We are going to Disneyland next month. I am concerned that the children will hate the plane ride. The flight is only 2.5 hours long plus a hour shuttle after that to the airport. What can I do to make the plane ride drama free?I am flying on an airplane with two young children, 1 yrs %26amp; 3 yrs. Need advice for a drama free flight.?
I'm a former Flight Attendant and I now fly a lot with my own kids. We usually go between Europe and California about twice a year, plus other flights in between. Each flew for the first time at 4 months of age. I also took them to Disneyland Paris about a year and a half ago but let's deal with the flight first!
I never actually saw a child who hated flying. Some get bored on long flights but you wont even be in the air that long so the little one wont really be aware and the older one will probably find it fun.
First of all, I really recommend bringing a car seat and using it onboard. Make sure your car seat is approved for use on aircraft. If you're flying on a U.S. company, see the below link for information on if it's approved. Most car seats, including infant buckets, sold in the U.S. are.
http://www.faa.gov/passengers/fly_childr鈥?/a>
If you don't have a seat for him, request it at check-in. Ask if the flight is full, and if not, they can ';block'; the seat next to you, only using it if they really need it. They often do this for families.
Bring the seat to the gate, even if they are unsure that you'll get a seat. This way, if you don't manage it, they will ';gate check'; your seat, sending it down with the strollers and wheelchairs. This is gentlier than checking it in at the desk.
If you can't manage two car seats, consider the CARES harness (pictured in the above link)
http://www.kidsflysafe.com/
Expensive for something you can only use on the plane but there are posters on Ebay and Craigslist renting them.
I also recommend trying to sit at the bulkhead. These are the seats with the wall in front, located in different places depending on the aircraft. Bulkheads are easier with children since no one is leaning in front of you and there's probably room to crawl on the floor.
If you have a travel system, you can use the stroller until you get to the door of the aircraft and then it'll be ';gate checked';.
bring a bungee cord and double secure it before leaving it at the door of the plane. They can get damaged if they pop open en route. Make sure the claim ticket can be seen and isn't squished or hidden. Be sure to ask when disembarking where the stroller is.
Be sure to bring the best stroller for the park. Don't even think about making my mistake in renting one of theirs'. Two separate strollers might work better than the double but do what works for you. There are no restrictions that I know of for the size of a gate-checked stroller but check if you're uncertain. I saw huge chariots at the door of the aircraft when I worked. Never try to bring a stroller into the cabin.
Even a not-very-stroller child needs one at Disneyland. Mine almost never needs one at home but did there.
Bring at least 1/3 more diapers than you think you'll need. I saw so many parents run out on flights when I was working! Wrap them in plastic bags and throw a bunch of rubber bands around them to save room in your carry-on.
For a formula fed baby, I really recommend using the bottles with plastic liners. Traditional bottles are too difficult to wash onboard because of the kind of sinks on airplanes. I premeasured the powder and rolled them up, placing the rolls in a ziplock bag. Then you throw the liners away as you use them and only have the ring and nipple to clean.
If you use bottled water, be sure to give yourself enough time to buy some once you're past security. Make sure you have enough! The water on the aircraft is filtered tap so decide if you're comfortable using that for your baby. Bottled water runs out fast on flights and we never had any extra for baby bottles.
Be sure you baby does not need the bottle warmed. You'll be grateful for this tip at Disneyland. Get him used to a room-temperature bottle before leaving. This is unnecessary health-wise and a real pain to do while travelling. I warmed many bottles on my flights but I wasn't there in the check-in line, the security line or the waiting area! Babies do great with room-temperature bottles.
Make sure you have at least one change of clothes. I would bring two. At that age, I simply dressed mine in sleep suits for flying. No one will care so keep him comfortable. Bring extra socks if he crawls so that he doesn't pick up anything nasty on the floor and to keep his hands clean.
Hopefully you have a good baby carrier. They're so useful for flying, especially at this age. I had a sling but other parents swear by their wraps and pouches. The Ergo and Beccos are other popular carriers for travel that go on the back.
I liked the sling because I could slide my babies from into and out of a stroller or car seat without waking them. It also doubled as a blanket, baby changer, breastfeeding cover-up and sunshade! My sling was magic for calming my babies during the flight. Other parents wanted one when they saw how easy it made my travels. Avoid front packs like the Bjorn since they're so bad for both the parents' and child's back. A good carrier should go to at least age 2.
Many flying tips say to make the child suck on something or drink during take-off and landing. This isn't accurate. ENT specialists say to have the child awake about an hour before landing (top of descent, landing or touch-down is too late).
http://www.entcda.com/AAOHNSF/earsandalt鈥?/a>
I can confirm that is when I saw problems at work. Take your children to the doctor in the last few days before you fly to make sure their ears are clear and infection-free. Heathy ears can handle pressurization changes.
About the 3 year old, while I doubt that s/he'll hate the flight, security is usually the scariest part of the experience for kids.
Here's a good site;
http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/c鈥?/a>
Show her/him the people going through and what you have to do. Let him/her know that although s/he has to put his/her things on the belt, they'll be given right back to him/her on the other side.
Go through the whole flying experience, step by step and mention the emergency briefing they do onboard. Get a book on airplanes. There are some specific for children about to fly for the first time. Get them from the library, since you may not need them again.
Let him/her pack his/her own small backpack with toys s/he picked. You take a change of clothes, a sippy cup (empty if you're concerned about security) and some snacks. Also, pack a few suprises, new toys s/he's never seen.
I recommend the DVD player only if the flight is over three or four hours but bring it anyway if you think it'll help them. Perhaps a new movie is a good idea, something you know s/he'll like. Make her/him understand that s/he has to use the earphones onboard. Please juice it up before leaving and consider purchasing another battery if it's a long flight and make sure it's fully charged as well. Bring the recharger just in case you need it on the ground for a delay.
Bring some books to read to him or her onboard too. Coloring things, stickers and simple toys that don't make noise work best with children this young.
About 8 years ago, I wrote an article on this subject to help out other parents and my coworkers. It's totally non-commercial and a lot of parents around the world have contributed. I recently re-edited it. Feel free to visit;
http://flyingwithchildren.blogspot.com
About Disney parks in general, I found this site to be super-helpful;
http://www.disboards.com/
It's not generated by the Disney company themselves and it saved me major money. I have been to the Florida and California parks pre-procreating but I still found their advice helpful.
Hopefully, it wont be as expensive, crowded and you'll have better weather than we did in Paris!
Have a great trip!I am flying on an airplane with two young children, 1 yrs %26amp; 3 yrs. Need advice for a drama free flight.?
Plenty of activities work best for my children. No parent wants to be the ';parent of those crazy loud kids'; on the plane. we bought a portable dvd player with 2 sets of headphones, it works like a charm. Pop in their favorite dvd and it should be smooth sailing.
Take activities and/or toys that they are really interested in. If you are flying through clouds (and in daytime of course), try to let your 3yr one see some familiar forms, like a teddy, tree etc in the clouds. Or play 'I spy with my little eye'.
Candy dots. The ones you have to work at to get off the paper. Also, we always carry a recent photo of the kids, and have some kind of id on them, just in case anything would happen.
Croc-like shoes are also nice for getting thru security quick.
valume is your friend, that or antihystamine.
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