Traveling by plane with young children doesn't have to be stressful. Here are some tips that only you will know about that will help you get through your flight.
Plan your flights for when you want to sleep or take a nap.
If you can, try to book direct flights at times of the day or night when your child usually sleeps. Most likely, they'll keep doing what they've been doing and fall asleep, even though they're 25,000 feet in the air. The more sleep they get on the plane, the less time they'll have to be entertained while awake.
Can I bring my car seat on the plane?
When our daughter was a baby, we only bought seats for ourselves to save money. This meant that she sat on our laps for the whole flight (or flights). We've recently started carrying on the car seat, which does two very important things: it frees up our laps, arms, and other things, and it keeps her in the seat. It also makes a new vehicle or mode of transportation feel more like home. It's like having a little piece of home in a new place. Yes, it's a pain to have to carry the seat around the airport, but it's worth it when you're in the air. One Step Ahead sells an adapter that can turn a car seat into a backpack. This may help you keep track of your carry-ons.
Taking Care of the Flight
A simple and effective way to deal with your toddler(s) on a flight is to break the trip up in your mind into 20-minute segments (to borrow an airline term). So, if you have a 2-and-a-half-hour flight, you only have 7 20-minute blocks to plan activities for your child or children. When you look at your flight this way, it becomes a pretty easy thing to deal with. Here are some tips from parents who have flown with their kids that will keep them busy and entertained so you can look through the SkyMall catalogue without having to carry a suitcase full of toys around the airport.
(Don't forget that each idea should only take 20 minutes; anything more is a bonus!)
- A new book or toy (nothing fancy, just something brand new to him or her)
- The book(s) they like best - (often a bedtime book, which is essential if your flight will involve a nap or take place during bedtime).
- Some brochures and city guide books for older toddlers and young kids. Let your kids plan a day trip, a trip to the museum, etc., and help them do it. Give them control for however long you feel comfortable with or have time for, as long as they come up with a plan based on the information you give them. This will take up a lot of their time, and they will love getting to be in charge and make decisions. By letting them help plan the trip, you will also make it more likely that they will enjoy themselves and do what you want them to do (reciprocating the favor). Use the brochures to talk to the younger people in your family about what they will see on the trip. This will get them excited and interested in what they will see.
- A Discman or portable CD player. If you don't have an old one lying around collecting dust, you can get one for not too much money in the age of the iPod. This is great if your child has a CD that they really like right now (or if you have made a Mix CD of their favourite songs). If they've never used a portable CD player before, the novelty of it plus the music they already like should keep them interested for two segments. Make sure the volume is low and that they only use the classic earphones with the large, round, padded ear pieces that sit on the outside of their ears. earphones made for kids?
- Crayola Color Wonder Markers are a favourite of ours. They are a clever product that only works on special Crayola paper. No messes at all, and the markers don't smell like poison. The caps of the markers can be used as great, silly fingernail extensions for kids. If your child is anything like ours, the caps could be a whole segment on their own.
- Tape and/or stickers: A child can have a lot of fun with plain old Scotch tape. Roll it up inside itself to make a sticky circle, and let them stick it to their nose, your nose, or between their fingers. It's just good old-fashioned fun with a 2-inch piece of tape.
- Magna Doodle (Travel Edition): This is a classic toy that kids today still like. (Note: Very young kids may get upset that they can't erase their work on their own because the tab to clear the screen can be hard to slide)
Snap-Crackle-Pop (Getting used to the high altitude and ears popping)
Make sure you bring their favourite drink and snack. Not only will eating and drinking take up some time, but it's also a way to help their ears adjust to the change in air pressure. By drinking or chewing, they might not feel too much pressure when the plane is taking off or landing.
Enjoy your flight!
