Ten Tips to Survive Airline Travel with Young Kids

Air travel with young kids can be a thrilling adventure or a stressful nightmare. I travel by plane a few times each year with my two active boys. Did I mention that they're active?

You need a strategy for making air travel enjoyable for your kids, not to mention your fellow passengers. One friend of mine who traveled internationally with a three-year-old simply bought a drink for every person in her section as soon as the plane reached that comfortable cruising altitude. That's a bit pricey for me. Instead, I've developed ten tips for surviving airline travel with preschoolers.

Airline Travel with Young Kids Tip #1: Plan your flight wisely
I always try to book non-stop flights that don't require me to wake up my kids too early, or keep them up too late at night. Even the best laid plans can go awry and you'll have to be flexible. My carefully selected non-stop flight from Detroit to Ft. Lauderdale next month has just been changed by the airline. I now get to enjoy a 2 hour layover in Atlanta before arriving at my destination at 10:00 p.m. We'll deal with it, but someone is getting a letter!

Airline Travel with Young Kids Tip #2: Prepare Your Child
Tell your child what to expect at the airport, the security check-in, and on the plane ride itself. Print off public-domain photos of airports, planes and flight attendants from the internet and make a book to read the week before your trip.

Airline Travel with Young Kids Tip #3: Know the Airline and Security Requirements
Go to the Transportation Security Administration web site (www.tsa.gov) a few days before your departure. Requirements may change, especially if you haven't flown in awhile. Security can be a little hectic. You will have to send all coats, bags, toys, shoes, and strollers through the X-ray machine. Prepare your kids in advance so that they know they will get everything back. Currently, medications or other liquids can only be transported in 3 oz. containers placed inside a clear Ziploc bag. Some airlines require passports or birth certificates for your children. If your child will be sitting in a car seat, check to see what is approved. Find out everything you need to know before you go.

Airline Travel with Young Kids Tip #3: Easy Slip-On Shoes
Make sure your kids wear shoes that are quick and easy to take off and put on again for security. Ditto for you. When you're busy keeping track of coats, bags, and kids, you don't want to be stopping to tie 3 or 4 pairs of shoes.

Airline Travel with Young Kids Tip #4: Pull-Ups
If your child is in the process of potty training, is new at using the potty, or if there is any doubt as to your child's ability to "hold it", put them in a pull-up for the flight. Although you might not otherwise do this, remember that your kids might be required to stay in their seats for long, unexpected periods of time and won't be able to get to the bathroom like they would in a regular situation.

Airline Travel with Young Kids Tip #5: Early Boarding
Take advantage of the early boarding and settle in your kids. Take off their shoes, find pillows and blankets, and make sure everything they need is easily accessible.

Airline Travel with Young Kids Tip #6: Backpacks 'O Fun
Assuming your children are preschool age (not babies or toddlers), help them pack their own backpack to carry with everything they will need for the trip. A stuffed animal friend or special blanket to cuddle might be just what an insecure little one needs. Your child will also need to carry their own games, activities, and toys to keep busy, such as:

Paperback picture books

Doodle Pro

Leapster or V-Tech handheld video games (with headphones to preserve your sanity and that of the adults seated near you). Hide the video games 1-2 weeks before your trip so that they will be more enticing to play.

Personal DVD player/DVDs (with headphones . . . ditto the preserving sanity part)

Playdough to squish

Coloring Books and blank paper

You may not want your kids to bring markers; those caps can go flying everywhere. Check out Crayo-Craze by Liqui-Mark. It's a six-color crayon wheel, so it's the only crayon your kids will need on the trip.

Airline Travel with Young Kids Tip #7: The "Mom-Bag"
Make sure your bag is packed with any possible necessity for your kids: medicines, wipes, Kleenex, band aids, and plastic bags. Imagine almost any scenario and be prepared.

Airline Travel with Young Kids Tip #8: On-Board Entertainment, i.e. You
As wonderful as it would be to dive into a good book or flip through the pages of a magazine, consider yourself in the role of child entertainer for the duration of the flight. My kids like me to tell stories, play animal guessing games, and play I-Spy. You'll also need to be ready for 20 Questions. Keep talking to your kids about what is going on around them. Look out the window; see the experience through your kids' eyes. Be well rested. I am usually pushed to the brink of my creativity, patience, and enthusiasm.

Airline Travel with Young Kids Tip #8: Pack Surprises
While the kids will be busy for a certain amount of time with their own special backpack 'o fun stuff, it won't last forever. Have some small surprises ready to come out at the first sign of boredom. A new little book, a sheet of stickers, a fun little toy. Remember to save a surprise or two for the return trip, too.

Airline Travel with Young Kids Tip #9: Snacks and Sippy Cups
Have snacks and drinks at the ready at all times. You can fill an empty water bottle after going through security, or you can purchase something in an airport kiosk. For younger preschoolers, I usually pack a sippy cup. Pour the complimentary juice directly into the sippy cup and avoid an otherwise inevitable spill. My personal snack favorites are granola bars, apple slices, and string cheese. I avoid peanut butter in case fellow passengers are allergic, and I avoid goldfish and cheerios just out of sympathy for the flight attendants who will have to clean up after us.

Airline Travel with Young Kids Tip #10: Suckers
I surprise my kids with a sucker or lollipop as we begin the descent (finally!) Not only are they thrilled with a treat just at the threshold of their boredom, but sucking on the candy helps to keep their ears from popping. (Chewing gum serves this purpose, too, but my kids eat it.)

Ta-da! You made it. I hope you enjoyed your flight!