We will be flying with our 3yr old for the first time a couple of weeks.  He is very excited about going on a plane.

I have alot of problems with my ears when I fly and I'm afraid of him having the same pain & discomfort.

Does anyone have any tips for a toddler to ease take off and landing? 

He doesn't chew gum & I don't want him to start......I've heard of having a sippy cup for him to suck on, but will they let me take one on already filled with all the new security restrictions?

 The only thing that I can think of that will bother him the most is the ears. My son is 6 and when we took off his ears started to hurt. They do have ear plugs to help with the ears though. And as for the sippy cup. I'm not totally sure on that but I don't think they will allow it. But to be sure you can contact the airline you are flying with.

I took my daughter on a plane for the first time in November, when she was 3 and a half. She still took naps, so I tried my best to get a flight right around naptime. I was worried about the ear thing, and a friend suggested giving her some motrin a little while before boarding the plane. I did, and her ears didn't bother her at all the entire flight. But she was so excited about being on a plane though, that she didn't take a nap until after we got to where we were going.

I'm not sure about the sippy cup thing though. I brought an empty sippy cup with me, and bought a bottled drink once past security. I also brought a small bottle of water for her, which I figured I'd have to throw away - security allowed it through at the departing airport, but didn't allow it at the arriving airport - I thought that was strange.

If it's a long plane ride, be sure to bring lots of things to keep him occupied! No three year old likes to sit in one spot for very long - I brought a portable dvd player and lots of small new toys/coloring books from the dollar store.

Good luck!

 ~Jessica~