'A new toy for every hour of the flight' - really?!

[Gorran]

I've read this piece of advice many times over the years, and now the time has come for us to take our first long-haul flight (we've never flown longer than 4hrs with the DCs, before) I'm wondering if it is really practical? For us it would mean taking 16 new toys/games - and even without considering the expense (which granted, could be mitigated using cheap toys/pound shops etc.), I don't want to take so much 'stuff'.

What do you do? Is the new toy every hour thing really neccessary?!

I shall load them on once the iPad arrives

Me too

After 24 hours of relentlessly refreshing my order...it just got put on a van !!!!!

Tres exciting.

Wonder where the hell they are sending it from that it will take 15 days to deliver.

Is coming from America ?

Timbutoo ?

Or Puglia ? In which case not holding breath for a 15 day arrival.

Fastweb - ours has been ordered with Ingram Micro as we have an account with them for my H's company - they come back into stock on the 8th and it will then be sent out next day delivery, so all being well it'll be here next Tuesday - woop!

MmnLindor - good to know about the battery, and I'm heading for Amazon right now to look for ear phones and a splitter...Thanks.

I ordered from apple.it....so it istaking very much longer.

I misread the delivery blerb, I read "sent out" as "delivered" in 1 to 3 days, but in face they send out in 1 to 3 days then it takes a month of sundays to arrive.

Will have to get a little pressie for DS's actual birthday cos the iPad is just not going to be here in time.

I think a "toy" every hour is a good guide, at least when they are very young. We used to fly across the Atlantic with DS 2-3 times a year at least until we moved here, ad I would load up his Trunki with lots of little things. His favorites, if I recall correctly, were: mini-play dough pots; archiving stickers - those little round ones from Staples or any office shop, he used to fill pages of his travel notebook with them; ceebeebies magazine; wind up Thomas the tank engine; our portable DVD player.

We fly to the UK this evening, but now he is older, he just want to play his DS and watch Virgin movies. I have a new DS game he is not allowed to open until we are on the plane, a travel diary and pens and a couple of books. I have also downloaded some new games to my IPad as a surprise. I figure we should be fine. I will buy him a small pizza in the airport to take on the flight, have his school water bottle to keep his drinks in - to minimize spill risks - and snacks. I am taking his favorite fleece blanket and will put his PJs on and let him snuggle down to a movie before trying to get him to sleep.

All the advice here is perfect. Make sure you have booked the kids meals, but take snacks, cause they do not always get loaded. Have fun!