Flying with 3 yr olds

[oo138oo]

Any tips for surviving 5 hour flight with two active 3 yr olds? Thanks.

 

[DrCavin]

Gameboys, Pixters, lots of things to keep them occupied!!!

Good luck

 

[fcrouch]

portable DVD players (get an extra battery as the normal battery lasts only three hours - unless you're on an airline that has plugins available) (and remember headphones for the kids)

if mom and dad stay in their seat belts, kids are more inclined to do the same I think

 

[JeffPort]

Hands down, this has been the savior for our family ... Get a portable DVD player and an adapter for 2 headsets. The hours will fly by much quicker for everyone in your group.

 

[T1130]

I have bought a whole bunch of toys. Sticker books, etch a sketch (sp), dora figures. I hope they work.

 

[Auntmeme]

This was suggested to me by other moms and it worked for us last october. Our flight is just over 2 hours.

Give the child a dose of decongestion medicine, the drowsy kind, right before boarding. Our son slept for almost 2 hours. Before he feel aslepp I surprised him with a few new toys, quiet ones that we played with.

Animal figures, a new disney book, and hotwheel cars. I did the same on the return flight.

 

[Stimpy]

A nice strong drink for the parents! Just Kidding!

Like everyone else said, lots of quiet toys, snacks, a wrapped up cheap present for every hour or so, and some familiar books or toys from home.

Also, try to keep them contained in the seat as long as possible. Once they discover they can get up on the plane, it becomes a new game for them.

Personally, I really don't like the idea of medication when it isn't absolutely needed. But each parent needs to make the decision that is right for them.

 

[krhardy]

"earplanes"...you can get these at most any pharmacy...they are like earplugs, but they help equalize the pressure inside the ears. My kids ask for theirs when we fly. Made the take off and landing to and from England with my 3 year old tolerable. Aside from that, take snacks that you know your child will eat, and take plenty for your child to do...coloring books, favorite toy. Another idea is to visit the dollar store in your area prior to your flight (without your child) and purchase several little surprises for your child. Then, when your child is getting restless, bring out a "new surprise". Hope this helps...I'm off in a couple of hours to the Magic.

 

[pdarrah]

We have been flying with our son to WDW twice per year since he was 6 weeks (not as long as yours since we are flying from Chicago - about 3 hrs on the plane). One thing we have done from the beginning is that other than a couple trips to the restroom, our rule is that he MUST be seated and belted in. This is both a sanity and a safety rule. I used to travel extensively for work and way too many times I saw "flying" children in plane cabins during sudden turbulence. This was mostly lap-held babies, but I have also seen small children really thrown around! Having him IN his seat, does make it easier to cope.

If there is a movie and it is at all reasonable for a kid, we get him headsets. (Of course, if you have the portable DVD player others have mentioned, that is the same idea - we just got our first home DVD player a few months ago and haven't even considered a portable one!)

Some of the things we bring...

Coloring books, blank paper, crayons
Pipe cleaners - nice and light, but they can make shapes out of them for ages.
Playdoh - usually just one color & maybe a couple cookie cutters
A few small, paperback picture books. (Cheerios recently had some great ones in the boxes!)
Sticker books, Activity books, or just stickers and more paper.

Basically, anything small and light that will hopefully occupy him for more than 5 minutes each!

Good luck

Pamela

 

[KaitlinsMom]

3 words -

PORTABLE DVD PLAYER

If you cannot afford one, see if someone you know will let you borrow theirs -

 

[CGC33A]

depending on where you are flying from, there is a service that rents DVD players at the airport and you return them when you land. I was most pleased with it when we used it out of Orlando to San Jose CA. Heavy duty headphones & only a dolllar or so for "insurance". Rented 2 movies & it came with the extra battery. Dropping it off on arrival gave us 1 less thing to carry & it wasn't expensive considering the peace of mind. Also Crayola makes Wonder markers (or something similar) to draw on special paper with. They write clear so no ruining anything (clothes, hands, the plane...)

 

[stulaurie]

This may sound funny, but we bribe our kids with M&M's. Our kids still nap, so we tell them the first one to fall asleep gets the M&M's when they wake up. Of course it is always a tie, and we have 2 packages for them. You can get the round tubes with the lids that open and shut, they think this is fun, and they don't spill as easily. Also getting a new toy, and pulling it out toward the end of the flight after the nap is a good idea.

Try not to worry too much about it. I'm sure it will be fine.

 

[Houzer]

Just wanted to let you know that we had almost a 10 hour flight a few years back and our son was three at that point. We made sure we had game boys with lots of games, cd player with his music along with relaxing sleeping type music. We also braught along colouring books, crayons and stickers. I was also able to find traveling games that are very small and we packed those in his bag. On top of all of this we made sure we braught a pile of snacks and lots of gum. He had never been allowed gum up to this point so he was thrilled. I made sure that before the flight we showed him what the airplane looked like in pictures and then he helped pack the bag to go on the plane. I found then he knew what he had and didn't have. He added a few favorite cars and little toys to the pile. All and all the flight to and from went very well. He played and slept the entire flight and loved knowing he had little snacks he could have every hour in his bag. I set my watch to chime every hour so he knew when. I can honestly say I had more trouble with his dad being bored then the three year old and 10 year old. Good luck and be patient and all will go well. Pauline