Travelling with Infants and young children

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Travelling with infants and children may seem stressful and even overwhelming at times for many parents but there are a number of ways you can be prepared to ensure everyone has an enjoyable holiday – parents included. By planning ahead and following these helpful tips, you can make sure both you and your little ones are as comfortable as possible on your flight.

1. Pack your luggage in advance

Here are our top six tips for flying with infants and young children.

First, start packing your luggage ahead of time to ensure you don’t forget any of the essentials, especially when it comes to your children. By thinking ahead and packing well, you’ll make sure you don’t waste your valuable holiday time running around looking for an item you forgot. Make sure you also pack your carry-on bag wisely for easy access, so you don’t have to rummage through your bag in the middle of the aisle to find something right at the bottom. With older children their own personal carry on luggage is perfect for Travelling with Kids http://travellingwithkidstravelblog.blogspot.com.au/

2. Book a direct flight
If you’re booking a plane flight, make the trip a bit easier on yourself by choosing a direct flight to reduce overall flying time. If you have a connecting flight try and connect within 2 hours of your flight. The faster you make it to your destination, the quicker the holiday fun can begin. Also consider when your baby is at his/her best. For example, many infants are happier in the morning and are getting tired by the afternoon, so where possible, choose a flight time that will best suit your child. For older children, they adapt and will sleep or, if they are like my children, they will stay awake all night ordering copious amounts of Coke, whilst Mum and Dad are sleeping whilst watching movie after movie......

3. Take your baby’s favourite food and toys
Flights can be hard on little ones, so be prepared by packing their favourite toys and food. Most airlines will offer special meals for young ones but this usually needs to be ordered ahead of time. Also, with kids being notoriously fussy eaters, taking onboard your own snacks may be a good idea to prevent a hungry child.

4. Schedule your baby’s feeding for takeoff and landing
The air pressure change in flights is known to be potentially uncomfortable for babies and young children,(my youngest still has sore ears on departure and landing) and they scream and can become very distressed. It is recommend trying to schedule your baby’s feeding times for take off and landing where possible, which can ease their discomfort, toddlers and children, make sure you have a fruit box and chuppa chups/ Lolly pops for them to suck on during these times.

5. Ask for an aisle seat
Ask for a seat close to the bathroom that has a change table (not every bathroom or a plane will have one), and is also closer to toilets for young children, that are in a hurry. Choosing an aisle seat can also be helpful so you can get in and out of your seat with minimal disturbance to other passengers.

6. Fly with a Child friendly Airline if possible
There are a various amount of super Child friendly airlines, that go out of there way to make your flight with your child as easy and as comfortable as possible. Emirates are absolutely brilliant and each child receives their very own backpack or lunchbox, full of pencils, notebooks, a Dr.Seuss book, magna doodle and toys that will keep your little one entertained for part of the trip, the children's meals are also the best that we have ever encountered. Some airlines also paint the children's faces and take momento photographs for your child which is then placed on a card with the flight details and flight attendants names, the older children enjoy these little touches, especially the extra attention that they are often given from the stunning girls on Malaysian Airlines, extra lollies etc.

At the end of the day, Travelling with children can be unpredictable, fun and sometimes crazy, but enjoy the ride as they are only young once and simply grow up way too fast......xxx