Long Haul Flight, entertainment ideas?

Exactly as the title says, I need some ideas of how to entertain my extremly active 2 1/2 year old on our 8 hour flight (+2 hr stop over for fuel after only 40 mins into flight...don't get me started on that! so Irish!)

I've got some DVD's but don't think he'll tolerate headphones, colouring, might last 10 mins, stories might get me another 1/2 hr, I'm really hoping he might sleep, but flight not really during his sleep times. I've actually considered giving him something that helps babies sleep (its called dozol, it has an antihistamine in it) but it made him high, so sticking to entertainment.

Any tips?

[alison]

Get him a new toy and give it to him partway through the flight, when he's fidgety.

[Cumberland]

Having just done a long haul flight, I can feel your pain. We got the bulkhead, and there was enough room for DD to lay by our feet on a pile of blankets - she called it her special bed. SHe sat down there reading books, watching DVDs, coloring, eating snacks etc. I had a big carryon with coloring books, markers, crayons, stickers, DVD player with several DVDs, lots of books. When it was her naptime we went through the same naptime routine we do at home and by some small miracle it worked and she fell asleep. Good luck, just remember that although it may feel like the longest flight in the world, it will end.

Dramamine works too! I've done many a flight w/my kids - most recently to Alaska. I think Matthew is probably too little for a gameboy -- that's my favorite trick now.

Other than that, Suwanee and Annie have it right. A goody bag w/LOTS of surprises. I used Crayola Color Wonders paint / paint sheets for a non-messy activity. He may buy into the headphone thing once he realizes that his fun movie is coming out of it.

Suwannee - I'm surprised (glad, but surprised) that they let you make the little bed for your dd by your feet. I can see the American carriers throwing a huge fit over that.

[Flynn]

Some of my best:

• Aqua Doodle (the sheets not the mat)
  any new hand held small toys (Thomas trains?)
  Story Readers (http://www.storyreader.com)
  the magic markers that only draw on the color safe pads (Crayola?)
  favorite healthy snacks
  action figures of favorite movie or book (I pulled out some "Ice Age" small plastic figures and you would have thought I made Santa appear. They played with those toys for a good half an hour.
  Movies on a portable DVD player (no way around this one 8 hours is LONG)
  new paperback light books

I'll keep thinking

Thank you all so much!!! Loads of great Ideas!!

[DCJenn]

On our flight backfrom Russia, we also got up and moved around. Nikolai was only 14 mo old and totally freaked out ('who are you again? Oh, mom...hmmmm'). But WE walked and walked and walked. I'm sure it was annoying for some people but it wore him out and it was better than crying.

If you're flying Lufthansa, the flight attendents are pretty strict in my experience. United, Aer Lingus and Continental are much more lenient about kids.

The new toy things always works, and we also brought crayons and paper and more snack food than I thought he could possibly eat. (To visit the other grandmother, wehad to fly from DC to LA which is a 5 hour flight). Be forewarned, if you need to change a diaper, the tiny bathrooms are very difficult to move in. Unless it's a total disaster of a diaper, if you can change him quickly on the seat or the floor, do it.

Jenn

[rainbabies]

Be forewarned, if you need to change a diaper, the tiny bathrooms are very difficult to move in.

you arent kidding! when i was 8 months preggers and flying home from the caribbean with ds(no dh to help)...holy shit! i had not gone pee since 7am that morning and i had to wait until 7 pm that night to go to the bathroom. ds (11months the time) FINALLY fell asleep long enough for me to go. i did try and go WITH him but the three of us could not fit.

Mrs.B, everyone has given you great ideas. I hope your ds can handle the flight and be good to his mama!!

Be forewarned, if you need to change a diaper, the tiny bathrooms are very difficult to move in. Unless it's a total disaster of a diaper, if you can change him quickly on the seat or the floor, do it.

Jenn

yeah, that. it's a nightmare. even if i were a tiny person w/a tiny baby, it's really hard to balance them + the stuff you need on that teeny-tiny tray .... forget if there is turbulence!

on the 'mom peeing' front ... i was less than politically correct about that. i didn't take them with me. it's an airplane. no one can run away w/my kids, and i can't take them into the little bathroom.

[Flynn]

I usually had to go back to the area outside the bathrooms and change DS on the floor. If he had a stinky diaper I was given LOTS of dirty looks!!!!!

We used the portable DVD player, goldfish crackers given one at a time, board books, and Benadryl. She didn't sleep that much but she was pretty calm.

I pack an entire bag of new toys and pull them out one by one. I ususally hit the one dollar party favor wall at the toy store

And gift wrap each one. I had a bag of wrapped toys when we moved for residency. It was like magic. Christmas every hour.

PLEASE make sure the DVD player isn't very loud. Sound carries pretty well on airplanes and 3 hours of the Wiggles coming from a little girl's DVD player across the aisle made me want to bash my head against the wall.

Of course, headphones are the best choice in a perfect world. However, I'm pretty sure 3 hours of a screaming child accompanied by a mother scolding and telling her to shush would have compelled many MORE people to want to bash their head against the wall.

[planet]

I'm still surprised that no airline has made a kid's section of the plane and marketed those flights to parents.

[Meenah]

Tongue in cheek (but worked for me) BENADRYL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!