Provisions for an Airplane Trip
In preparation for Saturday’s transcontinental airplane flight from our home in New Jersey to California (where my entire extended family lives), I spent a good hour at the toy store (I also did Christmas shopping for several nephews, one niece, and Charlie himself). I walked out with miniature puzzles, magnet Tic-Tac-Toe, and much else, and a bunch of Buki Books. Charlie has always warmed up to this brand of children’s activity books: The designs are mostly of a single object (animals, a mushroom) in coloring books with pictures drawn in bold lines, dot-to-dots that don’t have the numbers arrayed helter skelter, color by letter books, and more. I also found Amazing Paper from Alex Toys that changes color when you color with the “magic pen” and a Rainbow Vision Sandbilder.
And if that sounds like too much child’s play, a copy of Revolver is due to come tomorrow: Jim has discerned that it is time to introduce Charlie to the Beatles.
9 opinions for Provisions for an Airplane Trip
zilari
Dec 21, 2006 at 2:58 am
My extended family lives mainly on the East Coast, and I am in California. I don’t visit often, but when I do, the iPod is the most indispensible of all items.
Kristina Chew, PhD
Dec 21, 2006 at 3:21 am
I got Charlie an iPod shuffle but he has not been interested in wearing the earbuds—am thinking of trying different kinds of headphones. Will you be in California for the holidays?
Kev
Dec 21, 2006 at 9:49 am
“Jim has discerned that it is time to introduce Charlie to the Beatles.”
Bravo Jim. Excellent album choice also. Next - The Ramones? ;o)
Kristina Chew, PhD
Dec 21, 2006 at 10:35 am
Their CD is already in the line-up!
KK
Dec 21, 2006 at 10:48 am
Our son, too, does not like the standard bud headphones that come with most MP3 players. We purchased the large dj style that completely covers his ears. He seems much happier with these. We load up with kiddie music which seems to keep him much more hooked & occupied. Best of luck–safe travels!
zilari
Dec 21, 2006 at 12:43 pm
The earbuds that come generically with the ipods are horrible. Uncomfortable, and with bad sound quality as well. I got different ones a few days after I got the ipod…they are this model and I’ve found them to work very well, though the little ear-bud “sealing” inserts on the earphones have the potential to come off and get lost. The active noise cancelling is an essential feature, however, it also means that the device cannot be used during descent. On a trip this summer that was problematic because there was a baby screaming during descent, though I understood why that was happening — her ears were popping from the pressure changes.
Which is another thing to think about: not sure if Charlie has flown before, but you might want to keep some candy or gummi bears or a drink handy so he will be less likely to experience pain due to the pressure changes (since chewing and swallowing can help minimize that).
And yes, I will be in california (south bay area) for the holidays, my immediate family is local.
Julia
Dec 21, 2006 at 3:49 pm
My advice (gleaned from doing it the wrong way one way and the right way on the return trip!) to anyone travelling with young children is, stop allowing any drinks about 1 hour before landing, and then offer drinks once descent starts.
(Also, if you have twins and one has ear tubes and the other doesn’t — put the one without the ear tubes next to you! There are few things more miserable than reaching across your happily ear-tubed daughter to try to force her twin brother to drink from a sippy cup when he’s already had plenty of water, thank you, and he’s screaming his head off from pain from the descent. DH gets the older one on plane trips, I get both twins….)
Rochelle
Dec 22, 2006 at 6:02 pm
Those personal DVD players are a God-send. I don’t know what I did before they came around.
And, pretending we’re on a Jimmy Neutron Spaceship always works, too.
mom-nos
Jan 1, 2007 at 7:36 pm
So, I have to ask: What’s Charlie’s verdict on Revolver?
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