Traveling with kids

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ps99472

ps99472

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About to take my little one on her first plane ride.  Any tips?  I've already prepped her many times regarding the flight and how LONG its gonna be... to avoid this...

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vUBsTJYK28[/youtube]

Bringing phone, tablet, snacks, drinks, what am I missing?  Worried about take off and landing as she won't be use to the ear popping thing.. Maybe I'll bring some benadryl just in case  :-\

Gonna pick up a booster car seat.. instead of lugging around my 50 lb convertible version in my car now.. I'm nervous
 
How old and how long is the flight? I think she's 3 or 4.

We took our oldest on her first flight to NorCal when she was 1 and had no problems but that flight was really short. Since then... our kids have been to Hawaii, NY, Chicago etc but nothing international. Chewing gum helps with the ear thing... and yes... phone/dvd/videos/snacks helps with the boredom.

On the longer flights, they usually fall asleep.

My friend had it rough... he had to take his kid walking around the plane all the time, and spent a half an hour in the restroom letting them play with the water... so it varies per kid.
 
About 5 hours, kid is almost 4...i don't think I can give her gum yet... maybe a mouthful of gummi bears during takeoff/landing?  then i'll have a sugar high/low kid when getting of the plane.. yikes...
 
My advice would be to check the car seat.  You won't need it on the flight.  It's going to be hard to keep the kid in the seat the whole flight, and when she wants to get out of the seat, you won't have anywhere to put it and it would just be in the way.  I usually have a juice box ready (hidden from view so she won't be begging for it), and when the plane is about to take off, have her sip away.  Landing is not too bad, if she's asleep, let her sleep through it.  If not, you can deal with her in the privacy of your car  :)
 
it won't be too bad... took 2 kids ages 1 and 4 on multiple international flights and had no real problems. ipad, headphones for the ipad, endless snacks.  if you time the flight to coincide with naps and/or bedtime, even better!
 
Oh yes... kalbi brings up a good point, remember to bring headphones that are comfortable for your child. We used the cover the ear type... not the most portable, but best for comfort and blocking out noise.
 
Took the kids on international flights since they were 3/4 months old. Except one occasion when we were stalled in Gangzhou on a Cathay Pacific flight for seven extra hours, never gave me trouble. They watched a lot of movies, something they don't get to do much at home. They just slept off when they were babies. Kalbi as the list covered.

Carry some snacks, I don't usually do this, but the Gangzhou experience taught me to throw something in the bag..
 
Have traveled with our 2 kids on international and domestic flights. We take storybooks, activity books, crayons, small toys, etc. As long as you keep them entertained, they will be ok :).

We have tried giving them candy, gum for take offs/landings, but it hasn't helped much. Their ears still ache, but they are ok in a few minutes.

We don't carry on the car seat in the plane. The kids don't mind sitting on the plan seat without their car seat. With kids, you have your hands full as it is, so the fewer things you carry on, the better.
 
My daughter has been on more than dozen flights.  It'll be fine.  100% agree with checking car/booster seat, it's free btw, doesn't count as a charged checked luggage piece.  The iPad is a game changer.  Load up a bunch of movies and games and she'll be good to go.  We have the Bose 15 noise canceling over the ear headphones, works fantastic, it's on my daughter most of the time.  Sometimes kids get air sick, hard to predict, make sure you have a puke bag handy.  If your kid has an ear infection, she's gonna be uncomfortable with the pressure changes, nothing you can do.  Best thing you can do as a parent is just keep your kid's behavior in line.  I can't stand out of control kids on planes with the clueless parents doing nothing. 
 
When he was much younger (he was about 2 years old IIRC), we took IR2.1 on a flight to visit friends in Texas.  We had everything that has been mentioned. He was fine until about 15 minutes from landing back at John Wayne. At that point he attempted to throw the mother of all tantrums, and was fairly successful. He fought being strapped in the seatbelt; he screamed bloody murder at the top of his lungs; and simultaneously went Fists/Feet of Fury on everything that he could reach.

None of our attempts to console/calm him were successful. It felt like the full weight of the stares of every passenger was on me for probably 3 of the longest minutes of my life.

Finally the embarrasment got the best of me. I unbuckled my seatbelt, stood up, and pulled my wallet from my pocket.  "5 dollars. This boy is for sale for $5."

He stopped and was silent through the landing.

Good luck in your travels!
-IR2

 
IrvineRealtor said:
When he was much younger (he was about 2 years old IIRC), we took IR2.1 on a flight to visit friends in Texas.  We had everything that has been mentioned. He was fine until about 15 minutes from landing back at John Wayne. At that point he attempted to throw the mother of all tantrums, and was fairly successful. He fought being strapped in the seatbelt; he screamed bloody murder at the top of his lungs; and simultaneously went Fists/Feet of Fury on everything that he could reach.

None of our attempts to console/calm him were successful. It felt like the full weight of the stares of every passenger was on me for probably 3 of the longest minutes of my life.

Finally the embarrasment got the best of me. I unbuckled my seatbelt, stood up, and pulled my wallet from my pocket.  "5 dollars. This boy is for sale for $5."

He stopped and was silent through the landing.

Good luck in your travels!
-IR2
Click to expand...

Funny thing is.... I can imagine you saying that right now..
 
The booster seat I'm bringing is for the ride to and from the airport and also the rental car.  Checking it in at the gate, but with 3 carry-ons, I figure the lighter the better.. Saw a few booster seats.. but hate to try a new seat while on vacation.. thanks all for the tips..
 
IrvineRealtor said:
When he was much younger (he was about 2 years old IIRC), we took IR2.1 on a flight to visit friends in Texas.  We had everything that has been mentioned. He was fine until about 15 minutes from landing back at John Wayne. At that point he attempted to throw the mother of all tantrums, and was fairly successful. He fought being strapped in the seatbelt; he screamed bloody murder at the top of his lungs; and simultaneously went Fists/Feet of Fury on everything that he could reach.

None of our attempts to console/calm him were successful. It felt like the full weight of the stares of every passenger was on me for probably 3 of the longest minutes of my life.

Finally the embarrasment got the best of me. I unbuckled my seatbelt, stood up, and pulled my wallet from my pocket.  "5 dollars. This boy is for sale for $5."

He stopped and was silent through the landing.

Good luck in your travels!
-IR2
Click to expand...

Why did you pull out your wallet if you're selling him?  ;)
 
gaogi said:
IrvineRealtor said:
When he was much younger (he was about 2 years old IIRC), we took IR2.1 on a flight to visit friends in Texas.  We had everything that has been mentioned. He was fine until about 15 minutes from landing back at John Wayne. At that point he attempted to throw the mother of all tantrums, and was fairly successful. He fought being strapped in the seatbelt; he screamed bloody murder at the top of his lungs; and simultaneously went Fists/Feet of Fury on everything that he could reach.

None of our attempts to console/calm him were successful. It felt like the full weight of the stares of every passenger was on me for probably 3 of the longest minutes of my life.

Finally the embarrasment got the best of me. I unbuckled my seatbelt, stood up, and pulled my wallet from my pocket.  "5 dollars. This boy is for sale for $5."

He stopped and was silent through the landing.

Good luck in your travels!
-IR2
Click to expand...

Why did you pull out your wallet if you're selling him?  ;)
Click to expand...

the kid is so cute he was certain he would sell so he was ready to put the $5 in his wallet.
 
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