Suggestions on How to Keep 4 Year Old Boy Occupied on Plane

We traveled a bunch when the kids were that age...and did long plane trips to Asia and back. You're wise to pack a bag of stuff for your son. Things my son liked at 4 included: rescue hero figures, silly putty, age appropriate puzzle books, books to read. The other thing we did was to prepare the kids before we got on the plane about what to expect. "You'll sit in a chair a long time...you'll eat...you'll leave" or whatever behavior you expect. We were always surprised at how well the kids behaved...probably because they knew what to expect. We also got a Gameboy for the kids so they could choose different games to play. At 4, I'm not sure my son was playing with it much, but it made him feel big. Good luck!!

I have a first plane trip coming up for my youngest (will be 3 yrs) and have had the exact same question. After reading all the responses, I have started a great idea list. Our oldest (7 yrs) is a great traveler and so I never even worried about him. But the little guy is a bit more squirmy and stubborn. So, I want to keep him occupied for our sanity and for the sanity of the other passengers. Aside from keeping him busy, I am worried about his ears. Our first has never so much as had an ear infection, but Dylan has had at least 1/2 dozen and I am worried that the air pressure while taking off and landing will be a problem. I have heard some parents who routinely given young kids Benadryl...Is this really OK? Or would a hard candy to suck on be enough?

Hi L.,
The I Spy books are great. My kids have loved them since they were 2. Your local library should have plenty to choose from since they can be rather expensive to buy. You could also go to the dollar store and buy a bunch of little toys. Good luck and have a great trip!

Sometimes the anticiaption of the trip and what MIGHT happen is worse than the actual outcome. What is the worst that is going to happen? So he is a little active..what 4 year old isn't? I travel with my 3 year old, we are taking out 6th plane trip in a week and she loves it. The excitement of the plane, the people and the actual TRIP are so much fun for her. While we are on the plane I have a bag with gift wrapped little goodies. Stuff I ususally get at the dollar store or the dollar spot at Target, so if it gets lost, it is no big deal. Also, plenty of snacks to eat is a great thing as well. The airlines are used to having kids on board and are really good at helping out if there is any problems. The one major thing I will tell you is this, your son will pick up on your anxiety and will maybe get anxious himself, so just be calm about it and have a GOOD time.. and don't dread it. There are a lot of great suggestions of stuff to do on this page, and any of them would be great.
Good luck!

Get some books for him on subjects that interest him. Try Usborne Books for some really well-illustrated and researched educational books that kids love! Many are combined with activities or small toys, which can be great fun. My 5 year old son loves them, and will look at the Search books for a long time. http://www.ubah.com/g2687 - check out the Great Search series, or the 1001 "Things" to spot series. These come in animal versions, pirates, dinosaurs - great fun, and similart to I Spy books. Good luck!

Dvd player. Works like a charm. Make sure you have head phones.

How about an easy "I Spy" book or an electronic "20 Questions" ball? My nephews in this age range love their I Spy's or anything even marginally electronic! Otherwise you could always play a seated, semi-quiet game of Simon Says to get out at least a little of his energy. Or make up a Bingo card and call out "blond hair" "fasten seat belt sign" "travel magazine" and other things he can see on the plane instead of numbers and letters. Good luck!

Things that have worked for us:

ColorWonder books
Activity books--like connect the dots
Practicing our letters--for short periods of time, like 5 minutes
Wandering the aisles--often you'll find older couples or other parents with kids who WANT to talk to your child
A stash of toys from Happy Meals and such
Sleep--we often do redeyes to help with our children. Sucks for us; is great for the kids
Even crafts from a craft store--kits they put together for kids
Hate to say it, but special snacks and eating during the flight
Looking out the window
I spy

Basically--I remembering being a very new mommy and traveling with a baby, and I watched this family of five travel just wodnefully with their kids. I asked them what they did well, but after observing them, I knew--they paid attention to their children, the whole flight. They did not snooze or read or work; they read to their kids, they got up to pee with their kids, they became pillows for their kids. They sat all across one row, and mom and dad switched frequently. My son also does not sit well, but he LOVES air travel, so don't assume that the novelty won't help.

I'm wondering if, since he's 4 and will have to have his own seat anyway, you're planning to bring his car seat (if it's FAA approved.) It may seem like a lot to lug around, and it may seem almost too simple to be effective, but our (very active) 4 year old has done very well on many plane rides (since his first one at 1 year) because we bring the car seat. It's familiar, he's accustomed to being trapped in it in the car (avoiding the "you must stay in your seat and keep your belt buckled" negotiations) and so it's much easier to keep him focused on activities.

Here's two options for helping schlep the carseat through the airport. We have the backpack version and like it a lot.

http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId...

http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId...

Good luck!

One idea is pipe cleaners... My son loves to create things out of pipecleaners. They are cheap and very easy to travel with. Another favorite of his is masking tape to make creations out of paper... I am not sure what his interests are but he might like these? Good luck.
Oh... I think you can rent the DVD players b/w airports. Mikght be worth checking into.

My big advice--don't take too much. I have taken my boys to England, which is an 8 hour flight, and I always over pack. The worst thing is having to keep track of everything, and negotiate all the stuff. There is enough to deal with when you are traveling with kids.

Let your son choose a few things he wants, as long as they are small. If you have an MP3 player, put songs on it that the kids like. We just got one for my 7-year old for his birthday, and he chills out for quite awhile with it.

If you have a PSP or something that will play movies, we have done that. Compact DVD players are bulky and the battery life does not last very long. Plus, hauling DVDs is bulky.

Video Now systems are small, and you can get Spongebob and other popular movies. I would check Craigs List to see if there are any people getting rid of theirs.

You don't say how long the flight is. 2 hours is no big deal. (It feels like it when you are in it, but it really is tolerable) Eight hours is more difficult, especially with no sleep time, but just a blank paper and pen.

In short--be compact and conservative. Don't underestimate the fact that this experience is new and overwhelming, so that will buy you some serious time as well.

Good luck and have fun.

Make sure that you have the expectation that you will be paying attention to them the whole time, you will not likely get to relax. I always take the time to wrap some new toys because the unwrapping part eats up more time. Get to airport early and have him go for long walks while waiting for the plane (jump, climb, do somersaults, whatever you need to burn up a little energy). We always board the plane early but some people prefer boarding last with kids, but remember for a 4 year old it will be really fun to watch all the activity outside his window (he should definitely have the window).

Toy ideas: children's books on CD from the library (be sure to get the ones with a book to flip through while listening), teach him a card game, travel game like Trouble (available from Target), ColorWonder books, sticker book!!!, a Kumon book of mazes (great even for kids not that into coloring (my son has never liked coloring books but loves Kumon maze books). My son also loves if I buy him the critters in a tube (whole set of animals or insects or other plastic creatures that are packaged in a tube). I always take a secret walk thru Target to pick out a couple new items for travel. After the trip those items get put in a box for the next time we travel so they stay "new".

And the best distraction of all? Snacks. Stay away from too sugary because it can cause upset travel tummies, but bring a lot of favorites.

I find that travel generally brings out the best in my high energy son. Ahead of time we talk about working as a team and we always give him a "job" to help the team, like keeping an eye on our bags, pulling his own travel bag on wheels, etc.

One thing that is helpful is to give them benedryl just before getting on the plane. If he doesn't sleep he'll at least be a little calmer. It won't hurt him and you aren't a bad Mom for doing it.
You could also get him some new books on planes or dinosaurs that have lots of pictures. Maybe even buy him a magazine for kids. What excites him? I'm sure there's something he'd love to do that he's not been old enough to do. Maybe now would be a good time to try it as long as it's not too messy or disruptive.
Hope this helps,
J.
Mom to 4, soon 5 through another adoption and hopefully more :o)

L.,

I have traveled with my son since he was first born. He's turning 4 in a month. Our last trip flying in Nov I packed stickers and paper In expensive cars or trucks a new book or two a foam craft project, plastic animals the main thing is something new also crayola colr wonder books and markers ( NO MESS YEAH) His favorite stuffed animal or toy. Gummi Snakes . fruit snacks crackers or cereal Hope this helps Happily Married of 23yrs and a mom of a soon to be 4 yr old and our miracle baby! Mom to a crazy 10 yr old Jack Russell and a 1.5 year old Pembroke Welsh Corgi

Since there is so much stuff to lug around anyway the ONLY thing we bring on an airplane is 1 DVD player and 1 movie per plane (we give them a different movie each flight) for both of our kids (now 3 and 6). If you don't think he will watch it... maybe don't let him watch any movies for 2 weeks before you go or buy a new movie?

Something small that doesn't take up much room but provides lots of fun...Wikki Stix. It's wax covered yarn that you can mold into different things, hook them together...it's a great way for kids that age to use their imagination. You can get Wikki Stix at Creative KidStuff and probably elsewhere. Here's their website: www.wikkistix.com. When my daughter was in kindergarten, her teacher brought them along for a long bus ride to a field trip and it kept all of the kids entertained for a long time. The best part is they can fit right in your purse. Good luck!

L.

We have used a hand held size magnadoodle, crayola color wonder products, and snacks that aren't usually available to them. Books are good too. Small figures - plastic animals - really cheap stuff that they've never seen before occupies them for quite a while. I think you will be surprised. They will do great! My son was three the last time we flew and he was more interested in watching what was going on than anything I had brought along. Good luck!