Flying with a 3Yr Old

give him something to chew or drink during take off and landing to help with ear stuff. I believe the safest way to fly would be in a car seat.

Do you have a laptop or DVD player. Bring videos!

My son is now two and we fly with him all the time...
1. Use his carseat. It allows him to be comfortable and fall asleep, if he wants to!
2. We haven't used the earplugs, but have a straw-cup that we use on the plane and let him have a "treat" in there- juice or sports drink. He sucks the whole thing down on the take-off and we refill for landing.
3. We download his favorite shows on our i-pod. If you don't have one, then I would suggest investing in a portable DVD player or something similar. Once you are up in the air, he can use it- just like other "approved" devices.
4. We typically fly Jet Blue b/c they are great with kids. They do this automatically, but I would suggest asking for a snack right away to keep you little one excited and interested while people board.

DO NOT BOARD EARLY! The longer your son has to run around in the terminal the better!

We didn't explain anything to my son b/c he flew for the first time at 6 months, but now he begs for the window seat to look at the clouds and watch us go "up up"- just let him enjoy! I would think that explaining that you are going to fly in the airplane like a bird would be enough. Just answer any questions he has as he brings them up.

Have a great trip!

Booster seats are not allowed on the airplane (belt positioning booster seats), but since he's only 3 I hope he's not in one of those. Read the side of his car seat or the manual, it will tell you if its airline approved. Most are. Bring it on the plane and strap him in. checking a car seat causes just as much damage to the seat as a car accident, because its thrown in with regular baggage, tossed around, other bags dropped on it, shifting during flight, etc. Its not worth ruining your seat, or causing it internal damage that can cause it to fail in a crash.

You can bring snacks, books, toys, etc. Airlines are way too cheap nowadays to do anything special for first time flyers. My oldest flew for the first time at 3mos, they gave him a little toy airplane that looked like the airline we were on, it was too cute. Both boys have the little wings from multiple flights, but I don't know if they even do that anymore.

Bring his car seat, bring snacks and a few small toys, and relax. He will probably sleep the whole flight anyway.

We do all sorts of things to keep her occupied. Boredom seems to be our biggest challenge.

We:
- board late so we don't spend any extra time on the plane
- point out all the cool things on the plane - the pilot, the attendants, the kitchen, the wings, the other airplanes on the tarmac, the other people, other babies.
- bring lots of different activities to occupy her: books, coloring, small toys, snacks. bring new toys or treats to keep him engaged.
- pay for the in-flight entertainment if the plane offers it. grab the headphones if they offer them on the way onto the plane.
- a sippy cup of juice or milk to entice her to suck as the plane ascends and descends to help with ear popping
- make several trips to the bathroom
- take pictures of each other with digital camera
- gate check the carseat. that way she gets a big girl seat belt, and can cuddle up against us during turbulence which does make her anxious. your son CAN sit in his carseat on the plane, if you think he'll nap, but our 2.5y.o. does not nap, it's just too exciting.

if we had a portable movie player with headphones we'd bring that, but we don't. i also hear that there's lots of great games for toddlers on iPhones; i just haven't looked into them either.

Get Earplanes ear plugs. They equalize the pressure in their ears so their ears don't hurt. Works like magic. We use them all the time. My daughter pulled one out once and started crying (due to the pressure) and stopped as soon as it was back in. We get ours at CVS or Target. Sometimes they keep them behind the counter. I would call various pharamicies to see who has them. Bring a back up pair in case one gets knocked out and lost.

I just flew for the first time with my 6 mo. old twin boys. Not sure how much the experience will differ with a 3 year old, but here are a few details from our experience: I flew Airtran. They put us in a separate security line (we didn't have to wait) and we just decided ahead of time to take our time going through security and to not get stressed. At the dayton airport we had to break down the stroller and each carry a baby through. At the Tampa airport, we did not have to break down the stroller, they just strolled it through, but we still had to take the babies out. We were allowed 10 oz of liquids instead of the usual 3 oz., they just do a special test on it. In addition to our 1 carry-on and 1 personal item, me and my husband were also allowed a 3rd item for baby care. The car seats were checked free of charge when we initially checked in, I would imagine it most airlines have the same policy. We strolled up to the gate then they gate-checked the stroller and any of our larger carry-ons we didn't need on the plane. So the only thing we actually had to lug on the plane was ourselves and a diaper bag, plus I think my husband's computer bag. Just take your time in the airport if traveling is usually stressful for you. Don't worry about everyone else, just yourself. If people see that you're calm and relaxed, I think that helps them to be as well, even if they have to wait on you for some reason. Check your airline's website, they usually have a page about traveling with children. Good luck!

Because of his size, I believe that a restraint of some sort is required, so you might as well use his carseat. They have wheels that you can get for it (I think BRU has them), to make it easy to get through the airport. I would explain everything, but make it sound so exciting and fun, so that he isn't scared. Especially about how fast you will be going when taking off. You can bring pretty much anything that you can fit in carry on, any snacks you want (ziploc type stuff makes it easier to access and control as opposed to a big bag that can all be spilled), and I think that at 3, you can still bring drinks for them (if you declare it as you go through security). You may want to verify with TSA before taking a lot. Otherwise, stop at a store past security to get any juices/water that you need. For entertainment, bring something that he will enjoy and keep him occupied, but that doesn't have a lot of little pieces to drop and lose. Sorry, no special perks anymore. :(

As for the ears, do you have any headphones for him? At 3, those sometimes work better than ear plugs. And teach him about yawning before getting on the plane. Maybe even explain that his ears my hurt when you take off and land, and here is what you do....drink some juice, yawn, etc.

We have an online community site on family travel www.bigbluetrunk.com. Here are some articles which you might find useful.
http://www.bigbluetrunk.com/ourcorner/550
http://www.bigbluetrunk.com/forum/420