Image taken at Deer Park Nara Prefecture Japan
Guest Post from Letitia Hearty
Looking for a change of pace? Wanting to get away but dreading the thought of dragging your kids on a vacation? The premise itself is stressful but it doesn’t have to be.
When the time came for my husband and I to take both of our boys out of the country for a trip to Disney World, I was nervous. Two young kids, who aren’t used to traveling on a plane? Sounds like a nightmare in the making, right? Not only did we get through it, we had a blast.
Looking to make your plane trip with children successful? Here are 6 tips to help your trip nail a smooth landing:
- Prepare – Making sure that your children know what’s coming can save a lot of anxiety. The better you prepare the better traveling is going to go. For kids that have never been on a plane before show them some pictures and videos. Explain to them what’s going to happen. Make it exciting for them. By the time my oldest got on the plane he was jumping for joy. He found it all exciting, even ordering some snacks from the attendants. Also, make sure you arrive early enough to get through security and customs. You never know what kind of hold up there will be. You’ll also want to ensure everyone has a bathroom break before boarding. Every flight I’ve been on has allowed people with young children to board earlier than others. Take advantage of this to get settled.
- Popping ears – I have always made sure when traveling with my kids to have something available for them to suck on, drink, or eat during takeoff and landing. This helps stop their little ears from popping with the pressure change. Popped ears are very unpleasant and kids, especially the younger they are, don’t cope with this well. This is why you’ll often hear kids start crying shortly after the flight has started.
- Keep them entertained- You don’t have to get too creative with this. Simply make sure you pack a couple of fun things in your carry on to keep those little hands busy. A portable gaming system, a couple of small toys, snacks, a book all work fine.
- Keep them contained- This is for those sweet little babies and toddlers you may be traveling with. A small umbrella stroller is perfect for travel. It is easily checked at the door of the plane making getting around the airport a breeze. I also use a carrier. You will need to check with your airline about the rules. Here you aren’t allowed to wear baby/toddler during take off and landing but during the flight it is fine. A carrier is great if you don’t have extra help on the plane and you need two hands or have to use the restroom. On our trip to Disney, my 1 year old slept attached to me during both flights. This is an especially good tip if you don’t have a seat for your little one.
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- Booking your flight- If possible book your flight around nap time. This will help aid your little one to rest on the plane, hopefully allowing you to rest as well.
- Dress comfortably- Planes are dry and warm and you may be traveling from one climate to another. Stick with light comfortable layers. I found that a footed sleeper worked very well for my one year old especially as wearing him made it warmer for us. We went from some extreme heat to freezing cold; Florida to Canada.
About the Writer
Letitia Hearty
Letitia Hearty is a mother to two young boys, a writer, content creator, and an artist in Toronto, Ontario. Sometimes she thinks she is funny which is when she gets the urge to write and illustrate on her own blog, Apparently a Mom (www.apparentlyamom.com).
I know that travelling with kids seems impossible sometimes, so these tips will come in handy!
These are some great tips.. I’ll be definitely using them.. thanks for sharing with us all
Perfect. I saw this viral video about a kid who tortured passengers of one 8-hour flight with his incessant wailing. I hope the mom of that kid read this first before putting the kid in that flight.
Great tips! I wish more people planned their flights around nap time. So clever!
So agree!
Disney world is one of my favourite destinations. Hope I could visit it someday. Great tips and nice article. Thanks for sharing.
I tried most of these tips when we flew with my then 6 month old. It went really well and babywearing her was a huge benefit.
Great tips! I’ll keep them in mind when I travel with little ones. I hope you enjoyed your trip.
Thank you for these tips, Letitia!
These are great tips. Preparation is always key!! Baby wearing sounds like a great idea.
As a new parent who is looking forward to traveling with my son, tips like these are what I look for. Thank you!
Excellent guide…Thank you for sharing
Pictures and video make sense! We set our dining room chairs up as a plane to ‘play’ vacation before heading off.
Traveling with kids isn’t impossible if you prepare well, of course the kids will get fussy, they aren’t learned yet to stay still, they have energy that they need to let out, but if you entertain them, and use these tips then traveling will be easier, but still the other passengers have to know that they were also kids at some point, so what if a child is rowdy, it’s probably his first experience and he is not comfortable with it, i try to be objective when I travel and see a family board, if someone makes a scene it will be harder for them.
I don’t yet have kids but this is one of my biggest fears when i think of future family holidays! Some great tips here, thanks for sharing 🙂
Great tips. I feel like if i keep my kids as much on their regular schedule, they don’t get cranky on flights
Great advice. I had many ‘challenging’ flights with the kids when they were younger.
I so agree with you on the popping ears. I may not have kids but being a constant traveler, I take a lot of flights. It’ really not easy for the young ones once the plane takes off. Thanks for sharing your tips!
Loved it.. great tips.. I so need a holiday right now.. overworked
Take it easy. Give yourself a break sometimes 🙂
My babies were a little older before we traveled by plane with them but I always commended moms on flights with babies… It’s a lot of prep work.
True
Thanks for sharing this helpful tips , a parent like me appreciate it very much.