First flight with 4yo

[Seaside31]

Any tips welcome 🙈 Only a 2 hour flight but at 7am - will need to leave home around 4.45am 😬
He’s a bit of a creature of habit and likes breakfast as soon as he wakes etc - do I attempt to get him into the car and get to the airport before he wakes, then get dressed/breakfast/brush teeth at the airport? Or do I wake him and start the day as normal and hope the holiday excitement gets him through the morning? 🙈
No later flight options. We’re going to Paris for Disneyland if that makes any difference so he’s excited about it. Not visiting the park on arrival day so he’ll be able to go to the hotel pool and just chill and get an early night.

Any tips for the plane would be great too 🤞🏼 I’m not a great traveller myself so tips to at least keep him entertained would be helpful.

We’ve only ever travelled that early with him once but was for an 8h drive so I scooped him out of bed and straight into the car and he slept for the first half until we stopped for breakfast.

You won't have time to do all that if you're only leaving your house 2 hours before the flight.

It's crazy busy at that time of day and you'll go to your gate around 6.15am.

Imagine he will be very excited. I’d get up, pack the car, and if the movement in the house hadn’t woken him, wake him up, quick change of clothes, brush teeth and pack a breakfast for car/plane.

**Sorry, it won’t let me edit the post - that should say leave home at 3.45am. We’d get to the airport just before 5am

Don't wake him any earlier than you need to, but talk him through what's going to happen so he knows and is okay with it. I've travelled loads with my kids from birth onwards and this is the key. If they know what to expect, then they're a lot less likely to get upset or throw a tantrum.

As for breakfast, you can usually get it in the terminal, but do check what will be open at that time of day. Otherwise, take his breakfast with you in a lunchbox that you've prepped the night before.

A two-hour flight isn't long. Take one of those books you can paint with water (colour wonder?), take a couple of story/picture books, a few of his favourite toys (but nothing with small parts that can be lost), and let him watch some cartoons on your phone/ipad.

I've done early flights a few times with children. Everything in car the night before. I've put them in their clothes over night with just shoes in the car (forgot shoes once, fortunately had wellies in car anyway, had to find a shoe shop on arrival) then bundle straight into car and off hoping they sleep a bit more on way.

Breakfast at the airport and a pop to Smiths for a magazine. All good.

Early night the night before in travel clothes... joggers and tshirt for example.
Biscuit and juice as you leave.
Take snacks just in case you don't have time for breakfast at airport.
Remember you can take empty water bottles. Through security and there's often fountains other side.

I have 4 year old. We travel early a fair amount
Ifs it’s 3.30am leave I put Ds in comfy outdoor clothes for bed. Like baggy leggings and soft top. So he can move moved straight to car if too tired and if not time he will fly in these clothes.

Basic snack like banana and granola bar and drink for car ride if he’s awake.

On plane 2hrs is fine. Take iPad ( they can just zone out and watch a film if knackered). I take a smart iq mini game. Magnatiles micro mags - travel tin version. Snacks. A dot to dot or maze drawing thing. maybe a toy like a transformer. Take reusable water bottle you can refill after security.

Make sure to take them to toilet before boarding as then you might avoid needing on board

Thank you all for your suggestions 😊

I love how many of you have kids chilled enough that they’ll go to bed in their travel clothes 😅 Mine would be absolutely furious at the thought of not being in his pyjamas 😂

He’s not a fan of the iPad or watching things on phones but I plan on taking headphones and a few things downloaded just incase. Was planning on taking a couple of sticker / activity books, his mini magnetiles in the tin, and grabbing a letting him pick a magazine in the airport and taking some snacks🤞🏼 Hoping the whole experience of everything being new will keep him entertained for a while 🤞🏼😊

He won’t eat in the car but I’ll definitely prep a box the night before that he can pick at before we go if he wants to or can take with us for the airport 👍🏻

Water bottles is a good reminder, thank you!

As I said, I’m not a great lover of flying myself but I don’t want my worries impacting him so we’re just going to go for it with a nice short flight for the first one 😬🤞🏼

I love how many of you have kids chilled enough that they’ll go to bed in their travel clothes 😅 Mine would be absolutely furious at the thought of not being in his pyjamas
In that case I'd do the other thing we've done which is a quick change in the boot on arrival at the car park. So you have a separate bag just with that day's clothes in in the car and don't need to faff about with getting stuff in and out of your other luggage.

Could you get him to travel in his pyjamas? Lots of small kids love their PJs and it could be part of the adventure. Everyone else on the plane would think it's adorable.

Mine has totally travelled in pjs before also when younger. But now he’s more concerned about being outside in pjs than sleeping in comfy day clothes for one night.

Ds watched Paddington film last flight. It’s basically one film and you land for a 2 hr flight. And a million biscuits.

Just explain to him what's going to happen. 'we will be waking up in the night time to go to the airport. When we get to the airport we will drop off our suitcases and go through security. Then we will have breakfast at the airport. It is a bit different from usual but it will be fun to go on holiday. We all might be a bit tired but we can have a rest on the plane.'

A 2 hour flight will be easy peasy: take off, snack, screen time/sticker book, landing.

Yeah this is absolutely what I was thinking rather than trying to deal with luggage 🤞🏼 thanks!

Thanks all for your advice 😊 I’m sure it will be absolutely fine and I know 2 hours is a very short flight and will be over quickly 😊
I’m focussing on him so I don’t stress over my own fear I think 😅 im sure he’ll be absolutely fine when we’re on the way - especially when it’s for Mickey Mouse 😍