 2.5 hrs. We bring crayons, books and little games. A visit to a dollar store can be a lifesaver. My daughter was 4 the first time and 5 the second and both times we were able to keep her occupied with a small bag of snacks and "stuff".The trick is keeping the seatbelt on them for their safety. Once they see others moving around the plane they will want to as well.