Gallery: HOW TO: Fly Cross-Country Wit...
ONCE AIRBORNE
3. Surprise gifts - wrapped in fun wrappings like aluminum foil or scarvesOne unanimous piece of advice I received from everyone was to bring little surprise gifts/toys as treats to disperse throughout the flight to stave off boredom and meltdowns. When your toddler is about to pull a major meltdown, whip out a gift and nip that tantrum in the bud. (I don't recommend this form of bribery anywhere except on airplane trips over 4 hours). I did this with a couple of new Seuss books (see above), and a drawing pad with crayons. You can get a good 20 minutes out of the novelty of opening the gift and exploring it, and then another 30 minutes or so out of reading a new book or drawing on a new pad - and then yet ANOTHER 20 or so minutes out of sculpting with the aluminum foil, or playing peekaboo/dress-up with a scarf. Voila! You've just conquered more than hour! Have 4 to 5 little gifts prepared for the flight and you're set for whatever life throws at you.
I think some of these tips could work on my boyfriend as well.
Smart ideas, especially taking photos and looking at pics. Kids love that!
LOL Yuka. I think the key point for any age is to pack snacks galore! I’ll be using the surprise gifts tip too! Thanks!
Also check out the First Flight audio download here: http://bit.ly/q8mBoc
Great for reducing the likelihood of meltdowns from the strange new sounds encountered during travel.
We’ve passed many a 1/2 hour playing “I spy with my little eye.”
other ideas for toddlers that help esp during takeoff & landing when you can’t use electronic devices:
in a ziploc-sized reusable bag, have crayons/markers (clementine), small writing pad (ecojot), a half dozen lego blocks, a travel-sized container with two q-tips for him/her to pull out & put in (discovered this by accident–more environmental option probably could be imagined), 1-2 small toys (we have a tiny wind-up train that i had as a child and a plan toy bus), and stickers (we use free ones sent in mail solicitations that would be trash anyway). only pull out this bag at takeoff and landing–otherwise, the novelty wears off.
Small children do not belong on planes. Period. There is no way to guarantee that they will not disturb dozens of people who paid full fare for a peaceful flight and they do not need the disruption of a child to ruin their trip. Leave the kid at home or wait until it’s old enough to be considerate. Selfish parent. Selfish child.
Nice tips! I made many long plane trips with my children. Fourteen hours! Two games only needing pencil and paper are “Sprouts” and “Boxes”. Surprise gifts were timed to landmarks or an actual event. Also, I had unplanned gifts too. Changing outfits takes up some time. Backscratching, my kids liked tickles. Drawing a story they tell you. When mine were young I could cut out paper dolls. With newsprint paper you can tear out paper dolls and animals. Tapping out name that tune like Jingle Bells. Cleaning out moms purse was always a hit. My two liked to be read to into their early teens. We read The Hobbit to Australia and Jurassic Park home. My daughter later carried her Red Cross babysitter certificate to show and carried many a cranky kid up and down the aisles. Anyway anybody can think to make that time pass!
There’s nothing selfish about taking my 16 month old to Australia to see half of this family that he’s never seen before, especially a grandmother that has failing health. We need more patience and understanding in the world.