Getting my toddler more comfortable flying

[bill@fusion4.net]

My kids don't like talking at all with the headsets on. The pressure on the sides of their jaws bothers them. The weight on their head also made them not like moving their head. Used earplugs and they did better. We just used earplugs, but some of the earplug style headsets would work better if you can get them comfortable with things in their ears which can also be a problem.

[erikpmort]

My kids love to hear themselves with the side tone on. I have a cheap set of lightspeed headsets that are pretty small and they do well. Jabber to hear themselves the whole flight. The 4 year old will change her mind all the time about flying. Seems to go with her moode that day. Some days she giggles and loves it, somedays she is not into it. Sounds likes kids huh? The 2 year old doesn't seem to care whether it's the plane or the car. She's good for whatever. I feel lucky that my kids generally like it and do well. Now I need a cheap share in a 210 or something I can take everyone in.

[RV10Rob]

Thank you all for the suggestions. It does seem like the headset is the bulk of the problem--when I put it on him at home, he looks down and doesn't want to move his head. If I can get rear-facing to work in the front seat, I'll try that a few times, since that's a more reclined position. He still talks about airplanes and flying all the time, so I don't think I've scared him off yet.

-Rob

[N941WR]

My son has been flying with me since before he was born, so that might help.

I bought a RA250 Child General Aviation Pilot Headsets from someone on this forum and then installed a Headsets Inc. ANR kit.

He thinks they are so cool!

[BCP Boys]

I would definitely look into getting him smaller and lighter headsets, preferably noise cancelling. I have 3 boys and when my youngest flew with me I use to put my Bose headsets (not the aviation ones) and put music on for him to drown out the noise with a Y connector so he could hear me too. But then as he got a little older and could talk to me so now we use regular Bose aviation headsets.

[prkaye]

Just let it happen naturally

Agreed. My 5 year old flies with me now. She started last year. She claimed/claims to enjoy it, but ther were a couple of times last season when I asked her if she wanted to go and she said no, not this time. She always, and still is, VERY quiet in the air. Not her usual chatty self. I suspect it is sensory overload or just being in a very different and unfamiliar environment, as was mentioned above. Also I think talking into the headset and hearing her own voice in hte earphones is a bit unfamiliar.
Last year I took her on a short cross country (~2hrs each way) to visit her Nana for an overnight visit. She loved that. But she fell asleep on both flights!
Anyway I don't push, but this spring she was all eager to go flying again ("I need to learn how to fly so I can be an airplane pilot when I get bigger!"). She wanted to "steer the plane" this time. Unfortunately, even with the mods I did to her booter seat, she can't really reach the control stick without leaning way forward, so that didn't work too well.

[Moondog]

Originally Posted by sproudly

It does sound like sensory overload - front seat, front facing, headset, strange voices in his ears, and sudden view access to an array of lights, switches, and screens. Not to mention the excitement of flight. . . .
Greg

Has the same effect on me.

[N941WR]

Last weekend I put my five year-old son in the plane while I was doing some miner maintenance. After disconnecting the main battery (I didn’t want him hitting the starter button!) I powered up the SkyView, 496, and Dynon D1, all of which have internal batteries, and showed my son how to change the altitude, track heading, and zoom the map in and out. Then I showed him how moving the stick moves the control surfaces.

He sat there for close to a half hour flying to Florida, South America, California, Oklahoma, and points in between.

When that was done he asked how to loop and roll the plane. “Flying like Sean Tucker,” his words, not mine, kept him entertained for another half hour. He also knows enough not to “bang” the controls and not once did I have to remind him to be gentle on the controls.

That was long enough for me to complete what I was working on.

The funny thing was the week prior at his Pre-K class they went around the room asking the kids what they wanted to do when they grew up. As expected most of the kids said “Fireman”, “Police Man”, etc. Not my boy, he responded “Aerobatic Pilot”. That prompted an interesting discussion with the teacher after class. She mentioned something about being a piano player at a brothel would be a better career choice.

I wonder if there is a Junior Team AeroDynamix,position open?

[RV10Rob]

Reviving this old thread. Thank you all for the ideas. I ended up putting him rear-facing in the front seat (as I described here): http://www.vansairforce.com/communit...d.php?t=113698

After some experience flying that way, he was quickly back to loving flying. Now he's forward facing again and still loves it!



-Rob

[togaflyer]

My kids grew up in the plane. Its got to be all positive. Let them play in the plane. Do some very short flights to start, on a super smooth day. Do something positive right after the flight, like stop for ice cream, the park, etc