Having made too many tiresome flight journeys with their little ones, a lot of people don’t believe stress-free air travel with children is even possible. Taking your kids to new places across the globe, exploring awesome attractions, and learning about new cultures is among the most beautiful things you can do as a traveler. But to get to that stage, you’ll first need to clear the dreaded stage of air travel. However, dreaded as it may be, you can actually tackle air travel with kids pretty easily by doing a few simple things. Here are some top tips for flying with toddlers.
Tricks for stress-free flying with children:
When adults can find flight journeys exhausting, just imagine the kind of rough time tiny tots go through on board. Flying with a toddler on your lap can be among the most difficult things ever. Traveling with a 3-year old on a plane or with kids who’re even slightly older than 3 isn’t easy. But air travel need not be as stressful as it’s made out to be. Just check our tips for flying with toddlers below and make the flight journey that much easier for the both of you.
- Prep kids for the journey
One of the best ways for stress-free air travel with children is to prepare them for it beforehand. Whether you’re availing India flight deals or deals to another country, this is especially important if it is your child’s first airplane ride. Make sure to let them know they are about to board a plane. The lesser the surprises, lesser the tantrums you can expect. It’ll help immensely if you make the experience of flying fun for them. Show them on a map where you will be flying to. Get them involved in the packing and planning process.
- Try to book an early flight
If this is a planned vacation you are about to take and you’re not looking for last minute flights, book a flight that departs as early in the day as possible. Early flights are awesome options as they are considerably less crowded and pretty much everybody on board just wants to nap. Since the kids will be up early so that you board on time, they may doze off on board. Your kids sleeping through the flight journey, especially if it’s a long haul one, will be the best thing possible for you.
- Flying with a toddler checklist
Before you leave for the airport, make sure you’ve packed everything you’ll need. When flying with kids ID is very important so make sure you’ve got this. If you’ll need a flying toddler car seat, make sure you’ve got the most comfortable one for your child. Pack a few light snacks but hold off on buying milk until you’ve cleared security. Also, check your flight status online just to be sure. With that done, you are now ready to board your economy or business class flights!
- Keep aisle seats for yourself
This one is more from a safety perspective. Seating kids toward the aisle can be troublesome. Tiny hands do not lie still and may reach out to grab something from a passing food and beverage cart. There may be hot coffee or water that could spill because of this. So protect them from potentially harming themselves (or others) and seat them away from the aisle always. This is one of the biggest tips for stress-free air travel with children.
- Pack surprise toys
Playing with toys is among the best toddler airplane activities ever. However, instead of bringing the toys your kids usually play with, pack something new. Unpacking a surprise is always a fun thing for kids. They’ll play with a new toy much longer than an old one. Keeping them occupied will leave less scope for them to get cranky. This is one of the easiest ways to follow and enjoy stress-free air travel with children.
- Tackle air pressure
Ear pressure can be an incredibly painful thing for kids to deal with during air travel. Carry ear mufflers when you’re flying with a toddler on your lap. If your kids are a bit older, you can carry chewing gum for them. It’ll help ease the pressure off when the plane descends. It’s even better if you can get your child to sleep before the plane starts its descent.
- Ask if there are free seats available
Boarding cheap flights only to be flying with a toddler on your lap can be exhausting beyond measure. So when you check-in, ask at the counter if there are any free seats on board. If the clerk at the counter turns out to be helpful, you’ll get your free seat and not have to go through the entire journey with a toddler wriggling on your lap. This is among the must-dos for stress-free air travel with children.