Toddlers first plane ride...motion sickness?

[mikehn]

Hi, this will be my three year old's first plane ride. What are the chances he will get motion sickness on the plane? High probability, low probability, it depends? I bought a pair of those boating wrist bands for him, but skeptical about their effectiveness.

 

[thegrimdwarf]

I think it really depends on your kid and how smooth the plane ride is. Does he get sick easily in the car? If he has trouble in the car, I'd bank on him having trouble in the air.

Good luck!

 

[mrstomrice]

My 3 yo had no problems at all. Is your child sensitive? We just brought Tootsie Rolls so he could chew at take off to help his ears pop. We had no issues at all! We brought a portable dvd player to help keep him occupied.

 

[thegrimdwarf]

Ooooh, Tootsie Rolls are a great idea!

Definitely get a portable DVD if it's in your budget. Ours is as essential as plane tickets for airplane travel! Plus I would imagine a favorite movie would be great distraction from an upset tummy.

 

[disney[xo]sweetie]

DVDs are the solution to all parenting dillemas. get a dvd player because some sell for super cheap, and you will definitly get use out of it in the future. and also bring some comfort items like a favorite blankie/chewie/etc. and a pillow if he wants to take a nap. what really determines what to expect out of your kids is the amount of turbulence on your flight. google turbulence forecast and you'll get a lot of sites with the answers. oh, and if your kid likes to color, the bookstores in airports sell little packages of crayons and a BIG coloring book for about $6.

 

[brymolmom]

I would go in assuming the best - and not mentioning anything and not asking 'how are you feeling?' or othe quesions that might make ds suspect that he 'might' get sick.

Has he ever had an issue in the car? Or riding high on the swingset? If not - I would say he is probably in the clear.

 

[TheDizMom]

Does your child tend to get car sick? If not, I would say that the chances are pretty low. I am a former FA and I rarely ran into problems with children being air sick. The key is not to let your child get to warm. If there are any turbulence and he's warm he is more likely to get sick. He is also more likely to get sick if he is on an empty stomach, so make sure you have given him a meal before the flight and that you have plenty of snacks for the flight. Also keep him hydrated. If you have any major concerns ask your Ped for a recommendation for using an anti-nausea med like dramamine. Take it with you and if you have any problems you can give it to him, just keep in mind it will make him drowsy. One more suggestion if you act relaxed about him going and emphasize the fun of his first trip he will more then likely be just fine. Don't forget to ask for some wings and a first flight certificate from the flight crew (assuming most airlines still have them). It will make a great keepsake for the baby book.

 

[Jakesmom504]

Does your child tend to get car sick? If not, I would say that the chances are pretty low. I am a former FA and I rarely ran into problems with children being air sick. The key is not to let your child get to warm. If there are any turbulence and he's warm he is more likely to get sick. He is also more likely to get sick if he is on an empty stomach, so make sure you have given him a meal before the flight and that you have plenty of snacks for the flight. Also keep him hydrated. If you have any major concerns ask your Ped for a recommendation for using an anti-nausea med like dramamine. Take it with you and if you have any problems you can give it to him, just keep in mind it will make him drowsy. One more suggestion if you act relaxed about him going and emphasize the fun of his first trip he will more then likely be just fine. Don't forget to ask for some wings and a first flight certificate from the flight crew (assuming most airlines still have them). It will make a great keepsake for the baby book.

Are you allowed to bring snacks on the plane? I never fly so I don't know the rules. DS is very picky and I was thinking of bringing snacks for him I know he'd eat. I was also worried about the motion sickness (his first flight too) but he doesn't get car sick and can watch movies or read in the car without getting sick so I think he'll be fine.

I agree with the previous poster though, bring a portable DVD player if you can or a Leapster! They are great too.

 

[mylilnikita]

Ok, not sure how much of this you can do and it doesn't really pertain to motion sickness per say.
I first took my DD9 to Wdw by plane when she was 5. So there is a couple years difference. But due to a incident that happened when she was 4-she didn't want to give Fluffy her stuffed animal to the lady doing x ray machines for a cruise, I decided I was not going to have a repeat of that.
I started playing airport security with her so she would know what to expect. We still play it when we are about to go on trips, she is the best traveler.
But it goes something like this: You pretend you are at the airport and about to go through security-even though it does vary somewhat from airport to airport-have him or help him take off his shoes and put them on a make believe xray converyor belt have him walk through a make believe metal detector. If he carries a certain animal or whatever that he will hvae to let the xray attendant have, make sure he practices to give it up.
Then we would pretend to get on a plane, get a chair and have him sit in it and pretend to seatbelt him in. Then slightly pull the chair back as if to somewhat simulate the plane started to ascend. You can simulate turbulence on a very small scale by moving the chair kind of up and down and side to side.
Like I said not sure if all those things could be done with him, but I think if you are relaxed and somewhat let him know what it is about and try to make it look fun, he should do fine.
And yes, take snacks. And things for him to do, not sure how long the flight is.

 

[TheDizMom]

Are you allowed to bring snacks on the plane? I never fly so I don't know the rules. DS is very picky and I was thinking of bringing snacks for him I know he'd eat. I was also worried about the motion sickness (his first flight too) but he doesn't get car sick and can watch movies or read in the car without getting sick so I think he'll be fine.

I agree with the previous poster though, bring a portable DVD player if you can or a Leapster! They are great too.

Yes you can bring on whatever you want as long as you aren't trying to get any liquids through security. As far as I know there are no rules against bringing solid foods through security and the airlines don't care if you bring your own food on and never have.