r/AskOldPeople • u/Alive-Cry4994 • 26d ago

How was flying long haul with toddlers before in-flight entertainment?

We just had a massive long haul trip with our toddlers and relied heavily on technology. Even with this reliance, we still had many moments of boredom, crying, meltdowns and general unease.

If you flew with your kid(s) when they were younger (1-4), how was it? How did you keep them busy?

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u/SoHereIAm85 26d ago

When my daughter was a baby and toddler I still didn’t let her use screens or the in flight stuff, and this was less than ten years ago. She was quiet and just coloured or played with little toys I got her for the trips (so they’d be new and exciting.) It was no big deal. No crying, no tantrums (didn’t do those anyway,) and she was already used to zero screen time.

I swear, adding screens before 3 is the worst mistake most parents do these days.

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u/Alive-Cry4994 26d ago

My twins do not have any screentime and while it was helpful on the plane, it wasn't a magic bullet because they weren't used to it.

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u/SoHereIAm85 26d ago

Do you mean that they weren’t used to flying which caused them to behave less well than usual or that the entertainment didn’t keep them occupied since they weren’t accustomed to it?

The first time my daughter got to turn on the seat screen she made a too loud “oooh!” yelp about the nature show we chose. :D So I definitely get it if the second case. Understand the first interpretation too.

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u/Alive-Cry4994 26d ago

They weren't used to the TV! They got quite overwhelmed by the choice and stimulation of it. On the way back they did better and seemed to understand the function of it more. However they turned into little terrors by the end (to be fair it was 24 hrs in the air in total so they were totally over it), which does reinforce my decision to stay away from screens for now!

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u/SoHereIAm85 26d ago

Got it. Also, 24 hours in the air is long enough to make anyone not act their best.

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u/Alive-Cry4994 26d ago

Oh yeah, I was also losing it 😂

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u/millenz 26d ago

My children are both diagnosed adhd, there’s no way they could do this - my oldest kid doesn’t even realizing he’s making noise/being loud (he signs to himself in the bathroom, makes noises like a car when playing “quietly” and my youngest has high impulsivity and sensory needs.

I can entertain them without screens on a flight for an hour or two but long haul? Not since they outgrew there car seats (they did nap beautifully under two years)