Guest guest Posted November 3, 2001 Report Share Posted November 3, 2001 One trick that always works for me is to have lots of little surprises wrapped in wrapping paper. Hand one out every hour, half-hour or 15 minutes at first if needed. The can be tiny candies, crayons pad of paper, etc. all the things your child might enjoy playing with on the trip anyway. If your child kows there is more coming, the worst it may get is answering how many minutes till the next 'gift' is handed out'. A new toothbrush for the trip, special toothpaste, pez dispensers even old toys that have been put out of reach for a while. Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 3, 2001 Report Share Posted November 3, 2001 Good point on the seats. When we flew our mildly autistic-pdd-nos son was 4 and I had no idea what his response would be. HE was fine, but my then 9 yr old aspersers son was afraid. The wrapped treats were great to keep him from a fink. But gum and gumm's etc helped for take-offs and landingd. I called the airline ahead of time too and told them about our special needs kids (even tho they were easier than some non-needs kids on the flight). The had me be on the board early status and aside from a man in a wheelchair, we were first one on with our choice seats. Every airline has different policies, and with all the waiting in lines for security etc., having asked ahead of time about any 'special conveniences' they can provide , can only make the entire trip easier. My kids also carried their own backpacks (even the 4 yr old) with all their play things, a couple books and a days worth of clothes in case of lost luggage. Medicines and vitamins with instructions also in th epack too, in case you should ever become separated. This sounds scary, but it is just a practical precaution. Sorry, this is probably more than you even wanted to know. Our trip went so smoothly and I believe it was by pre-planning and anticipating the worst. (I guess I am too pessimistic! LOL) Have a great trip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 3, 2001 Report Share Posted November 3, 2001 > One trick that always works for me is to have lots of little surprises > wrapped in wrapping paper. What a great idea! Also remember the ear plugs if they are noise sensitive. Janelle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 3, 2001 Report Share Posted November 3, 2001 First off, try to get bulkhead seats, explain your situation to the check in clerks, they may take pity. When we fly we take two carry ons, one filled with toys and one filled with food.Wrapped treats are a great idea, someone once told me it was worth the cost of a laptop computer(thats a little extreme, but if you can afford it why not) My non autistic kids loved walkmans with storybook tapes. A figdet bag is good with lots of sensory stuff like koosh balls, silly putty,etc. I saw a new thing at the store today, they were ear plugs especially for children on airplanes that are supposed to stop the pressure buildup. Gum or gummie bears are also helpful for the ears. Worst case is giving him something to help him sleep, gravol puts my son right out. Well I'm done. Have a wonderful trip. > Does anyone have any ideas on how to keep a 4 yr old (PDD) entertained for a > 3 hr. plane flight??? We took him last year and he was just getting over > bronchitis-screamed for an hour and a half (ear pain?) I'm terrified to try > to take him on a plane again since sitting for a while is an issue. Any > thoughts or suggestions are welcome. > Thanks > > Kathy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 3, 2001 Report Share Posted November 3, 2001 in August, we flew from BWI (Md) to LAX (Calif) to see Dr Goldberg. We were dreading the 6-8 hr flight. Even tho the airlines promised to give us 'special seats' if we arrived early (which we did - 3 hrs early) they didn't when we checked in even tho I explained that we needed some extra leg room for a very active child (this was American West - if anyone has a recommendation for another airline, pls email me sjsmith@...) What saved the trip was the Dell laptop we purchased for our son. We found it at a pawn shop and it was worth the $300 we paid. It had enough memory to play all of his CDs . We bought an addlt battery pack (battery lasts 2-3 hrs) We used the laptop on the flight, while waiting in the terminal, while waiting to have his neurospect done as UCLA and during the neurospect. As long as he could move his fingers, he was a happy camper during the 20 min scan. We also took along a lunchbox (big enough to hold 2-3 six packs) full of munchies and drinks. It was collapsable so we were able to squish it thru the xray machine at the airport. AND in my bag I had a CD player, a tape player, headphones, a dry erase board and books.... Thank goodness for Veggie booty ... doris land http://steve_doris.tripod.com http://nids.net http://www.neuroimmunedr.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 3, 2001 Report Share Posted November 3, 2001 we used southwest airline from NY to FL. We were able to get non-stop and it was the most obvious of physical disablilties first then, the 'special seating' was first come first serve to those of us with kids. We were 2nd in line and didn't get the front 'extra room' seats, but the lady there with her wheel chair bound husband offered her seat to a woman with a very ative 1 yr old.'s mom who was holding her on her lap for the entire flight. People can be very nice about switching seats too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 3, 2001 Report Share Posted November 3, 2001 , Thanks for all the info. What is gravol? Also, where did you see the ear plugs? Kathy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 3, 2001 Report Share Posted November 3, 2001 Thank you-detail is good. And besides IM THE ONE who's probably making too much and my son will probably be fine. Just don't feel like hearing screaming for hours (I'm assuming it was the pressure from bronchitis-he was fine on the trip home). Ya know ,It's just a pleasure trip not a necessary trip-we don't have to go. I'm letting fear get the best of me for a " what if " situation. Kathy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 4, 2001 Report Share Posted November 4, 2001 Hi Kathy, Gravol is motion sickness medication, I'm in Canada so I don't know if it goes by a different name in the US, try asking your pharmacist, also we got it in suppository form for children. The ear plugs I saw were in a store called Zellers which is also Canadian, but WalMart up here carries mostly the same inventory, they were not regular ear plugs the next time I'm there I'll see if I can get a company name for you. I'll bet that somewhere on the internet theres a company that deals exclusively in earplugs. O.T. If Doris from land reads this post, " small world " , I had to check the top of the screen to see if I was on the NIDS message board, you offered me advice there on what to do while I wait for my appt. with Dr. G. Thanks! > Thank you-detail is good. And besides IM THE ONE who's probably making too > much and my son will probably be fine. Just don't feel like hearing > screaming for hours (I'm assuming it was the pressure from bronchitis-he was > fine on the trip home). Ya know ,It's just a pleasure trip not a necessary > trip-we don't have to go. I'm letting fear get the best of me for a " what > if " situation. > Kathy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 5, 2001 Report Share Posted November 5, 2001 Snacks has always been helpful for me. Right now most groceries have candy for 1/2 off. You might want to get some special GFCF treats that take time to eat. Just make sure if you are carrying anything powder-like that it is in it's orginial packaging and you bring the receipt with you. Also be prepared for security to go through each and every item in both check-in and carry on bags. At my work I arrange the travel for our technicians. You won't believe what they go through at security. Since your child is GFCF, you might be carrying special food for your trip. It might be wise to have a doctor's note acknowleding that fact. Anything to make it easier. Another note - I have heard you can request special food in advance. Some airlines will serve Mcs. You could try to see if you could get fries for them. > Does anyone have any ideas on how to keep a 4 yr old (PDD) entertained for a > 3 hr. plane flight??? We took him last year and he was just getting over > bronchitis-screamed for an hour and a half (ear pain?) I'm terrified to try > to take him on a plane again since sitting for a while is an issue. Any > thoughts or suggestions are welcome. > Thanks > > Kathy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 7, 2001 Report Share Posted November 7, 2001 I brought a laptop w/ DVD Disney movies and that kept Jeff busy for a 5 hour flight. And lots of crunchy, chewy foods which help the ears pop in altitude changes! Take care A jeffs mom Re: OT-Airplane Travel One trick that always works for me is to have lots of little surprises wrapped in wrapping paper. Hand one out every hour, half-hour or 15 minutes at first if needed. The can be tiny candies, crayons pad of paper, etc. all the things your child might enjoy playing with on the trip anyway. If your child kows there is more coming, the worst it may get is answering how many minutes till the next 'gift' is handed out'. A new toothbrush for the trip, special toothpaste, pez dispensers even old toys that have been put out of reach for a while. Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.