Flying with Small Children

Knowing how to fly with small children is essential if you want to keep your sanity. The more time you spend preparing the better your flight will be. Right before you board make sure everyone goes to the bathroom, whether they need to or not. It is also an excellent time to change any diapers. Quickly go over with your kids what you expect of them; quiet voices, stay sitting, have fun and be happy.

Before leaving make sure you pack what you need. If you are traveling with an infant or small child make sure you bring along a change a clothes not only for them but for you as well. There is nothing worse than to wear baby spit-up or have leftovers from a diaper explosion on you for the duration of your flight. Extra clothes are essential, do not leave home without them. Pack your carry-on's with care. Try to pack backpacks for your kids. They should be big enough to hold what they need but light enough for them to carry (depending on their age of course). Several weeks before we go I start packing their bags. I watch for sales, visit the local dollar store, etc. New toys or goodies will hold your little one's attention better than their regular old toys. Make sure you do not bring noisy toys unless you want to make ever single passenger around you angry. Try not to bring toys with many parts either. There is not much room to play and it is so easy for a toy to fall off the table. The last thing you need are Lego's or Polly pockets spread all over the floor.

The things that you pack don't necessarily have to be toys. Buy a pad of post-it's and let the kids stick them to whatever they want all around them. This alone can amuse some kids for a good 30 minutes. Go buy some stickers, a lot of them, and give them to your children. Let them stick them all over a piece of paper (or themselves). They will have a blast with this and keep quiet and still which is something you are hoping for and something the passengers around you are praying for. You could also bring a pack of cards. Although most young children are to young to play games you can play together to see if they know their numbers. Your child might also like to try to build stuff out of the cards or just manhandle them in general. I also try to pack something to color. Before I travel I print of pictures off of the internet. I try to make the pictures something they are interested in or find pictures about the place where we are going. Sometimes I pack crayons, sometimes colored pencils. Right now my 4 year old feels like she is getting to old to draw with crayons so on our next trip I will bring the colored pencils as a special treat.

Think about snacks ahead of time. Although your flight may or may not be too terribly long your little one will undoubtedly get hungry at some point. Do you really want to pack sugary snacks? Although this may be a treat remember that your goal is for your child to behave and stay in their seat for the duration of your flight. Pack healthy foods like carrot sticks or apple slices. Peanut butter crackers or cheese and crackers also work well. After you pass thru the TSA Screening you can buy your child their own bottled water. If they are young enough still having their own bottle of water is huge. That bottle could keep them occupied for a long time!

Throughout the flight I try to engage them in special conversations, play with them as I'm able, and generally just try to make this a special experience for them. If they are engaged in an activity and their tummy has been fed you should be able to prevent many meltdowns.

Now that we have covered entertaining and feeding your children lets talk about take-off's and landing. It is a good possibility that they will be scared. Make sure you put on your happy face and act like this is the funnest thing in the world. If they see you relaxed and having fun they are less likely to be overcome with fear. Take-off's and landings can cause ear pain in infants and some kids. Try to give your infant a bottle (or breastfeed) when going up or down. For older kids having them sip something thru a straw, suck on a lollipop, or chew a piece a gum can help. You can also buy Ear-planes, which are small things that you can stick in their ears. I tried these for myself one one trip and while they helped I couldn't hear anyone around me. To me, hearing was much more important. Most important, if your child is sleeping during the descent do not wake them up to do these things. Let them sleep. Some kids might wake up with ear pain but unless they do, leave them alone.

Keeping your sanity while flying is all about preparation and planning. The more you prepare and plan the easier your trip will be.

Disneymom