Flying With Kids-
My wife’s family lives across the country in a wonderful, beautiful part of America. We absolutely love to visit and we all have a blast when we go out there. The only thing that makes it challenging is that there are no direct flights from our hometown to there. None. I would give my left arm for a direct flight. Sure, if it was just my wife and I, we could hang out in the terminal during our layover, maybe have a beer or something, and just get there when we get there. But when you are flying with kids, this puts a wrinkle in things. We have learned (the hard way) that you need to come prepared. With a little preparation and patience, flying with kids really isn’t that stressful. Here are 7 tips we have discovered that may help you in your travels.
Flying With Kids Tip #1- Bring Extra Clothes For Parents Too
When our daughter was an infant, my wife had to travel alone with her and her big brother. Since this was our second child, we knew to make sure to bring plenty of extra clothes for her in case of an accident. Well, she had a complete blowout during the flight and although we had a change of clothes for my daughter, my wife did not escape the blowout unscathed. She was in bad need of a new shirt as well and had nothing. This was a nightmare. From then on, we made sure to have an extra set of clothes for us as well!
Flying With Kids Tip #2-Get On The Plane As Late As Possible
We generally check our main luggage. When the four of us fly to a destination for a week, our luggage is too large to carry on anyways. So there really is no need for us to hurry onto the plane to secure some space for our luggage. Often times, the time between when you begin boarding the plane and you are actually airborne and heading towards the destination can be upwards of an hour. When the airplane is sitting at the gate, there is no gentle hum or movement to get your kids to sleep. People are jostling around and it can be stressful for your children. Often, it is way too hot or way to cold on the plane depending on the time of year. So we wait until the last possible moment to actually board the plane. Let them run around (well, not actually “run” but stretch their legs) by the gate until it is last call. We want to minimize the amount of time on the plane as much as possible.
Flying With Kids Tip #3-Wait To Pull Out The Tech
You might be tempted to pull out all the gifts and treats and entertainment that you have right away. But, if you are getting on the plane as late as possible, hopefully it won’t be too long until you are in the air. Let your kids sit at the window and look out. Unless you fly with them extremely often, the novelty of being able to see the city down below will keep them entertained for a while. Play a game with them using the scenery. Try to spot water towers, etc. Avoid using your trump cards until your children are really getting restless and bored.
Flying With Kids Tip #4-Strollers Are Your Friend
Even when our children were starting to outgrow strollers and there were in that “gray area” between needing them and not, we still opted to bring it. Why? Strollers are great for not only carrying your kids around but also your bags. We were able to devise a system to hang our bags on the stroller and cart our whole operation around the airport fairly effortlessly. We got a Joovy Caboose Stroller and totally loved it. It was perfect when our daughter was still too young to walk around long distances but our son was. It has that bench on the back for my son to jump on whenever he got tired. When he wasn’t on it, we could put stuff on the seat to carry around. This stroller was seriously thought of everything a parent may need when moving kids around! It was easy to fold up and check at the gate as well. Our kids are both too big for it now and we were sort of sorry to see it go. Here is a pic of our kids at the airport with Jonah on the bench in back.
Flying With Kids Tip #5- Travel Board Games
We love these travel board games! You know the ones that have magnets on the pieces so that they don’t get lost. They are cheap, easy to pack, and a ton of fun for the kiddos. My son is a totally chess master and we found this great travel size chess board that has taken up hours of travel time. It has been well worth the $5 we spend on it.
Flying With Kids Tip #6-Bring Something For Their Ears
My son generally does pretty well with the change in air pressure. My daughter: not so much. Depending on the age of your child, have something appropriate for them to use to deal with their ears popping. It could be a pacifier, gum or a lollipop. I would have a couple options handing in case your first one doesn’t seem to be doing the trick. It is a terrible, helpless, feeling to have a child screaming bloody murder in a plane full of strangers and there is nothing you can do to make it stop or make their pain go away. Not fun.
Flying With Kids Tip #7-Be Aware Of Your Child’s Movements
This is the classic scene in a sitcom or a movie: the rowdy child sitting behind our protagonist, kicking his chair mercilessly. Don’t let this be your child. Sure, we don’t have that crazy kid we see in the movie, but children can still be restless, giddy and unaware of their surroundings. Also, often times their little legs stick out from the seat and there are just that perfect length to keep nudging into the seat in front of them. My son is notorious for this.
Traveling With Children-Summing It All Up
Please remember when you are travelling with your children to try to make it an adventure. Sure, ever adventure will have it’s hardships, but keep a good attitude and try not to have a meltdown that will rival the one your child is currently going through. We really are lucky in the fact that we got two pretty good little travelers in our family, but we have certainly had our moments. Introducing your children to new and challenging situations is most often a good thing. It is a big world out there, go and see it as a family! Here is one of my favorite pictures of Jonah. I had given my phone to my (then) 3-year-old and told her to take a picture of her brother. This was the result. It was taken on a plane right after we landed in my wife’s hometown. I really think this captures his essence and the joy on his face to be at our destination.
This doesn’t mean that you won’t have your tough times. Trust me, we have had some rough patches. Especially on those layovers. We have had many fussy, overpriced dinners. Everyone is tired, we are all out of our comfort zone and we just want to get to our final destination. Try not to get on each others nerves and have some patience. Remember, we are all on the same team. To sign off, here is a picture from a recent layover in Minneapolis. This was not staged at all, the despair is real!
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