best travel toys for 5 year olds image
Socrates
I have a long journey planned on my next vacation with my 1.5 year old. A fourteen hour flight followed by layover and then a 6-7 hour. We did not opt for an exclusive seat for him either. Any tips?
Answer
Here are a couple of tips from our own experience:
1. most importantly: call the airline and try to get a bassinette, and at least one seat next to it(that's the crib that attaches to the wall in front of the bulk head seats). the bassinette itself will probably be too small for your child to actually sleep in, but will hold all the extra stuff that comes along with a toddler. moreover, the extra leg room will give your toddler more space to play that is NOT your lap or the aisle...
note: bulk head seats are usually booked first because there's more leg room there, but parents with infants on-lap (younger than 2 years) have priority to these seats on most airlines. if you can't book the seat in advance, don't dispair - you can still get it upon check in: come in early and insist on it!
2. try to keep the child's routine as close to normal as possible. keep meal times and nap times as close as you can to your "home time". bring small packs of favorite foods and snacks with you, as plane food is not likely to top your kids list... you can heat up baby food by putting the container in a small cup filled with a half-inch to an inch of boiling water and stirring the contents. "Gerber" containers fit perfectly, or you could use the small, round, 4-oz disposable plastic containers (like "Glad" or such) which also fit in the coffee cups provided on airplanes.
3. of course, if your child has a favorite toy, stuffed animal, blankie etc., have it with you on board.
4. get a bunch of new, real-cheap little toys that you wouldn't mind losing / throwing away by the end of the trip. introduce a new one every hour or so -- it'll buy you precious time! i'd put under this category also some little arts & crafts items, like stickers and crayons.
5. have at least two full changes of baby clothes and lots of extra diapers with you, as well as a small "baby-bath travel kit", just in case your layover gets extended, your suitecases go astray, and so on... i'd also take an extra shirt for mom and dad, for any unfortunate accidents.
6. on the plane, don't be shy - let baby run up and down the isles. fighting it won't help anyway, and the excersize is good for you both ;-) plus, the more energy they spend, the more likely they are to fall asleep at some point...
7. talk to your pediatritian about baby-safe antihistamines - a small dosage may be all the help baby needs to get drowsy and sleep better when they're already over-tired, but the strange environment won't let them fall asleep...
8. take a deep breath, and remind yourself that, as hard as this one day may be, it's only one day of travel, and it, too, shall pass!
good luck! :)
Here are a couple of tips from our own experience:
1. most importantly: call the airline and try to get a bassinette, and at least one seat next to it(that's the crib that attaches to the wall in front of the bulk head seats). the bassinette itself will probably be too small for your child to actually sleep in, but will hold all the extra stuff that comes along with a toddler. moreover, the extra leg room will give your toddler more space to play that is NOT your lap or the aisle...
note: bulk head seats are usually booked first because there's more leg room there, but parents with infants on-lap (younger than 2 years) have priority to these seats on most airlines. if you can't book the seat in advance, don't dispair - you can still get it upon check in: come in early and insist on it!
2. try to keep the child's routine as close to normal as possible. keep meal times and nap times as close as you can to your "home time". bring small packs of favorite foods and snacks with you, as plane food is not likely to top your kids list... you can heat up baby food by putting the container in a small cup filled with a half-inch to an inch of boiling water and stirring the contents. "Gerber" containers fit perfectly, or you could use the small, round, 4-oz disposable plastic containers (like "Glad" or such) which also fit in the coffee cups provided on airplanes.
3. of course, if your child has a favorite toy, stuffed animal, blankie etc., have it with you on board.
4. get a bunch of new, real-cheap little toys that you wouldn't mind losing / throwing away by the end of the trip. introduce a new one every hour or so -- it'll buy you precious time! i'd put under this category also some little arts & crafts items, like stickers and crayons.
5. have at least two full changes of baby clothes and lots of extra diapers with you, as well as a small "baby-bath travel kit", just in case your layover gets extended, your suitecases go astray, and so on... i'd also take an extra shirt for mom and dad, for any unfortunate accidents.
6. on the plane, don't be shy - let baby run up and down the isles. fighting it won't help anyway, and the excersize is good for you both ;-) plus, the more energy they spend, the more likely they are to fall asleep at some point...
7. talk to your pediatritian about baby-safe antihistamines - a small dosage may be all the help baby needs to get drowsy and sleep better when they're already over-tired, but the strange environment won't let them fall asleep...
8. take a deep breath, and remind yourself that, as hard as this one day may be, it's only one day of travel, and it, too, shall pass!
good luck! :)
How to keep a 5 year old busy?
jackaug06
I am planing a trip from Newark, New Jersey to Honolulu. It is a 10 and a half hour flight. I have a five year old and am worried he will get bored and get cranky. Any tips on how to keep him busy.
Answer
I do a lot of flying with my children, and started doing so when my oldest was just 3 years old (when she and I would fly from New Zealand to The Netherlands). I recently survived a return trip from Massachusetts to New Zealand (43 hours traveling one way, 27 hours coming back ... 20 hours each-way on planes, the rest in airports) with my 5 year old and my 6 month old. With some careful planning, it can be relatively painless!
I always pack some activity/coloring books, crayons and pens, Gameboy and games, DVD player and DVDs, her favorite fleece blanket, snacks, 1 quiet toy, some children's Tylenol or Motrin (in case of ear pain caused by pressure changes when landing), and Benadryl (just in case everything else doesn't work and I want to encourage her to sleep).
Seems like a lot, but you'll be amazed how much fits into a cabin bag when it's packed carefully! Also, I bought her a kid's cabin bag with wheels, so she can pull it around herself (it's one less thing for me to juggle). If you're flying with a carrier that has in-seat entertainment, then leave the DVD player out. Most of the in-seat systems have a good range of Nintendo games, cartoons, and kids movies, but the response time between the controller and the system is a bit slow, so playing the NIntendo games can be really frustrating for the younger kids. You should be able to check with your carrier before you leave as to what they have on offer.
Oh, and I take a spare change of "the bottom half" in case of an untimely accident, and I let my kids travel wearing their slippers.
I do a lot of flying with my children, and started doing so when my oldest was just 3 years old (when she and I would fly from New Zealand to The Netherlands). I recently survived a return trip from Massachusetts to New Zealand (43 hours traveling one way, 27 hours coming back ... 20 hours each-way on planes, the rest in airports) with my 5 year old and my 6 month old. With some careful planning, it can be relatively painless!
I always pack some activity/coloring books, crayons and pens, Gameboy and games, DVD player and DVDs, her favorite fleece blanket, snacks, 1 quiet toy, some children's Tylenol or Motrin (in case of ear pain caused by pressure changes when landing), and Benadryl (just in case everything else doesn't work and I want to encourage her to sleep).
Seems like a lot, but you'll be amazed how much fits into a cabin bag when it's packed carefully! Also, I bought her a kid's cabin bag with wheels, so she can pull it around herself (it's one less thing for me to juggle). If you're flying with a carrier that has in-seat entertainment, then leave the DVD player out. Most of the in-seat systems have a good range of Nintendo games, cartoons, and kids movies, but the response time between the controller and the system is a bit slow, so playing the NIntendo games can be really frustrating for the younger kids. You should be able to check with your carrier before you leave as to what they have on offer.
Oh, and I take a spare change of "the bottom half" in case of an untimely accident, and I let my kids travel wearing their slippers.
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