Me and my family are going on family wacation in May and it's going to be 12 hours flying!! not 12 hrs all at ones,thay are separate and the lingest one is 8 hrs.My son had a long trip when he was 11 months and he was sleeping all the time,but now frst of all is not just one kid they are 2 :) plus they are in there ages when they can't stay in one spot :) can anyone share some experience or give me some advise what I need to do so all of us can have a good trip?
Thank you
I took a 5 year old and 2 year old on a trip, I took activities for them to do (they like to color so I took color books and crayons). I also took some books and snacks for them to eat while flying. It went well!!
We always fly up to 12 hours to and from Germany (at least every other year) and we are trying to schedule the flight at a time when it's their regular sleeping time....meaning in the late afternoon....
That way they sleep through a big portion of it....
For entertainment we offer small toys, travel/pocket games, coloring books and DVD's.....we bought a small portable DVD player and it keeps them occupied for some time.....
Have a great trip !!!!!!!!!
My husband and I took three children to Hawaii which is a long flight. We booked seats in a row, so we had the middle section of the plane and therefore the kids could move within our "section". I packed snacks they liked including grapes, carrots, since most airline food is very salty and not always what children eat. I took a DVD player since the movies on flights are typically not kids movies. I also packed a back of new toys and activities. I got a small Lego set for a few dollars, silly putty, or modeling clay with a ziploc bag. pipe cleaners (to hang them), markers and that soft craft pages with scissors and glue sticks. They did that for hours and made pictures for the stewards and pilots. It kept them busy and it was easy to pack.
I also had a journal for each. They drew a picture of the day. Those are precious now!
Youhave gotten some great tips sp far, but one I did not see is to invest in the CARES airline harness. http://www.amazon.com/CARES-Child-Aviation-Restraint-Syst... It is about $70 per child, but it REALLY helps to keep them in their seats. We made a point of showing our daughter the seatbelt light and told her that when it is on, she has to have her seatbelt on like everyone else (and if she needed a time out, she had to be buckled too). This way we didn't have to bring a carseat on board to feel she was safely belted in. It also worked well for naptime! It is FAA approved, and we had a ton of parents stopping to ask where we got ours!
Run the kids ragged before going to the airport. Even at the terminal if possible. Get them each some calcium (if a container of milk works). With both those factors, they should conk out on the first leg of the flight.
I had two toddlers a couple time coming to the US from Europe. It worked fine, really. If there are two of you parents, divide and conquer. Have some books to read, a pad of paper and pencil.
We fly to the UK most years - came here first when the twins were 18 months old and had just learned to walk - now that was fun!! Get some cheap toys and wrap them up - let the kids have a gift every couple of hours to unwrap and play with. Let them run around as much as possible at the airport to wear them out. Even though you will be given priority boarding it's sometimes best to board last - do you need to be on that plane an extra 30 mins whilst everyone else gets on?!
Let them wear old clothes and let them play on the floor in the galley area at the back if the air stewards don't mind - not very clean but at least they can make more noise there.
String cheerios on string for them to play with /eat. Ask the airline for kids meals - ring and book them before you fly - they often include a toy/ crayons etc for kids and the food is served to them first and is usually nicer than the adult stuff! No extra cost for this. Gone are the days when you can ask to see the flight deck but if you have nice air stewards they might show the kids how the galley works.
Try getting a cheap MP3 player and load a book or 2 on their for the kids to listen to.
Remember if the kids are loud, throw up, have a bad flight - don't worry - they stewards have seen it all before and your fellow passengers will never see you again and will soon forget it. Smile and stay calm - that helps the kids think it's no big deal too and they will be less likely to get stressed and start acting up.
Enjoy you vacation!!
a DVD player with lots of movies...
