AC

Armstrong:
Please read Kids post all the way through again!
I think you missed the real meaning of what Kids was trying to say!

Ess

In Armstrong's defense, it's not always easy to determine whether someone here is being ironic or idiotic.

thekid

In kids'case, it's irony meets the idiot.

SharonM

I too, would Much prefer listening to a child being read to, or conversing, learning, etc. than, as Allen so eloquently put it, some "lesser" forms of punishment/life threatening noises...

What a responsible question for a young mother to ask. (thereby avoiding the "screaming child" line of thought...)

Good luck!

SharonM

oh yea...

as a child, traveling by car, my parents would always give us some little present (like a tiny game, book, etc...) at each state border we crossed... (and of course, the honking and looking-at-the-state-sign tradition!) We also played license games, shot peace signs, etc...(lol)

(frankly, listening to those hand-held games absolutely drives me crazy on a flight...) Why not make it an adventure and a time of bonding.

ok. that's all

(and this coming from a non-mom...)

jb

Stephanie-
I don't know if your son has flown before, but to be sure that his ears don't bother him, you might think about giving him a dose of Benadryl. My kids have trouble with the pressure when we take off and land and this helps. It will also make him drowsy and a long nap might help him adjust to the time change.

My kids love the activity books with the dot-to-dots, color by number, mazes etc. Keeps them busy for hours!

And I just have to add I that "kid" did a pretty good job defining the logic of those here who are so opposed to children on planes.

David

Wife and I took our 6 yr. old to Hawaii this summer and thought my 6 yr.s old did as well or better than my wife (she agrees). We flew from KC-Houston-Hawii so it would be pretty comparable to your own itinerary. I recommend the following: It's a long flight (for everyone) but you'll do fine! Best advice I can give is rent the movie headsets and make sure you have isle seat(s)!!

topper

up again

S

Stephanie, I applaud your foresight in preparation for the upcoming trip. To the other posters, bratty children can be ALMOST as annoying as business travelers who think they have to impress the rest of us with their knowledge or activities. The rule of thumb in long distance traveling in a confined space is CONSIDERATION and ACOMMODATION for your fellow travelers.

Like the child who was quietly playing his Game Boy - I'm sure he was so used to hearing the noise, it never dawned on him to hit the mute button. A gentle question from the seat mate should be enough. A parent travelling with a child should be able to read quietly. If you're too fat to comfortably fit within one seat, the same rule applies. Purchase the adjacent seat so you have enough room without encroaching upon someone else's space. If you must talk across the aisle to other passengers, please keep the volume down so that the person in front of you can sleep. Parents traveling with children should come prepared with appropriate medications and amusements for the children.

missy

Why would anyone assume that a 6 year old would be obnoxious on a flight? We just flew to London with my 6.5 year old and she behaved better than many of the adults on the plane. She really enjoyed reading to herself, writing and drawing in her journal, coloring, listening to her discman and playing cards. This is an extremely active energetic child who has excellent manners and is very well behaved. Not all children scream endlessly on flights.

brownI's

Missy, the suspense is killing me!! Please start a separate post with your 6.5-year-old's journal.

rebecca

I only read a couple of responses, but why so negative? I had to fly from the west coast to Italy with my three daughters, ages 6 mos, 3 and 5. It wasn't easy - but I had no choice. And 6 months later I had to go back. You should've seen the floor around us. So traveling with 1 6-year-old sounds okay to me. My suggestions: Try to break the trip into hourly sections. Make sure you have a variety of snacks on hand. A walkman or discman with some new or favorite tapes/books (I check them out at the library). Reading out loud doesn't work too well because not everyone wants to hear the story. Activity books (dot to dot, puzzles or color by number) are fun if he likes to do that. By him a few new things that he hasn't seen until you get on the plane. They don't have to be expensive. If you want some more advice, I'd be happy to give it more thought! Have fun.

Barb

I have traveled on numerous trips to Hawaii with our son from the time he was 7 mths old (about a 6 hr flight for us). I agree with the new toys plan.. he can't wait to take off, which is when he gets to open the wrapped presents in the backpack. He is occupied for hours and I have to pry him loose from the new toys to get him to eat lunch. Another tip: check to see what the children's meal will be, if it is something he will like, order it. It will also have some kid friendly snacks. Bring your own snacks and drinks as well, of course. Gameboys are great for long trips, and yes, we use the mute button so no one else gets annoyed by those horrid sounds they make. If we are taking a long trip. You have to turn them off for take off and landing, but that's it - that flight attendant mentioned in a previous post was mis-informed. I always pack a new game in the backpack. I also don't let him play the gameboy at all for several days before the trip. He can't wait to get to it! -- especially since gameboy time is quite limited normally. He also loves the word games books and math workbooks. Personal cassette or disc players are also great as long as he doesn't start singing along with it (generally at 2x volume since they have the headset on).We have gone cross country and to Europe as well (11 hr flight) and he did better than me on that one, I thought I'd go crazy on the way home -- it seems like 50 hrs to me! The only problems while travelling that I have experienced where my child probably disturbed others was once on a cross country flight (at age 3)where he fell ill about 10 min after we took off -- he quickly developed a fever of 102 and was cranky and irritable. Fortunately, we had Tylenol with us and it brought the fever down and he fell asleep for most of the rest of the flight, but the first hour was a killer for him, us and the people in front of us, unfortunately. The 2nd time, as we descended from a short flight, his ears got plugged and he shrieked in pain for the entire descent.He had no cold at the time so I was quite surprised that this happened. After that I started using Benedryl or something similar before a flight until he outgrew the ear ache suseptability. He was 3 or 4 and so panicked by the pain, he refused to try to drink or eat anything that might have relieved the pressure. The people around us were quite understanding and could tell he was in pain and not being a brat. As soon as we landed and the plane's pressure normalized, he was fine. The pilot came out and gave him a pack of cookies when we left and told him he was sorry about the pain in his ears. Your child will love Hawaii, it is a great place for a family vacation.

Dad

I usually pack a goodie bag with something for about every hour of the flight. It doesn’t have to be expensive. A pad of paper. A comic book. A new pack of baseball cards. It helps to have a walkman or a gameboy. It’s hard enough for adults to be sitting for hours. But kids kept occupied should be okay. The movie/shorts takes away 2 hours. We also do a lot of red-eye flights and the kids fall asleep soon enough. Good luck.