Survival Guide for Taking Young Kids on Flights

Traveling with young children can be frightful and send any parent into immediate panic, but there are ways to make your flight a painless and enjoyable one instead of a nightmare for you and any passengers sitting near you. If you are already picturing yourself begging your child to behave and stop throwing a tantrum, then you will appreciate the tips below.

Invest in Ride-On Luggage

You may think that it isn’t justified to purchase ride on luggage, but once you arrive at the airport you will be thanking yourself that you did. There are ride on luggage brands such as Skoot Kids, Trunki, and Kiddee Cases that are specially designed for children to carry on the plane. They are easy to wheel around for kids and they also keep kids entertained while in the airport. When your child is tired of wheeling the luggage around, then there is a strap that you can attach and pull it for them too.

Take Plenty of Activities

Many young children have a short attention span, so you should have options to keep your child entertained. You should take plenty of activities such as notepads, coloring books, snacks, and story books. Aim to bring about ten small activities, so your child has plenty to choose from. It’s better to have too many activities than too few.

Take a Tablet or DVD Player

A majority of parents hate the thought of putting their child in front of a television, cartoons or movies, but when your child is having a tantrum there is no better choice. Take a tablet or DVD player that will keep your child entertained for many hours. It will keep them happy and you and other passengers will be too. Charge the devices before you head to the airport, then switch them to airplane mode before the plane takes off.

Download Kids Games or Apps

You can download kid’s games or apps on your smartphone or tablet to keep your child entertained prior to getting on the plane.

Turn Activities into Gifts and Incentives for Good Behavior

All children enjoy receiving presents (and adults too), so you can use this for your advantage. You can wrap small activities that you are bringing on the plane and let your child unwrap one every time they are being good. You could wrap stickers, stuffed animals, and coloring books.

Keep them Comfortable

Take your child’s favorite blanket and bring along a pillow, so your child can get comfortable on the plane. These things are familiar to them and who knows it may allow your child to fall asleep for a while.

Distract with Sugar Free Candy

When a plane takes off or lands it can cause painful pressure on the ears and sinuses, which can be particularly painful for children’s developing ears. You can distract your child with a sugar free sucker or candy, carrot sticks or anything that will encourage them to swallow so the pain from the pressure in the ears will be alleviated.

Take Snacks that Last

Bring along snacks that take a long time to eat. It will keep your child busy. Good snacks to bring are fruits, vegetables, cheese and crackers.

Warn About ‘Airplane Police’

You don’t want to frighten your child, but it is a good trick that parents can use to keep their child behaving during the flight. Tell them that the ‘airplane police’ monitor the plane to make sure children are behaving and if they are not, then they don’t get to fly. This may keep your child from kicking the back of the seat, playing with the fold down tray, or climbing the airplane seats.

Got any more tips? Please share your ideas for a peaceful flight for all!