Air Travel for Kids - Flying Tips for Parents

Everyone has a horror story of a flight next to a screaming baby or a kid that wouldn't stop banging the seat in front. As parents, we don't want to get dirty looks from other passengers and hope that our kids will behave for a few hours of air travel. The way to improve the odds of a smooth airplane flight with kids is all in the preparation.

Make sure you pack any documents, expensive, or important items in your carry on. Bring a child safety seat with you for the plane if you are travelling with an infant, along with a pacifier or bottle (you will probably have to have the bottle filled by flight attendant since you can't bring liquids on the plane.) You should also carry on medications with a doctor's note explaining the purpose of the medications. If there is one favourite small toy your child sleeps with, put it in the bag since you don't want to risk it getting lost with the luggage. It may also help your child nap on the plane.

If you are a single parent or grandparent travelling with a child, make sure you have their passport and supporting documentation, including a consent letter from the other spouse or legal guardians. Letters may be questioned for authenticity, so it is best to have the letter certified, stamped or sealed by a notary or other official. In case you get separated, keep a form of identification in the child's pocket as well. Teach your child to approach airport or airline staff in uniform should they become lost.

Depending on age, let your kids be part of the carry on baggage preparation. Older kids (5+) can already tell you what books or toys they would like to include. Make sure you check their selections before you leave - we once got stopped at security because my son decided to throw his police costume handcuffs in his bag! The best items are inexpensive, light weight, even disposable ones. Throw in a surprise or two after they have packed.

When it comes to kids activities, variety is the key. Kids can get bored with an activity in mere minutes, so it is good to have several different items to keep them busy. A book, a magazine, a coloring book with crayons or pencil crayons, and an activity book are essentials. Activity books include join the dots, mazes, sudoku, word search, picture search, find the mistakes, Ad Libs, etc.

A great source for airplane activities is a dollar store. They have books & coloring books, but lots more. My kids love the little packs of colour clay. They would put their tray tables down & play for hours making figurines. They also have cards, dice, mini animal packs, craft kits and puzzles. As kids use them up, you can leave them behind and not have to carry them for the whole vacation.

Taking little walks down the isle can be fun, as long as your child does not run, scream or disturb passengers and the seat belt sign is not illuminated. We would go look out the window near the restrooms, or peek at the area where the flight attendants go. If you can't get up to walk around, try doing little stretching exercises in your seat to keep blood flowing.

Some of the best games we played en route were simple pen and paper games or word games. Paper games include hangman, x and o's, Pictionary, etc. One word game we loved was to go through the alphabet where each person would have to say the name of an animal, a person, a place, a thing, etc. going through the alphabet.

It is also good to have little snacks for the kids. If you have flight delays, or the food service is slow, snacks can be better than gold. Fruit roll ups were a favourite - they take time to chew and are great for landings to keep the ears from getting blocked up. I start preparing my kids for landing before the pressure actually builds up.

Little tricks to keep ears open or pop them are: chewing, yawning, drinking-swallowing, and blowing. I would make a fist for my daughter and she would have to blow as hard as she could into it. I would slowly open the fist if I felt a lot of air coming out. By blowing air out (like blowing up a balloon) the ears would often pop, and trying to get the fist to open would distract her from any pain.

Remember that you need to travel at your childrens' pace and your voyage will go smoother.
Kids and Families can find fun places to travel on the KidsTravel.tv website.

Travel Packing Tips to Survive the Flight

Your carry on bag is not just for tickets and a paperback. When you are travelling with kids, the carry on bag can make or break a trip.

Any thing you can’t afford to lose should be in that handbag. This means jewellery (limit when travelling), medications, essential items and all documents for the trip – not just the airplane. You may want to review the car rental reservation before you land, and don’t want to risk a bag being lost with all your hotel vouchers in it.

If you are travelling during potentially stormy weather, or have connecting flights, you may want to add a few items to that carry on. For one, there is a greater chance of flight delays, cancellations or missed connections. You may want to put a toothbrush, tiny toothpaste, hair brush, disposable wash cloths-pads, and a clean pair of underwear. You may also want to pack a bathing suit for hotel layovers or delayed baggage in hot weather destinations.

When you travel on airplanes with children, the carry on bag can contain additional essentials like medications or a thermometer for your child, a change of clothes if they get wet or soiled, and extra diapers if they are really small. It is best to dress your child in layers, so you can remove a layer if the plane or airport is warm, and add a sweater if it gets too cool. Comfortable, loose, easy drape fabrics are the best for travel. Avoid itchy fabrics like wool, tight fitting clothes or ones with lots of buttons, zippers that can get stuck, belts, etc.

Kids Love 2 Travel

I am a nomad at heart. I got hooked on travelling at a young age. We live in a cold climate and being able to hop on a plane in the winter and get off the plane in the tropics was like a miracle to me. Trading white snow banks for white sandy beaches in a matter of hours! A trip we took to Europe, mainly Greece, when I was 13 was also life changing. It taught me that the world is a very big place with lots to discover. I remember getting pamphlets from the airline - each pamphlet had information about a different country this airline flew to. There must have been close to 50 pamphlets in my collection and I read each one of them. I would look at those pamphlets for hours, even organizing them into groups: my A list, B list, and so on. I made a vow that I would someday visit each one.

That was over 30 years ago, and I am happy to say I have been to over 70 countries. I met my spouce while travelling, and we share the same nomadic spirit. We have instilled the love of travelling in our children, taking them on a trip every chance we get. To date, they have visited 5 continents. I can honestly say that every trip has been a good one. Planning, being open to new things, and going with the flow are keys to travelling.

Travelling with kids is different then travelling as 2 adults. The choices of places and sights to visit will change once you have a family. Kids learn so much when they are exposed to different cultures and new places. It also brings you closer as a family.

My goal with this blog is to share some experiences with you, offer some travel recommendations and tips on travelling with kids. I hope you will take the journey with me.