how do you all handle this? this will be my sons first time flying. is there something i can give him to calm him, pop his ears, etc? any advice would be greatly appreciated

__________________
Jaime

"Live each day like its your last"

How old is he...?

My kids have been flying since birth and we've flown all over the world with them. We've never had any ear problems. Maybe we're unique, but I see it written all the time to give kids gum, or let babies suck on bottles etc...we've just never had to do that. Maybe we're weird. L.OL

Is he afraid of flying? I'm just asking because you said 'calm' him. I hope you don't try to 'dope' him up with anything, I know some parents give their kids benadryl to make them sleep (making the parents job easier I suppose). I'm not saying you're insinuating that at all. I'm just throwing that out there. I think it's wrong on so many levels in my world...but that's me.

My kids are seasoned travelers and they love to fly. When they were smaller I would pack up their backpacks with new books, small toys, new crayons or pencils, new gameboy games etc It all just depends on his age, how long the flight is etc

sorry, he is four....im just not sure how he is going to react to flying...we are flying to vegas so i believe its a couple hours....my fiance takes dremimine(sp?) cuz he doesnt fly very well...i was just trying to prepare myself so he doesnt dread the whole trip...just to make him more comfortable.

__________________
Jaime

"Live each day like its your last"

u can buy theese things called earplanes that work well... MY dd uses them they go in their ears to help with landing you have to put them in like an hour before landing if It is a short flight I would just keep them in.

__________________

We take several family trips (that require us to fly) a year...on average our girls fly three or four times in a year. Our girls chew on 1/3 of a piece of gum while we're taking off and landing...We also have a portable dvd player, and we only take a new toy or a toy they don't play with often. For us it's a Disney princess card pack that has three games in one and they love it. We also bring our leapfrog with. They only use that when we go on long drives or in the plane.
My husband gets ear troubles when he flies, so he's always chewed gum (and has no problems as long as he chews it durring take off and landing). We just give the girls gum mainly because my oldest has the same problem my husband has. It does help. But, not everyone has problems with it.

__________________
One happy wife and mommy!!!

I didn't read all of the responses....my kids have been flying for a while...I just make sure that I have gum or something for them to chew on....and try to make them yawn if I think their ears are bothering them. They only "pop" while taking off and landing so it is not something that you deal with the entire flight.

The baby has even done wonderfully on planes!!

Good luck and have FUN!!

Oh and make sure you have something for him to do....a card game or something that will keep him occupied. coloring book, etc...

Edit: I would also bring some snacks on the plane....you never know what they are going to give you, if anything...

__________________
I've grown certain that the root of all fear is that we've been forced to deny who we are. ~ Frances Moore Lappe

We have flown a fair amount with the kids since the youngest was an infant. I agree with the gum suggestion. I would definately bring your snacks on with you. The snack boxes that you can buy are rather expensive and can have unique things in them. We got a "breakfast" one with tuna in it. Needless to say we don't eat tuna for breakfast at our house.

Also the portable DVD player is a must for the older kids 4, 7, 10. The 2 yr loved to color!!

Have fun!!

__________________
AMOAMOM :love:

Our first time flying with the boys, my sons were three and 1. They each had a carry on bag (with wheels) and in it they had their favorite books, snack and hand held (quiet) games. I also purchased two brand new dollar tree toys just so it would be something new. They liked having their own little bag to root through and store things in.

Another GREAT idea that worked for us, is having books on CD. We gave our three year old our portable CD player and let him read his book while listening to the CD with head phones. Another cool thing for him to test out!

Our kids did WAY better than expected! I was pleased.

I agree with what everyone else said - we just got back from another flight and the backpack full of surprises always works well for me. I don't let them look inside until we get on the plane. All sorts of stuff from the dollar store work well, we also have a couple of portable DVD players with earphones. You might also start looking for books on airplanes or plane trips - make it into a exciting event and do NOT mention anything scary around the child.

Since mine don't chew gum I always put skittles or mentos - they are so chewy, but swallowable. I also agree with extra snacks and buy some juice after you go through security - sometimes it's 45 minutes before the drink cart gets to you, and mine want something sooner.

No matter what anyone says - do not give your child dramamine or benadryl on the plane unless you have successfully used it more than 3 times. Many many many children have the reverse reaction - MAJOR hyperactivity. This would be the worst possible situation to be in on a plane.

My boys flew in Jan and they were 18mo and 5yrs. Neither one had any problems. The youngest just slept on my dh's shoulder the whole time. I packed snacks, books, coloring pages and a few crayons, Crayola colorless markers too. My oldest loved sitting next to the window, wouldn't even hold my hand durning take off! I practiced with him at home about what the plane would look like and how you sit and what the aisles are like. I told him we would walk down a long hallway and then into the plane at the end (we practiced by walking down the hall at home and into the bedroom as the plane). How we have to find our seats and sit down and can't really be up running around or playing around. My dh and I were both very surprised at how well he did and now he wants to take a plane every where we go.