First time Flying for 5yo - How to Overcome Objections

[MrsBooch]

Hey there! We are heading down in December for a surprise trip for my son's fifth birthday. He's never been to Disney and he's never been on an airplane. He's an extremely cautious dude so I was introducing the idea of airplanes and traveling on an airplane to him recently and he was pretty anti flight. He said he would rather, "go on a boat". Not an option So i thought of buying some kind of book maybe, there are a lot on Amazon along the lines of "My First Airplane Ride" etc. but it occurred to me that this cannot have been a singular problem for just us - what have you guys done that has worked to ease the anxiety level of the little ones.
It's going to be a surprise for him that we're even going to Disney, I dont want his brain to explode (which really would just be a breakdown/tears and crying) in the airport because we're getting on a plane - I'd like to do something to get him familiar with the concept in advance.

Thanks!

 

[mjkacmom]

I surprised my easy going no anxiety kids and it went great. Based on what you wrote, I wouldn’t surprise you son, although I wouldn’t tell him way in advance, either.

 

[MrsBooch]

I surprised my easy going no anxiety kids and it went great. Based on what you wrote, I wouldn’t surprise you son, although I wouldn’t tell him way in advance, either.

Yeah i'm actually reconsidering that whole idea of surprise the more i think about this. We can surprise him with advanced notice maybe? Or just explain what we're doing - he'll have a lot of surprise moments when we're actually in the parks given it's his first time. I can't tell him too far ahead though, like you said, or he will be asking us on the daily if it's time to go.

 

[siren0119]

Sometimes it helps to understand what is causing the resistance. Is he afraid of flying? The loud noise of the plane? Did he see something on TV/YouTube/etc that made him worry? If there's something specific about the plane ride that is worrying him, that'll give you a chance to address it.

DS1 was 10 at the time of his first plane ride, he has sensory issues and was not happy about being on a plane. We did a couple of things - first, we packed something to keep his mind occupied during the trip (in this case, his Nintendo DS). Then, we made sure we had aisle and window seat options when we selected our seats - he knew he wasn't going to have to look out the window if he didn't feel comfortable, but if he was feeling too enclosed the window option was there for him. We let him touch the outside of the plane, and also let the flight attendant know it was his first flight - they let him peek in the cockpit and meet the pilot. That went a long way. Our Delta flight also had movies and games in the seat back tablets, which kept him completely occupied during the flight.

 

[luvmy2babies]

Both of my children began flying as infants. Both flew also as toddlers. However each had apprehension the first time they flew and were aware that they were flying. For both that was around age 4. Hearing that they had flown several times already did nothing.

Like someone else said, it depends on the source of the apprehension. For my daughter there was a general nervousness about safety. For her, having something to occupy her during the flight and help the time pass more quickly helped the most along with having something to chew on so her ears didn't bother her. She's a teenager now and still needs to be occupied; but she is more relaxed on the plane now. As a teenager though she really has a greater appreciation for just being on vacation.

For my son, he is in general sensitive to noise especially when it is coming from different directions so it was when we actually got on the plane that he showed he was bothered. His issue was solved with noise cancelling headphones, which thankfully I already had for him to wear in the parks. I highly recommend those by the way even if just for fireworks.

 

[lanejudy]

He's an extremely cautious dude so I was introducing the idea of airplanes and traveling on an airplane to him recently and he was pretty anti flight. He said he would rather, "go on a boat".

Maybe he just thinks boats are really cool, and it isn't anything specific about an airplane. I agree with others, try to find out his reason(s) and then deal with those specifically. Check out your local library for books about flying. And maybe this summer you can take a "field trip" to visit an airport - especially if there is a small local one, maybe with private planes. Or some larger airports have programs for autism that allow the kids to go visit, ask if there is anything your son could do like that.

And...he's 5 and it's early July. By December he may be totally into airplanes!

Enjoy your vacation!

 

[hereyago]

Years ago when my DD was 5, we took her first plane ride to wdw.

But I made up a game called airport security (she had a problem a year before giving up her stuffed kitty to be check out by TSA at a cruise port lol).

So we made a game out of going through security at home. Then we got on the make believe plane a chair and played turbulence. Obviously a mild version of me rocking the chair.

It may help to do practice so he will know what is coming.

Good kuck

 

[sk!mom]

Hey there! We are heading down in December for a surprise trip for my son's fifth birthday. He's never been to Disney and he's never been on an airplane. He's an extremely cautious dude so I was introducing the idea of airplanes and traveling on an airplane to him recently and he was pretty anti flight. He said he would rather, "go on a boat". Not an option So i thought of buying some kind of book maybe, there are a lot on Amazon along the lines of "My First Airplane Ride" etc. but it occurred to me that this cannot have been a singular problem for just us - what have you guys done that has worked to ease the anxiety level of the little ones.
It's going to be a surprise for him that we're even going to Disney, I dont want his brain to explode (which really would just be a breakdown/tears and crying) in the airport because we're getting on a plane - I'd like to do something to get him familiar with the concept in advance.

Thanks!

I have no experience with a child who is afraid to fly so can’t really help there except to try and normalize it through books, shows, etc..

In general though, those who are “extremely cautious” and possibly anxious do better if they have all the facts beforehand and plenty of time to prepare. Your son sounds like one who needs to be involved in the planning. I would tell him maybe a month out as that would give time for You Tube videos, looking at pics, and daily conversations about what to expect.

I’m actually anti surprise in general. The anticipation of a vacation is part of the fun. Surprise him 3-4 weeks in advance.

 

[ramee]

My just turned 6 year old and soon to turn 3 year old will be flying for the first time in a couple weeks. I have no worries about my 3yo. My 6yo, on the other hand, has been telling me for about a year whenever she sees an airplane that she will never fly. Because it will fall out of the sky.

Not sure if she saw something on tv (Madagascar 2?) to get that thought in her head.

Unsurprisingly, she wasn’t happy to hear we are going to fly to get to the beach. But my mom got my 8yo niece and 6yo nephew to talk to her about their recent experience with flying. They loved it and wish they were flying for their upcoming trip. Now she’s excited and keeps asking “when are we going?”.

So maybe get some positive feedback from kids he trusts. Or have him watch kids he can relate to on YouTube to build his confidence.

I’m going to bring her leap pad and a coloring book as distractions and hope for the best. Fortunately, it’s only less than a 2 hour flight.

Good luck!

 

[Brett Wyman]

Funny how all the Littles are different like that. Our kids, 2 1/2 and 5 who’ve both flown around 10 times already, complain about the car ride down and ask why we aren’t flying (Duh 2k saved). Of course the 5 year old freaks out and asks for new clothes if a thimble full of water falls on her. They all have their things.

 

[rongarbutt]

We have this book - Where Do Jet Planes Sleep At Night (you can find on amazon, isbn 9780399554483 ) Its a bedtime story, cute and short.

Anytime my DD is afraid of doing something, it's because she's unfamiliar. Maybe some airplane toys would get your son more familiar and comfortable. After all, planes are very large and very fast! You could also try and teach him a little bit about how airplanes work with paper planes. (sciencebuddies.org has a cool activity). It seems high tech to teach about aerodynamics, lift and drag, but they are really simple concepts and making and building/flying the planes would be fun. There are also foam and balsa wood planes.

A visit to a local municipal airport or plane museum would also be a fun experience this summer.

Good luck! Fortunately you have some time on your side.

 

[mco65]

if you could find a place where you could tour a plane. My wife took my oldest daughter on a plane tour a few days before her first ever airplane flight. She was probably 7 or 8 at the time and deadly afraid of the idea of flying. It worked great...

 

[Wild4Walt]

Maybe if there is a Disney commercial you can introduce the idea by saying something like ' you know, if we went to Disney we'd want to fly so we could get there to start having fun' and see how that goes.