Surviving flight Dallas/Zurich with 6 year old
 

Any suggestions about how to make the 10 hour flight survivable for the 6 year old (non-reader) and therefore his parents would be greatly appreciated.<BR>Thank you

How about buying some new toys or games and putting them into your carry on with -out him knowing. Every couple of hours you could break out a new one, with promise of more if he is good.<BR>Gary

Is your 6-years old a boy or a girl? Anything s/he is interested in? My boys would always take a Gameboy at this age.

I don't know when flights leave for Europe from Texas, but many from East Coast leave in PM - we flew on a 12-hour flight from Boston that left at 11 PM. The kids were exhausted by then so slept for at least part of the time. A CD player with kids songs might work. Above suggestions are good. Don't forget food since they don't feed you much on planes these days and what they do doesn't appeal to most kids. Forget nutrition - if it will amuse him/her to have a whole can of Sprite with a straw, go for it. If it is a night-time flight, discuss with your pediatrician the advisability of giving him a light antihistamine (like a little Benadryl). I am not advocating drugging your child into oblivion, but this will help him/her sleep and help with any ear discomfort from the plane.

friends with children who fly v. often overseas with them have each child (from age 4+) pack their own backpack. special trip to buy special backpack, then some books, re-usable stickers & books, etch-a-sketch, coloring, etc into the backpack. this is all saved for the trip. the parents then include surprizes that are pulled out at those "needed moments." lots of talk before the trip about what to expect, etc. be sure to include food as mentioned above as the airlines have little to offer, now. most kids sleep on the east-bound flights as the departures are typically around their bedtime. the return daytime flight is usually the bigger challenge (for us adults too!!). have a great trip!

No harm in a little Benadryl -- that's just a brand name for the antihistamine diphenhydramine, which is the active ingredient in Tylenol PM and other adult sleep aids.

Susan:<BR><BR>I can sympathize. I doing the exact flight back from Zurich to Dallas with a six year old girl. I'm going to check out buying a gameboy. 11 hours is a long time during daylight to entertain a child.