How to deal with very active toddler on 3.5 hour flight?

[golden1]

I have never taken my two kids on an airplane and we are going to WDW in Dec. We will be flying from Boston Logan or Prov. R.I. and that is a 3+ hour flight. It is over 8 months away and I am already stressed about it. I think my 4 year old will be fine but I have a ds that I think will be a problem. I am going to try putting him in his car seat which might work for awhile but I don't see him staying there for long. He is the type of kid that is a pain at restaurants because he just won't stay sitting down. What can I do? I envision an exhausting 3 hours of marching him up and down the airplane aisles.

Do you have any tips for keeping him entertained? He will be 2.5 when we leave for WDW.

 

[mamaminnie]

Buy or Borrow a portable dvd player, use a cd player with headphones or put some of his favorite songs on your ipod. You have time to "train" him as to behavior that is expected on a plane.

Good luck!!

 

[Lovemy3babes]

LOL! I feel your pain. My son keeps me on my toes to say the least so I'm a bit worried about our plane ride as well.

 

[kldmom2000]

When we went in Dec. '04, I had the same concerns!! We flew Southwest out of Providence non-stop and I purposely chose a flight around noon"ish" so that there might be some small chance that my DD who was 26 months and VERY ACTIVE might possibly take a rare nap...... I lucked out!!! We brought her carseat on to keep her in her spot and she dozed off shortly after take-off (she'd given up naps just 2 months prior) I kept my then-4-yr old DD entertained w/ coloring books, a portable DVD player, model-magic clay, books, etc..... the return home was a similar scenario I couldn't believe our luck.....

We are trying it again this Sept/Oct and flying out of Boston this time. My younger DD will be turning 4 on our trip and she's still my "wild" one! I'm hoping the DVD player and coloring books keep her entertained esp. since we won't have her carseat on the plane this time.....

GL to you! Snacks, color wonder, portable DVD player, stickers and paper to stick them on, etc.... are all good ideas!!!

 

[BuzzNutt]

Buy or Borrow a portable dvd player, use a cd player with headphones or put some of his favorite songs on your ipod. You have time to "train" him as to behavior that is expected on a plane.

Good luck!!

I would try this as well as what ever he does during his quiet time. Coloring or drawing or completing mazes.
Mine was fine as long as I kept the status quo. The tricks in the car or in the line waiting.
I also say to bring a few new never seen toys, silly little things you find in walmart that he has never seen and may interest him.
Good luck and have a great vacation!

 

[swillis]

I traveled with my DD when she was 2.5 years from Boston to Orlando. The trip was her first, and mine with a toddler, as well. On the advice of her pediatrician I flew in the early evenings. When she would normally be sleeping, and also gave her some benadryl prior to taking off. The pediatrician said this would also help with ear issues during take off/landing.

It worked great! She was sleepy, but not out completely. She ate some snacks on the plane, colored a bit and then just was content to snuggle and snooze a bit.

Again, the benadryl part was doctor advised. And make sure your kids don't get hyper on benadryl instead of drowsy. That sometimes happens.

 

[gris gris]

We should get on your plane! We're leaving out of Providence too. DD3 has flown to Florida 3 times now and I have to say the last time (when she was 2.5) was actually the easiest. I didn't have to worry about crying/pooping, etc...she is very active too. I brought playdough, crayons, flash cards and also a few little toys that I had bought but she hadn't seen before. And fruit snacks She's easily bribed with fruit snacks. She did end up falling alseep, I guess once you realize there isn't much to do on a plane but sleep it's easy to do so. This year when we go we're going to get a portable DVD player.

 

[KristiKelly]

HOw does he do on road trips? I would work on taking longer trips in the car. That way sitting in the carseat for 3 hours shouldn't be a problem. Take a DVD player and pick 2 or 3 of his favorite movies. Don't let him watch the movies for a few weeks leading up to the trip, then once on the plane let him watch them, maybe he'll be so excited about seeing his favorite movies that they will keep him occupied. Also, maybe see if you could get a flight around naptime. Good luck!!!

 

[WDWLinda]

I agree with the others - pack a few new things that he's never seen. Also a roll of Scotch tape and some pipe cleaners may amuse him. We told my son that he can only play with Play Dough on planes - its his special plane toy. So as soon as we're up in the air he asks for that - along with the scizzors and rolling pin that come with the Play dough set. Have one backpack devoted to him - toys and snacks. Lollipops may also help with the pressure, or as a bribe.

Good luck!

~Linda

 

[WDWLinda]

My son spent one flight pulling the window shade up and down. The people behind us probably found it annoying, but it could have been worse.

~Linda

 

[Jen76b]

I can't believe i'm admitting this, but when my DS was 3 we had a horrible flight on the way. Nothing seemed to occupy him (we didn't have a TV though). So on the flight back, my HD gave him a little bit of children's cough syrup. I know.. it's awful to give a child medicine when they're not sick, but it helped. He slept most of the flight. We've never done it again, but it was a last resort.

 

[gris gris]

my HD gave him a little bit of children's cough syrup.

You're not alone........DD has had tylenol or motrin before flying, not a big deal to me

 

[tara98]

We also flew out of Providence last September, so 3 hour flight also with a 3 1/2 yr old. Benedryl did not help at all. My biggest concearn was his ears. He had a lot of pain.. We brought a backpack filled with his stuff. Flashcards, books, snacks. We are going again in October, and I think this time we will include an Ipod which I know will keep him entertained. We will also bring playdoh. I did have a problem on the plane with going to the bathroom. He was recently potty trained and we had turbulence. The flight attendents would not let me get up to take him to the bathroom(we were sitting at the back of the plane, but for some reason the people at the front could get up and move around.) So It was very hard trying to tell a 3 1/2 yr old that he had to wait.. THey dont know how to wait..!

 

[holden]

Our DD was fine on our flight from Philly to Orlando last fall. We brought lollipops (for any ear trouble) and some coloring books/crayons. We timed the flight for late afternoon. She fell asleep about an hour into the flight and stayed out until we landed. Now if she'll just sleep on the 11 hour flight to Honolulu...

 

[NotUrsula]

Please consider finding an alternative to PlayDoh for entertaining small children on planes. There are lots of other things that can be just as entertaining, but don't have PlayDoh's drawbacks. I fly with kids often, and I'm speaking as both a mom and a business traveller.

Real Playdoh contains a lot of mineral oil and is crumbly, and any little bits of it that flake off and inadvertently get left behind can cause nasty oil stains on the clothing of people who sit in that seat later on, especially business travelers, who often must travel wearing good suits.

More importantly, real PlayDoh has a very strong odor that can be quite nauseating in the close confines of an aircraft. I'm sure you wouldn't dream of dousing yourself in perfume right before you fly, so please be equally aware of the odor that emanates from PlayDoh.

If modeling is a must for some reason, you might try Crayola Model Magic instead.

 

[gris gris]

Real Playdoh contains a lot of mineral oil and is crumbly, and any little bits of it that flake off and inadvertently get left behind can cause nasty oil stains on the clothing of people who sit in that seat later on, especially business travelers, who often must travel wearing good suits.

What about all the food that gets into seats? Potato chips are oily too. We brought our play dough in a flat plastic crayon container and had no problems with little flakes!

And I must be weird, because I don't think play dough has a strong smell, and the smell it does have doesn't seem all that bad to me. I'd rather smell playdough than sit next to someone who chain smoked 5 cigarettes before they got on the plane!

 

[NotUrsula]

What about all the food that gets into seats? Potato chips are oily too.

And that would be why I don't give my children potato chips on planes.
(Or Pizza, or french fries, or fried chicken, etc.) I don't consider "well, someone else made a mess, so I can too" to be a very valid argument. You can't do anything about the habits of those who came before you, but you can do something about not making difficulties for those who follow you, or those who have to share the ride with you. It is inconsiderate to use or consume greasy or smelly substances while on a commercial aircraft. I don't deliberately subject other passengers to these things, and I would appreciate it if other passengers did not deliberately subject me to them, either.

Every time someone here recommends PlayDoh, I recommend reconsidering. I'm sure those who recommend it don't think about the downsides, but they exist. If you decide to use it on a plane anyway, so be it, but at least you've been alerted.

 

[jodifla]

And that would be why I don't give my children potato chips on planes.
(Or Pizza, or french fries, or fried chicken, etc.) I don't consider "well, someone else made a mess, so I can too" to be a very valid argument. You can't do anything about the habits of those who came before you, but you can do something about not making difficulties for those who follow you, or those who have to share the ride with you. It is inconsiderate to use or consume greasy or smelly substances while on a commercial aircraft. I don't deliberately subject other passengers to these things, and I would appreciate it if other passengers did not deliberately subject me to them, either.

Every time someone here recommends PlayDoh, I recommend reconsidering. I'm sure those who recommend it don't think about the downsides, but they exist. If you decide to use it on a plane anyway, so be it, but at least you've been alerted.

Actually, I love the smell of Play-Doh.....and now that airlines have stopped serving food, there is all manner of strong smelling airport carry-on food coming on to planes.

 

[rnorberg]

You all have the wrong approach!! I've got one word for you... "Nytquil" The sniffling, sneezing, caughing, aching, keep your annoying kid asleep for 3 hours medicine. HAHA!

give him a double dose, yull be doing you and every other person on that flight a huge service.

 

[NotUrsula]

Originally Posted by Jodifla:
...and now that airlines have stopped serving food, there is all manner of strong smelling airport carry-on food coming on to planes.

Yes, but have you read any articles encouraging passengers to bring on strong-smelling foods? Any time the subject is mentioned, passengers are urged to think about the smell before they choose what to take on the plane. I'm just doing the same re: modeling products.

I like the smell of Eau de Joy, but I would still discourage anyone from opening a bottle of it on a plane.