4-yo on airplane

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ascetic

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Short question: I’ll be taking my son on his first airplane ride to visit my parents at the end of July. He’s never been on a plane before. Does anyone have any practical pointers? Do they still give out little wings to children?

Longer one: My mother is flying out the day before to go back with us; this was done to limit the possible objections my ex wife. He’ll have “his” kindle and I may pay for the in flight wi-fi depending on whether his apps need it. He told me the other day that he didn’t want any books or toys for the plane…lol YEAH, RIGHT!
He’ll have the window seat, which I know won’t matter since we can swap, but I want him to be able to see more since it’s his first airplane ride. We’ll have pre-boarding due to my disability and his age, but he says that he doesn’t want to see the cockpit in that time window. He didn’t seem scared, just indifferent. Obviously, I can’t rely on a little guy to be able to predict anything, but maybe I’m trying too hard to predict everything that may happen.
His mother swears that he’s had meltdowns with her, but she never was very good at relaying accurate information, and he’s never had one with me. Still, that’s the fear in my mind. I don’t want to be that parent on a six-hour flight. I once met a family at a gate in SFO with several kids and one infant, and they appeared to be handling it with the precision of a Marine drill team. Maybe I’m worrying too much. IDK.
 
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Depends heavily on the kid. My four- and three-year-olds were finegoing to CA from the East Coast. We made sure they were fed, bought a few new books and coloring books, let them do an iPad game, and took them to the bathroom. Use what you know of the kid, plan for the worst, and I’m sure you’ll be okay.

Also: Most people are understanding about little kids crying. They don’t like it when parents allow bad behavior (seat kicking, eg). Just don’t be That Parent.
 
I think flights/long car trips are the exact reason cheap little toys exist. I picked up a couple from the dollar store (little puzzles, etc) and then I didn’t have to worry if they got lost or broken. Some public libraries put together travel bags for kids - ours even have tablets that come preloaded with appropriate materials but don’t access WiFi. My kids don’t get a lot of screen time generally, so that’s a BIG treat for them and it keeps them still. I also recommend a couple easy to access snacks, especially since meals may not be as routine.
 
As an addendum, I forgot to add that EVERY time I’ve put my electronic devices through the TSA’s magic scanner, I have come out with a dead battery from a full charge that I have even verified as full before hand. Since the kindle is my biggest tool (he loves it) this is a scary prospect. I’m going to call their number to ask about this, but like any government agency, and them especially, I’ll most likely get a scripted, nebulous answer that ‘depends on my definition of is’. I may shell out the money for pre check. The specifics of my addendum aside, does anyone have experience with pre check?
 
I just flew with my 6yo and my 9yo for the first time. We flew Spirit, so I don’t know about wings or cockpit tours— a less “budget-y” kind of airline like AA or Delta might be more likely to do those things. I knew I got both when I was little… but that was when they were handing out free snacks and boxes of playing cards, too! 😛

On the plus side, coming and going, we were able to go through the metal detector, not the body scanner. Yay for small favors.

Where does your path go? I found that flying over the Rockies is much more turbulence-prone than flying over the Appalachians. So if you have a major mountain system to go over— the Rockies are pretty much twice as high as the Appalachians, because the Appalachians are so old and the Rockies are comparatively young— then you might want to prepare something for an uncomfortable ride. (Like tanking up on dramamine before you leave!) 😛

On our way out, I tried feeding mine before we left, because I knew it would be a while before we ate. That didn’t work so well. On the way back, I made sure to include little munchies to break up the trip— “Hey, here’s a muffin, let’s share it.”

Our flight was 3 hrs. I see yours is 6 hrs. That’s definitely a chunk of time. Plan a few trips to walk to the restroom or something, just to let him get his wiggles out, if he’s getting restless.

I packed mine a little backpack for their “one free personal item”. I put in a tablet (all of the games loaded on it are played without wifi), as well as some books and toys and things. My 6yo got the most mileage out of the toys and the tablet; the older one was more content with the books. If yours likes to draw, you might bring a pad of paper and a few pencils, and spend a bit of time saying, “Draw me a chicken” or “Draw me a bunny” or “Now draw me a _____.”

They enjoyed looking out the window the most when we could see the ground. When we were inside the clouds, they lost interest pretty quickly. When we were above the clouds, that was interesting for a bit, but not too sustained.

I didn’t pack as much stuff as I could have, because I knew I’d be the one toting the vast majority of it. 🙂 So your 4yo should be able to carry his own little backpack, but if he can’t, take that into account, and just narrow it down to cycling through four or five things that he’ll get a lot of mileage out of— plus consumables, like snacks.
 
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ascetic said:
Do they still give out little wings to children?
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No.
ascetic said:
He’ll have “his” kindle and I may pay for the in flight wi-fi depending on whether his apps need it
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You should check the airline for their specific instructions, you can typically download the airline app on your device before you travel and then use the airplane wifi for free to access the airline’s onboard movies. Usually this includes kid movies. You have to pay for wifi to access the internet. Sometimes the plane will have an inseat entertainment unit, and sometimes you access through your device. In my experience on flights over 3 hours, about half the time it’s one type of set up and half the time it’s the other.
ascetic said:
but he says that he doesn’t want to see the cockpit in that time window
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They don’t let you in the cockpit.
ascetic said:
I forgot to add that EVERY time I’ve put my electronic devices through the TSA’s magic scanner, I have come out with a dead battery from a full charge that I have even verified as full before hand.
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I fly nearly every week for work, this has never, ever happened to me. Ever. But if you are concerned, purchase a battery for your devices and carry with you like a mophie or other brand charger.
ascetic said:
I may shell out the money for pre check.
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a) Your stuff goes through the same scanner in pre-check.
b) You may not have time to get through the pre check process at this point, since you are flying in only 6 weeks.
ascetic said:
does anyone have experience with pre check?
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Yes. Pre check is great.
 
Don’t rely on just the tablet.

He’s 4. He’s never flown before.

You need
  • Snacks! Don’t rely on the plane’s snacks. Raisins make a great snack because they are nut-free and super tedious to eat and chew.
  • Games you two can play together on the tablet or magnetic versions
  • Cool surprise treat ever hour or so. Stickers or a color magic type book. I love the Water WOW and Brain quest cards
  • For the love of all that is holy do NOT withhold fluid. Bathroom breaks frequently.
  • Starburst or other chewy candy that your 4yo can handle for take off/landing.
  • Learn some flight-friendly stretching techniques and have them meorized so you can teach him.
 
midori said:
We flew Spirit, so I don’t know about wings or cockpit tours— a less “budget-y” kind of airline like AA or Delta might be more likely to do those things
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I’ve flown a bunch and the only one who appeared to acknowledge the kids (ie meet the pilot) an give a treat (coloring book) was Southwest.
 
We flew with our kids last summer and they were almost 4 and 2. They definitely didn’t take them into the cockpit and I doubt they will because of terrorism and all. They were excited about the take-off so we didn’t need much distraction during the first trip. On the trip back, we let the 4yo watch a video on my school tablet. We also used those little $5 Melissia and Doug books too. I also recommend bringing your own food if you can.
 
We flew on American (I believe) a few weeks ago and Baby Girl got wings.

They broke immediately after we got home, but we still got them. My oldest is 15, we fly almost every year, and I believe this is the first time we’ve ever gotten the wings.
 
Inexpensive toys that he has never seen before are a lifesaver!

US Libraries have free subscriptions for his Kindle (Overdrive, One Click, Hoopla and some other that are specifically FOR kids content). Install these and download a bunch of stuff ebooks, some movies, cartoons, music. Get him a pair of comfy headphones to wear when he watches his stuff.

Honestly, I don’t think passengers are allowed in the cockpit in our post nine eleven world. Don’t promise a visit!!
 
ascetic said:
His mother swears that he’s had meltdowns with her, but she never was very good at relaying accurate information, and he’s never had one with me.
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Eh, it’s very age appropriate at his age and younger to tantrum.

Kids are generally better-behaved with people they spend less time with, but that magic wears of the more time you have together.

But a tantrum isn’t likely at his age on a plane–it’s more likely he’ll just drive you nuts if you don’t bring enough entertainment and snacks.

Kids 3 and up can be very good on planes.
 
ascetic said:
As an addendum, I forgot to add that EVERY time I’ve put my electronic devices through the TSA’s magic scanner, I have come out with a dead battery from a full charge that I have even verified as full before hand. Since the kindle is my biggest tool (he loves it) this is a scary prospect. I’m going to call their number to ask about this, but like any government agency, and them especially, I’ll most likely get a scripted, nebulous answer that ‘depends on my definition of is’. I may shell out the money for pre check. The specifics of my addendum aside, does anyone have experience with pre check?
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Our Kindle batteries don’t seem to do that. (We always fly with our Kindles.)
 
Some more thoughts:

–Our kids get issued a kid-sized rolling carry on bag at 4 that they are able to roll through the airport themselves and that fits under the seat in front of them. (Kid stuff needs to be under the seat, ideally.) Their entertainment stuff goes in there (along with as many of their clothes as I can fit).
–I endorse a bunch of earlier ideas.
–Our last trip (we got back a week ago) we flew Spirit one way (very bare bones, no nothing, barely even a place to stick your water bottle, world’s tiniest tray table) and then American on the way back. American had those seat back entertainment screens for each seat, with movies and games. Baby Girl found some of the games frustrating, but it helped. Sadly, they did not have headphones available and Baby Girl wasn’t interested in the movies without the sound, but that would have been nice. (We should have brought a tablet with movies and better games.)
–I brought a completely new sticker activity book for a beloved franchise (My Little Pony) and two sticker workbooks. The latter two required a lot of help from me, but as I was inches from her anyway, not a big deal.
–We brought some Brain Quest. I brought a couple of travel toys that other kids have liked (a magnetic toy and a small non-LEGO LEGO set), but she wasn’t that interested. We didn’t use the dry erase travel cards that our other kids have enjoyed, but maybe next time.

https://usborne.com/browse-books/ca...hings-for-little-children-to-do-on-a-journey/

On the way back, I bought a hideously expensive kid “travel kit” at one of those airport news stands. It was expensive, but worth it. We brought A LOT of entertainment but needed it all.
–I’m really looking forward to Baby Girl becoming more literate so that it will be less labor-intensive to entertain her on the plane.
–As other people have said, we try to always bring an extra snack.
 
1ke said:
Huh, weird, usually they walk around handing them out on American (which I fly basically every week) but I have my own ear buds so no need for theirs.
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They told us it was a botch by catering.

Normally they have them.

But yes, we would have been well-served to have our own.
 
I would also suggest that you bring MORE snacks and MORE entertainment than you think necessary for a six hour flight.

Because you might get delayed. I got delayed coming home on Friday due to weather and my 6 hours turned into almost 20. I was supposed to arrive at 3 p.m. on Friday. Instead I got home at 2 a.m. Saturday morning.
 
ascetic said:
His mother swears that he’s had meltdowns with her, but she never was very good at relaying accurate information, and he’s never had one with me.
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My husband could say the same thing, and I think we’re both decent enough parents. For some reason, kids seem to act the worst around their mothers. At four, I think he’ll probably be just fine. If he’s the kind of kid who likes to be prepared for things, sometimes watching videos (like of the inside of an airplane) and just talking about what will happen can help.

Have you bought the tickets yet? JetBlue is great- you can watch TV or movies the whole time.
 
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