Flying with young children...any tips???

[mtemm]

in october we are flying with our kids for the first time. any tips? (we have a 4 year old and 2 year old twins). I'm worried about their ears popping, and wondering what to bring to entertain them for the 3 hour flight.

thanks!

 

[Beehn]

I take suckers or gum for my little girl. That helps with the ears and keeps her a little distracted during takeoff and landing. I also just bring lots of little things to keep her busy. Coloring books, story books, gummies etc. I've also found that felt sticks to the back of airline seats. I've cut out lots of shapes and she makes pretty pictures on the back of the seat ahead of her. We have also colored the barf bags to give the next passenger a speciall flight ! My little girl is usually very good on airplanes (but we always make at least 2 trips to the bathroom!) Goodluck!

 

[Kae]

I take lots of snacks. Also the WonderColor books by Crayola around here Walgreens has the best selection. Cd player w/kids cd's. Hopefully you will have a movie on your flight. Stickers.

Kae

 

[wendy46001]

Have to say that travel DVD player is a gift from god...Doesnt matter what the inflight movie is/or if there is one...My god daughter picks out two or three DVD's before they leave...get on the plane give her a sucker, put on the headphones, hit play and by the time they find Nemo we are on the ground again....YAY technology

 

[MomOfDisneyBoys]

I read on another board about some earplugs called "Earplanes" that come in adult and child sizes and prevent the ear problems that come with flying.

I have not tried them myself, but I have read many rave reviews of how wonderful they are, even for kids who have flown before and had terrible ear pain. I am planning on getting them when we fly with the kids for the first time to WDW in three weeks!

 

[gwcollins71]

My pediatrician recommended the earplane things for our daughter (13 mos). She doesn't always want a bottle or sippy when we want her to take one.

I hope they work.

 

[ribbot]

I gave my son an old Nintendo Gameboy that I had a few years back for myself and he fiddled around with that most of the trip. Also, we were flying AirTran and they had earphones with any type of music you could want (I think it was $6??) for the rental of them. I suppose if you brought your own they would work too.
I gave him gum on taking off and landing---he chewed it for 5-10 minutes and that was it. No problems at all.

But...the best thing I did (since this was our first trip)----was I had found a brand new stuffed Mickey (with tags) at a yard sale (for a QUARTER!!) and gave that to him before we boarded the plane. It was like a major incentive for him to get on that plane and get there. He still loves it and has it on the back of his bed headboard shelf.

He was 4 (just about 5) at the time and flew really well without any problems. I would suggest just taking some of their favorite things, along with some candy or something that they like a lot to keep them busy.

 

[TruBlu]

EARPLANES! They are fantastic!!!

Gummie snacks for take-off and landing.

Juice boxes - so they wont spill the drinks the airline provides

Quiet activities - coloring books, activity books, color wonder, maze books, etc. (with crayons or markers in a zip bag)

L-Max, Leapster educational games or any electronic game, DVD, or Video Now player

Something that they will really love to do that is NEW. Tell them about it, but don't let them see it until seated on the plane. New items always buy you extra quiet time!!!

We let each boy pack a small carry-on with a stuffed animal, quiet activities, snacks, and a juice box in a small backpack. They felt very grown-up with their own bag to carry - but, don't make it too heavy in case you end up carrying it!!!

 

[all4fun]

I found the only time my ds had trouble with his ears while on the airplane was once when he had a cold. If you suspect your dc might be coming down with something you might want to ask your ped about a good remedy - some cold medicine might be in order and definitely have the ears checked for an EI. Otherwise I think it's a little bit over-dramatized imHo.

If you read this traveling with children blog this mother of three, who is a former FA and travels frequently with her children talks about that subject.

I agree with bringing snacks - things that are come in single serving packs like cheese and crackers, granola bars, or chips are really handy...just nothing too messy of course! I like to bring my own bottle of water too. Yes they serve it, but it's nice to not have to wait for the drink cart if you or one of your dc are really thirsty.

I have also found that I often over packed for activities on the plane, bringing on a whole backpack full of goodies for ds when he was either sleeping, watching a DVD (we bring our own player), or just interested in what's going on out the window or in the airplane. It's hard to not bring too much stuff because you don't want the kids to be bored, however you already have enough to lug around so it's a bit of a balancing act. Three hours shouldn't be too bad for you, although I've never traveled with three young children so hopefully it will all go smoothly for you!

Also here's a link to the TSA site security procedures at the Airport (traveling with Children)

 

[stlsports4ever]

Thanks for that post. I too will be traveling with my 6 year old to Orlando and I know the whole gum thing but I get motion sickness easily.

Mr. Mike

 

[liamandcaili]

My children don't usually have trouble with their ears, but when I traveled with them when they were young, I always made sure they were drinking something...either a bottle or something with a straw.

For activities, DD4 can be amused for hours by sticker books, those magnetic scene kits, and coloring books. DS, now 7, likes the coloring books, but he mostly likes his Gameboy, Song's (now defunct) TV screens on the back of each seat, and any other electronic game I let him bring. When my children were two, they mostly slept on the plane. My mom used to bring finger puppets to entertain my brother when he was that age.

Good luck!

BTW...if your children have any complaints about their ears after the flight...this has happened to DS...then Similasan makes a natural eardrop that clears pain up pretty quickly. I actually give DS this after every flight now.

 

[dustysky]

Both my kids always loved to draw even when they were small, I always took a note book, pens and crayons.
Also if at all possable one of those portable dvd players?
We borrowed one on our last plane trip and it was a HUGE help!!

 

[stlsports4ever]

Thanks for the ideas. Gameboys, games, coloring books, all good ideas. She loves to talk to so that shouldnt be a problem.

Mr. Mike

 

[kahluacream]

Hi,

You've gotten a lot of great ideas for keeping your kiddos busy during the flight. We also found the portable DVD players to be a lifesaver when travelling with DS-5 and DS-2.

One other tip I learned the HARD way is that it's best to travel as light as possible when travelling with young children. You will probably be pushing a stroller or taking your children by the hand through the airport, which makes carrying a bunch of luggage really hard. We found that large backpacks worked great for our carry-ons. Each of our little ones also had a backpack of small-but-new toys to keep them entertained for the flight.

As for their ears, my pediatrician recommended giving the kids Children's Benadryl about an hour before boarding. I also encouraged them to eat fruit snacks during take-off and landing. Neither of them had any trouble with their ears.

HTH! Have a great trip.

 

[wrighter]

We've flown many times with both our children, 3 and 1. I've found that a sippy cup with a straw is great for ear popping. The sucking clears 'em up right away.

Everyone here has posted great ideas. Personally, I also agree that the portable DVD player is worth it's weight in gold when you're dealing with kids. I definitely feel like a sell-out, but at least I can travel with some degree of assurance that my three year old will be mostly occupied. My one year old is another matter.

I do have two suggestions that have been successes for us: the first is playdough. You can get those little tiny cans and some cookie cutters and they will be happy for quite a while. The other thing that I stumbled upon out of sheer desperation: Bring some small sheets of colored paper. When your bottled water or soda bottle is empty, let them rip little bits of the colored paper and put them into the bottle until it is filled to the tip. It makes pretty designs and kept my very wiggly toddler occupied for much longer than I had ever anticipated. Any paper will do if you're really hard up, but I found the colored paper to be his favorite.

Happy flying!

Erin

 

[Ariel8676]

Earplanes are AWESOME! My Dh has REALLY bad ears and so does my 4 yo dd and they use them whenever we fly and they never have problems. Maybe pick up a pair..just in case.
Also the colored pipe cleaners that you can get at a craft store are good for keeping the kiddos busy for a little while.

 

[2goofykids]

When my ds was little we gave him cold medicine (something with a decongestant usually tylenol cold) for his ears. That is what his doctor recommended. I has always seemed to work and it also helped put him to sleep for a bit.
I used earplanes on our last trip and I loved them. I had been having terrible ear pain everytime we flew, but the last trip I did not.
We leave in 19 days . This time we will be traveling with our 10 month old dd. Her doctor said to use benedryl- mostly to help her sleep.
For my ds who is 5, we are taking a portable dvd player and some new activity books. I got him some earplanes and I'm hoping I can get him to use them.
I hope we both have pleasant flights, good luck!

 

[M 'n C]

My mom always gave us dimeatapp before flying. My brother and I use to always pack our own carry on (usually a small back pack) with colors, coloring book, word search, etc.

 

[Hannathy]

Do Not let them kick the back of the seat. This becomes even more important if you bring there car seat puts them much closer.

Get an extra cup with ice when the drinks come my DS would play with the cubes for a long time -trying to pick them up with the little straw, moving them back and forth, sucking on them. If you drop one it's ok cause they melt and are clear.

Matchbox cars. I'd buy new ones before we left and surprise him. they are cheap and little. he'd drive on the tray and arm rest and seat etc.