Keep my 3yo occupied on SYD-LHR flight

[c814875]

Hi all,

Flying CX to LHR shortly with my wife and 3yo son. Apart from the ipad and the IFE any other tips to keep him in his seat and amused? Coloring/Drawing only lasts minutes in his attention span.

Appreciate your help
Nervous father.

 

[cjd600]

Sticker books
New toys (drip fed during flight)
Whiskey (you, not him)

 

[c814875]

Whiskey (you, not him)

This one I like - I had thought put on the headphones and pretend I cant hear him.

 

[LadyC]

Our travel bag for MasterC who is 2 years old includes ipad, crayons, paper, books, a few of his favourite soft toys, blankets, familiar food that he eats like crackers. We also try and get him doing lots of active play before we get on the plane to tire him out a bit.

 

[mimishat]

I'd do up a few "packs" of goodies and bring out as you go along, toys, cards, sticker books, small puzzles, lego (there are some good ideas where you pre-design items for the child to make and they have to copy with the blocks given - keeps mine occupied for quite a while), felt activities, small arts and craft, origami. Heaps of games and movies etc on the ipad plus headphones. Good luck!

 

[docjames]

Plenty of snacks to keep him full (and busy).

Walks up and down the aisle intermittently.

Books, especially about plane travel in the lead up so he knows what to expect (there's a great one called "Amazing Aeroplanes"), and lots of "new things".

Rewards for good behaviour ("carrot") can be helpful.

We didnt do long haul at that age but between TV, food, books and just talking about stuff "what can you see" etc) we managed short haul.....

 

[Quickstatus]

Rewards for good behavious ("carrot") can be helpful.

Youre a tough parent!!

 

[docjames]

Youre a tough parent!!

Probably would be considered so.

Haven't resorted to an actual carrot yet (hence the " "). Although my 5 year old did announce all he wanted for dinner was a bowl of broccoli the other night......

 

[docjames]

http://www.amazon.com/Amazing-Aeroplanes-Machines-Tony-Mitton/dp/1447250710


Cool Cars is another favourite in our house.

 

[Quickstatus]

Probably would be considered so.

Haven't resorted to an actual carrot yet (hence the " "). Although my 5 year old did announce all he wanted for dinner was a bowl of broccoli the other night......

Ah! yes . Thanks!

Sticker books
New toys (drip fed during flight)

Problem with a dripfeed is that your 3yo's dripfeed timeline is likely to be much shorter than the 24 hours to the final destination especially if he knows what else is in store. 3yo's are very smart. They work out very quickly that you have other goodies (and potentially premium stuff) in the pipeline.

 

[docjames]

Another one is some "trial runs" where you all stay in the one room for a period of time (think rainy day) and explain it's practice for the flight. It can also be a test of what works and what doesnt.

Also don't forget that part of the flight is night time so sleep is a good time waster - so once he gets over the initial excitement of being on the aeroplane, trying to keep their "bedtime routine" is helpful (we do this on late night flights) - change into pyjamas, brush teeth, read a favourite bedtime book, have glass of milk (whatever his routine is) etc

3yo have no concept of time, and 1hr feels like forever (for you and for him!) let alone 8-14hrs!

 

[cjd600]

Problem with a dripfeed is that your 3yo's dripfeed timeline is likely to be much shorter than the 24 hours to the final destination especially if he knows what else is in store. 3yo's are very smart. They work out very quickly that you have other goodies (and potentially premium stuff) in the pipeline.

Our 7 year old has flown SYD-USA and back 5 times, and our 5 year old 4 times....no dramas....the aniticipatory fear always outweighs the actual event

 

[LadyC]

I also talk about it a lot in the week or two leading up to the event. Explain where you are going, how long it will take, what the flight will be like and even showed a video of onboard the plane so he knew what to expect.

 

[under the radar]

Our 7 year old has flown SYD-USA and back 5 times, and our 5 year old 4 times....no dramas....the aniticipatory fear always outweighs the actual event

correct...children sence fear. treat it all as an adventure..point out stuff/distract them..talk to them:shock:. In the end, only YOU/your wife/partner know YOUR kid better than us outsiders:shock:
what works for some...doesnt necessarily work for others:shock: gotta love 'internet parenting' ...GOOD LUCK

 

[Denali]

Buy him a model plane of the one you are flying, or a stuffed on if its got tiny parts... all part of his very big adventure.

And are you flying Y?

As much as I hate the idea of someone using this behind me, if I was in Y, although I was told it doesn't pull down the seat in front, a friend recently used these for her 3 & 6yr and it looked like both boys ended up with a semi bed. She said once reclined, he easily fell asleep. THis is the 3yr.

https://www.facebook.com/flylegsup/

 

[Quickstatus]

https://www.facebook.com/flylegsup/

Great idea. Now there is an even greater chance of getting the dependants to turn right. I really would like to reserve points for myself and wife ONLY!!

 

[cjd600]

correct...children sence fear. treat it all as an adventure..point out stuff/distract them..talk to them:shock:. In the end, only YOU/your wife/partner know YOUR kid better than us outsiders:shock:
what works for some...doesnt necessarily work for others:shock: gotta love 'internet parenting' ...GOOD LUCK

All the 7 year old wants to know is if she'll be on a "plane with a bed" or one of those "mistake fares" in a normal seat

 

[GarrettM]

This one I like - I had thought put on the headphones and pretend I cant hear him.

You do want to stay with the wife yes?

 

[Katie]

Stickers -have seen parents with stickers all over their faces during flights (applied by the kids)
Sticky tape
Color Wonder books - can't make permanent marks on self, plane, or accommodation.

We often travelled with a DVD played for Little Miss at that age. Either her height or eyesight made it difficult for her to see IFE on some planes.

 

[Deleted member]

I think I will stick with "J"