Children suitably occupied at Heathrow Airport, London – Photo Courtesy: Sagie
If you have a journey ahead of you that involves a flight and you are planning to take your children with you, you may quite rightly be feeling a little worried about how to cope with it. Flying with children can be a very stressful experience – how many times have you sat on a plane when there has been a screaming kid next to you? You know you won’t be popular!
Luckily, there are plenty of things you can do to prevent it being a stress for you and for your fellow passengers. Follow our guide to stress-free flying with children – you’ll be glad you did! Here’s how to do it:
Get Prepared
Photo Courtesy: Rodolfo Nunez
The most important thing you can do is to be as prepared as possible. This means thinking things through in advance and deciding how best to placate your children while they are on the plane. It’s not just the plane either – you will need to find ways of entertaining them in the airport too. Getting organized in advance will also help you keep your cash in your pocket too – you’ll be amazed at how much things cost in an airport.
Arriving prepared will mean that you don’t end up spending loads of money on basic children’s entertainment, so you’ll have more money to spend when you get there! Make up an activity pack for each child that is age-appropriate. Pack crayons, sweets and toys for toddlers and computer games, coloring books and puzzles for older ones. Each child will be delighted with their little bag of fun and it should keep them amused for hours.
At the Airport
Waiting for Check-in to Open at Stockholm Airport, Sweden – Photo Courtesy: Andrew Stawarz
When you get to the airport, issue each child with their activity pack. Figure out how long your wait will be and give them all something to keep them amused. This is not the time to worry about the effects of computer games etc. – it’s a special occasion, so feel free to break the rules. It’s not all about entertainment though; you will need to exercise your normal rules of discipline too. If a child is playing up then discreetly tell them off and let them know what you expect of them.
On the Plane
Photo Courtesy: Keith Williamson
The children will probably be very excited when they board the plane, and staring out of the window during the taxiing and take off will probably keep them occupied, so take their activity packs off them. When the aircraft is up in the air, that’s when they’ll start to get bored so this is the time to reissue the activity packs.
Have a tin of boiled sweets to hand for them to suck should their ears start to pop. Once the plane is up in the air, let them wander around every now and again to stretch their legs. Tell them that if they are good you will buy them a treat once you land – don’t feel bad about resorting to bribery!
Flying with children can actually be a real pleasure and you will be watched with admiration by your fellow passengers if you get it right!
Matt Pearce is a part of the team at Comtek, a company manufacturing flooring systems for aircrafts. He is a complete movie buff, and he enjoys watching movies with his family during his spare time.
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