Any tips for flying with kids?

[RysMomma]

Hi there,

I've flown with kids before, but they were little. My son was 1.5 on his first flight and was pretty easy to entertain. When we flew again, my daughter was 1.5 and my son was 4. That was a rough flight (long story) but, again, easy to entertain. My daughter is now 4 and my son is 6.5. Any suggestions to help keep them entertained? We have the iPad, I have bought little things for them to play with, anything though that is a MUST for you? How about take off and landing? Were your kids ok with that? Did you use earplugs or anything? Thanks so much!

Mods-if you feel this should be moved, please feel free! Thanks!

 

[ErinsMommy]

I came loaded with a DVD player, Ipad and Ipod with headphones, and gum and it all helped until we started landing. DD then age 4, 6 and now 7-1/2. Now highly considering giving her something to make her sleep through the flight.

 

[kmb584]

Keeping my DD entertained is the best thing. Sometimes she'll watch a movie on the iPad but I also bring along coloring books, crayons, colored pencils, and stickers.. those keep her busy for most of the flight. Take-off's were never an issue but landings are always horrible because of the pressure change. I bought her earplugs (EarPlanes, I think they're called) and they do work nicely!

 

[butterfly71076]

Earplanes are awesome!! Gum always worked for me and my DS, but on our last trip, it was bad. So earplanes for everyone!

We bring, little snacks, iPad loaded with movies/games, Nintendo DS. Since our flight is only 2 1/2 hours, it doesn't take much. Or we will talk about what we are going to do, our dinner that night (Chef Mickey's, traditional arrival night dinner!). Sometimes we'll watch out the window and try and guess which state we are over, we'll watch for the Gulf of Mexico, knowing when we see it we are almost there. He's really pretty easy to entertain!

Hope you have an easy flight and great trip!

 

[vatali]

I've been traveling with my kids since they were less than 1 (7 weeks for the youngest!). here are a few things that keep my sanity:

1) Don't attempt to enforce something you can't actually do. - saying that you are going to turn around and go home if they don't stop is going to get you laughed at
2) Give up the window. Yes, its cool to have a window seat, and the kids think so too
3) bring small portions , but frequent portions of food. keeps them entertained for longer. pretzels or goldfish work well.
4) try to avoid sugar except in drinks. The airline basically has creamer and soda and water. not gonna avoid it much.
5) bring more entertainment than you think you need, and vary it. The one day you bring movies on the ipad is the day they want to play the Nintendo DS. the one day you don't bring enough power is the day that your plane is delayed by 2 hours once you board
6) don't assume the airlines are prepared for you. Sometimes power in the seats doesn't work. sometimes the planes change from what you are expecting. expect the unexpected
7) if you have the means, and you have either a long layover or a long wait time, getting a one day pass to an executive club of an airline is a GREAT relaxer. You get a quiet area, the kids usually have a play area, they have TV and free drinks. it is a much more relaxing way to start your trip.

 

[jbcheerchick93]

For 6.5 boy I would let him bring a few, maybe 4?, action figures. My brother loved bringing a few "guys" along with his stuffed puppy. He also liked to look at books/magazines and watch movies. For your daughter I would bring coloring books, a doll, whatever the favorite toy is we usually bring. In my family, 6 is also old enough to be in charge of your own bag, so if he wants to bring a small backpack with the things he wants to have, I would go with it.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

Books were a must for my kids. I usually ended up reading to them and when my son got old enough he'd read to his little sister.

And they liked to play with pipe cleaners. It's amazing what they could twist and turn those things into. I was not surprised when my son joined the Robotics Club in High School - he really liked to build stuff.

 

[butterfly71076]

Books were a must for my kids. I usually ended up reading to them and when my son got old enough he'd read to his little sister.

And they liked to play with pipe cleaners. It's amazing what they could twist and turn those things into. I was not surprised when my son joined the Robotics Club in High School - he really liked to build stuff.

I would have never thought of pipe cleaners! Great idea!

 

[RysMomma]

Thanks for all this. We have the iPad and will also be bringing the DS for my son and my daughter will have her Leap pad. These are all great suggestions!

Also-earplanes-they are now on my list to purchase for the trip!

 

[jpessa]

And a change of clothes. Last trip, my very experienced 3 year old flyer (she rolls her own carry on, loves the plane, keeps herself entertained) ate a bad yogurt before the flight and projectile vomited all over the place. Thank goodness I had a change of clothes for her. What a mess! Southwest flight attendants were great!

 

[aristocatz]

We traveled with my DD a few months ago, for our first time, and she was 8 months old. It was....an interesting experience.

Things that saved us:
-We paid extra to extra legroom. This kept her very entertained and made her much less fidgety. For a wiggly and active toddler, this was worth the extra $$
-Tablet preloaded with her favorite TV show episodes
-Snacks & milk. Her Puffs really helped with take off and landing
-****EXTRA CHANGE OF CLOTHES**** Thank goodness we packed this! She got sick on the way home.

 

[Crl1817]

Both of our kids have iPads. Best thing ever. We load new games and movies and television shows before a flight.

Coloring books and washable markers and stickers are also good. (Baby wipes will clean the washable marker off the tray table.). Wiki sticks are also good. And those magnet play scenes. And some books. Generally I find a small assortment of things is good so I can pull out something new if I need to.

Snacks. Lots of snacks. This is crucial.

Our kids haven't had much trouble with their ears, but I do bring lollipops.

 

[ArwenMarie]

You might want to ask your doctor first, but I give mine Kids Dramamine about a half hour before boarding. My kids tend to get nauseated from the taxiing and it helps with that. Ditto the suggestion about a change of clothes (and not a bad idea to bring something for yourself either!)

 

[pioneer89]

Hi there,

I've flown with kids before, but they were little. My son was 1.5 on his first flight and was pretty easy to entertain. When we flew again, my daughter was 1.5 and my son was 4. That was a rough flight (long story) but, again, easy to entertain. My daughter is now 4 and my son is 6.5. Any suggestions to help keep them entertained? We have the iPad, I have bought little things for them to play with, anything though that is a MUST for you? How about take off and landing? Were your kids ok with that? Did you use earplugs or anything? Thanks so much!

Mods-if you feel this should be moved, please feel free! Thanks!

Chewy candy for the take-off/landing, ans show your kids how to clear their ears. Otherwise we've been luck enough to fly Jet-Blue, so the entertainment is pretty great and easy.

I wouldn't worry so much about keeping them entertained with iPads and toys. I would worry about air sickness, if they are inclined towards that. A pediatrician recommended dose of Dramamine or Bonine might help.

 

[gtpoohbear]

My kids have flown several times a year since they were babies. It's never "easy", but a few things I make sure to do:
- bring snacks, lots! You will have to wait until you are through security to buy drinks, but don't get on the plane without them. Thirsty kids are grumpy kids.
- don't overpack the carryons. Too many toys and books in the backpack makes it too hard to find anything and you just get frustrated. Focus on a couple things that you know they will enjoy.
- load the iPad/tablet with plenty of games/ movies/ tv shows, and don't be afraid to use it, lol! Both of our kids have one, and while we generally try to limit their screen time each day, traveling is the exception.
- be prepared for the unexpected. Have OTC medicine and a change of clothes on hand for the kids. B/c you just never know. (Yeah... Speaking from experience here!)
- my kids have never had trouble with their ears on the flight, thankfully, but usually something to eat or drink during take-off and landing helps if they do
- lastly, realize that they are kids and there will be tough moments. DS (3) threw a major fit on the plane a few weeks ago. DH was with him, and almost got flustered and lost his temper, but said he suddenly realized that people were going to judge him by how he reacted to the tantrum, not the tantrum itself. This helped him keep his cool and get DS settled down. And earned him compliments from several other passengers

 

[Bluegrrl]

We just got the Nabi Jr. for our 2 yr old Ds, and it's great. It's sturdy and has lots of learning games on it for him. Plus it's wifi, so he doesn't have to turn it off for take off/landing!

If you are planning on renting a stroller or only need a car seat for the kid/don't need a stroller, I would recommend getting a gogokidz trolley. It's like a flat dolly for your kids carseat. You hook the carseat onto the platform, seat the kid into the carseat and then push it like a piece of rolling luggage. It's a little hard to explain, but it works nicely when you don't have to deal with strollers when you don't need one!

 

[maxiesmom]

Keep in mind any toy or device that makes noise either has to be used with headphones or have the volume off. If your kids are not used to headphones practice with them ahead of time. You don't want a frustrated child who has a favorite movie to watch, but they can't listen to it.

 

[Crl1817]

Keep in mind any toy or device that makes noise either has to be used with headphones or have the volume off. If your kids are not used to headphones practice with them ahead of time. You don't want a frustrated child who has a favorite movie to watch, but they can't listen to it.

Actually we have had dd listen at a volume that she can hear but can't be heard past our row (which we completely occupy). Headphones are probably better though if your child will tolerate them and you can monitor to be sure the volume isn't turned up so loud as to cause hearing damage.

And I concur with the change of clothes mentioned by others. I usually take a complete change for little ones and at least a clean shirt for older kids and adults. I have given my spare set of kid clothes away twice on flights to parents whose kid had puked and they had no clean clothes. I pack the spares in a ziplock so I can use the ziplock for stashing dirty clothes if necessary--contains bad smells.

 

[jtowntoflorida]

Actually we have had dd listen at a volume that she can hear but can't be heard past our row (which we completely occupy). Headphones are probably better though if your child will tolerate them and you can monitor to be sure the volume isn't turned up so loud as to cause hearing damage.

The most annoying flight I've ever been on was our last one to Disney, that was apparently full of people who didn't think anyone beyond their row could hear their kids' iPads/Kindles/DVD players. Three hours of listening to a mix of children's films. UGH. If the volume is high enough for your kids to hear it on a plane, then surrounding passengers are hearing it, too. I've noticed that some airlines are now stating that all devices must be listened to with headphones or be completely muted, which I totally agree with.


OP, as others have stated, we take a mix of entertainment, from movies, to games, to good old fashioned coloring and puzzle books. Also, both of my kids are into making lists right now (don't know where they get that from...certainly not me! ) so we take a blank notebook for each of them. We also tend to spend A LOT of time going through the safety information in the seatback pocket. I don't like to brag, but my kids are experts in What To Do In The Event Of A Water Landing.

We also take a variety of snacks with us...more than we probably need, but they're so nice to have.

 

[DisneyFirstTimer10]

My kids started flying to disney at 18 months and 4 yrs old. Last trip they were 4 and 6 and did awesome. One thing I do to make the flight go by faster is make them little activity binders. I'll post a picture if you want when I get home. Check the disney for families forum on the dis- there is a thread that has awesome printouts to use in an activity book. For the younger one I printed out tons of disney coloring pages and disney scenes, the older one got more of the disney themed mazes, crossword, etc type of sheets in his binder - if you do a search you'll find a ton!

I just printed them out, hole punched them and put them in a binder. Decorate the front with the child's name and disney pictures. Each binder had one of those pencil pouches that snap in and I filled the pouches with crayons (didn't want them getting marker everywhere) and disney stickers.

I gave them to the kids after take off and it really helped fill the gaps when they were bored playing with their iPads.

For take off and landing I make them drink- I brought their spill proof cups that have straws (empty- bought juice after getting through security) and gave them to the kids while on the runaway. Then as the plane went up/down I had them drink. The sucking helps with their ears! Never had a problem!

Also the kids liked having their own backpack of snacks and activities that they helped pack. Not too heavy so they can carry them by theirselves in the airport.

Goldfish, pretzels, etc. Those little dumdum suckers were great too-

Have an awesome time!!!