Bit off Topic but i need some advice

[elisebutt]

Zach and i just won a holiday to Australia on the radio, which is super, brilliant etc, Buuuuut...
How do I cope with 39 hours on a plane with him having ADHD??
When we've travelled to Florida(10 hours) we usually give him some Phenergans(anti histamine) which makes him drowsy and has no other side effects. He isn't on any medication otherwise as all those we've tried all have horrible side effects.

Does anyone have any strategies, other than leaving him at home with my Mum??

 

[signtalker]

well done on winning the holiday, I have a son with ADHD, and other disabilities, can i ask what drugs you have tried?, although lots do have side effects, the end result of a small side effect in my opion is worth it.No dont leave him at home, my advise would be PLAN!!!(for everything), travelling in the car, the airport the plane etc etc. In the car we do a kind of map game, DS has to tick the places off the list we pass through, each one is done on the computer, so it gives distance in miles etc etc, this way it releaves the boredom, and the old question"are we nearly there yet"!!. We also wrap small presents, so he has something to look forward to(ie like a reward thing), if he's good stays sitting in his seatbelt, he gets a present etc etc.
We always buy him a gameboy game for the airport, there always seems to be delays at some point, so this takes the edge of the waiting, if were queing for check in we sit him ontop of the cases on the trolley, so he can see all around and whats going on,and also he can play his game without getting pushed around.
The plane we have a present for every hour we are on the plane, he gets to unwrap it, makes the time go quicker, again we try to play with him as much as possible, and walk him up and down the plane every hour, we do tend to look out of the plane door window and make a game of it(can you see land yet type of thing)
These children are unique and what works for one doesnt necessarily work for another, how old is your son?.My son is 10 years old now, and has been on medication since he was three, its difficult, but im sure once you get to OZ he will love it. My son is mad on "Steve Irwin" the crocodile hunter, so we are planning to take him to queensland to meet him in two years or so time, the look on his face will make it for me!!!.

Jules

 

[SueM in MN]

I don't have any advice (looks like you got a lot already), but I'm sending a 39 hour supply of pixie dust for you (2 doese, so you have enough for both ways).

 

[s&k'smom]

Wow just wanted to say congrats on the trip. I wish I had some advise but the only thing I can think of is to really talk to him about how long the ride is etc. Maybe a consult with his doctor too. Signtalker had some great ideas. Maybe you could talk to someone who's taken that long a plane ride too. Anyway just wanted to send some PD to you and your planning. I would love to hear a trip report when you get back.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

I would suggest that you check the actual flight information as to flight times and not the timetable times. For example, New York to Tokyo non-stop is about 13 hours and is one of the longest actual flights. Will you be making stops enroute, possibly to change planes? Often if you have intermediate stops you have a couple of hours layover in an airport and can get off the plane and wander around (as long as you don't go outside customs/security).

You might even find out if you can do one or more actual stopovers en route and then continue on the flight the next day; most international flights do allow stopovers, although you would have to pay lodging, etc., as well as being sure you had correct paperwork for the intermediate stops.

I hope some of these ideas may help.

 

[elisebutt]

Thanks for those ideas Jules - We tried the pressie an hour routine on the last trip to orlando - LOL - he was so dopey from the phenergans, he couldn't be bothered .
The actual flying time is about 27 hours in all - it's quite hard finding actual flying times as the sites never make it clear whether the time you land is UK time or Singapore or Aussie time

We haven't had all the details thro from Virgin/MSN about the holiday yet tho, so we don't even know who we're flying with or where we're staying apart from the fact that it's 7 nights with some excursions, in a 4* hotel, to be taken between Jan 30 and Dec 30 (exclusive of Bank hols). But I bet we can't take it in the school hols either.

Zach is 7 now(8 in March) and to be quite honest, am really starting to doubt the shrink's diagnoses of ADHD as he has got soo much better in the last 12 months. He does have the occasional manic outburst, but compared to what he used to be like, is almost like any other 7 yr old - Personally i think he has just a very low boredom threshold as he can really concentrate when it's something he's interested in - such as winning a holiday, and a lot of the other mums at the support group say their kids can't do that. He still isn't at school full time as he gets overtired on a Friday afternoon and flips out, and after swimming on Thurs morning is too over stimulated to concentrate, but the school have promised that he can go full time in the new year - mind you they said that at the begiining of last term as well!! I'm starting to think that it might be something else altogether as he only really flips out when he's tired or has an audience, but the doc doesn't agree with me and has advised parenting classes instead - hah! ie I'm such a bad mum I need to learn how to do it properly!!

Anyway back to the subject in hand - I'm going to get him a gameboy, loads of books and a walkman for the journey, plus try and get bulkhead seats again as we had more room for his kicking legs(lol)

 

[Nutsy]

Ok. I can't help with the ADHD thing, but what I would suggest to you is that you try to get a stopover rather than a direct flight. When I say stopover, I mean a night or two, not just an hour or two. Depending on who you fly with & the route they take, but from those I know who have flown to the UK from Oz, they say a night stopover is a must.

Something to think about anyway.

As far as not being school hols goes.................

My two boys recently missed a week & half of school in order for us to have the trip of a lifetime to the USA. The holiday in itself will be an education & one they can't get in the classroom no matter how good the teacher may be.

As to the time you land........that should be local time. Roughly about 10hrs ahead of the UK.