Long flight with 3 year old - tips, please!
 

We have a 3-yr old daughter with whom we will be on a long Trans-Atlantic flight in the near future. Any tips, suggestions, stories, etc. on how to make this trip least stressful for her and for us? We know about taking her favorite toys, books, etc., but she still needs to be occupied for about 13-15 hours. Taking Benadryl is not an option.

Leon123:

I see this is your first post, so let me help you out. There are literally hundreds of posts on flying with infants,toddlers and young kids. I suggest you search both this forum and the Europe forum and the Asia forum. I know there is a long thread on the Airlines/Airports forum right now on tips on flying with toddlers. I am sure you will get tremendous advice on all of those.

Good luck and have a safe trip.

taitai

Just a quick thought, but NOT just her favorites! Be sure to have some novel, new stuff....And it doesn't have to be conventional kid stuff either.

I was on a flight recently with a noisy cranky tot...I think about 14 mos old or so...I felt bad for me, but also for his parents. He couldn't help it; they couldn't help it. I started distracting him with some silver bangle bracelets I had. He loved it! Also had a silver bracelet style watch, so I was able to thread the two bangles and the watch...different configurations. I kept him occupied for like 45 minutes.

So be inventive. And good luck!

I have two daughters - ages 3 and 4, and while we've never been on a 13 hour flight with them, we have been on 3+ hour flights. My biggest suggestion would be to get (if you don't already have) a personal DVD player and let her watch some of her favorite videos - Elmo, Dora, Baby Einstein, etc. That might keep her occupied for a while! (The "new" toy suggestion was good too).

Must have a portable DVD player with DVDs. Make sure the battery life is long, we have a Samsung one and it is great.

I always try and get a couple of new DVDs before a long flight (and take a couple of old ones that I know he likes).

Air sickness was a problem for one of our sons when he was a child. My suggestion would be to stick with "safe" foods - don't give her anything that might make her hurl.

Bring a backpack with her stuff that can double as a legrest - otherwise, she may start kicking the seat in front of her.

For now, hide the toys you are bringing on the trip so that they are almost new when she find them in her backpack.

Wrap the new toys in cloth, ribbons and gizmos that you can turn into rag dolls or a new outfit for her favorite stuffed animal.

Bring a variety of toys - some that require manual dexterity, some that are more passive, some that are fun to use with an adult.

Get up and walk every hour that she's awake. Do some in-the-seat exercises together, too. In the airport, walk around every possible minute before boarding.

Don't forget snack foods, extra clothes for the whole family in case of accidents, and even an emergency diaper.

Here's one from the airlines forum

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34956515

In addition to my suggestions to previous similar posts, I have a new one. Think about your last flight - if you are anything like me, you checked your watch frequently to see how much longer. A variation on the "are we there yet" question.

So I would pack some sort of countable items, and when they are gone, the flight is over. Something simple like 15 little bags of Cheerios, 15 wrapped bangle bracelets that she could wear - you get the idea. Remember to take something similar for return trip and pack some extras for flight delays.

Having travelled around the world with my 3 year old, my tip is, take everyone's advice and then RELAX.

We actually found the long-hauls so much easier than our other travelling days. No-where to go, no big bags to deal with, no map reading and no sightseeing!

Have a great time.