very early flight

[kathmzh]

Hey all! I have a very early flight, before 6:30 a.m., and two young kids (5 and 7) who have never flown before. Any tips on how to make the morning go as smoothly as possible? We're not experienced travelers. Thanks for your help!

 

[winniedapooh]

We have 5 DCherubs (ages at the time 2-8, 5-11, and 5-13) and have flown out at 7 and 8 AM with them. They are so excited that they get ready right away and will sometimes sleep on the way to the airport and then once in the air will often take another nap. Now acclimating to the hotel room is another story, lol! It all works out in the end. I have brought gameboys and books and homework and coloring and they usually don't even use that stuff and our flight is 3 hours. Pixie dust to you!

 

[Geri]

When my DD started flying she was 3; she's now 13 & an expert.

When she was small I would always pack her backpack that she carried with coloring books, crayons, markers, plain paper, pencils - anything I knew she enjoyed doing at home. There would also be snacks & juice boxes (just a couple because we didn't have a long flight). She always kept herself busy with her stuff or was talking to me. She didn't bounce all over the plane. I didn't allow her to push on the back of the seat in front of her. She was a young lady & I was always very proud of her.

Geri

 

[cathymailme]

Hi,

In North Dakota you almost always have to have a connecting flight to get anywhere. Therefor, we take a lot of early flights. I usually let my kids, now 3 and 5, sleep until we are ready to leave. I take then on the first flight in there pj's. This lets them sleep comfortably all the way to Minneapolis. When we get to Minneapolis they are ready for the day. We then go to the bathroom and them dressed, fix their hair, and have breakfast. On the next flight we have colors, books, playdough etc to keep them busy. It has worked great!

 

[extreme8]

Two words - Gummi Bears.
We've taken 2 DW trips with my 2 kids when they were 1 & 4 yrs old and again at 2 & 5 yrs old.
When the plane takes of and lands the little ones don't understand how to equalize the pressure in their ears and it causes them a lot of discomfort. Some adults chew gum to relieve this, but that's not such a great plan for kids.

Solution: Give 'em a couple gummi bears to gnaw on. Problem solved.

We ended up sitting near other familes with children and some of the youngest ones were actually in tears because their ears hurt. We gave out all of our gummi bears on the outbound leg and had to buy more for the trip home.
On the way back we were with many of the same people, and they all had their own gummi's

As for the early flight, we stay at a Holiday Inn express near the airport the night before. They have a shuttle to the airport, and you can leave your car in the lot for free. The night at the hotel is less than the cost of parking in the long-term lots and we get an extra 90 minutes sleep out of the deal.

 

[mep319]

We too usually take the 6:30 flight...with the traffic here in Philly you actually only leave about 30 minutes earlier for the 6:30 flight than you would for the 8:00...better in the air to disney then on the Schuylkill...anyway I digress....Our DD has been flying since 2...we use to do the books/coloring books but you would be amazed how they roll around! Now she likes her walkman & gameboy. Our DD also gets a bit air sick so we do dramine or bodine and she usually sleeps on the way down. This year we purchased a portable DVD...I'll let you know how it goes but from what I heard it is great! With two you might consider...a lot of places rent them too.

 

[kathmzh]

Great tips! Jammies, gummies and DVDs will be must-do's, and we'll look into the airport hotel for the night before. Thanks for the help!

 

[perpetualplanner]

We always remember to bring a "chewy" type snack for take off and landing. For us it is usually twizzlers but anything chewy would work. If it is their first time flying the window seat usually will occupy them for a good hour or so.

 

[Aubrey]

We have found that it works best for us to spend the night before an early flight at an airport hotel with free park-n-fly. The cost of our room is often less than the cost of airport parking and in the morning catching the hotel shuttle to the curbside check-in is easier on our sleepy family than struggling with parking the car, lugging the suitcases, and dealing with traffic. Our kids respond better to the need to catch a scheduled shuttle than being hurried into their own car, the suitcases are already packed and by the door, and sometimes for a special treat, we can order room service to wake us with breakfast in bed !!!

 

[Mad4Mickey]

Thanks for the Gummi tip ! I was planning on giving my nephew gum but if he wont chew it I will have the Gummi Worms in my purse

not many more days to get ready i better get those worms

Wishing you a Tagged afternoon
Mishell

 

[Coll0610]

We let DS sleep in his clothes the night before and he thought that was part of vacation. In the morning, we let him sleep as long as possible, then get him up, bathroom and into the ar. The airport is only 10 minutes from our house. After we check in, we get donuts and milk while we wait for our flight.

DS was 4 when we first took him, and we've taken a 6am flight every year. Sometimes we're too tired to do much when we get there, but at least we are doing nothing in Disney instead of at home!

Also, we've used fruit snacks during take off and landing. This year for the first time, we had the earplanes (earplugs for the airplane) and they worked well. Remember that the chewy candy won't work if they are asleep and can't eat it. We tried to keep DS awake on one flight but couldn't. The ear pain woke him up and he cried until we landed. No fun for any of us!

Make sure to pack some snacks for on the plane in case you don't get any or the kids don't like what is served. You might want to bring sippy cups or cups with lids for their drinks to avoid the possibility of spills.

Magnadoodles are good for the plane too - no pens or crayons to lose on the plane. You can even use them to play tic-tac-toe.

 

[April in Disney]

I always take early flights. This time is a 7 a.m. flight. We pack the car the night before. I am planning to get up at 3:30 a.m. Take my shower, wake up DD and DH,get dressed, Stop at dunken donut on our way to airport, curb check, park the car long term, go to the gate, get on the plane, eat breakfast, get to orlando, get the luggage, find the car service, get to resort, check in, hope they let us in the room, if not get changed to swim suite, go to the pool, close my eyes and relax, eat some salad,get to the room, take a shower, get dressed for Mnsshp,go to the park, have dinner at 5.15p.m. Party!!!
I am exasted already.

 

[Disneyolic]

Our flight out is at 6:50 am so we'll need to get going pretty darn early too. I plan on getting the boys (ages 2 and 4) out of bed just before we go. Depending on how awake they are will depend on if I dress them at home or on the plane. I am almost 98% sure that they will not sleep on the flight down. Once these boys are awake forget about it.

I bought a smaller Magna Doodle, a couple of Mickey Mouse key chains that start out with candy in them (once the candy is gone, Mickey is normal size when you remove the candy tube), Dollar Store plastic animals (a bunch come in a bag and I got dinosaurs and sea creatures). We are also very lucky to be able to bring a portable DVD player so that will help tremendously. It was a lifesaver last year with our then 1½ year old son.

Here's hoping you and we have a wonderful flight(s).



~DawnMaree

 

[erikthewise]

I think your flight will go just fine, esp with all the advice above.

My advice is: do NOT make any irreversible plans for doing big things later in the day. Go to a theme park if you wish, but don't be surprised if they want to leave after a couple hours. Unless they do some serious napping, they'll probably crash sometime between 3 and 6. Arrival day is a good day to check out the resort pool, do some exploring, go to DTD and check out the Lego store, etc.

 

[kathmzh]

Thanks for all the great tips!
We have no plans for the arrival day, I think going through two airports, flying for the first time, checking into the hotel, and swimming will be enough for them. They're not nappers, so I think we'll just call it a day when they get pooped.
BTW, I found some great keychain games -- Boggle, Connect Four and a couple others -- on sale at Target this week, in case anyone is interested.