Originally Posted by eg
We're going to be on some long flights with our almost-5-year-old in this summer and we're wondering how to keep her entertained. My experience with the in-flight entertainment is that either she won't be able to see it from her seat or else it won't be suitable. The things we've thought of doing:
- A portable DVD player (but she gets cranky after watching too much TV)
- Audio books
- A GameBoy
Any advice would be appreciated. We've tried music on a walkman before but that didn't last too long. We also had her play games on a laptop before, but there will be no computer on this set of flights. The longest flight we'll be on is 9h40m in duration, ick...
Eric
Not to be harsh, but you'll have better luck if you find activities where you interact with your daughter also. All the things you listed are essentially things to do by herself. Any kid will get bored (and be more likely to whine/cry/scream/pester) if they must play by theirself for the entire trip, no matter what items you pick. Most of the above suggestions are good, but I would also include some favorite books that you can read to them or a simple travel game that you can do together. Of course you will want some down time, but expecting her to entertain herself for 9 or 10 hours isn't very realistic.