(Newswire.net — November 22, 2022) — Flying with children is often a difficult task to get through. Sometimes, it doesn’t work out. There are many reasons, such as airport security, flight delays, or insufficient room for the kids on board. Here are five tips to help make flying with children more manageable and enjoyable.
1. Bring Activities
This might sound like common sense, but it’s essential; bringing activities for your kids means something other than packing an iPad or games console. Having somewhere to be creative, coloring books and coloring pencils, playing cards and even a board game can all help make the trip more fun for your children. The little things can make a big difference. This also applies when you get on the plane too. A new toy or magazine will help keep them occupied, something they haven’t seen in months or seen at home, and will therefore mean more to them as they travel.
2. Bring Snacks
You can have all the toys in the world, but if your child is hungry, they won’t be able to concentrate on any of them, but this is another area that might seem obvious, but it’s essential. Many airports have child-friendly cafes, but these will have a different quality of food your child has enjoyed at home. You should bring a small variety of treats and drinks for them to choose from, a few pieces of fruit for fruit smoothies, a few pieces of bread and ham sandwiches, and even biscuit and dry cereal bars. If you’re worried about weight restrictions, don’t worry; packet food will be fine. You can also load up on sweets in the airport if it looks like it might be busy.
3. Use Airport Transfer
This one will apply to many parents, but there are also many benefits to having a driver to get you to the airport and help with the bags. Booking a car service for airport transfer will provide a fun activity for your child to participate in and will take the pressure off of you as it’s one less thing you have to worry about. This means that you won’t be stressed by how long it’s taking to get through security or getting on the plane, and it ensures that your child is happy and content.
4. Book an Early Morning Flight
This one might go against everything you’ve ever heard about having children on planes, but it’s not as big of a difficult task as everyone makes it out to be. First, try sitting closer to each other than usual so your child has less room than they might expect. This is a great way to help your child enjoy the plane ride and not get bored or irritable.
5. Choose a Family Friendly Airline
Even if the seats in front of you don’t fit the entire family, many airlines allow you to bring on a second bag, which can be used as an extra seat for your children. Most airlines offer a sizeable blue bag specifically for this purpose, typically small enough to fit under the seat in front of you. Other options include purchasing child seats or booster seats that allow your children to sit comfortably without squishing other passengers.