How to Travel with Kids on the Fly

March 3, 2008 By Erica Barton

Flying with children can be daunting.  Hearing people comment about your crying angel mid-flight can really tick a parent off as well as create a sense of defensiveness.  However, flying with kids does not need to be horrifying.  The ten tips listed here will make flying with any child a more pleasurable experience. 

BOOKING THE FLIGHT

1. Pick a flight that happens at night or during your child’s naptime:  No matter how tempted you may be to book a normal day-flight, you need to consider what will be best for your child.  Look for the flights that are shortest in duration and are in off-peak times.  By simply scheduling a red-eye or flying during your child’s naptime, the likelihood of your child sleeping through the flight increases making travel time calmer and easier.  Plus, the price of the ticket will probably cost you less.

2. Book the Kid-Friendly seats:  Most parents tend to book towards the back of any plane since they believe it will keep their children from distressing the fewest passengers.  This means, by booking towards the back, you will likely only bother other more-tolerant, traveling families and find other children for yours to play with.  Look for seats in rows of three (even if there are only two of you) so you increase the chance of someone not taking the third seat and give your child more room to play or sleep. 

3. Consider flights with at least one stop:  When flying longer distances, consider flights where you change planes and have at least a one-hour layover.  Changing flights allows your child to get a change of scenery, stretch their legs, use a normal bathroom, eat decently cooked food, and even play at a playground with other children (since many airlines now offer play areas).  Even though it may greatly increase your travel time, a happy child and a break in your own monotonous discomfort can well be worth the hassle. 

WHAT TO BRING

4. Make a Kids Travel Pack:  Bring a child’s backpack of toys, games, and books so that your child can play during the flight.  Raid your local dollar store a few days before the flight, and your child will be obsessed with all the new toys in that bag.  Let the child pack their own bag while making it clear that they can only play with the toys on the plane and you will create a sense of eagerness and excitement within your child. 

5. Take Along Infant Tylenol for babies and Children’s Tylenol for older kids:  Although some may frown at drugging your child during a flight, I highly recommend it.  Like adults, the pressure of the cabin can give a child a headache, motion sickness, or just make them uncomfortable.  Children’s Tylenol can greatly relieve any of their pains and allow them to sleep where they may be unable to do so otherwise.   

6. Take gum for older children and bottles or pacifiers for babies:  The pressure in the cabin can be extremely painful for a child.  Pacifiers, baby bottles, and gum all help to relieve ear pressure making your kids more comfortable during take-offs and landings. 

7. Bring along the Electric Babysitter:  If you do not have a DVD player or Gaming System, now is the time to buy one.  Both are excellent distractions that will monopolize your child for the duration of the trip and allow you to get some peace.  Buy a new movie right before you leave, and younger children will watch it several times during the flight while older ones will concentrate wholeheartedly on it.  Just make sure to bring the headsets or else the stewardess may ask you to turn it off.  Plus, an extra battery costs about $50 and buys you an extra hour and a half.  Add this to naptime, and you will have a child that is a perfect angel the entire flight.  (A Gameboy or other Gaming System does the same thing and works especially well with teenagers.  Just don’t forget to bring the rechargers for either electronic.)

8. Take a stroller for smaller kids:  Strollers that recline horizontally allow the child to sleep any time during your vacation.  As an added bonus, your stroller can act as a baggage carrier while in the terminal since airlines let you check strollers at the door of the plane. 

DURING THE JOURNEY

9. Buy snacks and drinks in the airport:  Since shorter flights no longer offer meals, and longer flights serve one to two meals maximum, it’s very important to get these items before boarding the plane so that your child does not starve.  Even if a meal is served on the plane, it may not be served until several hours after takeoff.  Also, while you can bring pre-packed snacks into the airport, liquids are no longer allowed past security checkpoints.  By simply spending a few extra bucks in the terminal, you can ensure your child stays quenched and well fed during your flight, again ensuring their happiness.

10. Walk up and down the airplane at least once an hour:  This is a good idea for both parents’ and children’s circulation, and it is a great idea for boredom.  The child will get a change of scenery, thereby breaking up the monotony, plus they can meet other children on the plane, and you can arrange a mile-high play date. 

Posted in family, parenting, travel