Flying with a 4 Year Old

[ValarDisneyus]

Hello! I'm 10 days away from our first trip ever, for any member of the family! I AM STOOPID WITH EXCITEMENT! (All the adults have been to the Land as children, and DH's parents obviously took him when he was smallish, but none of us have ever been to WDW.)

Alas, my darling Squeaker is 4! She normally rides in a convertible car seat. Should I bring it with us on the plane/for DME?

Also: anyone have any ideas for occupying a smallish, excitable person who just found out that they have to sit in an enclosed space, with good manners, for four hours when they JUST found out they're going to Disney World? I'd love to compare Parent-Notes. Thanks in advance!

 

[BellsFam]

DD was funny and had most of the plane laughing...

When we got through security I grabbed her some crackers and M&Ms, telling her that if you buy them in the airport they are magic and will help her ears with popping... (Have some Cheerios or something because they aren't used to it)...

We also downloaded games on our tablet and brought a frozen card game to play and coloring, I read to her and she mostly slept because of the Dramamine!

 

[ValarDisneyus]

Is Dramamine too much for a four hour flight? I'd hate for her to be woozy when she gets there and it's time to have fun!

 

[AngelaVHull]

The children's Dramamine should be fine

 

[ktlm]

Go to the store and buy some activity things she has never seen before that you give her for the first time on the plane. You can find all kinds of different little sets (Disney or non-Disney) at Target, Walmart, craft stores etc. Disney makes a mini coloring pages set that comes with about 5 markers and 80 small pages of pictures to cover. DD used to love those on the plane as a preschooler. We saw a Frozen one at Target last weekend. You might want to bring some extra markers in case the set does not have the "right" color. I've done colored pens or pencils and just a blank page "diary" type book for her to draw in. We have done paper dolls and fashion design sets. We've done coloring and activity books. We've done the color wonder sets--- but I will warn you if you do the Disney Princess glitter "mess free" one-- it will leave glitter all over the seat and tray table of the plane (I'm sure the next guest loved us). We've done sticker books. Sometimes they were a surprise. Sometimes I showed them to her before the trip, but not let her have them. Other times, I would let her pick a couple of items out before the trip, but not let her have them until we got on the plane. DD also liked books, so we would take a few of those too. That method always worked great for us. I would just be sure to bring a few options (I always tried to have at least 4 different things to choose from) so that when she tired of one activity, I would have another one to pull out!

If she is not used to flying-- you probably will want something for her to be able to chew to help with ear popping. We don't do gum, but any snack that has them chewing will work. Also, we found out on DD's first plane ride at age 2, that she is scared of take-offs. She is 9 now, and still is scared of them. I found that if I read a book to her during take off (and now she does it herself)- that helped. If she had something else to focus on, she was not that scared.

Have a wonderful trip!!!!!

 

[kboo]

Hi there, your trip sounds really exciting!

I've been flying with my kid (now 3.5) since she was an infant, but I think many of these still hold true:

It's a matter of personal preference, but I don't bring DD's car seat along. We used to use the CARES harness but she is at the height limit now at 42", so I expect your DD would be as well. I try to stick to the truth as closely as possible, so now that she's graduating from the CARES harness, she gets to sit like a "big kid" and the grownups. And then she just sits in her seat on the DME and shuttle buses around the resort.

General tips for riding on the plane, I guess I'd suggest you prep her by talking about it, about what the plane is going to do, and that the pilot/captain and the crew will be in uniforms ("like police officers") and they are they to ensure our safety. They, not mom and dad, make the rules on the plane, and it is very important that we listen to and follow all the rules. There are going to be certain times that we MUST sit with our seat belts buckled and it is to keep us safe, etc. Even Mom and Dad have to follow all the rules, etc etc (just like riding in the car, we need to be buckled in all the time, etc).

I wouldn't medicate unless your daughter suffers from motion sickness - Dramamine can sometimes make kids hyper and mess with the sleep schedule.

We did a combination of games etc on the tablet, sticker books, lots of small snacks, etc. some flights you may have personal entertainment screens; those are always good for DD to just press buttons and fiddle with. What works for us - DD gets limited screen time on the ipad as it is, and never gets to watch full-length movies except on the airplane. So now, she just watches Frozen over and over and over ... it's really easy. Try giving her as much of a preview of the plane flight as you can, make it into an exciting part of the trip as well (and not just something you have to endure), and if you have a window seat, she may be cool looking out the window for a good part of the trip too. If all else fails, the flight attendants are usually really good if you take a walk to the bathroom and let her ask some questions about the flight, or the plane.

Oh- if she has a comfort item - a blankie, a stuffed toy, BRING IT. Even if she doesn't use it much at home, she may like having something familiar to snuggle up to.

 

[Spunky946]

All I have to do is stuff some sort of screen under my kids noses along with a snack and they are good for the flight.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

You can't use a car seat for DME and you really don't need it on the plane for a 4 year old. I'd leave it at home.

 

[blackpearl77]

You won't need a car seat or harness on the plane for a 4 year old. They will fit in the seat just fine and just use the regular seat belt.

Everyone already gave such good advice - all I can think of is lollypops or something to chew on for ears just in case.

 

[Thing 1]

Agree that you will not really need to bring the car seat. Be prepared and be honest but don't plant ideas. Dont instill any thoughts of danger or fear or motion sickness or even ear pain. Gummies are great for chewing during take off. I would not medicate without a reason. For me just lifting the restrictions I hold pretty tight on the electronics is all I need, but at four we did need a few more items but we mostly try to avoid all the $ store junk .Color wonder. sticker books, magna doodles etc. Tons of fun snacks are important. Buy drinks after you go through security.

 

[luvmy2babies]

My son has flown 4 times, the last time being at age 4, the day after finding out about our trip (although that one was his 4th) and outside of that has other times when he has to sit still like church or meetings I have to go to and I find that what keeps him still and entertained in those meetings keeps him still and entertained on the plane. Electronics and quiet toys. The only thing I don't give him to play with in his seat are his vehicles (trains, cars, etc) because if he drops those they roll. On that I usually get triangle shaped crayons because they won't roll off the tray.

My two say the gummy snacks have worked better than anything else we have used for ear pressure. So I load up on those, usually a box of small individual packs of them easy for my son to hold. My son is 5 and still harnessed and I agree no car seat. One of the things I love about going to Disney since he got big enough is leaving the car seat behind. We took it the first time when he was 10 months old. After that we used the CARES harness. Last flight just the seat belt. Plus it will likely put her up too high in the seat and take away a lot of leg room unless you are in the front row. Have fun.

 

[Habbott]

One of my son's favorite things I did was buy a miniature airplane just like the one we were taking. I bought it on amazon and saved almost half of what the airport was charging. The other big hit was a bubble magnet book (ours was cars themed, but they had Minnie ones and a princess one). It was such a big hit that a little girl came over and sat down and played nicely with my son. The magnet book is better suited for airport, as there are a lot of small magnets.

If you choose not to take the car seat (it might not be a bad idea for an over excited kid to sit how they normally sit in the car), at least take a low back booster. We got transferred and I'm so glad I had something for my kid to sit in that was safe in the taxi. Sitting in between mom and dad kept him sitting properly, but I'm glad I took the booster.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

even if you take a low back booster you can not use on plane. if you take the carseat most times the tray table is unable to be use so no place to color or play with toys or place a drink. I would just use seatbelt as you can not use carseat on DME.

 

[glk2009]

Lots of good tips! I don't think anyone mentioned this but I'd give your DD a heads up about going through security at the airport and placing all belongings up in the X-ray machine belt. Hopefully that will avoid any separation issues with loveys or toys, etc. that she might be carrying.

Our kids love the airplane. They know it's basically free time for them to watch shows or movies or play whatever app they pick. I do try to break up the time so they aren't staring at the ipad for four+ hours straight.

I bring different shaped post it notes and those get drawn on and plastered everywhere. Super easy to clean up.

Oh! Headphones. Test out headphones before going on the plane. We love the Kids Gearz ones available on Amazon. These are key for watching shows.

I pack special treats and we always seem to be on a plane during a meal, so I end up bringing a lot of fresh fruit, veggies and deli meat. This is a weird one but I bring a few paper plates so that I can use it on the tray for our meals. Easier than worrying about containers going every which way.

For popping ears, we use the dum dum lollipops. Small but effective.

At the airport we usually have some extra time because we get there early so that I don't stress. We use that time to go to one of the stores and let our girls pick out a special snack and an activity or small toy. It may be overpriced but they love it. One trip my DD7 picked out the Where's Waldo travel book. She may have been 4 at the time. It was and continues to be a big hit.

Safe travels!

 

[AZMermaid]

We are flying to Hawaii at the end of May. Along with a lot of the ideas above, I went to Goodwill and bought each kid a bag full of junky toys for $1.99 each. I went through each bag and pulled out broken off pieces, the tambourine, the Dora teether (which my 3 year old found and loves-ha ha) and a rock. But the rest of the stuff is perfect. They will like new toys and I won't care if it rolls under the seat never to be found again. I haven't flown yet, but I'm optimistic this will be a hit!

 

[#17 Cherry Tree Lane]

OP, we're going to be leaving in 10 days, too. My daughter is 3 1/2 and I'm getting a little nervous about the flight. We have a fun bag packed of puzzles (which she LOVES), coloring, books to read and an Anna and Elsa wooden dress up magnet doll as a surprise. We'll have our Kindle and my phone with her favorite games and a few movies. I'll be getting her headphones this weekend to use on the plane and letting her know she can't use either without the headphones. I'm not sure if she'll use them but it'll give me time to experiment. I'll be bringing dum dums and gummies for take off, thank you to the posters who suggested them. I'm also bringing children's Dramamine but hopefully won't need it. She's only been sick in the car once in her life so hopefully it won't repeat on the plane. I don't plan on bringing her car seat since she can't use it on DME.

We keep telling her we're going to Disney World but she doesn't believe us. So I'm thinking occupying my excited husband is going to be harder than her. I hope you enjoy your trip! And thank you for posting this, it's helped me with ideas too!

 

[DisneyCAL]

I would leave the car seat home. If she has a backpack from school, let that be her carry-on. Fill it with activities you can get at a dollar store. My daughter who is also 4 loves those surprise packs which you could give her a new one to open every 30minutes. Also a lot of dollar stores or grocery stores have activity kits where you can color in and build. Other than that, if you have an iPad (fill it with disney movies or shows), a nintendo DS, or a portable dvd player with headphones should entertain on the plane. We also take breaks and walk them up and down the aisle and then do potty time. Bring some gum too, if she's good with it, for her ears. We also made a small journal for them to fill out with a section on traveling to wdw. Happy Flying!

 

[luvmy2babies]

Someone mentioned talking to her about the airport ahead of time. That's a good idea. Even though my son had flown before, this last flight was the first one he was really aware and also his first time walking through the airport instead of being carried or pushed in a stroller; so I went to YouTube. TSA had a great video for children on there.

 

[Runnergal]

We just got back from Arizona with our dc- a 5 hour flight with a 1.5 hour delay before leaving the gate. My 3.5 did well. He loves the Spot it games- they make frozen and Pixar versions. Also the magic ink books. And the iPad of course. But make sure you have comfy kid size headphones. I always download a couple of new nick jr or pbs games he hasn't played yet.

 

[Gracie09]

When we travel, we do lollipops (usually ring pops because my girls love them) a new book (eye spy are popular) now that they have ipads I may download a new game for them. We also fly jet blue so yay tv. I would not do Dramamine or benydril etc unless it is medically needed. If they don't use headphones, start getting them use to them. They will need to use them for any electronics.