So I'm thinking of going to Colorado to visit some family and see the zoo up in the mountains but I'm nervous of having my kids on the plane. There are a few reasons, one my son was a year old last time we flew somewhere and spent a week in the hospital with some virus he caught from the airplane. Two is I have three kids who can't even travel in the car for twenty mins together without fighting, how will I get them hours away on a plane? I'm open to suggestions, no Benadryl either. LOL
One idea that comes to my mind is to have them seated near you but not together. Another idea is to contact the airline for suggestions, they probably deal with instances like this a lot.
When my kids were younger, I had to fly to New York, by myself, with them (they were 2 and 4). I put together a little book before our trip and we read it every night. It was basically explaining to them everything that we were going to do in the airport (security, taking off our shoes, boarding the plane, wearing our seatbelts, popping our ears). I used pictures of them where I could so they could personally relate to the story. For actually on the plane, I always made sure to bring plenty of juice boxes and snacks that they would have to chew (fruit snacks and such) because they weren't old enough to understand when to pop their ears. I would give them drinks when the pressure started changing so they would swallow. If possible, try to schedule the flight around their nap times too, if they have one, so they might sleep on the plane. I would also suggest deciding and letting them know certain things before getting on the plane, such as who is sitting in the window seat, and when it will be the other one's turn. This would avoid any arguments once you get on the actual plane. The biggest thing I did was pack them Surprise bags. They would get new coloring books and crayons, books to read, and a small quiet toy or two that would entertain them during the flight because it was new and exciting! I would also have the necessary staples in each of their bags too: tissues, hand wipes, that sort of thing. Sit between the two that fight a lot. You might be surprised, especially if it's their first flight. They might be so excited that they don't think to fight. I can't offer any suggestions on how to avoid catching a virus on the plane other than just consistently take vitamin C to boost your immune system, and of course, always have hand sanitizer with you.
I like the idea of sitting between my eldest two, that should help alot I didn't even think of that. As for the juice boxes, will the airport allow drinks inside? Naps sound so much easier than done, we traveled to Virginia a few months back and besides fighting they stayed awake the entire time and we had to keep stopping for bathroom breaks. As for the virus I believe that's why my son is a "germaphobe". He says he still remembers the whole thermometer part of the hospital, he was 1 and now he's 9. Thank you for the advice and I like the book idea, that could come in handy with my little reporter. She remembers everything.
Honestly, I'm not sure what the airlines allow and don't allow anymore. You could easily check their websites, or just purchase a drink once you get past security. You should be able to bring that on the plane with you.
I would never want to travel with kids. I could take them to a lot of place like malls and parks, but not to the point of taking them out for some days. I just couldn't myself focusing on them. I simply think that I wouldn't be able my trip at all if I were with kids. Kids are stubborn! You could only play with them once in a while or you'll get crazy and age fast. This is, at least, the case for me.
The airplane didn't infect your kid, it was the selfish person who was ill and still decided to mingle among people. Your kid could have got ill if the person was riding the same bus as them. I don't have kids, but I do have a step-grandson and keeping him entertained on bus trips into town is a NIGHTMARE. The only thing I have found to work is to give him my mobile phone to play games on.
This past summer I traveled on the plane with my one year old and I was also very nervous. It actually ended up not being bad at all. I bought along several of her favorite toys and gradually pulled them out for her to play with as she got bored with one. I also packed some of her favorite snacks for her to have on the plane. In the airport while we waited to board the plane we walked around and I tried to keep her busy. I think one of the main things that helped me was picking a flight time when she normally takes a nap. On the way to our destination and back she fell asleep within an hour after boarding.
Plan for activities that they can do independently. If you set up scenarios where they are sharing items, you are asking for fighting. So, I'd plan a lot of activities and let them take turns with each item. Some examples: coloring, iPad/LeapPad time, sticker books, reading, action figures, etc. You could time it that they rotate toys every 20 minutes or so. The big thing is making sure they understand the rules and situation ahead of time.
The best thing to make sure that they understand where bad how they will be travelling. Also make sure that they sleep in most parts of the journey. This can be done by making sure that they are quite tired by the time they get into plane
My oldest daughter flew a lot before she turned three because I wanted to take full advantage of the free flights and introduce her to her international family. I only had one so she was mostly a breeze., especially since she slept most of the way on most flights. The only advise I can give you is try to wear them out prior to the flight and make sure they are all clean, fed and have toys or games to play while in flight with plenty of snacks.
I must say you should keep them with you, but not together. You can hire a seat on your left and right side in this way you will be with them and they will be under your observation. Moreover, you should also talk with the management they will deal this issue properly.
Well if they like to play games bring a portable game system or give them a phone with plenty of game apps. I have 3 boys and 2 of them like games and one likes to watch movies so when we travel I give one my phone with movies on it and the other 2 get the other phone and tablet with games on it.
