First flying experience for young child

We started taking our daughter along on flights when she was six
months old. She is nearly six years old now, and has been all over,
including one coast-to-coast round trip.

First step is to go to a gun store and pick up a pair of child-sized
ear protectors. These are like a headset without electronics. They
are very comfortable and adust all the way to infant size. Add a car
seat, and you are ready to go. Make sure the car seat is FAA approved
for aviation use. Our first flight was to a restaurant a half mile
away.

We kept a car seat in the airplane until she outgrew it last year.
Since then, she sits in the back on a thick pillow. She also
graduated to a real headset (Lightspeed ANR) so that she can listen to
her favorite music and talk with us while in flight.

Bring along a supply of toys. For longer trips, bring along a few new
toys, books, etc, and present them as surprises.

Up until about the age of three, she slept for most of all flights.
At about that time, she started getting interested in things out the
window.

Paul