Important Tips to Keep in Mind: When Flying with Children

Tips to have a less stressful flight with children

The ongoing pandemic has made it increasingly important to plan your flights down to the very last item. The requirements needed before flying and after are strict and could impact your ability to get on board. This seems fine and dandy if you are flying alone without children, that is.

However, now you have to keep in mind the COVID-19 procedures required before flying and your children. There is no foolproof way to keep them from crying or being irritable. Still, there are ways you can minimize the stress and humiliation that stems from being ill-prepared, especially if you are bringing your children with you.

Toys, Toblerone’s, and Taco

Obey the three T’s and you would save yourself from wailing, grumpy and irritable children that cannot stand the compact square metre in economy class. No, giving them that parental “glare” will not work this time.

Have food ready on hand, and make sure you include some fun treats. Do not depend on the airline menu for your kids as sometimes it doesn’t fit with your children’s taste buds. Also, pack coloured pencils, crayons, stickers, colouring books, pens, the kid’s favourite plushie, Toblerone’s and enough milk formula.

Parents Unite!

Scour around the flight for other parents on board. They are usually your go-to for support and camaraderie. It can feel a little nerve-racking to fly with your kids especially if this is your first time around. Therefore, it is important to seek out parents who will comfort you or come to your aid if you forgot that cute elephant patterned napkin behind. Also, when you just cannot seem to get your child to stop crying, you can look on to your newfound parent friends to get a familiar smile.

Bring Your Tablet

While you may need to have some digestives on hand because you never know whether aircraft food will sit well with your little minion, be sure to have your tech. If you have screen-time limitations at home, flight journey can be the only exception. So, pack your tablet and ensure that you have downloaded suitable apps and videos to keep your child entertained throughout the flight.

The Walk of Desperation

Your kid will need to get up at some point on the flight to walk around and be a child! While you may have certain expectations, it is unrealistic to expect your kids to sleep it off. So, comes in the walk of desperation where you need to strut down that 90-foot-long aircraft with your baby in hand and the food cart that is coming down your way in unison. Watch out for turbulence and ensure that you are not in the way of the flight attendants, who will usually be making their rounds. No matter what happens, keep a positive attitude.

Additionally, if you are finding your child is nervous and struggles to settle down because of this, then maybe you could do some prior research before you travel on the type of aircraft you are flying on. You could learn the fuel and oil types, and get all technical by telling your child about the aeroshell grease the ground staff use to make sure the plane is safe. This might help calm their nerves, as they know that the important people have done all they can to keep them safe. Talking about this will also help pass the time of the flight, and could even bore them into going back to sleep!

Maps and Mysteries

Try bringing alone mini-world maps, then have your kids fill them in with names of different continents and countries. You can even find interactive maps online with games and puzzles that will keep your children on their toes. This would also be an enjoyable time to expand their knowledge of geography. While the kids are preoccupied with solving the map mysteries, you can spend time reading up on vacation tips and travels here. A few extra tips never hurt!

Fibs and Fairy tales

When they happen to ask you, “how long more?” you might want to respond with” 25 minutes or less.” Try to prevent them from realising that it takes 2 hours or more to land. Do anything to make it seem like the journey is short and you are arriving soon. Even go on to tell them a fairy-tale, albeit Christian Anderson classics or one entirely original- you got this!

Pop goes the ear!

Your child will find the aircraft pressure build-up playing out on their tiny ears. This can put them in a state of discomfort. Be sure to have candy or chewing gum on hand to mitigate the impact of the air pressure build-up on your kid’s ear. If they are below three years old, breastfeeding or having them sit up right while feeding them their formula will help ease the pressure. On the other hand, if your child has had an ear operation or infection, you might want to avoid flights altogether. Either way, check with your local MD or physician to protect your kids and have a safe flight.

That is all for this segment of advice for when flying with children. Be sure to lay off the midnight TV series before your flight and get a good night’s sleep so that you are the best version of yourself. Bon Voyage and have a safe journey ahead with the little minions!