Occupying young child on airplane...

[ErinsMommy]

Any tips/ideas on how to keep my 4 year old occupied at the airport and subsequent flight? We have to check in the airport 2 hours prior to flight, then 2-1/2 hrs of flight time itself, we're going to need to keep her busy for our sanity and the sanity of all the other passengers. TIA!!

 

[youngb]

When we flew with our ds the first time we had a portable dvd player. He watched a movie during the flight. He also found it exciting to just lookout the window. At the airport he watched planes and just hung out. You would be surprised how fast the time went.

 

[3BoysRDisneyFreaks]

If this is her first flight, she will be so occupied with the surroundings and what is going on that entertaining her won't be an issue. DVD players or DS systems work well. Coloring books.


Sarah

 

[Snappy in OK]

Wandering around the airport before the flight should help keep your DD occupied for a while. My kids enjoy watching the planes coming & going as well. We also packed a backpack for each of the kids with various activities for the flights going to & from, etc. They included the Crayola Color Wonder markers & coloring books (they only color on the special paper - great for traveling), some snacks, and any other little things that would keep them busy. Little notebooks & pens, some stickers to put on paper, etc. Oh, I had also found them each a Disney themed book where they had to search a page for several different things/characters. DD had Tinkerbell and DS had Pixar movies. It was great!! And they enjoyed finding some special and new items. You can find some great & inexpensive notebooks, pens, etc in the $1 sections at Michaels & Target.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

When we flew with our ds the first time we had a portable dvd player. He watched a movie during the flight.

Be sure and bring headphones.

 

[gigi1313]

ditto the headphones... i have a headphone 'splitter" so two people can listen at the same time
also, in the airport, we let our kids run... we call it "pre-flight exercise" (and i don't mean "run amok" i just mean roam and bounce and be a little physical vs. sitting reading/watching/coloring) and we follow it up w/a dose of benadryl (for allergies/ears/etc)... in flight we use the dvd player and post-it notes and stickers... the post-its peel off easily but stay put when decorating them... i also bring a few new small books (esp the I-Spy series) and my kids love to read the shopping catalog from the seatback pocket (find a dog, find a shoe, etc)...

 

[malibuconlee]

Snacks, movies on a laptop or dvd player with headphones, stickers..my daughter loves stickers, a few toys. Entertaining a 4 year old sounds much easier than a 2 year old without a nap, which is what we had on our flight at Christmas!

I agree with the pp who said time will go faster than you think. Between takeoff, beverage service, landing, the flight will go fast.

 

[Liltx]

Bring the car seat and he will nap. Don't over stimulate or you will have a worse problem. Just bring a few books, small toys, and a lollipop.

 

[Coconuts]

We have taken just about everything on our flights to keep kids happy:

dvd player
ds and games
coloring books/crayons
magnadoodle
stickers
books
cards
candy/lollipops/gum/favorite snacks
juice/sippy cup
favorite blanket/stuffed animal/toy

Another tip would be to buy some NEW things, like a dvd, ds game, book, toy, etc. If it's something new, it may hold some facination and hold their attention longer if they've never seen it.

Good luck.

 

[Darcy03231]

Fuzzy pipecleaners were a big hit for my 4 y.o. niece. She loved twisting them into different things.

Others were stickers & sticker books, magna doodle, preschool work books, ipod with disney music, coloring book and crayons.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

The fellow in front of me with a young girl had a portable DVD player. They also colored in coloring books. (she would turn around, stand up and peer at me over the top of the seat while holding her crayon. It was cute.) She also had a doll with her because sometimes she'd hold the doll up over the seat like it was looking at me too. LOL

The flight was only an hour and 10 minutes though.

 

[ErinsMommy]

thank you everyone for the great suggestions!!

 

[bjscheel]

Crayola Model Magic. It's like play-doh but doesn't leave crumbs or residue. Very clean! She can form it into shapes over and over, work two colors together to make a new color (this takes a while), then at the last trash can pass, throw it away. (It dries and can't be used again.)

This worked great when my kids were younger.

 

[nytimez]

You never know what weird thing will occupy a young child. When my daughter was two, I brought all the usual kiddie stuff... but she spent almost the entire 2 hour+ flight happily squeezing the beans out of edamame shells and eating them. And that was just something I had picked up at a kiosk by the terminal gate for me to snack on during the flight...

 

[VAN]

Just another note:

If you have a connecting flight, please plan for any cancellations.

If you have a direct flight, please plan on any delays.

In other words, change of clothes, snacks, medicines, WITH YOU and not in the checked luggage. And don't forget the chewing gum or a sucker for take-off and landing (ear pressure).

 

[Nennie]

Snacks, snacks, and more snacks! LOL!!

My DS is normally a very healthy eater, but when we fly I bring all kinds of goodies that would make a dentist . Keeps him happy, keeps our neighbors happy!

I also bring a DVD player, but since DS doesn't like to wear the headphones (I think he's too young to understand what they are for), I just keep the movie muted, and he doesn't even notice the difference!

 

[TinkWink]

I love the pipecleaners idea!!

We will have the DVD player with her favorite movies. And a large package of gummy bears.

 

[bekkiz]

There's a bunch of reusable sticker books and sets (I just bought some like this: http://www.amazon.com/Mudpuppy-Day-Play-Scene-Sticker/dp/0735306028 ) that my kids really like (they're 2.5).

Our four year old neighbor LOVES this game: Feed the Kitty It is very small, and easy to play.

I've also been looking into some apps for our iPad and iPhone. There's a bunch of neat interactive books out there (there's a 3 Little Pigs one that looks awesome), if you have one of those gadgets.