[livvyb]

THis will be the first flight we will be taking with our 2 year old and 4 year old......actually our 1st family vacation ever! Any suggestions on helping to make the 3 hour flight a good even for our kids? We have been trying to explain what a plane is and what it is like inside; but I think it is over their heads a little bit.
Any hints and tips on flying and traveling to Disney with toddlers would be much appreciated! Thank you!

[queensmama]

Portable DVD player with disney movies......made life very easy with a two year old.

[jo-jo]

Don't know if they make these for DVDs players, but back in the stone age, my kids used headphones for a tapeplayer that had a splitter so they could both listen without bothering other people. And since mom controled the volume, there were no fights.

Pipe cleaners..........bend over the ends a bit (they can be pointy), kids love them, no noise, no worry about losing pieces.

Bring Food.......even before they stopped serving food on planes, we always brought juice boxes, lunchables, little bags of cookies...........stuff they usually didn't have. Why is it a cookie out of a big bag taste different when it's from a little bag? Oh well, even if you had planned to buy food, I have read where the plane ran out of food. Plus the plane never seemed to serve food faster enough for my kids..... it was wonderful the time we were stuck on the tarmac (sp) for over an hour while we waiting for a thunderstorm to pass over. By the way the thunderstorm stayed right over the airport, dumped something like 5 inches of rain, flooded out the airport, lost power, took us two days before we could get out.

[Andrea]

Make sure both your kids have a seat and put their carseats in those airline seats. Not only is it the safest thing to do, their carseats are a place where they're used to having to just sit without the option of getting up.

Also, I second the idea of the portable DVD player. This will let you relax on the flight since you won't spend every second working on occupying your children! I have had terrific experiences with renting one at Inmotion Pictures. The Orlando airport has an Inmotion Kiosk where you can drop off the movie; if the airport you depart from doesn't have one, they will mail the player to you before you leave. The player rental includes a DVD for every day you have the player. I usually stock up on kid's titles from the library before I go in case one doesn't hold interest very long.

I've been flying across country with my now 4 year old since he was born, and I've never had a problem. I always get compliments on how the people around me didn't even know there was a child near them. I owe this not to great parenting, but to the fact I keep him electronically entertained. I don't let him watch much TV at home, but when it comes to an airplane and having very limited options... and selfishly wanting to get a little rest... a DVD player is the best thing to fly with EVER!

[robinmouse]

Carseats are great on a plane--they make the child feel a little more at home and safe. I always brought window clings for my DD to stick to the plane window. She loved that. I have to print some tonight for our trip this week.

[rlcarmichael]

Don't forget the little one's ears...

Commercial aircraft keep cabin pressure generally between 8 and 10 thousand feet so there and the little guys have a harder time with the pressure changes in their ears. That's why you hear so many kids especially during decent and the pressure increases.

Sugguest you keep something to drink or suck on for the decent. Swollowing helps the ears "pop".

Other than that, LOTS of stuff to keep them occupied - both in the plane and at the airport.

[livvyb]

Great ideas guys! Thanks for the help!

[lovemysons]

I try to have something new for both my boys for each plane trip, a new book, new markers, crayons, etc. Something they haven't used before, it keeps them interested longer. I also believe in taking their carseats. We always have.

[CerealBoxQueen]

Originally Posted by Andrea

I've been flying across country with my now 4 year old since he was born, and I've never had a problem. I always get compliments on how the people around me didn't even know there was a child near them.

I love people like you. It drives me nuts when a mom has a screaming baby and she is either ignoring the child or doesn't know how to quiet the little one.
Also bad are the women who scream at their husbands throughout the trip.
But kudos to you. Fly with me anytime.