Ideas to keep my 26 month old son occupied during flight?

[JustLikeHeaven]

My husband and I are flying to Orlando from Toronto next month. We are taking our son who will be 26 months old. He has never flown before. The flight is about 2 1/2 hours. I'm somewhat concerned about how he will react/behave during the flight.

If anyone has any ideas as to how to keep him occupied, relaxed, etc. I would appreciate it. Also, for those of you who have flown with young children, what have your experiences been like?

Thanks.

 

[tjkraz]

He'll react about the same as he would during a 2 1/2 hour car ride. A lot of the stimuli are the same--the motion of the plane, the "white noise" rumble in the background. If the flight happens to coincide with a normal nap time, he'll probably fall asleep before long.

Make sure you get a couple of surprises for each leg of the trip. Some ideas are coloring books, story books, Etch-A-Sketch--that type of thing. You'll have the fold-down tray right in front of him, so anything without a lot of pieces that would fit on the small tray is a good idea.

If you have one of those $300 portable DVD players (or know a friend / relative that would loan you one), you'll be in great shape. Pick up a new video (or borrow one from the library), and make sure you have a comfortable set of headphones. He may not move the entire trip.

Be sure to bring along some juice or milk to drink. That will help pop his ears when the pressure changes at takeoff and landing. Also some portable snacks would be a very wise idea.

 

[jckdisneybound]

Bring snacks and drinks, color wonder markers, small size magna doodle or etch a sketch. Like to OP said, a portable DVD player if you have one. As you get these things hide them and bring them out during the trip, it will keep his attention longer since they are new.

Hmmm, let's see....stickers are good, a blanket is nice, some new board books. We always bring way more than we should on the plane to entertain my daughter, but we have NEVER had an issue with her being restless and we have done some long flights.

 

[AJKMOM]

Cheaper alternative would be a portable CD player-battery operated- with a set of headphones. You can get all kinds of kid music beside Disney. There are a lot of Sesame St. and nursery songs CD's.

 

[UrsulasShadow]

My husband and I are flying to Orlando from Toronto next month. We are taking our son who will be 26 months old. He has never flown before. The flight is about 2 1/2 hours. I'm somewhat concerned about how he will react/behave during the flight.

If anyone has any ideas as to how to keep him occupied, relaxed, etc. I would appreciate it. Also, for those of you who have flown with young children, what have your experiences been like?

Thanks.

Oh, I'm a-gonna get flamed for this one....
Dimetapp! or Benadryl, if you prefer.
My pediatrician turned me on to this, cuz my DS, when he was 18 mos, was prone to sinus and ear trouble. He said to avoid too much ear pressure, give him an antihistamine before the flight, and not only would it help with the ear trouble, but would make him sleep through the flight. How wonderful that was! Of course, I'm not into over-medicating children for any reason, but hey, it worked wonders for us. Talk to your pediatrician first, though. There may be all sorts of reasons this wouldn't be right for your child.

 

[tjkraz]

Oh, I'm a-gonna get flamed for this one....
Dimetapp! or Benadryl, if you prefer.

The only ones that would flame you for saying that are:

A) People with no children.
b) People whose children are in day care 60 hours per week.

Oops, now it's my turn to get flamed!

 

[LynneAmelia]

Ohhhh man you are so right on that response !!! Sometimes sleep is the best thing for all involved ! I always packed a magic bag special for plane rides as I live in CHicago and my parents live in Florida, in the bag woukd be a new stuffed animal maybe some stickers and a book, magic coloring books, animal crackers, just little things all wrapped to take time opening, but 2 1/2 hours is a long time and sleep soothes everyone, mom, dad, fellow passengers and most importantly the wee one.

 

[JustLikeHeaven]

I'm loving tjkraz's comment. I'm a stay at home mom. My son is my whole world and I'm extremely fantical when it comes to his care. I'm probably going to get "flamed" for this, but I wouldn't take my son to daycare for a million bucks. He's a tonne of work, but it's all worthwhile. I totally get your comment about the daycare 60 hrs a week. It's funny people look down their noses at me for being a "stay at home mom."
Don't get me wrong. Some people "can't" stay home. I'm fortunate that I can. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. It's up to the individual.

Thanks for all the good ideas though. I appreciate it.

 

[kandeebunny]

It's actually advised that everyone take some form of over the counter antihistamine before flying to help prevent catching something so it might not be a bad idea. If you don't want to go this route make sure you bring some kind of snack for him to chew on while taking off and landing to help soothe his ears.

 

[UrsulasShadow]

I'm loving tjkraz's comment. I'm a stay at home mom. My son is my whole world and I'm extremely fantical when it comes to his care. I'm probably going to get "flamed" for this, but I wouldn't take my son to daycare for a million bucks. :

Heck, I'd SELL my kids for a million bucks (wait'll they're teens!).

 

[CleveRocks]

It's actually advised that everyone take some form of over the counter antihistamine before flying to help prevent catching something so it might not be a bad idea.

Where oh where did you hear that one???

Antihistamines don't fight diseases, microbes, germs, colds, whatever you want to call them. Antihistamines block the actions of histamines. Histamines are secretions from YOUR OWN BODY in response to allergens (things you're allergic to) such as pollen, mosquito saliva, etc. Antihistamines can't stop you from getting sick or catching anything! Worse is that they tend to dry up your mucous membranes, and everyone who flies knows that airplanes are already very dry environments. Due to this, it's usually advised you drink more liquids than usual before and during flight.

Better yet, don't listen to me, talk to your physician or pharmacist.

-- Eric

 

[UrsulasShadow]

Where oh where did you hear that one???

Antihistamines don't fight diseases, microbes, germs, colds, whatever you want to call them. Antihistamines block the actions of histamines. Histamines are secretions from YOUR OWN BODY in response to allergens (things you're allergic to) such as pollen, mosquito saliva, etc. Antihistamines can't stop you from getting sick or catching anything! Worse is that they tend to dry up your mucous membranes, and everyone who flies knows that airplanes are already very dry environments. Due to this, it's usually advised you drink more liquids than usual before and during flight.

Better yet, don't listen to me, talk to your physician or pharmacist.

-- Eric

This is absolutely true...antihistamines do NOT prevent illness. But it is this very drying action which tends to reduce fluid buildup in the middle ear, which is what causes all the pain on takeoff and landing due to pressure changes. So, if this is a problem with your child, as it was mine, it's something to ask about. And although the side effects are generally drowsiness ( ), in some children it can cause the reverse, hyperactivity. So ASK YOUR PEDIATRICIAN.

 

[kandeebunny]

my dr has me take them I was assuming it was because of my immune deficiency, but i am also prone to ear problems so that makes more sense.

 

[Spyke1900]

I have no kids but I will say this, Suprise bags rocked my mom used to pack them for me and my brother all the time especially on loooooooong vacation road trips. They USUALLY kept me and my brother from choking eachother when we were kids. Atleast we never heard "DONT MAKE ME TURN THIS CAR AROUND!!"
The funny part about this is not worrying about sedating a child for a plane ride, its the sedating my mother. She doesn't fly well and after a flight I usually have the bruises on my hand to prove it. My Grandparents live in FL so we have flown down there tons of times and each time my mom has to pop a xanax for stress and an antihistimine for her ears per Dr.'s orders. We always have to take direct flights cuz leading dopey mom around an airport is tough..

BTW as I am prone to sinus infections that often lead to ear infections (which are nightmarish as an adult)my doctor has also told me ANY time I fly to take an antihistime to prevent fluid build up in the ear.

 

[FredS]

I'm loving tjkraz's comment. I'm a stay at home mom. My son is my whole world and I'm extremely fantical when it comes to his care. I'm probably going to get "flamed" for this, but I wouldn't take my son to daycare for a million bucks. He's a tonne of work, but it's all worthwhile. I totally get your comment about the daycare 60 hrs a week. It's funny people look down their noses at me for being a "stay at home mom."
Don't get me wrong. Some people "can't" stay home. I'm fortunate that I can. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. It's up to the individual.

Thanks for all the good ideas though. I appreciate it.

Have to make this comment about not taking a child to daycare for a million dollars. With our daughter we did not "need" to take her to any sort of day care, but we definitely "chose" to take her to preschool three half days a week beginning when she was 27 months. She absolutely LOVED it, and was much happier playing, learning and interacting with her friends those hours than being stuck at home with one caregiver. She still knows exactly who mom and dad are, but it was wonderful for her to have this experience and definitely made it much easier to transition to "big school" when that time came. Sometimes it is hard for parents to accept, but while your child may be your entire world (not a good thing in my book) it is not healthy for them as they grow to be restricted to your world.

I second all of the suggestions of packing many little "surprises" to entertain. Fortunately 2 1/2 hours is not THAT long and it usually is not too terribly hard to entertain for that period. Whatever you do, I would strongly suggest not letting your son think he can get out of his carseat (air seat?) at will because that could present a HUGE problem if he thinks running around the plane is an option!

 

[Schmeck]

I posted about antihistamines not being antibiotics too, then i read all the posts, oops!

 

[epcotfan]

I would go with children's Gravol if you want to keep the child sleepy and prevent motion sickness. Gravol (dramamine) doesn't seem to cause as much hyperactivity as some antihistamines. Check with your doctor or read the medicine label.

 

[Barbday62]

We flew with our 2 1/2 year old Grandaughter about a year ago and what worked best for us was:
Gate check the stroller.
Use the car seat on the plane,
carry a few small toys, (My grandaughter loves Little people so we played with them.)
a pad of paper stickers and something to color with (I found retractable crayons at Walmart)
Then we carried a cup with a lid for her airplane pop. (No spills this way too!)
Carry some snacks and she can chew gum so we gave her that for the take off but for the decent she wouldnt chew it. I ended up trying gummy bears. The trip home i decided to use distraction as my tool for decent. We started drawing everything we saw on our trip and reminicing so she wasnt so conscious about the ear pressure.

 

[nataliesdaddy]

My husband and I are flying to Orlando from Toronto next month. We are taking our son who will be 26 months old. He has never flown before. The flight is about 2 1/2 hours. I'm somewhat concerned about how he will react/behave during the flight.

If anyone has any ideas as to how to keep him occupied, relaxed, etc. I would appreciate it. Also, for those of you who have flown with young children, what have your experiences been like?

Thanks.

used to love flying with my kid when she was that young - Playdoh, glitter glue, crayons, paper, washable markers, stickers ... bring something for your child to chew to keep his ears cleared

 

[NickandLivvysmom]

used to love flying with my kid when she was that young - Playdoh, glitter glue, crayons, paper, washable markers, stickers ... bring something for your child to chew to keep his ears cleared

[SIZE=5 I am also flying with my 28 month old next week. She hasn't flown for over a year so I was trying to think of things to keep her entertained. Play dough sounds great!! I think i'll wrap her surprises up in wrapping paper too. That will keep her busy!