Flying W/ 3 Energetic Boys

A small mallet.....or tranquilizers would make for a peaceful trip! Kidding V.....You are one fantastic mama. I never had the nerve to take my kids at that young age on a flight to anywhere! I had two sons, but My hubby and I rarely got to take off, so when we were able, we left the boys with family.When they got a little older...(17 /18) tee hee kidding! around 8 and 10 we would take them on long flights or trips abroad. Sooo I guess I really am not qualified to give you any advice on this subject. Maybe YOU and your Hubby could take the tranquilizers!! lol You won't hear a thing the entire flight! Have a wonderful vacation Its beautiful in Hawaii.

I would always be on the lookout for flat, small, new activities. I would buy these and hide them away for travel. I would wrap a few and keep them for emergencies. A wrapped present makes the time special. (Sticker books from the .99 store work well, also small magnetic games, card games, lots of small things--transformers (dates me), finger puppets). My husband used to call my travel bag --M.'s magic preschool. I would also put snacks (cherrios, raisons, goldfish) in small bags. It is one of the time when we would sort of play with food. The kids never knew what was coming out of the bag. Plane rides are great places to help your children learn. take out highlighter pens and have them mark vowels or their favorite letters in the free magazine. Small safety scissors and a magazine and a glue stick and a piece of paper and they have a art project.

But my best advice is for the airport waits. I carry 2 things with me even now for other families. I bring balloons and a bubble pen. The balloon is a instant "soft" ball that can be played with by a number of kids and left in the terminal or popped. If you have more balloons, the kids are fine with leaving it. The bubble pen blows a stream of micro bubbles. With a capful of bubble solution, you can entertain a group of kids for about 15 minutes. That 15 minutes of peace is often greatly appreciated by parents who did not think to bring anything.

Hi! I used a few things recently with taking my 19 month old to VA and back. We packed crayons and paper to use on the fold down tray. Just in case there was trouble keeping the paper on the tray, I brought tape(they didn't pull the dispenser from me at security). We don't have a portable dvd player so I downloaded some of her favorite cartoons to our iPod. Sometimes she listened with headphones, sometimes she didn't and both did well! I packed books too, which did great because they are flat and they fit into the backpack without trouble. (The backpack was a lifesaver because I wasn't always readjusting a diaper bag on my shoulder) Her favorite bear and a paci (both which are normally for naps and bedtime) attended the flight to make her feel special and give her a little more security. I recommend velcro or easy slide off shoes because security wants everyone's shoes to go through the xray now. I reserved an aisle seat so she could go walking if she needed to. We also took an umbrella stroller for the first time and it was wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. You don't have to check it, they bring it to and from the mouth of the plane for you! I purchased EarPlanes as well for her ears to help with the transition with take off and landing. I have heard wonderful things about them but she wouldn't keep them in her ears. I am not sure how your little guys do with stuff like that but it would be one more issue off your plate! Good luck to you and do the hula for me!

If you can , book a night flight, the little ones will go to sleep within the first hour. Use the floor unless there is a lot of turbulence. Each adult bring a big Coat, works great as padding on the floor.

Introduce yourself to the passengers around you and make a loud announcement before you seat your self something like" Hope you guys like kids" big smile ! Those that dont will move and those that do will help you keep the kids entertained. Don't seat the little ones next to each other, put your husband in charge of one of them. and walk the isles a lot during the flight.

Don't be shy, I have found that people get bored flying and actually like to talk with kids and play peek a boo with little ones, if you break the ice from the get go:)

Bring plastic paper clips, and have them make long chains. dont bring candy or sugary snacks...they get really wired . Small fruits like grapes and berries. string cheese and salami work great.

Most of all don't you get uptight,,,that is the worst experience of all for the other passengers.

Love H. mother of five...with many long Euro trips under her belt

Before the trip, your 4 and 1/2 year old might like to read or see the VHS on The Magic School Bus Taking Flight.

We flew to Hawaii over Christmas just recently. Our youngest child was 16 months old at the time. We have 5 kids ages 9, 8, 5, 3, and 1. Anyway, both our 8 year old and the baby had trouble with nausea on landing. Having a spare carry-on outfit for each person is a good idea because you don't know if some one might get altitude sickness or if something large might spill on your lap.

If you are sharing a seat with your 20 month old, happy meal time! Nothing could be more stressful. Disgruntled legs kicking everywhere and food flying. However, the stewardess can help you pace when you receive your meals so you and your spouse can take turns.

The toys you bring with you on the trip there will likely have lost some of their charm once they have been played with thoroughly on the trip, so consider planning ahead for some new surprises for the trip back too. Although there are Walmarts and Kmarts in Hawaii to resupply your carry on bags with for the flight home, they may not be easy to find.

Some airlines have individual TV screens with shows and video games galore. Some don't. I hope you are booked on a flight that does, they are fabulous!

Trying to keep the baby pleased will probably be a challenge. Hand puppets, face making, peek-a-boo, coloring, match box cars, snacks of all kinds, switching places with family members now and then, pacing the aisles, small musical instruments like a kazoo (no, I am not kidding-it is easier for passengers to listen to a mother playing a kazoo like a nut than to suffer through hours of a baby screaming), games like incey wincy spider, a sippy cup, oh...if you go to amazon.com and look up "toddler games" in their "books" section, you can find a great selection of ideas there. We have Wonderplay and it is a hoot.

As for offending other passengers, well, if you are sitting by a particularly cross person, that cannot be helped. We have traveled all over the world with our 5 kids and that has only happened once. And it wasn't because of my kids, it was because of me. I turned to toss my husband one of the kids' shoes and launched it right into a passenger's arm on accident. Despite my apologies they paged a stewardess and asked to be moved somewhere else. But then all the other families sitting around us kind of relaxed and got their kazoos and bells out and we just all started having fun and our kids all got together and played.

There is nothing worse than a plane full of children with parents who are afraid of offending the other passengers so the parents end up shushing their kids and fighting with them to be quiet. But there is something wonderful about a flight where there is love and laughter and everyone just rolls with things and has a great, memorable time regardless of all the chaos and mayhem.

Lastly, a good nights sleep for all of you before the flight is A MUST. And remember to request to board the plane first when you check in at the boarding gate. Airlines always let families board first if they know you want to.

Hi,
I've flown all my life and have the seem all the tricks from other passangers. For the young two boys, get some cheap new toys. They'll be delighted to have somthing new to keep their attention. Give a bottle to the youngest on take off and landing to help clear his ears and gum to the 4 1/2 yr old. Play games like, "I spy with my little eye..." and take snacks for them. Trust me...with my 8 month old, we had more stuff for her than for us when we traveled.

Good luck,
T.

Portable DVD player & hand held games! Any chance of motion sickness I'd do dramamine before the flight. My 3 yr old used to fly no problem - he's been on lots of flights. The last 3 flights he got sick during landing & threw up. Now we do chewable dramamine before, plus no sweets. The dramamine makes him a little sleepy but we usually try to time it so it's around nap-time anyway. Sounds like we fly a lot but not really. Just 2-4 times a year up to the Pacific Northwest to see family. That's what's worked for us. Have fun in Hawaii!!! -M.