These 12 Airplane Travel With Kids Tips might save your sanity (and make family travel a whole lot easier). I’ve traveled with babies, toddlers, and teens on airplanes and I am a bit of an expert on how to make airplane travel with kids a little easier. Read on to get my top tips…
12 Airplane Travel With Kids Tips
BONUS Airplane Travel with Kids tip: call your airline a week before your trip and ask customer service to order a kids’ meal for your kids. This service is free of charge. Kids meals on airplanes can include: pasta, chicken nuggets, muffin, fruit, yogurt, cookies. Much more kid-friendly fare than the usual airplane meal.
- Despite pre-orderning your kids meal…there is a good chance you might not get it (it’s happened to us many a time). That’s why I always take snacks with us. You can’t take liquids (security issues) but you can bring pre-packaged kid-approved snacks. I take granola bars, animal crackers, 100% dehydrated fruit snacks.
- Packing a blanket is a good comfort item (and airplanes can be chilly).
- A change of clothes is a must for babies, toddlers, and even those just-potty-trained kids.
- A pillow is a comfort item as well (see #2).
- Medicine kit is a must! Not only take the regular medicines your kids might have due to medical reasons…pack anti-nausants you might need if you have a motion-sickness-kid (I do and boy…did I ever appreciate having the gravol with us on our last flight).
- Books are great boredom busters. I try to pack 1 book I know the child loves plus a new one they have never heard before.
- Pencil and paper is a classic boredom buster. Draw, write a thank you note to the flight crew, make a list of things, play tic tac toe…
- Stickers are portable (and disposable). They can bust boredom now and won’t be cried over if you forget them on the plane.
- Play figures are fun on-the-go entertainment. My daughters loved taking mini-princesses and just acted out the Disney scenes. My son prefers dinosaurs and cars. Play figures can easily be played with on the fold down table of an airplane or on the seats.
- I gave myself 99 bonus points for bringing a tablet pre-loaded with movies and games for my son on our last flight. Though it was an international, 9 hour flight, there was no on-board entertainment (i.e. no handy TV screens in front of our seats to keep us busy for the long trip).
- Something to chew/suck on like gum or a lollipop will do wonders for little ears on take off and landing. If a child is too young – a bottle works just as well.
- Resealable bags put in the front pocket of your seat are handy things. They can be used as garbage bags, soiled clothing bags, snack bags, and more.
So many upset kids on the planes we have traveled on this year. I wish more parents would read tips like these.
Sounds good that travel to Mexico. Wonderful place to visit but there are some precautions while traveling like sure that you are ready for travel. Your health is most important. So take healthy food and fresh fruits. You should always buy travel insurance. If you travel without it you are taking the risk. Have a good tour.
You bring up a good point, I’d much rather look like a tourist than get miserably lost! I want to make 2016 a year of traveling. I figured I have the time and the means might as well make it happen before life gets too busy. Thanks for the tips!
Hello, We are from Australia but live in London. We’ve done the long trip once with a 3 mth old and shortly again with a 6 mth old. We decided to travel during the day so getting on the plane in the morning. After a good rest and we are ready for the day out! Also other passengers not ready to sleep as soon as you get on the plane.