How To Fly With Young Kids

Flying is nothing new, and maybe you even love it. But things are about to get different now because you’ll be traveling by air with your kids. We understand if you’re nervous about the idea.

Young kids are fun to be with, but they could make you lose your cool on a flight. We could start with the frequent requests to go and use the toilet just for the chance to walk around. Do we also mention how kids hate to lock their belts and wish to look backward to see the next person?

Don’t worry; flying with kids isn’t all doom and gloom if you know what to do. To make things easier, we’ve highlighted ways to fly with young kids in this post. Just read till the end.

Inform Your Kids About The Flight

This may sound awkward, but it will help. When kids know what to expect about an activity, they seldom react adversely to it. You should tell your kids what to expect about the flight in the most fun way.

These include rules, safety tips, and weather changes. A video showing the walkthrough of boarding and flying would be perfect. Pose it to your little one as a contest of how long they can endure some rules like sitting in the chair and having their belt locked.

Choose a Family-Friendly Airline

Some airlines make provisions for people flying as a family. These airlines reserve spacious areas for people flying with kids and even have well-designed programs for kids. These include special meals for children, comic books, and television channels that appeal to the young ones’ age, among others.

Again, a family-friendly airline may offer you an extra hand like air nannies to help with the kids at a bit of cost. Flying nannies are flight attendants with special training in engaging kids during the flight. Meanwhile, you can also contact an agency offering such services to book one before your flight.

Fly At Night If Possible

For long flights, you should consider a night flight. Why? The probability that kids would fall asleep at night is higher than during the day. If this eventually happens, that is several hours of flying without the young ones even knowing.

For example, if you are traveling to the US from the UK, the flight duration should take nine hours. Who knows? Your little one may not wake up till the flight is almost over.

Take Some Playthings and Snacks Along

Kids cannot stand boredom. They would whine and cry to get your attention, and when that isn’t enough, kids could rebel. There is a high chance your kid wouldn’t do this if they are with their favorite snacks or occupied with something they love.

Experienced parents know the golden rule- keep the kids busy. How about surprising them with a new gadget or installing new items on their portable video game to enjoy while flying? Also, pack some snacks allowed while boarding. These will be handy if you can’t get the kids to sleep.

Pack a Travelling Medicine Kit

When flying with kids, prepare for medical emergencies by packing a traveling medicine kit with you. Kids could develop motion sickness during the flight. Common symptoms of this condition include sweating, headache, fatigue, and dizziness, to mention a few.

Generally, a traveling medicine kit is like a typical first aid box. It should contain several items and drugs like pain killers, anti-nausea pills, antibiotics, cough, and cold medicines. You can also consult your Pediatrician to know what more you should add to it.

Take Direct Flights If Possible

If your kid isn’t naturally adventurous, changing planes at different airports can be quite frustrating. When your little ones think the nightmare of staying in on a chair is over, it could be disappointing to learn that it’s not.

Meanwhile, book a flight that offers stopovers instead of layovers whenever a direct flight isn’t possible. Stopover permits you to spend from 24 hours to several days in the layover city before flying again. That allows you and the little ones to refresh yourselves and enjoy the city. In contrast, layovers take less than a day, and some; even take less than an hour.

Of course, the stopover plan comes at an extra cost, but it would be worth every dime. You will have a happy and refreshed kid flying with you.

Make Friends with Other Parents

You do not know who could help you keep your little ones in check. Most parents would tell you that kids would listen to anyone else except their parents. Meanwhile, you could be lucky to have their kids close to yours, and there is no livelier person to occupy kids than their fellow.

Ask for favors

Call the airline and tell them your flight. Ask if there is a chance to get a seat that would be comfortable for you and the kids. For example, the aisle would be great for kids you envisage would walk around. For younger ones that love to sleep, the window side would be perfect to avoid disturbance.

Make Sure Travelling Documents Are Intact

If you are migrating to another country, you should ensure your papers are okay before going to the airport. On entry into the country, immigration officers would validate all your documents. Nothing could be more frustrating than waiting with your tired kids until the issues are cleared.

To avoid this scenario, you should engage immigration lawyers to help you process your travel documents. You can be sure they won’t leave anything out. You can start by consulting Total Law.

Final Thoughts

If you have tried everything we highlighted in this post and your kid is not buying any of it, just keep your cool. Most passengers understand that kids can be quite a handful on a flight.

There is still no reason to worry when you have less tolerant people around you. Prepare yourself to hear some funny remarks till such persons are tired. The flight won’t be forever. Thankfully, your kids are growing and learning to adapt to each flying experience. The next flight would be much better. We wish you and your kids a safe trip!