Save your sanity: 7 ways to make flying with kids easier

Posted on Jun 26th 2007 4:30PM by Lauren Greschner

Filed Under: Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements

Traveling with kids can be challenging and stressful at the best of times but add in an airplane flight, and even more possible complications arise. Over the next few months lots of families will be heading to the skies on summer holidays so, just in time for your trip, here are some things to consider in order to keep your kids happy and healthy during a flight.

Don't fly with infants under a week old as their lungs aren't fully developed and oxygen levels on a plane could vary during a flight. Give older kids gum to chew to help with air pressure changes during takeoff and landing, while younger kids can suck on thumbs, soothers or a bottle.

Make sure to give antinausea medication 30 minutes to an hour before the flight in order for it to take effect at the right time -- you don't want it to wear off before takeoff but you also don't want it to start working too late. Also, bring a few activities in your carry-on -- coloring books, stories or travel games all work -- to keep bored children entertained. If you'd like a few more tips to make traveling with kids easier, take a look at the piece mentioned above.

Source

68 Comment

Tags: airplane, children, flight, healthy, kids, travel, traveling, trip

Around the Web

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)

Joseph 6-29-2007 @ 2:07PM

The best thing to do is to hire a baby sitter and leave them at home. This will make all the other passengers on the plane happy also.

AMY 6-29-2007 @ 2:07PM

THE PERSON THAT LEFT THE MESSAGE ABOUT LEAVING THE KIDS HOME, WHY DON'T YOU STAY HOME!!! OR BETTER YET DRIVE!! YOU SOUND LIKE A GROUCH

Amy 6-29-2007 @ 7:35AM

THE PERSON THAT LEFT THE COMMENT LEAVE THE KIDS AT HOME, WHY DON'T YOU STAY HOME, OR BETTER YET DRIVE YOURSELF YOU GROUCH!!!

Melanie 6-29-2007 @ 2:07PM

Two weeks ago we took our three year old with us to Jamaica; the first time we had all flown. We kept her entertained by taking a portable DVD player and she watched her favorite movies the entire time, through both flight and while our plane was delayed at the airport. It's a great tool to keep your kid occupied. Take lots of snacks too!

NNick12aa 6-29-2007 @ 2:07PM

My wife and I make a trip to Germany each year. There is nothing more annoying than being seated close to one or more loud, unbehaved children whom the parents either can't or won't control. Give me the smokers any day.

Steve 6-29-2007 @ 2:08PM

The only two ways to make flying with kids easier is to either knock them out with a sedative, or put them in a doggie kennal in the cargo hold.

In case you can't tell, I hate dealing with peoples kids on planes.

HT 6-30-2007 @ 11:13AM

It's amazing to read the negative comments about children and flying. There have been times when the children are not necessarily behaving to my standards, but after flying 300+ times in my short life, it has never been unbearable. I'd rather be on a flight with a kid making noise instead of a grown man (or woman) next to me who smells and takes over both arm rests. If you are so sensitive to children on flights, maybe you should be the ones taking a sedative or being in a dog kennel below where it is nice and quiet.

jen 6-29-2007 @ 2:08PM

to the person who said kids should be in doggie kennels, you should maybe drive instead of fly,that way you can be alone & not be bothered by these little people. You sound like an old grouch anyway!Who is better off alone!!!!

Natu Desai 6-29-2007 @ 2:08PM

People who are complaining about Kids do not have their own.

Melissa 6-29-2007 @ 2:08PM

Here's a thought, if parents would actually teach their kids to listen, be respectful, and behave we would not have these problems. it's not the kids who are to blame, its their parents.

Lets face it more often it badly behaving adults that make a flight unbareable. I for one am sick of having crabby tight wad business people on a plane who complain about everything!

jeanine 6-29-2007 @ 2:09PM

I can understand children can get annoying but it is not the child’s fault it is the parents for not being able to control them and as for putting them with the dogs that is just horrible you were a child many years ago and did they do that to you. I hope you know that the children you are talking about are our future doctors and president and teachers and military that will fight for your freedom and the reason you can take a flight to any place you want.

Stacy 6-29-2007 @ 2:09PM

The adults that think everyone should cater to them and that the world revolves around only them are usually the ones much worse than kids. I'd rather be on a plane full of kids anyday instead of a first class trip with snooty businessmen complaining about evrey stinkin' thing.

vkrueger42 6-29-2007 @ 2:11PM

I travel with my children every year from Wisconsin to Hawaii, a 9 hour trip. My youngest gets motion sickness, I have found a product called "Preggie Pops" which are natural ginger suckers which curb nausea for pregnant women. They work wonders for kids flying and don't dope them up.

kel 6-29-2007 @ 2:11PM

For everyone complaining about children on planes. Flying is public transportation, If you dont like being around kids dont fly. You have no clue why peope are flying with children and it is completly rude for you to act like they arent allowed to fly on the plane that you are on.

crif 6-29-2007 @ 2:11PM

Wouldn't it be great if there were special "kid friendly" flights? And special "kid free" flights? That way both sides could be happy. I agree that parents should do their best to entertain little ones and teach them how to sit quietly; however, anyone who's ever had a two year old knows that's not always possible.

chassady 6-29-2007 @ 2:24PM

I FLY WITH MY 3 YEAR OLD ALL THE TIME! SHE MIGHT GET A LITTLE FUSSY AT TIMES BUT OTHER THAN THAT SHE GOOD! I TELL HER IF SHES NOT QUITE THAT THE AIRPLANE CAPTAIN WILL COME GET HERE, I ALSO FLY WITH A PLANE THAT HAS TV'S OR BRING A DVD PLAYER!!
ALSO ITS A GOOD THING ALL THESE PEOPLE WHO COMPLAIN ABOUT KIDS DONT ACTUALLY HAVE KIDS DAMN A**HOLES!!

bobo 6-29-2007 @ 2:15PM

I have encountered more troublesome adults than children. Excessive drinking, snoring, complaining, jamming a reclining chair into the person behind thems knees (mine)

Give me children over

Julie 6-29-2007 @ 2:16PM

As a flight attendant for a major carrier, lately, I have had many unaccompanied minors flying. I have to say, they are well behaved passengers on the flight. I would have to agree that some parents do not have control of their children, which is what causes the passengers to have such sore feelings about children flying. However, I have to say, this world is full of children, always has been, always will be... For those of you who believe that children should not fly, maybe you should stay away from the general public... There is not a public place in this world where you are not going to encounter a child that is out of control, crying, fussing, etc... And that includes an airplane. For frequent travelers, my suggestion would be to arrive at the airport early and ask the gate agent if she would be so kind as to move your seat away from an infant/toddler. This of course is a request and cannot always be guaranteed.

Just think, as an adult, we hate to be confined to small places for long periods of time... It is the nature of a child to want to move around and be entertained... But I do have to agree... There are too many parents these days that do not have control of their children.

Have a safe flight - really that is all that matters in the end!

steff 6-29-2007 @ 2:16PM

I have two young children and we have traveled as a family many times. I try my best to keep my children from annoying passengers by booking our four seats in groups of two so if my youngest kicks the seat in front of him he's only kicking my daughters seat. I also make sure my children are sitting and buckled into a car seat and we make it just like being in the car, they are not allowed out of the seat unless they have to use the restroom. There have been times my children have been cranky and that isn't something I can control and passengers need to realize that.
Saying all of that the last time I flew I sat next to six young men that were drunk and looking a playboy and being totally loud and rude. All of the passengers were unhappy with the situation. Saying that there are annoying people on flights and they aren't always kids.
Just remember if you are sitting next to a noisy child remember some of us parents are doing the best we can to make our flight as easy and comfortable as possible and sometimes we need a little compassion.