Original article on www.vagabondjourney.com
Strapping a kid in a seat inside of a long metal tube and telling it to sit there quietly for 3 to 15 hours doesn’t always work according to plan. In point, flying with children is a challenge that borders on an art form.
Not only do you, as a parent, need to keep your children happy and entertained throughout the duration of a flight — which is an extremely taxing task in and of itself — but you have to make sure they are not bothering the hell out of the other passengers sitting around you. I have to admit it, even though I’m a father who travels with a little girl, I still moan inwardly when I see babies and other little kids parked next to me in airplanes.
My daughter has been traveling and flying since she was six weeks old, and she knows the drill: she sits down, hangs out, naps, watches videos, and looks at books until we arrive at our destination. She is an experienced flier, it is a normal part of her life, and she has yet to be more of a nuisance on a plane than what is inherently allotted to her on the grounds that she’s a human being. She does well, but this wasn’t by accident: my wife and I have a complex system in place to ensure that our flying experiences go as smoothly and as enjoyably as possible. After all, flying is the most expensive thing that we do, so we may as well enjoy it.
This takes preparation and a plan, the following are some tips for flying with children from Chaya, my wife:
Buying Your Tickets
- When booking your ticket think about whether you want layovers. Layovers give you shorter flights with breaks in between to run around, but also increases the overall travel time and the take-off and landing time which could be hard on your baby’s sensitive ears.
- Children under two don’t need their own seat and can fly free on their parent’s lap. If you want them to ride in a car seat, however, you need to purchase their own seat.
- If traveling with a lap infant, call your airline after booking to confirm you have a lap infant and ask about bulkhead bassinets. These are available on many international flights and give your small baby her own bassinet to sleep in, it can be a lifesaver!
In the Airport
- Give yourself plenty of time. Make sure you get to airport early for check in. If you have layovers, make sure you have enough time in between the flights. Things take a lot longer with kids, and it is generally a lot easier to take care of feeding, diapering and changing clothes in airports rather than on the plane. Traveling can be stressful and even young babies pick up on parent’s stress, don’t make it harder on yourself by putting the family in situations where you need to rush.
- Check-in early. Ask when you check-in if the flight is full. If the flight isn’t too full, the airline employee may be able to reserve an empty seat next to you to only be filled if absolutely necessary.
Be sweet and look helpless. This goes a long with airline hostesses who can usually hook you up with extra free food for your little one, and other passengers who can help you with bags, let you cut in line and cut you a little slack when the kids get fussy. - Hands-free baby carrying. You can use a stroller (they can often be checked at the gate) or a baby carrier (this is what we do), but either way, you’re going to want your hands free when going through security etc. I have worn Petra in a baby carrier through numerous security lines both in the U.S. and abroad and have never been asked to take it off to go through the metal detector.
- Pre-board….or don’t. Think about whether you want to take advantage of preboarding if you are traveling with young children. While it can be nice to skip the lines and get all settled in first, you also might rather your toddler had a few more minutes to run around the gate area rather than sitting on your lap in the plane. I usually pre-board because it allows me a few minutes to get extra help from stewardesses.
- Knowing what to expect, especially if you haven’t flown too much before, can help reduce stress. Ask friends, ask me, or check out the TSA tips and information to walk you through the airport TSA flying with children page.
There is usually a play area, somewhere in the airport, or if not, moving sidewalks and escalators can be just as entertaining.
Copyright © 2014 by Vagabond Journey Travel. This article was written by Chaya Shepard and originally published on www.vagabondjourney.com
