Air Travel Tips For Flying With Children

If you follow a few air travel tips and prepare well in advance, you can have a successful flight with your children.

Prepare Early
If you're going to have a successful trip with children, your preparation starts the minute you start to plan your trip. Make sure that you have the right travel documents for every child. If you are traveling within the US, you may not need identification for children under 18, but it's best to check with the airline to make sure. If you are traveling abroad, then you will almost certainly need a passport for your child. It can take up to six months to arrange this, so start early.

Follow Your Normal Schedules
Try to match your flight times to your child's schedule. If you are traveling with small children, try booking flights to coincide with their normal sleeping time to avoid hassles. You may have to keep them up a little later, but they should then be able to sleep through the rest of the flight. Stick to your normal routine. That may mean feeding your children breakfast while waiting to check-in, but it will prevent your child from becoming grumpy.

Plan Enough Time for Connections
If you need to make a connecting flight in another city, check times carefully. The travel agent may think that an hour and a half between flights will give you enough time to make your connection, but if you have to cope with a baby buggy, an emergency baby feed or a diaper change, that time can run out fast. It's better to leave a bit of extra time than risk missing your flight.

Check-In Early
This gives you a better chance of getting the seat that you want. It's difficult to pinpoint the best seat location for families traveling with children. Some people prefer the bulkhead, so that children have room to move and can't kick the seats in front of them. Others prefer the back of the plane (near the toilets), though this may be bumpy. Avoid these seats if your child has a delicate stomach.

Pack Essential Supplies
When flying with babies and young children, have a couple of changes of clothes and at least double the number of diapers you think you will need. Make sure you have thought about food and snacks. There's no guarantee that children will enjoy the food on the plane, so ordering a special meal in advance can save you a hassle when it's time to eat. It also helps to have a few extra snacks and drinks, especially on a longer flight. Plan meals in advance, asking air crew to warm bottles long before you should need them. Include a couple of sweets that children can suck if their ears hurt from the air pressure.

Entertainment should also be part of your carry-on bag. Aim for a mixture of favorite games mixed with a few new ones. The new games will hold your children's attention for longer. You should have enough activities to be able to change entertainment methods every hour. Young children, in particular, have a short attention span.

Safety When Flying With Small Babies
To keep babies safe on board, bring your approved car seat with you. This can often be strapped to special clips on the bulkhead. While children who are too large for car seats can be seated with you, this is uncomfortable for everyone. If your budget can allow it and it's accepted by the airline, consider buying an extra seat for your child.

You may be prepared with entertainment and snacks, but that doesn't mean your children will sit still. They will need bathroom breaks or may wish to wander around to break the monotony. Make sure your children are wearing easily identifiable clothing. This will help you keep track of them both in the airport and on the plane. For young children, consider a harness as well. That will let them walk around while you are able to keep track of them.

All of these tips for air travel with children should make your trip much easier. Keep your kids fed, watered and entertained and your fellow passengers will be amazed at how easy it can be to fly with children.