Air Travel - 5 Hours W/3.5 Year Old

Well I vowed never to be this mom, but I am, so....get a DVD player! ;) It is seriously a life saver. Other than that I would recommend books, a magna doodle, maybe some stickers or crayons. Color Wonder markers are also really good to use on airplanes. I would also take a ton of snacks, new fun things that he will enjoy to help pass the time. Maybe some card games also. My daughter just turned 3 and she loves to play go fish and crazy eights. A few rounds of cards with her is easily 30 minutes, so pick up a couple decks of those. Those would also be good if you have to be quiet inteh house with grandpa, etc.

I like flying SW, I think you'll have a good experience, but the only issue is they don't let families board first. You have to get an A pass to board with the As so get on to print your boarding passes EXACTLY 24 hours before your flight. If you don't end up getting an A you can board after As and before Bs which isn't terrible, but it certainly isn't ideal either! Good luck!

Several years back I traveled (by myself) with our then 3 1/2 year old and 1 1/2 year old from Hawaii to California...and back. I looked up everything under the sun :). We didn't do a DVD player because neither of my kids (at that point) were very interested in watching anything. I wrapped everything up using newspaper (since they really didn't care if it was fancy wrapping paper anyway). Everything from granola bars....fruit snacks...a few new books/toys, even books that were 'old favorites'...you name it :). That helped...it seemed to make it much more exciting...and it took up time to unwrap it (just make sure you have a bag for trash). I would be careful of real 'sugary' snacks - I tried to balance w/ some protein snacks. We sat really close to a restroom...and when naptime came...they would not nap...so I ended up standing and holding one until he fell asleep and then I got him comfy in the chair. I brought several walmart type plastic bags folded into little triangles (like how you fold a flag - just kept them nice and neat)...and used them for dirty clothes and trash. We've traveled that same length of time (and more) several times since then...and when I approach it as a really neat time to spend one-on-one or one-on-two with my child...it ends up going great :). We've brought those crayola color wonder books, trucks, wipes (for obvious reasons, and also because I have a child that loves to clean...kept him entertained for a good hour total...), books, books on cd, etc. I also did things to drag out the snack time (i.e., having three little cups and putting one little fruit snack under one...and have the child guess which one it was under...). It was an adventure to say the least...but it was fun...and I most definitely didn't get bored :). We did do a DVD player this last year when we took a 12 hour road trip...and that definitely was a big help...by then the 3 1/2 year old and 1 1/2 year old were 4 1/2 and 6 1/2...and watching something was actually appealing.

On a side note...we brought playdough once (she was used to playing with it...so I wasn't worried about it being a mess)...HOWEVER...we got stopped and had it confiscated because it showed up as being an explosive substance (try explaining THAT to a 3 year old!)...I have friends that have successfully brought playdough...so I don't know what the deal was there....*shrug*... Good luck!

Use www.seatguru.com to choose your seats with him.
Even travel agents use this website. We have used it. It is great!
That way you can choose seating that is good for a child... for us, we choose one near the bathroom... for example.

You can also board the plane ahead of the others, because you have a child.
Bring things for him to amuse himself. A "Leapster" is great. My son and daughter have been using theirs since 2 years old. It is educational and fun and they love theirs.

Talk with your son ahead of time... about the plane trip... tell him he can NAP on the plane ride... that that is what many people do... so that he gets aware of what happens on a plane ride.... kids need to KNOW what to expect... and what will occur. So give him a head's up on things... on your plane ride....
Also bring extra clothing/underwear/diapers/shirts/pants just in case he has an accident.
Explain or show him online, what a plane bathroom looks like.
Tell him anything about it, that will help him know, what it will be like...

Snacks?
His favorite lovey?
Comfort items for him?
Bring that.

all the best,
Susan

I would take coloring books and crayons, books and buy him a new toy to play with on the plane. Don't let him see it until he gets bored with the books and crayons. The toy will keep him occupied the rest of the flight.

My 3.5 year old is a seasoned traveler and flies regularly between Philadelphia and Denver (3.5 - 4 hour flight). Here's what I always bring on the plane for him:
His lovey and favorite stuffed animal.
A walkman and several books on tape.
Picture books. Coloring books and crayons.
A small suitcase that he packs with quiet toys he can play with (and not easily lose) on the plane. He usually takes a few Matchbox cars and wood street signs to play with on the tray table.
Lots and lots of healthy snacks. Food is always a great distraction.
Change of clothes for both him and me (you never know when a spill may happen or having an accident because he didn't make the bathroom in time)
Lastly, my laptop and a few of his favorite movies in case of an emergency or possible meltdown.

I wanted to mention that I stopped having my son sit in his car seat on the plane about a year ago because his legs were finally long enough for him to easily kick the seat in front of him. I had one bad flight where I literally had to hold his legs for most of the flight to prevent him from kicking the seat. Needless to say, the woman sitting in front of us was not very pleased. :) After that flight, I made it very clear that he had to sit in his seat whenever the seat belt light was on or he would get in trouble with the pilot and they may not let him on another plane. The threat worked and he always sits very calmly in his seat "like a big kid." I wanted to pass this little tip on in case you experience the same issue.

Don't forget about all of the distractions with simply flying on a plane. There's the window to look out of, the emergency card to read, the magazines to flip through, and the seat belt to figure out. And you're right, the lull of the plane will likely help him take a good solid nap.

There's no reason to stress. You'll do great!

snacks, books, dvd player, sticker books and playdoh (which i have never had confiscated) work best for my son.

I strongly recommend NOT bringing the cat seat. If you have it, you can't use the tray table so your son will be a lot more limited in what he can play with. He also will easily be able to kick the seat in front of him.

I have a few toys that are great for travel. Go to http://www.discoverytoyslink.com/karenchao to see everything I sell. It's a Match and Sounds Like Phonics: Short Vowel Fun are great travel games.

Have a safe trip.