Nervous flyer, flying with kids

[Lyndsie]

Hi--

I am going to be leaving for Disney in early August . I haven't been there in 7 years and am very very excited. However, I haven't been on a plane in 10 years and will be flying with my DH and DD & DS (ages 1 and 3) who have never been on a plane before. I am definately a white-knuckler and am getting extremely nervous about this flight to the point that I have thought about NOT going. The good news is that my parents will also be with us, and that it is a direct flight on Southwest that should only last about 3 hours.

I know that I am totally overreacting but I really need some words of wisdom or reassurance from other parents who have been there....

Thanks in advance!

Lyndsie

 

[Robmom]

You'll be fine. I remember the last time I flew, it was a while the last time I was on a plane. I was nervous, but once you are in the air, you forget about being scared. At least you will have plenty of company with you. Relax!!

 

[jetprincess]

With a 1 and 3 year old, you probably won't even notice you took off!

 

[RumpleMom]

Did you go through childbirth? After that, I figured I could handle anything.
Seriously, the nine months of worry or (7.5 months), then the first year when I wondered if I was doing the right things for this little baby who cried constantly...I realized just how strong I was.

Stay strong, you can do it. You will be setting an example for your kids. Think of this as a first trip of many more wonderful Disney vacations.

 

[Keara'sMom]

I'm a very nervous flyer as well--frankly it got to the point for me where I was becoming unwilling to even think about going anywhere that required taking a plane. I talked with my doctor about this, and she prescribed the anti-anxiety medication Ativan. This has helped me tremendously! It acts differently for different people, I understand. For me, it takes the edge off, but for my friend, it makes her sleepy.

I'm not advocating medication for everyone, but it certainly helped me get over what was becoming paralyzing.

Take care, and all the best!

 

[disney6family]

I too get nervous about flying and I have found that with the kids you are so busy checking on them, making sure they have a lollipop or gum for takeoff, making sure they kept their seatbelt on, etc If you fill your worry spots with worry about them I agree you mostly don't even notice takeoff. I was so busy trying to make it exciting for them that I can't think about myself.
Good luck - you can do it!

 

[meandtheguys2]

Xanax is my friend while flying. I developed this stupid fear after my kiddos were born. A small dose doesn't impair me, but eases the anxiety enough.

eta: I say this as someone who hardly ever medicates anything!

 

[Minnie824]

I used to LOVE flying. But then we didn't fly since 2000, then I had kids, was due right around 9/11, so I don't know if it was just worrying about the kids, or a combo of items. Anyway, just a month ago was our first flight with the kids (they were 5 and 3). I was a little nervous on the way there, but I was so much more concernced about how they were doing, that I didn't even notice much about how I was doing (I was fine). My older DD LOVED flying and did awesome. Little one was a little tired and her ears were bothering her a lot at landing. I tried suckers and fruity snacks, but I think the water just helped her the most. Luckily, she fell asleep for landing both times, which worked the best. You'll do fine. Just prepare enough items to keep the kids busy, snacks, and stuff to help their ears.

 

[my3disneygirls]

Xanax. I could not get on a plane without it. My doc knows I need it to fly, I call him up tell him how many I need and he phones it to the pharmacy. I don't feel altered, just relaxed.

 

[Tigger714]

We travel to Disney (and ther places) with our three Dboys 10,2 & 1. My husband can't stand to fly so we dope him up with a very strong dose of Ativan and I handle the kids. You may think about taking the Ativan the night before you fly as well so you are well rested, it seems to help him. Here are a few "kid tips" I thought you might like and that we have personally tried.

When taking off, have the kids pat their legs like The Little Einsteins do so they can help the plane take off, then hands in the air as you take off, they love it!

When they start to fidget try these:

Post It Notes &/or Scotch Tape(they can just play with it and stick it to everything)

Travel DVD, try putting in the Disney Planning DVD

Take them to the Bathroom to play in the water in the sink (yes it works)

Take a small cup of ice from the stewardess and let them play with it on the tray one piece at a time.

We have a "Farmer" book that is thick but made with something similiar to flannel graph, there are lots of animals that stick to it on each page, the kids love play with this.

Believe it or not, our 2 year old loves to listen to headphones, just like big brother.


I would recommend cuppies with valves for the plane. We like to take along the sugar free Kool Aid Singles and just get water on the plane. The kids will drink a ton so be sure to check those diapers, we didn't on the last trip and it was a mess!

Hope you have a magical trip

 

[Lyndsie]

Thank you all so much!!! Some really good advice, and I got a few laughs too! I am determined to do this and have a great Disney vacation with my family!

Thanks again!!!

Lyndsie

 

[hipporina]

We are flying in Sept for the first time as a family. I haven't flown since my honeymoon. My oldest was a little nervous (he remembers the images from 9/11) so I decided to try to find some statistics to try to help put things in perspective. This is my favorite.

In order to be likely to die in an airplane, you would have to take a random flight every day for 35,000 years. The odds are 1 in 10 million.

I'm not sure how accurate that is, but it did make me (and my son) feel better. I just think about how glad I am that we aren't going to have to drive the whole way to WDW and I remind myself that the drive to the airport is really a lot riskier than the flight.

Try to relax and have fun with it!

 

[2 princes 1 princess]

I get very very anxious too. I don't want to take medication because I want to be myself again as soon as we land in Florida. Thankfully I can get through a flight by fussing over the kids. I just focus on them so much that I forget about how I'm feeling and before we know it, we've landed.

Good luck!

 

[tjlovespooh]

Don't do a night flight!!!
I too was very nervous about flying with my DS (18mo). The flight down was a 6AM flight - we got DS up at 4:30 to get to airport! He was awesome on the flight down, didn't fuss at all! He never fell asleep either (despite the fact that DH and I both were on the verge).
The flight home was a different story - we had an 8:30PM flight, which took off late. DS was tired from a long last day and was overtired. He would not sleep on the plane and instead took turns with the toddler behind us, screaming the whole flight home
I vow to never, ever take another night flight with him until he's 10!
I also suggest asking your doc for a magic pill to help calm your nerves. I did, told her that I was nervous about flying with my tot and she was happy to prescribed the magic pill. I don't know the name but it defintely helped me stay calm.

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

www.takingflight.us/forums

Great free site for Fear of Flying help.

 

[GoochiGirl]

You will get use to it. I am on a plane at least twice a month with three kids ages 2, 4 and 8. We have homes in the US, Nigeria, and Austria. The more you fly the more it is just like riding in a car. You will be fine.