Keeping kids happy on a long flight

Hope for one of the airplanes with personal seatback videos in coach. Check with the airline about that.

I might also suggest you check with your pediatrician on their view of dramamine.

What is it the kids usually like to do to entertain themselves? Any chance they are avid readers?

As above, hopefully you are on an airline (like BA) with the individual seatback entertainment screens. They run movies and TV shows continuously for most of the flight.

For other, I'd think same as adults, some magazines, favorite snacks, etc.

I would try to not give them food that contains sugar, caffeine or food coloring. I know that's hard to implement, but the less they have, the less wound up they'll be.

1) take an airline that serves free booze. For you, not the kids. On second thought....

2) as noted, hopefully you'll have individual IFE in the seat backs - makes a big difference. Otherwise, as you referenced in another thread, use the ipods. I really don't think electronics should have limited battery capacity; we've never had a problem with that.

3) pack some surprise bags in your carry on and give them one every 2 hours or so. My wife excelled in finding some inexpensive items - removable stickies that made games/pictures, small puzzles, child magazines, kids books on your destinations (let them pick some things they'd want to do), etc.

4) and yes some snacks. You're just not going to get much of that from the airline.

BTW - I give you an A+ for doing this. They'll never forget the trip.

One of the things we brought onboard a long flight were pipe cleaners. You can pick them up at any craft store or even places like Walmart for a larger sized package.

They are easy to carry, light, inexpensive,and can be made into lots of different creatures which can let them use their imagination beyond the electronics.

Go to Amazon and type in The Boys Doodle Book.

We picked up one for our son (and the girls version for our daughter) before our recent trip 7 hour plane trip from NYC to Ixtapa.

It has 100 pictures that ask them to use their imagination to complete the pictures. We gave each child a crayon pack and they stayed busy for at least 2 hours each (when not sleeping.) The pictures include things like "What does this aliens town look like?" and "what's in this castle?"

There are also small, compact travel games that have magnetic pieces. We have checkers and backgammon.

hate to say it, but sometimes electronics can be your friend: ipods, game boys, nintendo DS or even a PSP. All of these would depend on the age of the guys, of course. Ipod shuffles aren't expensive, relatively, nor are game boys now. Just bring extra batteries, we always travel with a boatload, and you can get more everywhere, and a shuffle's battery will last quite a while. And why won't a portable DVD player be an option? My 12 year old twins travel with books, cards, and electronics and it works. We have played poker - 5 card draw, black jack, and texas hold 'em all through Paris, the Dordogne and egypt. You may prefer other games, but they work...

I agree with you Momliz. Children's have a good time pass with electronics. My nephews usually carry game-boy or PSP with them. Board-games are also fun to play.

and, mom, just saw your post on another thread, so one thing that I think is crucial is don't try to do too much. In that other thread I think the mom was planning on three cities in 2 weeks. That's insanity, especially with kids. 2 cities, maybe, and stay in an apartment, so they can spread out and play and everyone can have their space. I know this is off topic, but check Slow Travel for more suggestions.

I applaud anyone who doesn't have to rely on electronic entertainment for kids. I'm not sure I could say the same -- when traveling with just one child -- myself.

Last year we managed a European trip without a DVD player or ipod for our son; this year may be another story.

What worked on the plane for us last time was having a plane _without_ seatback screens for the overnight outbound flight. Less distraction made it more likely our son would sleep a bit. (So did giving him a bit of pediatric Nyquil.) He slept for about 5 hours of an 8-hour flight.

Inflight distractions that held up for the awake hours going over and for the entire daytime flight going home: I read to him (he wasn't yet reading on his own). He played with a Magna doodle and some favorite small toys. We played some games out of an Usborne book of travel games. There are some great games and puzzles to print on sites like nickjr.com -- mazes and "madlibs" stuff keeps my son cheerful. So do the kind of books like I Spy, where he has to find certain things in a very busy or detailed image (like Where's Waldo).

I always pack a few new things: books, cheap trinket-y toys, and art supplies.

It was easy for me with one child; you'll have more on your hands, obviously. I suppose the main thing to keep in mind is to arrive prepared; don't count on the airlines for anything (not snacks, not entertainment). I never assume I'll be able to read a book or listen to my ipod myself; in transit, I feel my job is to keep my son content and occupied.

One benefit to having four, though, must be that they can play together a bit?

There are some terrific suggestions here. Pipe cleaners, Doodle Books, magnetic board-type games; I'll look into those. And I'll keep checking back to read more suggestions.

Thanks for posting this.

Call me a luddite, but what's wrong with a simple pack of crayons or picture books? Our policy is not to purely entertain the kids with DVDs and portable games just because they are on airplanes. Do you let your kids watch TV at home for more than 3hrs in a row?

Surely individual video screens work, though contents are more for 6yo and above than real young ones. Also young kids often have difficulty keeping headphones in place.

Oh, and btw, I travel frequently with two of my under-6s. My son is just happy with the safety instruction seat in the seatback. I've taught my daughter cats cradle and she can spend 1hr just entertaining herself. I'd rather teach them how to keep their minds engaged proactively.

The only criteria we have for in-flight toys are 1) no sounds, and 2) no small bits that can get lost.

No, the kids don't (usually) watch TV for 3 hours straight but I'd be more than happy to let them watch their brains out if it kept them content on a plane and not bothering anyone else on a flight across the pond.

The older boys (12 & 11) will be fine with reading, IPod, etc. It's mostly the 3 year old I'm concerned about and to a lesser extent the 8 year old.

The electronics I refer to are all rechargable-battery driven as opposed to disposable battery. No way to recharge on a plane after 2-3 hours.

Thanks for the great suggestions, I will pick up magazines, download and print some mazes, I-spy/Waldo book; I'll try out the pipe cleaners and complete-a-picture book as the two younger guys will probably enjoy that very much.

Thanks for knocking me on the head with the "limit the sugar" advice. I would have probably gone crazy with a bunch of junk food and made them miserable. I'll stick to nuts, trail mix, crackers.

The hubster and I are realists and know the limitations of travelling with the "crew". Therefore, we will not be visting 10 countries in 10 days or anything nearly that insane.

I also will not be medicating my children with Benadryl as was suggested to me.

My mum would never fly when we were kids so we would drive from northern England to Spain - took 2 days.

She would make up a 'surprise pack' An A4 envelope filled with small toys, pencils, notebooks etc with a list of things we had to look out for written on the envelope.

things like "A red car" or "A boat", whenever we could tick off something on the envelope we could ave ONE gift from inside.

Obviously flying you would need to do different things, maybe "count 10 different planes" at the airport or "speak to the flight attendant in Spanish".

One plea from a solos traveller with no kids - if you do take electronics please use headphones or turn the sound off. Thank you

We typically come over prepared for our 2 children (6 and 10) with the online movies (we bring a DVD player too just in case), video games, snacks, tablet for drawings, cards. At this age they are certainly easier to keep entertained than a toddler.
My kids ONLY get their video games on long trips/flights or as a reward for something. Same with movies. We do not watch a lot of TV in our house so movies are used as a reward. Bring along a few eye masks too. They will eventually go to sleep.

For the 3 year old, line up the dining room chairs and play airplane. Make sure he knows what is expected (staying in seat when the seatbelt sign is lit, using inside voice). You can test his understanding by reversing roles and having him be the flight attendant. At times, have the older boys take over the 'practice.' It will reinforce the rules for them too.

One of the problems that young children have is with the ears. I remember the doctor telling me how to clear my ears both going up and getting ready to land. I don't remember what he said but you could ask your doctor about that.
Better than having a child cry because their ears hurt.

Thanks for the ear advice. I will talk to our doctor. I remember on my first flight, I felt like my ear drum was going to explode.

Bad memory.

Try earplanes- ear plugs made for air travel. For the whole family.

I just flew Japan/US with my two kids, and yes, the seatback TVs are a blessing. What did I do pre-TV? Surprise packs, as others have suggested. I found play-doh to be very useful, and my kids were pretty careful to keep it on the tray (not in the seats!).

Let them take walks every now and then, and if you can schedule a flight that leaves in the evenings, that may help (although they may be sleepy at the destination).

Singing songs quietly always helped pass the time.

Make sure you include gum or chewing candy in your snack packs.

Oh, and hydration is important. They probably won't let you take bottles of water in . . . but no one stopped me from taking an EMPTY water bottle into the airport. I filled them up at the water fountains.

And this may sound crazy, but surgical masks really help keep the air hydrated, which helps keep everyone happy. Especially on a long flight. I had one lady ask if I was sick! But, better to fend off questions like that than to actually get sick because of cabin air.

Have much fun!

PLEASE don't bring your screaming, squirming, babbling, flailing children on a plane. Flying is miserable enough. We've all had flights ruined by parents who can't be bothered to find any alternative but to inflict their children on adult travelers who want no part of it.

When our kids were little, I always took tiny notepads found in drug stores for maybe 25 c. each on sale.
Then used them to play tic-tac-toe, hang-man and other such games. It was always fun to create new games often silly ones too.
One kid who loved math problems wanted to do some while on plane.
And the most fun was making origami creatures etc. I printed some instructions and carried some tiny paper in various colors/patterns and that kept them occupied also. Good luck.

First thing is relax! If you are stressed they will be also. My kids and I flew this summer (without husband)roundtrip from Rome to Chicago. They are very experienced flyers and they know they have to behave. They are six and seven years old and use to long flights. We use to live in Hawaii. This trip in addition to DVD player with extended battery, plenty of snacks (I don't force airline food on them), copy books (notebooks) w/ markers, we brought Crayola Model Magic. Throughout the trip we worked on making various sea life. Everyone around commented on how well behaved my kids were and the flight attendant actually gave them a stuffed animal when we landed. When the kids are getting tired I challenge them to the quiet game. No talking including myself and the winner can buy anything they want from the dollar store. We played four times. Twice my youngest fell asleep. While waiting to get through customs other passengers asked how I did it and the kids proudly talked about the two dollars they each earned (euro on the way back). Have fun!

Will TSA allow you to bring a small bottle of Ether to knock them all out before they tell you how bored they are?

We traveled with three kids, 16, 12 and 8. The 12 year old wouldn't sleep to save his life and regretted it on his first day in Europe. Fortunately they are young and recover quickly.

hat about being PARTICULAR?
we all SUFFER on longhaul. why do kids ask for special treatment.
just make an announcement and period!

div

I had the pleasure of sitting next to a kid once on the way to New York. He had everything in his backpack from cards to homework. The only thing he didn't have was travel scrabble, might have been a good thing from the way he trounced me on tic tac toe.

Since your going to Europe, it would be a good time to brush up on the foreign language skills.

I have taken my grandchildren on international flights, by myself, for the past few years. I started when they were 6 and 10. I always have coloured pencils, a tablet of paper, a small activity book, a deck of cards, a pair of dice, and some reading material. The boys have always been well behaved. We have flown from California to London, and both boys stayed awake the entire way. I do let them use the seat back entertainment, as this is a vacation from the norm for them, and we do not watch TV at home or in hotel rooms. We have traveled on trains through out England, and there also, no issue.
One thing I do make them do, is walk up and down the aisle of the plane or train with me several times during the trip (if they are not sleeping). They quietly say hello to anyone who is not engrossed in their own activity. We have met some wonderful, interesting, and amazing people this way, and learned more about the world.
There are a lot of great ideas here, use what will work for you, relax, and have fun!

I've hauled my kids all over creation... One cashed in his FF miles on a ticket to Japan - at age 5....

Let them pack their own packs. The rule is that they must be able to carry it themselves (and of course check it for knives, scissors, etc...) Have them bring their own snacks, an empty water bottle (fill it from a fountain after you get through security), tissues, whatever.

Have them work together to pack stuff in their packs. That way, Joey can bring the crayons for everyone and Billy can bring the games and Bobby can bring the books.

Electronic toys are a blessing, although unless they share well you may be in for a fight over the DVD player. Bring headphone splitters so they can watch movies together. Practice this before you leave.

Explain to them what is going on. Make sure they know why they're cooped up in a plane. Let them walk around the plane if they want. Treat them like adults and they're more likely to act like adults.

Most importantly, don't get frazzled by the grumps who will tell you to "control your kids" and "you shouldn't bring kids on planes". I guess they never had children, and they were born fully grown with a sour attitude.

well, momof4boys, I'm with you- I'd happily let my DD watch TV the entire plane ride over if it kept her quiet and content and not bothering others. I'd also appreciate other parents doing the same!

On a long flight, I would actually bring 2 portable dvd players. they make them so small (7 inch screens) that I wouldn't think twice about doing that. Ipods with video capacity have longer battery lives -- that's another great option. That's what my SIL did with her DD when they flew cross country this past summer.

Along with all the other ideas, how about creating some games relating to your trip. A few ideas:

hangman
word search
20 questions

Some of the answers could relate to sights you will be seeing, the history of the region, the language, geography, the itinerary (where will be going after London?), etc.

You can have each boy try to answer questions fit for his age and for every so many right answers, they get to choose a restaurant, buy a souvenir, etc.

You could also do flashcards for some of the basic words in each language (thank you, you're welcome, please, police, yes, no, taxi, hamburger, etc.) so that they can help communicate.

Another idea is to give each boy the name of a place you will visit (castle name, the salt mines, etc.). Then the kids can take turns making up a story about that place and telling it to the others. The more imagination used the better.

When you actually visit the place, you'll find the kids saying things like "hey, Joe - that's where your monster spider lives", etc.

This site looks like it might be worth checking out: jetwithkids.com

Nightnurse? and a seat well away from me!

To all of you who said, "benadryl", "keep them away from me", etc.--they were fantastic and it was some guy behind me who kept grabbing my seat back every time he stood up and grown ups who stayed in the toilet WAY too long.

Kids are reminded to be quiet and polite. Some adults have lost their manners.

So, be nice, kids are people, too.

Hi Mom of 4,
Glad your trip with the boys was good. Our trip to SE Asia was also good, except for the older (read about 75) woman who kept smacking me on the back of the head whenever I leaned my seat back! She did not speak English, and the stewardess did not seem to want to help. It was a nightmare, but all the children on the flight were well-behaved.

Portable dvd player would be very good for the 3 year old and the 8 year olds. We bought one for Hawaii one year and it was worth it. The battery lasts for about 3 hours. I called the company and bought a second battery. Then you have 6 hours to move that thing around.
I pods, and gameboys (sound off please) work well. Make sure you have headsets for the dvd player.
Some air movies are not appropriate and they definitely won't entertain the younger ones.
Deck of cards, books, madlibs, pens, markers, coloring for the younger ones. Fun treats ...definitely have snacks.
Small toy treats are always fun.
I used to pack backpacks with some new stuff. I have girls so I went with polly pockets and cards and a coloring book and crayons,e tc... Maybe action figures?
Hopefully they will sleep. Have fun.

Okay i wasn't thorough in my reading and realize you already went.
Glad you had fun and I agree some kids are better than grownups!

Not to start a whole new debate (Benadryl or no? TV or no?), but I've been tempted to smack people on the head when they recline their seat in a full, tight coach section where my knees are already at the back of the seat. Especially when they have more leg room than I and recline their seat from the moment we hit altitude. Courtesy goes a long way-on here and in the air.

Feeling a bit of a need to defend myself here. SusanSDG, I agree that courtesy goes a long way, so I also do not usually recline my seat. The man in front of me had reclined his before we even took off, I waited until dinner had been served, cleaned up, and most others had reclined. I did not hit the man in front of me for reclining his seat, nor did I harshly confront the woman who actually did hit me. I put my seat up, waited about an hour, then tried again. Both my grandson on my right, and the lady on my left had leaned their seats back right after dinner with no problem. When I leaned back again, she again hit me. I put my seat up, waited about half an hour and tried again. Now this was a 12 hour flight that had been preceded by a 5 hour flight and a 9 hour layover. I was TIRED. I do not usually put my seat back, because like you I feel it is not very nice. However, on this flight I needed to rest. I tried to rest with my head on my hands on the tray table, but that was not very comfy. So I tried a third time to put my seat back. Again, I was smacked, and when she pulled her hand back, she hit my grandson, too. Now I do have to say the smacks did not hurt, they were just a violation. She could have tapped me on the shoulder or in some other way approached me politely. So if we are talking courtesy, I think that she was way off. And yet, I feel that I was given a reproach for putting my seat back.

lsdourte,

Wow, what an incredibly rude person.

Not that I have any, but if my child/grandchild got hit, she would have been hit back.

If it was me, in your situation, I think I would have just reclined my seat and kept it back. If the womam kept swatting at me then I would insist the stewards do something about it. I don't think could ignore it if she was continually doing it.

On the off chance they did ignore it, I would take down all their names etc. informing them that I would be making complaints to both the airline and that I will be looking into pressing assault charges with whichever police service would have jurisdiction (and have them find someone to translate that to for the woman doing the hitting).

I've been told by stewards that they can't force people to put their seats up excpet during takeoff and landing. They can't even make the person do it during meal service. Of course this may vary from airline to airline, but I suspect its pretty standard.

There was one person who refused to raise his chair during meal service after both I and the steward asked nicely. I admit, I can be petty, so his chair got a good bounce every time I got in or out of my seat for the rest of the 12 hour flight. Wonder if he still refuses to raise his chair during meal service...?

If someone hit me (THREE TIMES!) on a flight I would have gotten the flight attendants involved. You can't just go around hitting other passengers!!!!!

While I realize it's "courteous" to at least see if it bothers the person behind you, I do think that the fact that the airlines say they can't MAKE someone put their seat up means that it's acceptable to put it back. If it wasn't, then they wouldn't make seats that go back.

If someone behind me smacked me even once, I'd have the steward(ess) over the so quick and I would make a formal complaint right then and there, and then follow up when we reached the destination.

Had she asked me nicely to put the seat up, I would have gladly (well, not so gladly, it hurts my back to sit that far forward, but I would have done it without complaint) done so. But if you don't give me the opportunity to comply in a polite manner, then I'm not going to sit idly by.

I agree to some of the tips in bringing DVD players to get them off boredom. You can also give them coloring books, travel sized games or toys, and make sure not to let the kids see them before the trip. You give it as a surprise activity for them while on the trip. And my final suggestion is to try to schedule your trip when your kids would be sleeping while traveling.

Goodluck!

http://www.route66place.com

Wow, I got mad just reading the last several posts. A person has every right to recline their seat otherwise, they wouldn't be made to recline! Especially on a long flight, how uncomfortable!

It would have totally ruined my entire trip as I would have been so mad that a stranger would have the nerve. She would have gotten a full body turn-around from me and the dirtiest look I could muster. Then.... my seat would stay reclined.

Just for the record, I'm a nice person but I won't tolerate bad behavior.

By the way, the boys were great on the flights. On the way over we were lucky to have movies appropriate for their ages and then they slept.

Coming back, they loved the movie/tv/music screens in the seatbacks. My little guy was thrilled to watch Spongebob many, many, many times.

Many years ago when our kids were yong my wife found a book about flying with children. The best idea was to buy some small itmes which you can wrap up for them and parcel them out one at a time throughout the trip in return for their being behaved. Each small toy/book/ puzzle kept them occupied for some time and eventually they went to sleep. She even used to take a few of their favorite toys and hide them away a few weeks before we took off, when the kids got them back wrapped up, they were thrilled.
I guess you can't wrap them before security check anymore, but you could do it at the gate or use small gift bags. Now with so many planes on long flights having individual video screens there is much to keep them entertained.
When my son was small, we always had good luck with him finding an adolescent girl to entertain him much of the flight.