kids on the plane
 

I am flying with a family (kids are 2,4 and 7 years) from Vancouver to New Zealand with a stop in LA (for about 7 hours). Is there anything for kids to do at the LA airport? Any tips for the long flight? Thanks

Kids are the same as adults on long flights, in that you need something to keep our interest (reading, magazines, movies, puzzles).

For the kids you need to pack a carry-on with snacks & their favorite small sized toys, games, books.

7 hours is a long layover! Hopefully someone has suggestions specific to LAX. You can always look for a gate area that is not currently in use & either stretch out for a nap, or let the kids run around some.

There were a lot of great suggestions on an earlier thread:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35169528

Two years ago I was on a BA biz class flight to LHR. There was a dapper couple with 4 kids that were eating the standard BA "preflight" meal (crappy buffet) that I was having.

All was well until we were on the flight and their 7-9 year old decide to cry and whine. The kid would not shut up the entire trip!

The parents ignored her the entire trip, much to everyone's dismay and discomfort for an overnight flight.

A kid crying can't be blocked on noise cancelling ear phones. Half the folks fly backwards on a BA biz class flight, so we were really packed in.

So, awaiting the "How can you?"comments I'm sure to get, sedate the kid for the sake of the other passengers.

I posted a thread several months ago about this very subject and got tons of suggestions. Maybe you can find it. We flew with four kids (3,8,11,12) to Europe and it was great. This is what worked for us: Electronic games, IPod, trivia books like BrainQuest and small toys and mini-Lego kits for the little guy. Plenty of snacks are a must. We had a layover for four hours and walked around the airport to tire them out and then found an empty area to let them run around.

Unfortunately, the thread included some travelers who were not very nice and made general statements about drugging the kids, leaving them home, etc. etc. etc. So unkind.

Good Luck!