How to fly with 4 year old?

[FruitCider]

Hi all

I'm going to Spain shortly with DD who will be 4 at time of flying. I will be flying with Ryanair. I keep reading things about needing a car seat, is this right?

Just flew to Greece with a 3 year old and she was in her own seat. No mention of a car seat. Never heard of his before?

Took plenty of crayons and books though.

Also with Ryan air I think

I frequently fly Ryanair to Spain with DS. You don't need a car seat in the plane but what transport do you have arranged once you land? We take our own car seat to use in the hire car. It's free to take but has to be checked in separately as Oversized luggage.
The flight time to Spain is mercifully short and an iPad and an in-flight Ryanair snack pack fill the time perfectly. The adult's one with mini mars bar, hula hoops, cream cheese etc is better value than the kid's one.

We are staying with friends, they drive and are borrowing a car seat to get us from airport and back as they live in Marbella. If that plans falls through I'm going to send them money so they can buy a car seat suitable for 15+kg in Spain as we used to visit them 3 times a year pre pregnancy so imagine the trip will not be a one off!

We are staying with friends, they drive and are borrowing a car seat to get us from airport and back as they live in Marbella. If that plans falls through I'm going to send them money so they can buy a car seat suitable for 15+kg in Spain as we used to visit them 3 times a year pre pregnancy so imagine the trip will not be a one off!

The only reason to take a car seat is that it's free and they cost loads to hire with hire cars. Ryanair let you take 2 pieces of equipment per infant or child for free in hold. I have never seen anyone with a seat in the cabin and fly with them a lot!

Flying with 4 year old short haul is easy. I would never rely on airline food like the previous poster, they can take ages to come round, we just bring a lunch box full of fave snacks/foods depending on time of day and make sure to buy water in departures. iPad & headphones Some quiet games/toys. Sticker books always work well.

Please do book seats together. Despite urban myth it's not a legal requirement for them to seat you together, just close. And noone who's paid for a seat wants to move for you so it can cause chaos and missed departure slots. If you check in as soon as it opens you will probably be together but not a gamble I'd take with my 4yo.

Other thing to be aware of with ryanair if you haven't flown in a while. Due to them allowing everyone a second small bag, they now go along the check in line and tag lots of the larger bags which are then taken at the plane stairs and stowed in hold (for free). This would be a problem if you are unprepared so when travelling with DC we mostly use rucksacks for carry on as they won't take away a bag that can go under your feet. You can also avoid losing a big carry on by paying for the priority queue.

Agree it's not necessary to bring car seat unless you need it for your onward journey. Yy to bringing snacks, water (buy it after security obviously) iPad and earphones/stickers/colouring/puzzles.

Usborne do a brilliant range of travel activity books and wipe clean cards perfect for this age range.

Try and get a couple of "going on a plane/on holiday" stories from the library to familiarise her with the process.

Trunki is a godsend in the airport!

I was going to pay for priority boarding/book seats together as I've read the horror stories

Also we paid for the use of the first lounge facilities in the airport. Food was great. One of you can enjoy a beverage, wifi etc. By the time you have paid for a meal etc with kids it's well worth it