Tips for making plane travel easier with young children

Travelling with young children isn’t always easy, especially on aeroplanes when ‘toilet stops’ and breaks in motorway services aren’t possible. To help your time in the air with youngsters run a little more smoothly, take a look at these following plane travel tips with children.

• If your child gets car sick it is possible that they may also get air sick. Don’t let them over eat before flying. Egg sandwiches, hotdogs and a fizzy coke in the airport lounge, may not be a good idea. If you give them travel sickness pills make sure that they are not allergic to them.
• Provide entertainment. It may be one of the better times to let them become absorbed in computer games, or pack a couple of good books to pass away some time.
• Your child may be excited or scared before a flight; they will naturally act differently on board. Take time before you fly to explain that the plane is full of passengers sitting in a confined space, who may not be too keen on over excited or constantly fidgeting children.
• Talk to them, explain where they are going and the wonderful holiday that awaits, suggest plans and involve them in choices. A bored child is asking for trouble!
• Play-dough, glue sticks and scissors are all in the “forbidden” category for obvious reasons. However, dot to dot, colouring books and quiz books are allowed. Play card games like Uno, or a portable plane-friendly game like Scrabble Folio. Clever companies have now come up with portable activity kits for each age group. A portable DVD player and a couple of good children’s films (ones they haven’t yet watched), or listen to favourite audiobooks, better still make up stories for them.
• Pack extra baby food and of course plenty of nappies and baby wipes, you’ll never know when you’ll need them!