Almost 5 year old afraid to fly

[ninahbear]

A co-worker of mine is leaving on June 6 and she hasn't told her children where they are going but they know they are flying. Her 4 almost 5 year old daughter is telling her she is afraid to fly. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to either divert her attention at the airport before they board? Or how to get rid of the fear before?

 

[MNdisneymom]

First of all...I wouldn't try to divert her attention away from the flying--she's old enough at that age (at least I know my 4.5 year old would be) to know when the wool is being pulled over her eyes, and to not like it.

Do you know if she's flown before? That might be part of the problem--the fear of the unknown. What about a preview trip to the airport to check it out? I know you can't go through security without a ticket, but seeing a little bit might help. (I did this two years ago on the first trip I took with my son when he was old enough to understand--and the highlight for him was the lightrail ride between the two terminals at our local airport. That, and he realllyy wanted to play in the play area that was past security .) If a field trip isn't available, maybe checking out the airport's website? Also, there are several kids books out there--got them at Barnes and Noble. One of my son's favorites is the Richard Scarry Day at the Airport. There was another one that was just called Airport, I think the author was Barton or Brown...both were paperback.

Can't think of anything else. Good luck to your friend!

 

[Mkrop]

Maybe I would give up on the surprise about Disney thing and just tell them where they are going. DS4 said he wa "a little scared" to fly but I told him that was the only way to get to Mickye's house. He was still scared but he willingly got on the plane! Anything for the mouse!

 

[*KeepMovingForward*]

Yikes! That is a rough one. I am glad I didn't have that issue with mine-they were actually excited for their first plane ride. Do you know what is behind the fear for your co-worker's DD? Is it terrorist related fear or is it just fear of the unknown? I guess in the end, it really doesn't matter, fear is fear no matter how you slice it. I would probably try a personal dvd player, Ipod, Game Boy, a new toy-anything that would be fun and a diversion.

 

[tjmw2727]

I think it depends on why she is afraid to fly. If she has flown before perhaps she had a bad experience in which case the parents need address what happened last time. She may need reassurance that whatever she didn't like won't occur and if it does how to handle it. Perhaps she had pressure in her ears or an upset stomach. She may also have overheard a family member or friend express fear or concern at some point.

If she hasn't flown I think they still need to find out what exactly is making her fearful and address that. A trip to the airport is a good idea although you won't be able to show her too much due to security.

I agree with pp about telling the kids they are going to Disney - mine would be fearful if they knew they had to fly but did not know where we were going.

TJ

 

[PiperPizzaz]

Is she scared of crashing or something? If so maybe they can talk to her about how the pilots and attendants fly everyday. Maybe talk about the stats on how many people fly everyday. Just to show how normal it can be. I admit I get a little nervous myself and that always calms me down.

 

[magchavez]

My 5 year old is ok getting on the plane but when it comes time to take off or land he's a nervous wreck. He gets ghost white and nauseous. The doctor suggested benadryl and that worked ok if it was a short flight but on long flights (from Denver to Orlando) the Benadryl would wear off before landing. On the last few flights we've just concentrated on distracting him (new coloring book, couting from 1 to 100 and back, telling him stories about when he was a baby). It seems to take his mind off the flight and before you know it, we're on the ground.

 

[jtopp]

A preview trip to the airport helped a lot for my sons. Watching the planes take off and land was fun, and the terminal was like a big mall. We told them how much fun it was, a big adventure, and that seemed to help. I don't think a five year old is ready to comprehend the safety statistics of air travel. Also, new and inexpensive toys or crayons, given to them after going though the security area, helped to occupy them on the flight enough that they forgot to be upset.

 

[vbarry]

My dd 7 hates to fly due to ear pain. We are trying earplanes on this next trip to see if it works.

If they have never flown before-I would have all the backups- benadryl, tylenol and the earplanes or I believe two cups will also work!

I would also suggest letting them take a portable DVD player and have them pick out a new movie to watch while flying. This will take their mind off of it!

I wish them luck-it is not easy with a child who hates to fly!

 

[Tam1067]

My middle DS was terrified of flying when he was that age. We had a trip planned to fly to California, and we were so concerned about him possiby freaking out at the airport that we talked to the pediatrician and even called the airline to see what they would do.

This was all made worse the anniversary of 9/11. He came home from school talking about planes crashing into buildings (they'd done a remembrance thing in kindergarten). He was afraid before that, but of course, this new information made it way worse for him.

The pediatrician told us to talk to him before, to explain that planes were safe and why. He said that if we showed any hesitation or fear or nervousness ourselves, he would pick up on that and get worse. United Airlines told us that if he screamed and did not want to get on the plane, they could refuse to let us on.

Anyway, we did talk about flying before, and we played up the fun stuff--he'd get to eat a snack, listen to music, maybe watch a movie. We let him bring some toys of his choosing, and we also packed a couple of new toys, too. He ultimately did OK, but even now (he's 8) he does not like to fly, and we give him Dramamine because he gets sick.

I would advise your friend to do what we did--and that is to talk about what will happen on the flight and how safe it is, and how the pilots go to school for a long time to learn how to fly. I really think our pediatrician was right when he told us that our kids pick up on our moods. If we're OK with flying and even excited about the trip, the child will do better.

 

[la79al]

DH and I told the kids about the trip on the way to the airport. DSD did not speak for 2 hours because she was so terrified of flying. We got to the airport and spent a lot of time walking around watching planes and looking at the pilots, etc... We were among the first on the plane and I talked to her about what was going to happen. Then we started talking about Disney World and she really got over the whole fear of flying thing. She did say 'goodbye earth' as we were taking off and the people around us thought that was just adorable.